Lenovo Qira Aims to Unite PC and Mobile Despite Key Lockdown

Lenovo pushes Qira, its AI layer that connects PCs, smartphones, and watches, with expanded integrations and a relaxed deployment. However, the promise of a cross-device assistant for Windows and Android comes with the risk of technological dependency and a commercial challenge for Motorola.

Dependencies and Market Share Limit the Cross-Device Promise

Using Qira across multiple devices requires owning both a Lenovo PC and a Motorola smartphone. However, Motorola holds only about 5% of the global smartphone market, and there are no public figures on the share of Lenovo PC users equipped with a Motorola phone. Technologically, Lenovo sources processors from Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, or NVIDIA, without controlling chip design or the Windows (Microsoft) and Android (Google) operating systems. Thus, Qira remains a software layer on technologies that Lenovo does not master. If Microsoft decided to integrate a similar multi-device continuity feature into Copilot, Lenovo would lose its competitive edge for Qira. Lenovo claims a comparison with Apple Intelligence, but Apple has not needed its AI to sell its iPhones, designs its own M and A chips optimized for its systems, and has not depended on third-party players since 2020.

Ecosystem: Workato, Notion, and New Daily Connectors

At IFA, Lenovo expanded the connected services for Qira through Workato: Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Contacts, Slack, Outlook Calendar, and Outlook Mail can now feed the agent, which centralizes information and allows interaction from a single interface. It is now possible to edit and view Notion documents directly within Qira, while Perplexity is also among the new partners. Since the third quarter of 2026, the Qira API has been accessible; until these recent announcements, Expedia was the exclusive partner, with an integration allowing flight searches and travel planning via a conversational interface. These integrations still consist of links to existing services rather than applications developed specifically for Qira, but the agent stands out for its ability to connect the Google and Microsoft ecosystems: Copilot does not offer a connection to Gmail, and Gemini is not compatible with Outlook. For professionals using both, Qira is currently the only assistant that centralizes these flows in one interface.

Hybrid Architecture: Local NPU and Azure for Heavy Tasks

Qira processes light tasks locally on the NPU, without an internet connection, and switches to the cloud via Azure for more demanding operations, all in the background. According to Lenovo, the agent automatically selects the most relevant model—GPT, Claude, Gemini, or Llama—based on the situation. On the hardware side, requirements have been relaxed: the minimum configuration is now 16 GB of RAM, and Lenovo now announces 80 compatible PC models, compared to about twenty at the launch in March. Qira is also available on the Moto Watch Ultra, the first smartwatch to offer this compatibility, with activation possible via a gesture or the voice command "Hey Qira." It is expected to arrive on eligible Motorola smartphones as the update to Android 17 rolls out. The stated goal remains to unify the user experience from one device to another.

Use Cases: Absence Summary, Writing, Meeting Notes, and Suggestions

Qira functions as a continuous software layer on Lenovo PCs and Motorola smartphones, and revolves around six modes. Catch Me Up aggregates emails, modified documents, notifications, and messages received during an absence; according to the source, no direct competitor offers an equivalent. Write For Me drafts emails and messages in the user's tone and context, a capability already present in Copilot in Outlook and via Help me write in Gmail. Pay Attention tracks video conferences and produces a summary, a category where Copilot for Teams, Gemini in Meet, and Zoom AI Companion have existed for over a year. Next Move suggests sending a document to the right recipient or creating tasks at the end of a meeting. These suggestions exist at Google but remain limited to Gmail; Qira aims to extend them across systems and applications. Dan Dery, Vice President of AI Ecosystem at Lenovo, states the desire for a seamless AI that accompanies the user.

Lenovo's Weight and Mobile Direction According to Its Management

Lenovo claims a dominant position in the PC market, with one in four laptops sold and about 65 million machines shipped each year, generating $83 billion in revenue for the 2025/2026 fiscal year. After launching tools like Lenovo AI Now, Moto AI, or Smart Connect, the company introduced Qira at Lenovo Tech World during CES 2026 in Las Vegas, describing it as a personal ambient intelligence for the Windows-Android ecosystem, akin to Apple Intelligence. Motorola, a brand owned since 2014, is at the heart of this multi-device strategy. Dan Dery, Vice President of AI Ecosystem, presents Qira as a new incarnation of intelligence across devices and a personal AI capable of understanding priorities, tracking the user, and orchestrating actions. On the mobile front, Luca Rossi, President of the Intelligent Devices Group, indicates that Lenovo is making progress in many regions, aims to make Motorola a more significant player, and sees Qira as an additional reason to choose a Motorola smartphone, relying on a customer base described as gigantic. According to the source, Qira is almost presented as a means to invigorate the Motorola brand.