ThinkPhone review: The best Motorola phone you won’t buy

I can’t recall the final time I received enthusiastic about utilizing a Motorola cellphone. The RAZR foldable actually involves thoughts however, given the specs, that cellphone felt like extra of a disappointment than the success of a dream. No, I believe I’d really must go all the best way again to 2017 when the Moto Z2 launched and Motorola flagship telephones felt like they have been of their prime.Imagine my shock, then, when the ThinkPhone by Motorola received introduced. It’s a kind of hybrid system that bridges the hole between Lenovo and Motorola, the workplace and the house, and even the premium and inexpensive segments. As an individual that already makes use of a Lenovo ThinkPad Carbon X1 as their most important laptop computer, a ThinkPhone makes excellent sense for me, however that’s not only for aesthetic functions.That’s often because Lenovo and Motorola are using deep software program tie-ins with Motorola’s ReadyFor software program — one thing the most effective Motorola telephones all help — to create a cohesive expertise that shares performance between the cellphone and PC. Instant hotspot, clipboard sharing, app streaming, a desktop UI in your cellphone, and even the power to make use of your cellphone’s digicam as a webcam in your laptop computer are all right here and so they work extremely properly.Is this the most effective flagship I’ve used from Motorola in years? Yes, unquestionably.Price and availability(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)ThinkPhone by Motorola was introduced in January at CES 2023 with worldwide availability shortly after. The cellphone is out there in North America as of April 26, 2023 by way of enterprise B2B channels and Lenovo gross sales representatives.Motorola additionally sells it unlocked on Motorola.com and Lenovo.com for common client buy at $699.99. Special enterprise pricing is out there with Lenovo Pro as of April 28, 2023.ThinkPhone by Motorola ships in a single coloration: black.Swipe to scroll horizontallyThinkPhone specsSpecThinkPhone by MotorolaChipsetSnapdragon 8+ Gen 1Display6.6-inch pOLED, 1080 x 2400, 144Hz adaptive refresh price, 720Hz PWM polling, HDR10+Memory8 or 12GBStorage128GB/256GB/512GB, UFS 3.1Main rear digicam50 MP, ƒ/1.8, 1.0µm, multi-directional PDAF, OISUltra-wide angle digicam13 MP, ƒ/2.2, 120˚, 1.12µm, AFDepth camera2MP, ƒ/2.4Front Digicam32MP, ƒ/2.5Battery5,000mAh, 68W Fast Charging, 15W Wireless ChargingUpdatesUp to Android 16, safety by way of 2027SecurityOptical in-screen fingerprint sensorConnectivityWi-Fi 6E, sub-6 5G, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2microSD card slot🚫3.5mm headphone jack🚫Dimensions158.8 x 74.4 x 8.3 mmWeight188 gColorsAramid Fiber blackProtection IP68, Gorilla Glass VictusDrop ratingMIL-STD-810H compliant, drop to concrete rated as much as 1.3mWhat I cherished(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)Most slab telephones are fairly boring nowadays. The overwhelming majority go for a metal-and-glass sandwich design, typically ending up extraordinarily slippery and requiring a case in the event you don’t need to drop it. The ThinkPhone may characterize a reasonably standard-looking slab cellphone from the entrance, however the again is something however “normal.”In reality, it’s the one cellphone in current reminiscence that doesn’t really feel slippery due to the aramid fiber again. It feels virtually similar to the gentle contact plastic that Lenovo ThinkPad laptops are clad with and there is even an embossed ThinkPad brand on the underside proper nook, angled precisely like it’s on a ThinkPad laptop computer.My solely query is why Motorola didn’t suppose to outfit the crimson dot on the “i” with a crimson LED. Really an enormous missed alternative for model identification.Image 1 of 3(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)The cellphone is MIL-STD-810H compliant and rated to have the ability to drop to concrete from as much as 1.3m with out breaking. It’s additionally IP68 water and mud resistant which hasn’t been widespread in Motorola flagships till 2023.The cellphone is surrounded by a beautiful flat steel body that includes one very attention-grabbing button: the Red Key. This key might be personalized to launch any app or motion with a single press whereas double-pressing the important thing will launch a specified ReadyFor motion in your PC.By default, double tapping will “amplify” your cellphone, which implies the app you’re at the moment utilizing in your cellphone will seem in your PC immediately, providing you with a bit extra display area to work with.