Motorola MA2 or MA1? The $69.99 upgrade and who should pay it

The biggest change is the cable. The MA1 had a USB-A cord built into the body, so if it frayed, or if your car only had USB-C sockets, the whole adapter was a problem. The MA2 has a USB-C port on the body instead, and Motorola puts two short cables in the box, one ending in USB-C and one ending in USB-A. That means it fits older cars and newer ones without a separate dongle.

Here’s the full list of upgrades over the MA1:

• Two phones, one adapter. Motorola calls this multipoint. You can pair two phones and flip between them with a press of the button on the front, which is handy for couples or families who share a car.
• A real power switch. Some cars keep their USB ports powered after you switch off the engine. The side switch lets you cut the adapter off so it doesn’t grab your phone’s connection, or drain the car battery, when you don’t want it to.
• Detachable cables. If a cable breaks, you replace a cheap cord, not the adapter.
• A new, roomier body. The MA2 is a rounded rectangle, a redesign that leaked filings tied to bigger internal changes.

What stays the same is the core job. Both adapters plug into your car’s USB port, link to your phone over Bluetooth, then hand the heavy lifting to a 5 GHz Wi-Fi link between the phone and the car. Both are built on technology Motorola licenses from Google, which is the selling point that set the MA1 apart from a crowd of no-name dongles.

When the MA2 appeared on the sidelines of MWC 2026, the retail price mentioned was around $40, matching what the MA1 had sunk to after years of discounts. Its price was later given as $39.95. The final US price on Amazon is $69.99, so it effectively costs about twice what buyers were told to expect.

That number didn’t come completely out of nowhere. A listing on Motorola’s own sound accessories website had shown $69.99 for months before the Amazon launch. Still, anyone who held off on an MA1 in the hope of a cheap MA2 has a right to feel a little short-changed.

For context, here’s how the two models have been priced over their lives:

• MA1 at launch (January 2022): $89.99, which some coverage rounds to nearly $100.
• MA1 later: repeatedly cut, often selling for around $40 to $45, and it was sold at a 50% discount from its launch price for a while.
• MA2 first talk (March 2026): about $40.
• MA2 actual US price: $69.99 on Amazon.

So the MA2 is cheaper than the MA1 was on day one, but noticeably pricier than the MA1 became, and pricier than the plan.

In the US, yes, as of this week, through Amazon. The catch is shipping: early listings showed delivery in mid-to-late December, though first-week estimates on new products are often pessimistic and orders can arrive sooner.

Outside the US, the MA2 has quietly been around for a while. Motorola said at MWC that some regions would get it in May, with the US following later in the year, and buyers in other markets have been able to order it for weeks or even months. We haven’t seen an official UK or Canadian price, so check your local Amazon store before assuming it’s available where you live.

If you’re shopping for an MA1 instead, don’t count on finding new stock. It has been unavailable for months in the US, which is exactly the gap the MA2 is meant to fill.

Setup is the same simple routine as before, and it only happens once:

1. Plug the MA2 into the USB port your car uses for Android Auto, using whichever included cable matches the socket.
2. Pair your phone with the adapter over Bluetooth.
3. Start Android Auto. From then on, the MA2 reconnects by itself each time you get in the car.

To add a second phone, pair it the same way, then use the front button to switch between drivers. The box also includes a gel pad so you can stick the adapter somewhere tidy instead of leaving it dangling from the port.

One more detail matters for long-term reliability: Motorola says the MA2 gets ongoing updates through the Android Auto app, so you’re not hunting for a separate firmware tool.

For most drivers, the real benefit of either adapter is simple. You get in, your phone stays in your pocket or bag, and maps and music appear on the dashboard screen without plugging anything in. Skipping the daily plug-in also saves wear on your phone’s charging port.

Keep these limits in mind before you buy:

• It needs wired Android Auto first. Both adapters only work in cars that already support Android Auto over a USB cable. They turn wired Android Auto into wireless, they don’t add it to a car that lacks it.
• No Apple CarPlay. The MA2 is an Android Auto device only, unlike some rival adapters that handle both systems.
• Reliability is the open question. One earlier report said some MA1 units stopped working after a while and that a number of owners switched to rival brands. There’s no word yet on whether the MA2’s redesign changes that.

The spec differences make the call for you. The MA2’s extras are a USB-C port with swappable cables, two-phone switching and a power switch. If your car has USB-A, one person drives it and your MA1 still connects reliably, none of those changes affects you. If you need USB-C, share the car with another phone user, or have a port that stays powered with the engine off, those are exactly the problems the MA2 was built to solve.

Motorola’s adapter isn’t the only option, and Google’s backing doesn’t automatically make it the best. AAWireless is its best-known competitor, and its AAWireless TWO model is the device most buyers compare against Motorola’s. Some other brands, such as Ottocast, are known for adapters that start up faster. Some of those rivals also support CarPlay, which matters if anyone in your household uses an iPhone.

The MA2’s pitch is that it’s the one adapter engineered with Google’s licensed technology, plus the two-phone switching and power switch it now adds. If those matter more to you than the lowest price, it’s an easy pick at $69.99. If price is everything, it’s worth comparing before you order.