Moto z with replaceable modules review. Motorola Moto Z: modular mobile phone with projector and JBL speakers. Features of Moto Z series
The approach to implementing the idea of a modular smartphone is radically different between Motorola and LG. We will tell you about our impressions from the first practical acquaintance with the device.
The mobile phone market is stagnating and technical innovations are rare. Lenovo wants to change that with its new Motorola-branded product: the Moto Z and the larger Moto Z Force should be not only a smartphone, but also a projector, an audio system and much more.
LG already uses a similar concept in its own. However, the implementation of the idea is fundamentally different: while LG offers additional modules that are inserted directly into the device, Motorola decided to use open connectors on the back of the case, to which the modules are connected in the form of pads secured with a magnet.
Moto Z: a mobile phone that can be a projector
At the Tech World event, Lenovo showed three Moto Mods ready for mass production: the JBL SoundBoost Speaker system, the Insta-Share Projector pico projector (according to the manufacturer, it is capable of creating an image diagonal of up to 70 inches) and a battery pack that should last The battery life of the smartphone is 22 hours.
No matter how tempting all of the above may sound, Lenovo's approach to implementing modular technology has one drawback: with additional modules, the phone does not look very elegant.
The Moto Mods platform is open to third-party developers, so the appearance of new modules, such as an extension for working with a camera or a docking station for turning a smartphone into a PC, is quite expected. To promote the project, the manufacturer is ready to provide all kinds of support to the developers, including financial ones.
Customizable design
As is the case with other Motorola phones, such as the Moto X Play, the Moto Z can also be customized. Buyers will be offered a variety of Moto Style Shells to choose from - back covers made of wood, leather and fabric that are removable and interchangeable.
In addition, there are several “designer” samples. Among others, Lenovo names models from kate spade new york, TUMI and Incipio.
Cost and release date of Moto Z and Moto Z Force
Sales should start in September 2016, but Lenovo has not yet said anything about the cost of new smartphones, as well as Moto Mods.
Moto Z Specifications
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 1.8 GHz (quad core, Adreno 530 graphics adapter)
- built-in memory: 32/64 GB, expandable with microSD cards up to 2 TB
- Display: 5.5-inch OLED screen, QHD (2560×1440), Corning Gorilla Glass
- battery: 2600 mAh, support Quick Charge
- main camera: 13 megapixels, optical image stabilizer, laser autofocus, support for recording in 4K format, slow motion, etc.
- front camera: 5 MP, flash, wide-angle lens
- interfaces and network: LTE, WLAN-ac, fingerprint sensor, Bluetooth 4.1
- operating system: Android 6.0.1
- weight: 136 grams
- dimensions: 75.3×155.3×5.19 mm
A thin device with an impressive appearance, good battery life and replaceable modules
Lenovo, which owns the rights to the Motorola brand, introduced this summer an updated version of its “modular” smartphone, the Moto Z2 Play, which is capable of using a variety of interchangeable panels from the Moto Mods series. Modules add new functions and capabilities to the device. For example, you can turn your smartphone into a digital camera with optical zoom or into a projector. There are quite a lot of changes compared to the previous model (Moto Z Play), and not all of them are exclusively progressive: the battery, for example, has decreased in volume. Read about all the details in our review of the Moto Z2 Play smartphone.
Key Features of Moto Z2 Play
- SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 626, 8 cores Cortex-A53 @2.2 GHz
- GPU Adreno 506 @650 MHz
- Operating system Android 7.1.1, Moto Experience
- Touch display Super AMOLED 5.5″, 1920×1080, 401 ppi
- Random access memory (RAM) 3/4 GB, internal memory 32/64 GB
- Nano-SIM support (2 pcs.)
- MicroSD support up to 2 TB
- GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
- WCDMA/HSPA+ networks (850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz)
- LTE networks (B1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 41, 66)
- Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz)
- Bluetooth 4.2 LE+EDR
- GPS, A-GPS, Glonass
- USB Type-C, USB OTG
- Main camera 12 MP, autofocus, f/1.7, 4K video
- Front camera 5 MP, f/2.2, fixed. focus
- Proximity sensor, lighting sensor, magnetic field sensor, fingerprint sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope
- Battery 3000 mAh
- Dimensions 156×76×6 mm
- Weight 145 g
Replaceable modules
Naturally, the Moto Z2 Play goes on sale without replacement modules. They are quite expensive and will have to be purchased separately. By this time, the manufacturer had come up with even more different modules from the Moto Mods line, here are the most noticeable of them. The Moto insta-share projector, priced at $300, allows you to turn your smartphone into a projector with a 70-inch image output, and the Hasselblad True Zoom, also for an additional $300, turns the device into a digital camera with 10x optical zoom. There's an on-ear JBL SoundBoost speaker for $70, and there's even a module with joysticks that can turn your smartphone into a gamepad. There is also a module with an additional TurboPower Pack battery and Moto Style covers that add wireless charging functionality. Support for old modules is maintained, that is, those purchased for the Moto Z Play are quite suitable for the Moto Z2 Play.
