No Motorola phones in the US: way worse than no TikTok in the US?

Much can be said about 2024 – mostly bad stuff, globally speaking – and it's not yet over. It's far from over, actually. Who could've thought that on top of everything else, we're looking at a possible Motorola ban in the US.

That's right, if you've somehow missed the news, the US International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled that some of Lenovo's Motorola devices infringe on Ericsson’s 5G patents.

I can't imagine how eager TikTok users that are Motorola owners must be feeling right now. After all, it's not just Motorola: TikTok could also be banned in the US of A.

As companies like Lenovo (Motorola's parent) and ByteDance (TikTok's owner) brace for legal battles, it's unclear whether these bans will come to fruition.

What happened?

So, the ITC has ruled that Motorola infringes upon Ericsson's 5G patents. On one hand, this ruling could be seen as a major victory for Ericsson in their ongoing global patent dispute with Lenovo, as the Swedish company claims Motorola's popular lines (think of Moto G, Edge, and Razr models) – are using the patented 5G wireless technology without proper licensing.

The US market is vital for Lenovo and Motorola – heck, it's important for virtually all brands out there! If the ITC ruling against Motorola holds and no deal is reached with Ericsson, Motorola phones could be banned from being imported into the US.

While this ruling currently favors Ericsson, the outcome remains uncertain since another judge recently sided with Lenovo in a related case. A final decision is due in April, but the legal fight stretches beyond the US, with lawsuits in the UK, South America, and North Carolina. Courts in Brazil and Colombia have already issued temporary bans on Lenovo phone sales. It's happening, folks!

For US consumers, a potential ban would limit their options in the mid-range and premium phone markets. With fewer choices available, it could also leave customers in a situation where they cannot buy new Motorola devices if the ban is enforced. However, if Lenovo and Ericsson can come to an agreement, this could be avoided, and Motorola devices might remain available in the US market.

More bans on the horizon

Of course, we can't be talking about the prospect of being "banned in the US" and fail to mention TikTok.

Earlier in 2024, Biden signed a bill that gives ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, 270 days to sell the app or face a ban in the US. This bill, which passed with overwhelming support in the Senate, is part of the broader push by US lawmakers. They claim that national security is at stake and say TikTok's ties to the Chinese government could lead to data privacy violations or propaganda being spread to American users.

Hm-m-m, a large social media platform that is prone to influence by government agencies and skews public perception on important issues?! I can't believe such a thing is possible. I mean, Meta's Facebook certainly doesn't act like that at all. Oh, wait! My bad! It was precisely Zuckerberg who admitted that nasty things have been happening on Facebook regarding a certain globally spread virus and a certain presidential candidate's son and his laptop.

Back to TikTok, though: time is running out and right now, the Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for a case brought by TikTok, challenging the ban law. 170 million monthly active users in the US are hoping disputes to be resolved somehow.

However, the app's potential shutdown is getting more and more real with each passing day. TikTok's CEO Shou Zi Chew has expressed confidence that the company will win any legal battles against the ban, but ByteDance reportedly prefers to shut down the app in the US rather than sell it. The company has cited concerns about protecting its algorithms and intellectual property, which are key to TikTok's success.

That being said, I'd like to come back to my original question: which is worse, no Motorola phones or no TikTok in the US?

While "detest" is not quite the correct word to describe how I feel about the TikTok obsession as a social phenomenon (it's up to you to decide if "detest" it is too much or, in contrast, not enough), I have to admit that the current ban leaves me with mixed feelings. At the end of the day, this could open the door to an ever deeper government censorship and control. And we have enough of that, thank you very much.

There couldn't be a worse timing for a Motorola ban

I'm not the hugest Motorola fan out there; that much, I admit. I remember, almost a decade ago, I was really into the Moto X Play. Ultimately, I didn't get it, but I remember how fascinated I was with its specs, price point, and, above all – design.

However, I'll be the first to say that an eventual Motorola ban would be a loss for the US public.

Motorola phones may not be the cheapest. They may not be the fastest, the brightest, the most potent, the longest-lasting. Some would say they don't excel in terms of specs and performance.

Yet, Motorola's phones have got their thing going. These are pretty reliable phones (generally speaking, I know everybody has got a horror story to share) and they're fun to use. And they're pretty darn sleek and stylish when they want to.

I'll give my anecdotal two cents on the matter: last year, my mother had a mid-ranger from one of the big three: Samsung/Apple/Google. She was becoming more and more frustrated with the phone and they way it got – slow, unresponsive, and irritating. Not to mention its pathetic battery life.

Then, I chose her a budget-friendly Motorola (it was actually cheaper than her previous phone) – and she's been perfectly happy with it ever since: great battery life, solid performance, no-nonsense as a whole.

My point is, there are some wonderful Motorola phones out there. For example, foldables: the Motorola Razr Plus from 2023 and 2024: this changed the flip phone market! It's got a big and fully usable cover screen. Also, it could be just me, but this thing looks amazing and makes me want to flip it around, even if I'd much rather use a book style foldable, if I had to pick between the two.

Motorola has got you covered: be it if you're after a flagship, a mid-ranger, a budget-friendly device that won't let you down, you name it. Also, many claim that Motorola has been rolling updates more consistently lately.

That's why I'd hate to see it go!

The end of an era?

Let's hope that Lenovo and Ericsson smooth things out between them. Oppo managed to do so, after years of dispute with the Swedish-based company.

The bottom line is: there are already so many wonderful, if not downright amazing phones that are not available in the US for this or that reason; I'd be a shame if Motorola is missing as well. Otherwise, we're stuck with the same three big companies, and that's not fun. And phones are supposed to be fun, right?