The Moto X received a lot of praise except for the fact that it was only available in the US(Moto Maker) and an expensive price. The Moto G seems to be sold out constantly so i assume it's selling very well too. But then again both of Samsung's flagship phones(S4 and Note 3) are also very expensive off-contract. Did they anticipate Google aiding the Moto X's price drop as an indication that Motorola might become a threat to their Galaxy line with their next phone of this year before they got sold to Lenovo? Do you think Motorola can eventually rise to Samsung's level if Lenovo allows them to continue operating as they do now?
I do think Samsung definitely got worried. Imagine this: the Nexus devices are still priced lower than the competition, and, now, they're starting to be consumer devices. Then, you look at the price drops for the Moto X, and it seems like Google is going to combat all of the Android OEMS by flooding the market with low-cost devices.
I also think, Samsung initially got worried, when the Moto X first debuted. That Magazine UI wasn't just a "natural evolution" of TouchWiz; it was a reaction to what seemed like Google playing favorites. You look at the features of the Moto X, and it just screams Google involvement.
I'll be brutally honest, here: I don't see Motorola rising to Samsung's size, under Lenovo's tutelage. Now, I'm not implying that they won't be profitable. I think, Motorola has a great chance of returning to profitability. But, they probably won't be as big as they once were.
Of course, this is all just my opinion.