Google buys Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion to ‘protect’ Android

By Andrew Couts Published August 15, 2011

google-android-2-1-motorola-droid — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Google unleashed an earthquake on the mobile phone industry landscape this morning with the announcement that it has purchase Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion. According to Google, the acquisition is part of its plan to “supercharge” and “protect” its popular Android mobile operating system.

“The acquisition of Motorola Mobility, a dedicated Android partner, will enable Google to supercharge the Android ecosystem and will enhance competition in mobile computing,” writes the company in a press release. “Motorola Mobility will remain a licensee of Android and Android will remain open. Google will run Motorola Mobility as a separate business.”

Recommended Videos

The move to buy Motorola follows Google’s public campaign against a variety of companies, including Microsoft and Apple, which claims that they are purchasing large patent portfolios related to mobile phone technology in an attempt to squelch Google’s burgeoning Android business.

“Android under threat from some companies, while I’m not prepped to talk strategies, combining with Motorola and having that portfolio to protect the ecosystem is a good thing,” said Google’s chief legal counsel David Drummond during a conference call about the acquisition with investors today.

Google CEO Larry Page furthered that line, writing on the company blog that the company’s “acquisition of Motorola will increase competition by strengthening Google’s patent portfolio, which will enable us to better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies.”

“The combination of Google and Motorola will not only supercharge Android, but will also enhance competition and offer consumers accelerating innovation, greater choice, and wonderful user experiences,” he adds.

Andy Rubin, Senior Vice President of Mobile at Google, said in a prepared statement that the company “will continue to work with all of our valued Android partners to develop and distribute innovative Android-powered devices,” meaning handset makers like Samsung and HTC — both of which are currently engaged in patent battles with Apple — will still be able to release Android-based devices, despite the fact that Google itself is now owns a competitor.

According to Google, Android has been activated on more than 150 million handsets worldwide. Android is the most-used mobile OS in the United States.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…

Mobile

Google Pixel 5 vs. iPhone 11: Should you buy Android’s best or iOS’s finest?

Google Pixel 5 Front

The Google Pixel 5 is very much a Google flagship smartphone. Lacking some of the bells and whistles of more expensive phones by Samsung or Apple, it nonetheless gets the fundamentals spot-on. Its camera is unsurprisingly excellent, and it comes with very slick software, a sharp touchscreen, 5G support, and also a much bigger battery (compared to the Pixel 4). It's also priced at a reasonable $700, making it a direct competitor to last year's iPhone 11, which also begins at $699.

However, which phone is better: The Pixel 5 or iPhone 11? We pit the two devices against each other in a head-to-head, looking at how they compare in a number of categories. This should tell you all you need to know about the two smartphones.
Specs

Mobile

6 surprising reasons you should buy an iPhone instead of Android

iphone 11 pro max vs pixel 4 xl screen

We have heard the same arguments from the Android faithful for so long that they have become accepted wisdom. If you want a cheap phone, you need an Android. If you want to make a phone personally yours, you need Android. If you want the coolest new features, you need Android.

I question these pillars of the pro-Android argument. What if an iPhone actually costs less than an Android? What if customization is also possible on the iPhone? And what if all that Android hardware bragging is just hot air?
The iPhone is a better budget device
You can easily find a great phone on either side for $1,000, but what if you only have $300 to spend, or less? Common wisdom says buy an Android, and big brands like Samsung, Motorola, and LG offer fine phones in that range. At Apple, the cheapest new phone is a $399 iPhone SE.

Deals

Best Buy Mobile Sale: Galaxy S20, Google Pixel 4, iPhone XS in the discount bin

Pixel 4 XL iPhone 11 Pro Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus

Everybody knows that Best Buy is a popular outlet for computers, TVs, gaming consoles, and more, but it's also one of the best places to find smartphone deals. That's due in large part to the fact that, whereas most other retailers typically sell carrier-unlocked devices, Best Buy offers both unlocked mobile deals along with the latest discounts, rebates, and exclusive offers from America's biggest nationwide service providers. Right now, Best Buy is running a limited-time sale on a few of the top flagship devices on the market in 2020 including the iPhone XS
, Google Pixel 4
, and Samsung Galaxy S20
, as well as some deals on must-have accessories
, and we've rounded up the different offers below. Act fast, though -- none of these mobile deals are scheduled to last beyond the end of May, and a few of them expire much sooner than that.
iPhone XS & XS Max
-- Save up to $350

The iPhone XS and XS Max were Apple flagships for 2018, succeeding the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. Upon release, our review team called the iPhone XS a "masterpiece" and named it the best Apple flagship yet. We also thoroughly enjoyed the gorgeous 6.5-inch display on the iPhone XS Max, which is a great option if you want a bit more screen real estate (the touchscreen on the standard XS measures in at 5.8 inches). Both phones feature the same gorgeous OLED display technology, superb all-day battery life, and smooth performance, with all the Apple polish that iPhone fans are already well familiar with.