Even as we talked about the need for Xiaomi to move up the price ladder, one of its rivals, Motorola seems to be working on doing just that. No, we have had no press release or note heralding a “gone in seconds/minutes/hours” kind of announcement, but the Moto Z2 Force, priced at Rs 34,999, has evidently been sold out twice on Flipkart – check the screenshots.
Though we have no actual figures (and believe us, we have tried to get them) – and it has been a while since any brand gave them out – the stark fact that a device at that price point went out of stock twice in quick succession does represent a step forward for Moto. The brand has been doing exceptionally well in the affordable mid-segment smartphone category, with the likes of the Moto G and the Moto E, but has enjoyed relatively lesser success at higher price echelons, although the Moto Z Play and Moto X Play were believed to do well too.
Yes, it would be premature to say that this represents a massive breakthrough for Motorola, given the utter absence of numbers, but that said, given the relatively mild reception given to the likes of the Nokia 8 and the Mi Mix 2 in the Indian market, both of which were budget flagships, two “out of stock” notices in a week is something that is definitely noteworthy. Of course, there will be those who will point out that the Z2 Force had the benefit of coming at a much lower price than its launch price and with a TurboPower Mod bundled for good measure (check our review), but then we have not seen a similar response to significant price cuts in other budget flagships.
Some might consider this to be a “stunt” with not too many units being offered to ensure a quick “sold out” sign. We are not ruling that out, but in that case, we dare say both Motorola and Flipkart would have made a greater fuss out of it. Their silence is puzzling, no matter how you look at it.
Whatever be the truth (and our sources have remained tight-lipped), it is always good to see a brand doing well in the budget flagship segment. Should OnePlus be concerned? Stay tuned for our face-off between the OnePlus 5T and Moto Z2 Force to find out.
