Moto Z to hit Indian shores next month

New Delhi: Chinese technology giant Lenovo will bring the much-awaited modular smartphone 'Moto Z' to the Indian market in the first week of October.

The Moto Z, which was unveiled globally in June this year, allows users to attach a set of accessories called 'mods' to the back of the device that adds various functionalities to the device.

"We will launch 8 new devices, of which six we have already announced, in this festive season... This includes the Moto Z," Lenovo India Executive Director Mobile Business Group Sudhin Mathur told PTI.

While Mathur declined to comment on the timeline of availability of Moto Z in India, sources said the product could be launched in the first or second week of October.

Apart from the device, which is expected to be priced upwards of USD 300 (about Rs 20,000), the 'mods' may be available for USD 50 onwards (about Rs 3,300) in India.

Moto Z is currently available in markets like the US, the UK and Latin America in three models (Moto Z Play, Moto Z and Moto Z Force).

Lenovo, which had acquired Motorola from Google in a USD 2.9 billion deal in 2014, is betting on India to contribute significantly to its global growth. Last year, Lenovo's revenues from India grew about 90 per cent while its overall revenues were up 68 per cent.

According to research firm Gartner, smartphone sales are expected to slow down in 2016 globally, rising only seven per cent compared to double-digit growth seen in previous years.

This is on the back of slower sales growth in mature markets like Europe and Japan. India, on the other hand, remains an opportunity and presents the highest growth potential, Gartner said.

Recently, Motorola had also run an ad campaign taking a dig at Apple's iPhone 7 and Samsung's Galaxy Note 7. The ad with the tagline #SkiptheSevens urged consumers to "go for something new, something different."

Motorola today launched 'Moto E Power', priced at Rs 7,999. The smartphone will be available through e-commerce platform Flipkart from mid-night tonight.

The 4G handset features a 5-inch display, 1 GHz quad-core Mediatek processor, 2GB RAM, 16 GB internal memory (expandable up to 32 GB), 8MP rear and 5MP front camera and 3,500 mAh battery.

"Moto E Power is an affordable 4G smartphone designed to keep up with the consumer's non-stop life. They can watch videos and make conversations to their heart's content with a long-lasting battery... It is compatible with Reliance Jio and users can avail the Reliance Jio welcome offer," Motorola Mobility India General Manager Amit Boni said.