(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)My solely situation with this characteristic is that it opens the app in the identical dimensions because the cellphone, which isn’t all the time ultimate for a large PC show.Still, it is fairly magical to have the ability to drag and drop information between your cellphone and PC with out effort, and sharing a clipboard between gadgets is sheer genius. Watching my cellphone immediately copy over textual content that I simply Control-C’d on my laptop computer is not simply cool, it is extremely helpful.It’s fairly magical to have the ability to drag and drop information between your cellphone and PC with out effort, and so they each share a clipboard, too!But that’s solely one of many 5 accessible features for double-tapping the Red Key. You can choose any and all the actions to be accessible once you double-tap the important thing, providing you with one-touch entry to file switch, mirroring your cellphone’s show, utilizing your cellphone’s digicam as a webcam in your PC, or connecting your cellphone to an exterior show.(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)What’s extra spectacular than all that is how briskly every command is. If I faucet the “steam app” operate, the app that was on my cellphone is instantly seen on my ThinkPad’s show. Likewise, tapping information to switch information instantly opens up File Explorer with my cellphone’s information seen. It’s unbelievable, and it’s uncommon to see gadgets on Windows and Android work this properly collectively.Motorola informed me that each one of those features are literally accessible to all Motorola telephones with Android 13 by way of the Ready For app. That’s good news for PC house owners who won’t need to — or have the ability to — purchase a ThinkPhone.Expect as much as 2-day battery life plus, when you want to cost, the included 68W charger will cost it to 50% in lower than 20 minutes.Impressively sufficient, the remainder of the cellphone’s software program expertise is simply nearly as good. Motorola’s Android pores and skin is amongst my very, very favorites, ushering in a clear, stock-looking interface with a metric ton of options when you begin digging in.Everyone’s favourite Motorola gestures are right here — like double-chop the cellphone to toggle the flashlight, twist it twice to launch the digicam, and so on — plus a slew of recent visible and have tweaks. It makes Motorola’s pores and skin really feel like the proper steadiness between Google’s considerably anemic Pixel pores and skin and Samsung’s loaded (don’t name it bloated) pores and skin.(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)During any sort of video name, you need to use the cellphone’s built-in digicam instruments to reframe your self, use auto topic monitoring, change background results, and even use a freeze body to make it appear to be you are still there (even once you’re not).Motorola even features a nifty safety heart that helps you handle all of your app permissions, location information, provides you alerts when connecting to unsecured networks, and even allows you to blacklist apps from utilizing information over unsecured networks.The cellphone is blazing quick and Motorola’s Android pores and skin is healthier than ever with tons of nice new options.While the cellphone would not characteristic this yr’s Snapdragon processor, it makes use of the identical glorious Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 that was present in telephones just like the OnePlus 10T (opens in new tab). That means the efficiency is nothing wanting excellent and buttery clean and the battery life is unbelievable.I used to be capable of squeeze practically 2 days of battery life out of this cellphone throughout common utilization — that, regardless of the cellphone being very skinny — and the included 68W charger will get the cellphone charged from 0-100% in lower than 45 minutes, with a supercharge to 50% in simply 15 minutes or so.(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)You might not anticipate a “business phone” like this one to play video games however, if you wish to, Motorola’s Gametime software program will make it a pleasure to play even essentially the most graphically-intensive video games on the ThinkPhone.Plus, distinctive options just like the Acoustic Lights setting will gentle up the corners of the display once you hear issues in video games like Fortnite, making it simpler to know the place a sound got here from in a recreation. It’s particularly nice once you’re enjoying cell video games and do not have the sound on very loud (or utterly muted).PWM-sensitive people needs to be fairly proud of this show.Last however actually not least for somebody like me is the extra PWM-sensitive-friendly show. Most trendy flagships