introduction
Seeing a new face on the market is always refreshing. Or, in this particular case, some old family members branching out into the realm of smartphones. The legendary ThinkPad laptop brand has its roots in IBM and the 1990s. It was later acquired as part of IBM’s personal computer business by Lenovo in 2005. The other major name involved in the creation of the ThinkPhone is Motorola Mobility, another legendary company that changed hands to Google ownership in 2011 and then it joined the ranks of Lenovo in 2014. This, of course, is an oversimplification of the timeline and depth of the various acquisition events, but the Motorola ThinkPhone is definitely one of the end products of this legendary story.
So what we have in our hands here is a unique product, up to this point, introduced by Lenovo and imbued with the traditional ThinkPad aesthetic and some features and created by Motorola for the innards of the phone and the Android operating system.
The specifications of the Motorola ThinkPhone at a glance:
- Body: 158.8×74.4×8.3mm, 189g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), back in aramid fiber, aluminum frame; IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30min), drop resistance to concrete up to 1.3m, MIL-STD-810H compliant.
- Screen: 6.60″ P-OLED, 1B color, 144Hz, HDR10+, 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 399ppi.
- chipsets: Qualcomm SM8475 Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4nm): Octa-core (1×3.19GHz Cortex-X2 & 3×2.75GHz Cortex-A710 & 4×1.80GHz Cortex-A510); Adreno 730.
- Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM; UFS 3.1.
- Operating system/software: Android 13.
- Rear camera: Broad (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, 1/1.5″, 1.0µm, multidirectional PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 13 MP, f/2.2, 120 degrees, 1.12µm, AF; Depth: 2MP, f/2.4.
- Front camera: Broad (main): 32 MP, f/2.5, 0.7µm – ROW model; Broad (main): 16 MP, f/2.0, 1.0µm – PRC model.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 4K@30fps HDR10, 1080p@30/60/120/240/960fps, Gyro-EIS; Front camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps.
- Drums: 5000mAh; 68W wired, 15W wireless.
- Various: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); NFC; stereo speakers.
Neither company has thrown any punches here. The design of the ThinkPhone is very reminiscent of the iconic ThinkPad look. The materials, surfaces and, the colouring, even the slightly squarer design of the central frame are all clear references to the design. In addition, the aspect of durability that ThinkPads are known for has been carried over to the ThinkPhone, with a MIL-STD-810H and IP68 ingress protection rating and Gorilla Glass Victus.
As for Motorola, the ThinkPhone offers flagship hardware like a 6.6-inch, 144Hz, 10-bit, HDR10+ P-OLED display, stereo speakers, a large 5,000mAh battery with 68W wires, and wireless charging from 15 W. Clearly, the ThinkPhone has been in development for some time, as evidenced by its slightly older but still very powerful Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset. Its camera setup leaves something to be desired, like a dedicated telephoto lens. However, it looks pretty powerful on paper with a 50MP main snapper and a 13MP ultrawide.
Before delving into the Motorola ThinkPhone, let’s take a look at its retail packaging.
Unpacking
The ThinkPhone comes in a box made entirely of recyclable cardboard. It looks the part, too, with Motorola opting for a natural brown color and soy ink print. The two-piece box itself is however very sturdy. The phone itself has a small cardboard base, as does the charger. There’s plenty of protection to survive the expedition, all while being eco-friendly.
Our review unit came with what we consider a decent accessory by modern standards. Namely: a 68W PD “TurboPower” charger and a USB Type-C to Type-C cable are included in the box. According to the press material, some markets will also receive a USB Type-C headset, a protective case and a protective film for the display in the package or a subset thereof. You need to check with your local dealer for more information.
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