In mid-November, Motorola carried out a massive communication campaign on social networks to mark its return to the Vietnamese market after a decade.
The slogan this time is “Hello Vietnam, Hello Moto”, reminiscent of “Hello Moto” associated with the company’s golden age globally when the ultra-thin Razr V3 became a fashion icon of the mobile industry in the 2000s.
At the event in Ho Chi Minh City on the afternoon of November 12, the company announced 5 new phone models with prices ranging from 2.9 million to 19 million VND, including Razr 60, Edge 60 Fusion, G86 Power, G35 5G and G06 Power.
Coincidentally, 10 years ago, in November 2015, Motorola marked the “change of ownership” from Google to Lenovo in Vietnam with the introduction of 5 smartphones also in the segment from cheap 2.59 million to high-end 13.3 million VND. These models include Moto G, Moto E, Moto X, Moto However, they quickly fell into oblivion due to the difficulty of changing user habits and some time later, the company ended its presence in the Vietnamese market.
After 10 years, Motorola returns to a new position when it is successful in several major markets, with strong support from Lenovo and an “introduction” that clearly shows ambition.
Motorola introduced a new phone in Vietnam on November 12. Image: Duc Nghia
A different Motorola now
When the song “Hello Moto” sounds, Motorola in the memories of the 7x and 8x generations are high-end, fashionable phones that many people want to own. But 20 years after its peak, most of the products the company sells around the world are in the low-price segment. Three of the 5 versions sold in Vietnam are also in the segment of around 5 million VND.
Since 2007, similar to Nokia, Motorola has also encountered many difficulties against new competitors such as Samsung, Apple, and HTC in the context of mobile devices entering the multi-touch screen era. In 2012, Google spent $12.5 billion to acquire Motorola Mobility, mainly to hold the company’s tens of thousands of patents to avoid trouble with copyright lawsuits, instead of intending to revive the once giant.
The business continued to lose money, causing Motorola to be sold by Google, then sold to Lenovo for $2.91 billion in 2014, equal to 1/20 of the company’s capitalization value at its peak in 2005. According to PhoneArenaMotorola’s tragic situation is no different from Nokia, but still luckier. HMD “invested half-heartedly”, meaning it only bought ownership of the Nokia brand in 2016, while Lenovo completely acquired the American phone company and allowed it to operate independently as a subsidiary.
The legendary Razr V3 flip phone compares with Motorola’s new Razr 60 Ultra foldable phone. Image: Today
With the support of Lenovo, Motorola has a clear strategy for the period 2015-2020 when focusing on the mid-range, low-cost segment in markets where this brand is inherently popular such as Latin America and North America. Lenovo’s strategy of strong configuration compared to selling price and familiar brand helped Motorola reap many successes later. In the Latin American market, according to statistics from research firm IDC, Motorola phones are always the second best-selling after Samsung, above Apple and Xiaomi. Brazil and Argentina are considered the company’s “fortresses” with their market share always reaching over 20% and Motorola itself always prioritizes launching its newest product lines here.
Data from two research companies Counterpoint Research and TechInsights also show that Motorola is ranked third in the US, behind Apple and Samsung with a market share of 11% in the first quarter of 2025. Moto G Play ($100) is the “golden egg” when accounting for 23% of Motorola’s total sales in the North American market in 2024.
Motorola also made an impression when it grew smartphone revenue by 25% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year. During the period when the smartphone market faced many difficulties after Covid-19, this was one of the phone companies with the strongest growth.
However, globally, the company still has a lot of work to do before it can return to the top 5. In the fourth quarter of 2024, Motorola sold 15.3 million devices, reaching 5% market share, ranking 8th. They focused on upgrading the brand, such as reviving the Razr line, developing Moto Edge… but have not yet achieved significant achievements.
Advantages and challenges when returning to Vietnam
“Motorola’s advantage is that Vietnamese users are familiar with the brand, it is a part of many people’s memories. Motorola introduces new products, not only recalling those beautiful memories but also opening a new era when combining heritage with breakthrough,” shared Mr. La Hong Hung, Product Strategy Director of Motorola.
However, Mr. Hung also said that the smartphone market in Vietnam is full of competition and will be a big challenge. Motorola must make a difference and focus its strategy to reach the young generation GenZ.
Mr. La Hong Hung, Product Strategy Director of Motorola in Vietnam.
Compared to its brief appearance in 2015, Motorola is considered to have been more prepared when returning this time. With strong financial potential from the world’s largest computer company Lenovo, Motorola not only invests heavily in research and development of high-end models in the 2020-2025 period but also carries out aggressive communication and sales campaigns.
The third advantage, according to the domestic smartphone business, is that Vietnamese users are more “open” to phone brands from China. However, this is also considered a challenge because early companies such as Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo have affirmed a solid foothold alongside famous brands such as Apple and Samsung.
Motorola’s product strategy when returning to Vietnam is quite similar to 2015 with mid-range, low-cost models. However, the “configuration versus price” advantage is currently insignificant compared to other Chinese competitors. Mr. Pham Van Anh, representative of a retail system, said that the difficult problem to be solved lies in the level of brand recognition and sales consulting strategy at stores, instead of leaving the product “naturally scented”.
“Thinking of Motorola is thinking of flip phones,” reader Nguyen Truong Giang commented above VnExpress and was assessed by Mr. Van Anh as representing the thoughts of many consumers in Vietnam. According to him, the Motorola brand was strong in the past with high-end flip-top products like the Razr line, while most new models target a completely different customer segment, adding that the failure of 10 years ago in Vietnam also partly came from unclear product and marketing strategies.
Motorola G06 Power phone costs 2.9 million VND. Image: Huy Duc
Meanwhile, technology expert Nguyen Thanh Duong said that product quality plays a decisive role when entering the low-price segment. Stable software, good battery, high durability after a long period of operation will gradually be accepted by users. On the contrary, cheap but less stable machine prices “will soon be eliminated because Vietnamese people have no shortage of options at this price range”, he assessed.
Mr. Hoang Tung, representative of a mobile device distribution system, commented that Motorola will also face challenges when entering Vietnam during the period of market decline. Smartphone sales in 2025 are forecast to decrease by at least 10% compared to the previous year, causing fewer opportunities for new brands and facing greater competition when existing companies themselves have to reduce prices and step up operations to increase sales in a difficult context.