Motorola has not one but two exciting new Android tablets just about ready to take on a huge market
The Moto Pad 70 and Moto Pad 70 Groove are likely to look incredibly familiar to those of you who've been following Lenovo's latest moves in the global tablet landscape.
The latest such occasion sees the Moto Pad family being prepared for a major expansion... in India, where two additional models are officially scheduled for (separate) launches over the next 10 days or so.
The Moto Pad 70 Groove has a cool name and a very interesting selling point
12.1-inch display with 2.5K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate technology;
Octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 7400 processor;
Nine JBL speakers with 48W stereo sound;
Android 16;
Two guaranteed OS upgrades and four years of security patches;
10,200mAh battery;
68W charging capabilities.
If the above specs feel familiar, that's probably because the Moto Pad 70 Groove is extremely similar to the Lenovo Tab Plus Gen 2. That's not as weird as it sounds, as Lenovo owns Motorola, but of course, it makes it highly unlikely for the Moto Pad 70 Groove to ever be released in the markets already covered by the Lenovo Tab Plus Gen 2 (including the US).
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The perfect angle, every single time.
Whether you're creating, binging or going hands-free, the 360° kickstand adapts also paired with the immersive 9 JBL Pro speaker.
In India, the Moto Pad 70 Groove is unsurprisingly advertised as the first tablet to pack no less than nine JBL-powered speakers, with the four tweeters, three woofers, and two passive radiators composing that state-of-the-art audio system promising "room-filling stereo sound" and allowing for remote music streaming from your phone with a dedicated Bluetooth speaker mode that will maximize battery life and minimize distractions when you want to get your groove on.
The battery endurance, by the way, is estimated at up to 15 hours of continuous video playback, and if that doesn't sound like a very impressive number to you, you might want to take another look at the screen resolution and refresh rate capabilities listed above.
Would you ever consider buying a Motorola tablet?
Technically, the rest of the specs are kept under wraps, but if the Lenovo Tab Plus Gen 2 is any indication, they will probably include a 13MP rear-facing camera, 8MP front-facing snapper, 6.8mm profile (at the tablet's thinnest point), and 760 grams weight. That latter figure is... obviously not great, but it's justified by the presence of a 360-degree kickstand that makes the Moto Pad 70 Groove a lot more versatile than your typical mid-range Android tablet.
The Moto Pad 70 is razor-thin, reasonably powerful, and... pretty familiar too
12.1-inch screen with 2.5K resolution;
Octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 6400 processor;
Android 16;
Two guaranteed OS upgrades and four years of security patches;
10,200mAh battery;
68W charging technology;
Quad speakers with Dolby Atmos;
530 grams weight;
6.29mm thickness.
With no "groove" or Pro-grade capabilities, the "regular" Moto Pad 70 will probably rely on a stellar quality/price ratio to stand out in India's crowded and ultra-competitive tablet market. Stateside, this device appears to have an equivalent in the Lenovo Idea Tab Plus, which means the above spec sheet is likely to be completed with a 13MP rear camera, 8MP front camera, 90Hz screen refresh rate technology, 8GB RAM, and 128GB internal storage space.
Big ideas deserve a better canvas. ️
Meet the moto pad 70, designed to make learning smarter. With the moto pen included in the box, writing and sketching becomes seamless.
Even though it seems to lack a marquee feature as striking as a nine-speaker sound system, a rugged construction, or a user-replaceable battery, the Moto Pad 70 looks like an extremely well-balanced potential rival for popular mid-rangers like Samsung's Galaxy Tab S10 FE and Tab S10 FE Plus. And yes, just like those two, this fast-approaching 12.1-inch giant with a remarkably thin profile will come with a handy stylus in the box as standard (as well as a blazing fast 68W charger).
What are the launch dates and expected price tags?
The answers to the former question are crystal clear and already etched in stone: July 31 for the Moto Pad 70 Groove and August 8 as far as the non-Groove model is concerned.
The Moto Pad 70 Groove is right around the corner. | Image by Motorola
The latter matter is a little harder to crack for the time being, although I can definitely try to make some educated guesses based on the existing Moto Pad 70 Pro. Seeing as how that gargantuan 13-inch device with Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processing power currently starts at Rs. 40,999 ($428) in India, it seems safe to assume that the smaller and slightly humbler Moto Pad 70 and Moto Pad 70 Groove will be, well, cheaper.
I couldn't really say how much cheaper, but $300 and $350 equivalents seem very possible to me and incredibly hard to beat by similarly well-equipped tablets right now. Such a shame that Motorola is still not taking the US market more seriously or making a bigger effort to distinguish its own-brand slates from all those otherwise impressive devices sold under the Lenovo label.
The Moto Pad 70 looks like it might be worth the slightly lengthier wait. | Image by Motorola
Can you imagine, for instance, a true Moto Pad flagship with nine speakers and a built-in stylus? Wouldn't you rather buy that (ideally, at a lower price) than Samsung's Galaxy Tab S11 or Tab S11 Ultra?
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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