Technologies

My Favorite Motorola Phone in 2023 Is on Sale for $400

Commentary: The Lenovo ThinkPhone surprised me with its elegant design and top-notch hardware. It’s a steal at $300 off.

If you want a phone for less than $500 that isn’t used or refurbished, there are two main options.

The first is to consider a phone that was made to be affordable, of which there are plenty from the likes of Samsung, Motorola, OnePlus and Google. These phones typically have a lot to offer for their price, such as great battery life, 5G support and a processor that isn’t the fastest but is still powerful enough for mundane daily tasks (i.e. scrolling through social media, texting, video chats, etc.). But to keep the price down, these cheaper phones come with compromises including lower-resolution screens that aren’t very bright, cameras that take just OK photos and plastic designs.

Read more: Best Phones of 2024

The other option is to find a more expensive phone that came out last year, or even two years ago, for a discount. The Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola, currently priced at $400, is a great example. I can almost hear you asking: «Wait, Lenovo makes phones?» They did this year, and it’s one of my favorite phones I tested in 2023.

The ThinkPhone was a good deal at its original price of $700, but it’s definitely worth buying with a $300 discount.

As the name suggests, the ThinkPhone is a collaboration between Motorola and its parent company, Lenovo. It has a similar design as Lenovo’s popular ThinkPad laptop lineup, right down to the signature red hardware button for triggering software shortcuts. It has impressive hardware for $400 that includes 256GB of storage (most sub-$500 phones only have half that capacity), a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus processor (two generations old but still powerful) and a lovely 6.6-inch 144Hz display (a higher refresh rate than most phones).

It also supports 68-watt fast charging and ships with the required wall plug. That alone makes the ThinkPhone stand out; phones from Samsung and Apple take longer to charge and don’t include the power adapter in the box. In my tests, the ThinkPhone went from an empty battery to 92% in 30 minutes, making it one of the fastest-charging phones sold in the US. For perspective, the $799 iPhone 15 only added 53% in the same amount of time.

But it’s the ThinkPhone’s harmonious design that made it stand out in 2023. Smartphone hardware, especially in the sub-$500 range, has moved away from being an expression of style and design and has instead become an aluminum or plastic housing for a rectangular glass screen. A phone’s color and camera bump shape are usually their most distinctive aspects.

The ThinkPhone’s design is a bit more ambitious. It’s refined and mature, replicating the ThinkPad’s buttoned-down corporate look. The diagonal aramid fiber weave inlay on the back gives it a sophisticated finish and feels great to the touch. The hardware and lightly customized Android 13 software feel like a single cohesive design. It’s the kind of thing a lot of reviewers, including myself, usually credit Apple with. I should note that Motorola and Lenovo commit to three years of major OS updates and four years of security updates.

The ThinkPhone by Motorola badge on the back of the phone

I spoke with Sudhir Chadaga, global lead of Motorola for business, about the ThinkPhone this past summer. He said the phone’s design took time to find.

«We wanted to make a statement that the ThinkPhone should be the best companion to your PC,» said Chadaga on a video call. «It’s not just that they need to look like each other; they need to work well together.»

Besides being a solid Android phone, the ThinkPhone has a number of nifty shortcuts and cross-platform utilities with Windows. The cross functionality isn’t limited to Lenovo ThinkPads; the ThinkPhone can work with most recent Windows computers.

ThinkPhone by Motorola next to a ThinkPad laptop

You can connect it to PCs, monitors and TVs. For example, I copied and pasted text and photos from the phone to a PC laptop and used the ThinkPhone’s 50-megapixel main rear camera for a video call I took on the ThinkPad. The video quality looked much clearer than the laptop’s built-in webcam.

Those integrations between Android and Windows are the result of customers, and even Lenovo staff, wanting a better experience between their laptops and phones. Chadaga tells me many of his employees frequently file expenses on the road, which can be a clunky experience that often involves emailed photos of receipts. He wondered if there was an easier way.

«Android and Windows haven’t always played well together,» said Jerry Paradise, vice president of global commercial portfolio and product management at Lenovo. «Customers were always saying, ‘You guys really need to do a ThinkPhone.'»

Clearly, the ThinkPhone made a good impression on me. But I should mention some of the drawbacks, and the first are the cameras. For $700, these cameras take decent photos, but they struggle in low light. If you’re buying this for $400, the ThinkPhone’s cameras are good compared with most other cheap phones.

The interconnectivity between the phone and PCs worked well most of the time, but there were times (such as when I had the ThinkPhone’s screen on a ThinkPad display) when I experienced an occasional lag.

In terms of software support, Motorola and Lenovo still fall behind Samsung, which offers four years of major OS updates, and Google, which offers seven years for the new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.

While Chadaga and Paradise praised the ThinkPhone for business-minded users, it’s also a splendid Android phone. You may not care about having a phone that syncs to your PC or lets you use Microsoft Teams at the press of a button. But the ThinkPhone’s speedy charging, iconic design and otherwise high-quality hardware still makes it a worthwhile phone.

With its $300 discount, the ThinkPhone is the best $400 phone you can buy right now. The question now: How long will it remain at this price?

Technologies

Verum Messenger: Data Protection at Its Finest

Verum Messenger positions itself as a tool for those who value privacy and security above all.