make the most of extraordinarily low polling charges for OLED shows at low brightness however Motorola appears to have thought-about this and outfitted the ThinkPhone with a 720Hz PWM show.This is completely different from the show’s common refresh price of 144Hz. PWM-sensitive people like me get complications and may really feel nauseous when PWM polling is just too low, so it is nice to see an organization paying extra consideration to this. This is the very best polling price I’ve seen on a cellphone within the U.S. shortly, and that is an incredible factor.What may use work(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)Given that it is a “business phone,” you may anticipate that the digicam wasn’t the precedence. You can be proper.Now, do not get me flawed, the digicam is okay, nevertheless it’s not going to win any awards or problem the most effective Android telephones (opens in new tab).I used the ThinkPhone as my solely cellphone for properly over per week and took numerous images and movies with it. I posted loads of footage to my chickens’ Instagram account recorded with the cellphone and it seems to be simply nearly as good as the rest you may discover on Instagram.Image 1 of 8(Image credit score: Android Central)(Image credit score: Android Central)(Image credit score: Android Central)(Image credit score: Android Central)(Image credit score: Android Central)(Image credit score: Android Central)(Image credit score: Android Central)(Image credit score: Android Central)I’m unsure how many individuals who would purchase a cellphone by way of a B2B channel would anticipate that cellphone to have an excellent digicam, nevertheless it’s unlikely the quantity is excessive. In different phrases, Motorola reduce corners the place it was wanted to hit a worth level, and I’m tremendous with it being this one.And, to be truthful, it is actually the one unfavourable factor I’ve to say about this cellphone apart from its restricted distribution. Motorola supposed this to be primarily a enterprise cellphone and designed it round these constraints and meaning you may’t simply stroll right into a Verizon or AT&T retailer and choose one up.The competitors(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)Just about any Samsung cellphone is an effective different to the ThinkPhone by Motorola, particularly in the event you’re utilizing a Windows-based PC. Link to Windows (opens in new tab) is already a strong instrument constructed by Microsoft to mean you can ship messages, switch information, share the clipboard, and do a number of different duties in your cellphone from the consolation and ease of your PC.To additional, Samsung and Microsoft have a partnership that opens up a number of Samsung-exclusive options on the Link to Windows app. As a outcome, most Samsung telephones just like the Galaxy A54 5G — pictured above — can do all the pieces the ThinkPhone can and somewhat bit extra. That contains the moment hotspot characteristic, shared clipboard, and app streaming to your PC.But not all Samsung telephones help DeX (opens in new tab), Samsung’s equal to Motorola’s Ready For software program. For occasion, the Galaxy A54 5G would not help DeX however dearer Samsung flagships do. If it is vital so that you can use your cellphone extra like a PC on this means, you may have to spend some extra money on a Galaxy S collection, as an alternative.Should you purchase it?(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)At $699, the ThinkPhone is an exceptional cellphone for an exceptional worth, particularly contemplating the worth you may seemingly get by way of enterprise channels. This is the most effective cellphone Motorola has made even on the unlocked worth because the Z collection. It checks all the proper bins and never solely seems like an excellent worth, and it is usually a superb cellphone for the worth.Everything from haptics to the IP ranking, the processor inside, the tie-ins with Motorola’s glorious Ready For software program, and that Red Key are all nice options which are value having for any Windows PC consumer. I’ve additionally discovered that the PWM polling price of the display is excessive sufficient to not set off my PWM sensitivity, making this one of many few trendy OLED telephones that do not damage my eyes or make me nauseous.You may get a Samsung Galaxy A54 for cheaper and simply use the Link to Windows software program to attain a lot of the identical outcomes as this cellphone however you may be lacking out on the wi-fi desktop interface of the ThinkPhone or a dearer Samsung Galaxy S cellphone. All mentioned and achieved, I really like what Motorola constructed right here and extremely suggest it as an incredible companion to a ThinkPad PC.