Paris Hilton with a Motorola RAZR at a 2006 launch event. Motorola Solutions is now focused on public safety, and launched the SVX video remote speaker microphone for first responders in 2025.
Source: Getty Images, MotorolaMotorola Survived the iPhone By Returning to Its Public Safety Roots
Since spinning off its handset business, dealmaking has helped grow Motorola Solutions into a company worth more than $60 billion.
In the mid-2000s, the Motorola RAZR was a pop culture icon. Paris Hilton often posed with a hot pink version of the flip phone, and footballer David Beckham was the face of the brand.
Now, you’re more likely to see the Motorola logo on a handset pinned to a police officer’s chest, or in the hands of a paramedic on the scene of an accident. Since Motorola spun out its struggling cellphone business in 2011, the company has returned to its roots as a specialist in critical communications, providing everything from heat-resistant microphones to AI-enabled body cameras and license-plate recognition technology.