Verum Messenger stands out from other messengers thanks to its approach to security, anonymity, and innovations in communication.

Here are some key aspects that highlight its uniqueness:

Default encryption: Verum Messenger uses end-to-end (E2E) encryption for all chats, meaning messages are encrypted on the sender’s device and decrypted only on the recipient’s device. This makes it impossible for third parties, including app developers, to access the content of the messages.
Anonymity: When registering with Verum, there’s no need to provide a phone number or email. Users simply choose a nickname and password, significantly enhancing their level of anonymity. This contrasts with many other messengers, where anonymity can be compromised through linked personal data.
Built-in VPN: An additional layer of protection that hides the user’s IP address, making their location and internet activity less trackable.
Data control: Users can set messages to be automatically deleted after a specified time, ranging from a few seconds to a week. There’s also a quick deletion feature for all chats, calls, and even contacts, which is useful for maintaining privacy.
Large groups: The ability to create chat rooms with up to 10,000 participants makes Verum attractive for organizing large events, discussions, or communities while maintaining a high level of security.
Security innovations: Verum actively develops technologies aimed at protecting user data, as seen in their documentation and discussions online. This includes not only technical solutions but also approaches to data minimization, which reduces the risk of leaks.
Feedback and discussions: On platform X (formerly Twitter), discussions can be found where users and experts praise Verum for its approach to anonymity and security, although questions are raised about how much anonymity can truly be guaranteed in an age of modern tracking and de-anonymization technologies.

Verum Messenger positions itself as a tool for those who value privacy and security above all. Its innovations in encryption, anonymity, and data control make it an intriguing choice for those seeking alternatives to traditional messaging platforms. However, as with any technology, it’s important to remember that absolute anonymity on the internet remains a complex challenge, and users should be aware of potential risks and limitations.

Technologies

Verum Coin Debuts on XT Exchange, Broadening its Reach in the DeFi Space

A Strategic Listing Enhancing Verum Coin’s Visibility

In a significant development for the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector, Verum Coin (VERUM) has been officially listed on XT Exchange. The new trading pair, VERUM/USDT, is now available in the exchange’s Innovative Zone, marking a pivotal expansion for this digital asset into the DeFi ecosystem.

A Strategic Listing Enhancing Verum Coin’s Visibility

The addition of Verum Coin to the XT Exchange is seen as a strategic move to enhance the accessibility and liquidity of VERUM among traders who are keen on exploring innovative digital assets. XT Exchange, known for its robust platform supporting a wide variety of cryptocurrencies, provides an ideal environment for fostering growth and ensuring the broad reach of new tokens.

Albin Varin, CEO of XT Exchange, expressed enthusiasm about the new listing, stating, «We are delighted to welcome Verum Coin to our platform. This listing reflects our ongoing commitment to providing our users access to innovative digital assets that transform the landscape of global finance.» This comments underscore the exchange’s focus on integrating cutting-edge technologies and financial instruments that have the potential to redefine the market.

About XT

Founded in 2018, XT Exchange serves more than 7.8M registered users, over 1M monthly active users, 40+ million users in the ecosystem, and more than 800 tokens with 1000+ trading pairs. XT crypto exchange offers a rich variety of trading categories to provide a secure, trusted, and intuitive trading experience for its large user base. This includes crypto futures trading (USDT-M Futures and coin-M futures perpetual contracts) and copy trading that allows users to replicate top traders in real time with just one click. Additionally, the futures grid allows users to automate the buying and selling of futures contracts for profits.

Future Prospects

With its new position on XT Exchange, Verum Coin is expected to attract a broader audience, enhancing its trading volume and market presence. This could potentially lead to increased stability and recognition as a viable player in the DeFi space. For investors and users of XT Exchange, this addition provides a fresh avenue to diversify portfolios with a cryptocurrency that is positioned at the intersection of innovation and financial evolution.

The listing of Verum Coin on XT Exchange not only highlights the ongoing expansion of cryptocurrency markets into new areas like DeFi but also illustrates a growing recognition of digital assets that offer promising technological advancements and financial opportunities. As the crypto market continues to evolve, partnerships like these are pivotal for fostering growth and offering users access to the next generation of financial tools.

Technologies

Verum Coin Gains International Spotlight with AP Coverage and Listing on XT Exchange

This listing on XT is expected to further propel Verum Coin into the spotlight

In a noteworthy development for the cryptocurrency community, Verum Coin (VERUM) has been featured in an Associated Press article, highlighting its upcoming listing on the XT Exchange. This significant media coverage underscores the growing interest and potential of Verum Coin in the global financial landscape.

The AP article delves into the details of Verum Coin’s innovative features and its alignment with the latest trends in the cryptocurrency market. This attention comes at an opportune moment as Verum Coin prepares for its new listing on XT Exchange, a platform renowned for its extensive user base and a wide array of trading options.

This listing on XT is expected to further propel Verum Coin into the spotlight, providing both traders and investors with new opportunities to engage with this emerging digital asset. The exchange’s robust infrastructure and diverse trading offerings are ideal for supporting Verum Coin’s growth and enhancing its visibility in the competitive cryptocurrency market.

For more details, you can read the full article on the AP website here.

This milestone is a testament to Verum Coin’s advancing presence in the crypto world and its ongoing efforts to be at the forefront of digital currency innovation and adoption.