Motorola unveils the Moto Pulse and Moto Surround

By Kyle Wiggers July 28, 2015

moto pulse surround slack for ios upload 1024 4 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Motorola announced a cavalcade of new smartphones during a livestream this morning, but the Moto X Style, Moto X Sport, and refreshed Moto G weren’t the only new devices it debuted. The company revealed two smartphone audio accessories under the “Moto” brand umbrella, the Moto Pulse and Moto Surround, that go on sale starting today.

The Pulse and Surround may not share the same form factor — the latter are earbuds, the former over-ear headphones — but they’re very clearly geared toward the sort of active, casual listening you might do at the gym or on a jog. The Pulse’s ear cups fold flat, and the Surround is waterproof and sweatproof. Both connect to devices via Bluetooth, sport microphones, and last a reasonably long time on battery — 18 hours for the Pulse and 12 for the Surround.

moto-pulse — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The cheaper ($60) Pulse seems the more versatile of the two. In addition to the longer-lasting battery, it’s got better range drivers (40mm) than its earbud counterpart. But the $70 Surround has it beat on range (up to 150 feet), and packs a vibration motor to notify you of incoming calls and messages.

Both headphones optionally pair with Motorola Connect, Motorola’s software hub for wearables on Android. The app tracks battery, lets reply to text messages and incoming calls with voice commands, and even maps the location of your headphones/earbuds if you lose them.

moto-surround — Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s tough to say how the Pulse and Surround stack up to the competition without trying a pair (we’ll test both shortly), but the specs and pricing are in line with other accessories we’ve seen in the category. Samsung’s Level U and LG’s Tone+ fitness earbuds, for comparison’s sake, are priced almost identically ($80) to the Surround and feature about the same functionality. But the Surround lasts up to 2 hours longer than both, and Motorola says the Pulse is unique in its range — it stays paired to a phone, tablet, or computer up to 60 feet, or “two times the standard range” of competitors. So long as the audio quality is up to par, the Pulse and Surround might end up being very reasonable buys.

The Surround and Pulse are available from Motorola.com.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Kyle Wiggers is a writer, Web designer, and podcaster with an acute interest in all things tech. When not reviewing gadgets…

Mobile

If you like cheap phones, you’ll love these 2 new Moto G options

The Moto G Stylus 2023, standing upright on a couch, with its display turned on.

The budget smartphone market is a bustling space right now, with great phones from Nokia and Samsung making big waves. Motorola is the unofficial king of the budget smartphone, but its throne is looking quite shaky right now. That might be why it's decided to remix some classics this year, releasing new versions of the Moto G 5G and Moto G Stylus.

While there are definitely some improvements in the 2023 versions of both phones, Motorola has also made some cutbacks for both, making these new versions remixes of past classics rather than pure upgrades. Here's everything you need to know about the Motorola Moto G 5G (2023) and Moto G Stylus (2023).
Moto G 5G (2023)

Mobile

New Motorola Razr 2023 leaks show the colorful flip phone we need

Four side-by-side shots of the Moto Razr 2023. A new red coloway is visible.

There are only a few major names in the game if you're looking for a foldable smartphone, but the name with the longest pedigree is probably Motorola. Leaks of the new Moto Razr have emerged on Twitter, and while they show relatively little of the phone, it does show off a new outer screen personalization feature – and a new, bold red colorway.

The leaks come courtesy of seasoned tipster Evan Blass (who has a private Twitter account), and he refers to it as the "Motorola Razr 40 Ultra", further fueling speculation that Motorola may release multiple versions of the Razr this year, including a more reasonably priced Razr Lite. As an "Ultra", it would make sense for these leaks to show the more expensive, flagship version of the device and, as such, likely includes features that wouldn't be available on a "Lite" version.

Mobile

Moto G Power 5G adds a flagship feature to a budget phone

Render of the Motorola Moto G Power 5G in a white color against a light purple background.

Motorola may be making a play for the flagship market with the Motorola Edge 40 Pro, but budget phones are what the American monolith is best known for. While it won't be making as many waves as the latest Samsung phone or Apple iPhone launch, the newest iteration of the Moto G is always something worth paying attention to, as Motorola is a true veteran of the space and knows what makes an excellent cheap device.

Best of all, this new Moto G comes at a time when budget phone enthusiasts have never had it so good. Previously premium features are filtering down into lower-priced devices, without altering that sweet low price or the features everyone loves. That's exactly what's happening with the new Motorola Moto G Power 5G, which includes a 50-megapixel main camera lens, a larger amount of storage, and a big screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. With the big 5,000mAh battery the G Power range is known for, this could be the $300 phone to grab if you love a budget bargain.
Super-smooth motion