The future of Motorola goes beyond the smartphone: interview with Giorgia Bulgarella from MWC 2026

Among the crowded halls and the ongoing presentations of the Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona, I had the opportunity to sit and reflect on the dynamics of the tech market with Giorgia Bulgarella, Marketing Director of Motorola Italia.

Our chat began with a very personal color note: when asked what her favorite device is at this moment, the answer came without hesitation.

Her choice falls on the Motorola Razr 60 Ultra in the captivating Pantone Cabaret finish. A detail that, far beyond a mere aesthetic preference, foreshadows the deep attention of the brand to design and product identity.

Motorola tells us its secret for success and the strategies for the future

Music, sport and design to engage with the new generations

Motorola boasts an illustrious history, but the audience tied to nostalgic memories of the historic models is inevitably growing. To win over the younger generations and attract new users, the company has charted a clear course that passes through collective passions.

Giorgia explained to us how the brand is investing in emotional territories such as music, through partnerships tied to concerts and radio broadcasters, and sports. One example is the prestigious collaboration with FIFA, which will see Motorola at the forefront also for the 2026 American World Cup.

In addition to this approach there is a meticulous research on materials and colors. The smartphone today is experienced as an extremely personal object, an extension of the individual in which to reflect daily. Offering unique finishes and refined textures therefore becomes a fundamental step to emerge and to be chosen by consumers increasingly attentive to aesthetics.

The strategy in Italy and the launch of the Signature range

Analyzing the brand’s performance, it is evident how Motorola has gained valuable market share in Italy. According to the Marketing Director, the secret of this success lies in a very precise strategic choice and in some ways countercurrent.

While most competitors concentrate promotional efforts exclusively on top-of-the-line devices with prohibitive costs, Motorola is among the very few to actively push marketing also on the mid- and low-end segments.

The adopted philosophy is one of practicality: better to run few well-targeted campaigns, carefully crafted, than to scatter resources across numerous initiatives with no real effectiveness.

This vision intersects with a very clear market trend. The average price of smartphones sold has risen, a sign that people buy fewer devices but seek higher quality, intending to keep them longer.

Precisely in this scenario comes the debut of the Motorola Signature range. The company deemed it the right moment to present a premium device, to demonstrate concretely its engineering and design capabilities.

The aim is to offer the more demanding users a solid and prestigious alternative, demonstrating that it can excel in premium products just as it does, with great success, in the mid-range.

The synergy with Lenovo and Qira’s ambient intelligence

A major competitive advantage for Motorola is its belonging to the Lenovo group, a synergy that shows its maximum potential in AI development. During our meeting we explored the role of Qira, introduced earlier this year at the CES.

Far from being a banal chatbot to open whenever needed, Qira is conceived as a deeply integrated ambient intelligence in the operating system. It is an assistant that accompanies the user across the ecosystem, learning their habits to anticipate their needs.

Unifying the previous experiences of Moto AI and Lenovo AI Now, Qira guarantees seamless continuity between devices: for example, it allows you to start an activity on the smartphone and resume it exactly where you left off on a Lenovo PC or tablet.

All this is managed with a strong emphasis on privacy, as most processing occurs directly on the device itself.

A look at tomorrow

At the conclusion of our interview, I asked Giorgia how she imagines the evolution of the sector.

Her vision projects the market toward a future perhaps less centered solely on the smartphone. The user will always be at the center, supported by a network of agile devices and wearables.

Smart pendants, smart earrings and connected glasses will become the new tools to interact with the digital world, making technology an ever more fluid, personal and integrated experience in our daily lives.