Boring Phones Are Out — Motorola Proves Bold Colors Actually Sell

Motorola has had its partnership with PANTONE for a few years now. For those unaware, PANTONE is a globally recognized authority on color, and it is well-known for its PANTONE Matching System, which is a standardized color reproduction system. Thanks to this partnership, Motorola has really embraced some bold colors and materials.

During our briefing about the Razr and other products Motorola is announcing, we were told that 65% of Motorola’s phones that sold last year were not black, white or neutral colors. Essentially, showing everyone that customers want these bold colors. Just take a look at the Razr Ultra this year. Which includes PANTONE Rio Red, PANTONE Scarab, PANTONE Mountain Trail, and PANTONE Cabaret.

This is in stark contrast to what Samsung and Apple are offering

One of the biggest complaints that we, as phone reviewers have about new phones, are the colors. Take the iPhone 16 Pro series. We have black, natural, white and a sort of gold color. Or the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Which is available in black, gray, white and light blue. Of course, there are some more colorful options at Samsung’s website, but they’re still quite boring, and neutral.

Many argue that, “you’re just going to put a case on it anyways,” and that might be true. But this statement shows that customers will gravitate to bolder colors. And it’s likely a big reason why Motorola is the “fastest growing smartphone maker globally”. Which was also fairly surprising, considering how fast some of the Chinese OEMs are growing. But don’t forget, none of them (except for OnePlus) are available in the US, and none are available on US carriers.

It’s clear, if you want a phone with a bold color, you’re going to want to look at Motorola’s way. While Google does offer some more bold colors, they aren’t anywhere near as bold as Motorola’s. I mean, Motorola even has recycled coffee grounds in the back of the Razr Plus.