Is this the best ThinkPad-inspired phone for business users? It definitely looks like it

When it comes to smartphones, manufacturers seem to have the stereotype that everyone wants a glass panel with aluminum balustrades, multiple camera lenses, and a design that is only harder to use after you throw a case at it. Just look at iPhone 14 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.

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Then there are Motorola’s Lenovo ThinkPhone — yes, that’s the real name — which I will respectfully refer to as the Motorola ThinkPhone for the rest of this article. It was first introduced at CES in Januarywhere I experienced the ThinkPad inspired phone and left me with a positive feeling.

After many years of selling and forgetting Moto Wood series phones In the low- to mid-range markets, Motorola displayed a mischievousness that even a tech geek like me would admire. And with the new ThinkPhone, the company has outlined a feature set that will appeal to both enthusiasts and business users. This is the incident.

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Motorola’s Lenovo ThinkPhone

A 6.6-inch Android phone with plenty of security and business-focused features.

For starters, you’ll get the standard wave of flagship components with this Android phone: 128GB base storage (configurable up to 512GB), up to 12GB RAM, 5,000mAh battery, stacked IP68 rating and dual camera array including 50MP wide lens and 13MP ultrawide.

If I hid the phone’s name in this article, you’d have a hard time guessing the manufacturer or model the specs refer to. But that tells me that Motorola wants to compete with the likes of Samsung, OnePlus and even Google With this phone, in the spirit of competition, I fully support.

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Unfortunately, the launch of the ThinkPhone in January meant that Motorola could only take advantage of last year’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset instead of the newer, more powerful generation. Snapdragon 8 2nd Generation”found on 2023 flagships like Samsung Galaxy S23 series And Oneplus 11.

Based on ZDNET’s 8 Gen 2 testing, Motorola may have missed a big opportunity here to deliver significant performance to the ThinkPhone. However, the phone is still capable of running my usual list of work apps like Slack, Outlook, Zoom, Google Sheets, etc.

Here are the features that make it the dream phone for the proficient user at work.

1. An iconic design coming to mobile

This is where Moto really stands out. From the mappable Red Key that pays homage to the classic ThinkPad TrackPoint button to the Kevlar padding that gives the phone a more solid feel without adding a lot of weight, it’s akin to as “ThinkPad phone” as possible. There really is no other phone quite like it.

When held in the hand, the phone has a manageable design with a 6.6-inch OLED display and a shockingly thin 8.26mm size. The firmer texture on the back also helps keep the device from slipping out of my hand while I’m taking pictures. But even if it does slip, Motorola touts its Gorilla Glass Victus display as drop-resistant up to 1.25 meters and MIL-STD 810H certified, meaning it can withstand some harshest weather conditions.

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All of this means that the ThinkPhone is one of the few devices that I really want to use without a case. The grip is very reassuring. If you’re not so bold, Motorola packs a smoky gray case in the box for protection.

2. Wide range of security features for businesses

Some of the key security and business features to highlight with the ThinkPhone include Motorola’s own ThinkShield platform, which exploits Android Core Security, built-in hardware protection, etc.

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IT professionals can also leverage Zero Touch for mass distribution and Moto OEMConfig and Moto Device Manager to control what features and settings end users have access to. And for updates, Motorola told me the ThinkPhone will get three years of OS upgrades and four years of security updates. It’s great to see more manufacturers go beyond the impressive two-year update cycle.

3. For ThinkPad Users

The most outstanding feature of ThinkPhone is the ability to integrate software with ThinkPad and other compatible Windows computer. Motorola calls these seamless features the Think 2 Think experience, and they include:

• Instant connection: Your phone and PC will detect each other when nearby and connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
• Unified Clipboard: Users can copy or capture text and images (shown in the GIF above) from their ThinkPhone and paste them instantly onto their PC.
• Drop files: Similarly, files can be transferred across devices through a dedicated sharing hub.
• Advanced Webcam: PC users can take advantage of the ThinkPhone’s rear camera to output higher resolution video during conferences and meetings.
• Instant Hotspot: One-click switching allows PC users to seamlessly dial into ThinkPhone’s cellular connection.

Three months after its launch at CES, the Motorola ThinkPhone is officially on sale through select B2B channels in the US and can also be purchased unlocked through Motorola And Lenovo for $699. At that price point, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more business-focused device to test most, if not all, of the boxes a proficient user will need.