Appearance and ease of use
The design of the Moto Z2 Play is almost the same as its predecessor, however, due to some details, the appearance of the smartphone as a whole has changed so much that now, without any discounts, we can really talk about a stylish and decent-looking modern device.
The button with the fingerprint scanner on the front panel became not square, as before, but standard elongated, this instantly transformed the front panel. The back panel, instead of glass, received a matte metal surface, which also improved the appearance of the review hero and added reliability. By the way, the antenna inserts here are not made in the form of separate strips at the top and bottom, but run along the perimeter along the entire panel, it looks fresh and stylish.
You can, of course, wear this smartphone without pads, but in this form few people will like the rounded camera module that sticks out strongly and the large Moto Mods Connector contact block located at the bottom of the rear panel. On the other hand, without pads the device is so thin that you don’t want to thicken it at all.
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In terms of dimensions, the smartphone is not small, but thanks to its thin profile, strongly rounded corners and smoothed ends, the smartphone lies comfortably in the hand and fits quite comfortably in clothing pockets. The matte metal surfaces are not easily soiled, the device does not slip in your hands and is held securely.
The side buttons are quite small and thin, but they have a pleasant, distinct and elastic action and are convenient to use. The usual volume rocker is divided in two here.
The entire front panel is covered with 2.5D Gorilla Glass with barely noticeable sloping edges. Sensors and a front camera peephole with its own flash, made up of two LEDs, are usually installed above the screen. However, there is no LED event indicator on the front panel.
There are no touch hardware buttons under the screen; it is suggested to use the navigation button bar on the screen itself. However, their functions can be duplicated using the central button, drawing gestures on it that perform the same standard navigation actions: returning to the previous screen, to the home screen, opening a list of running programs. “Swiping” a small button left and right is not very convenient, but there will definitely be people willing to do this.
The main speaker here is not located at the bottom end or on the rear panel, but is combined with the earpiece speaker, that is, the sound in any case comes out of the slot at the top of the front panel above the screen.
At the bottom end there is a USB Type-C connector that supports connecting external devices in USB OTG mode. A 3.5 mm audio output for headphones is also installed here - it’s nice that they didn’t sacrifice it even in such a thin case.
The top end is given over to a card slot, and it is respectful that, again, even in this ultra-thin case, the manufacturer found room for three cards (two Nano-SIM and one microSD) without the notorious “hybridity” and the need to sacrifice anything .
It turns out that everything is quite possible to place and combine, it’s just that manufacturers like Huawei, which was one of the first to use a “hybrid” connector, have no particular desire to care about user comfort. Here everything is much more convenient: both SIM cards are installed on one side of the sled, and on the other the memory card is quietly placed, and hot-swapping of cards is supported.
The Moto Z2 Play comes in only two colors: Lunar Gray, which we tested, and Fine Gold with a white front panel, which also looks quite attractive.
Screen
Moto Z2 Play is equipped with a Super AMOLED display covered with 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass with sloping edges. The physical dimensions of the screen are 68x121 mm with a diagonal of 5.5 inches. The resolution is 1920x1080, the pixel density is about 401 ppi. The frame around the screen, taking into account the rounding of the end parts of the case, is not very narrow: it is almost 4 mm on the sides, 17 mm on the bottom and top.
You can adjust the display brightness manually or use automatic settings based on the ambient light sensor. The AnTuTu test diagnoses support for 10 simultaneous multi-touch touches.
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A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the sample under study.
The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are no worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (below, simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the switched off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - Moto Z2 Play, then they can be distinguished by size):
The screen of the Moto Z2 Play is slightly darker (brightness according to photographs is 111 versus 112 for the Nexus 7). The ghosting of reflected objects on the Moto Z2 Play's screen is very weak, indicating that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of intense external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. The outer surface of the screen has a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, noticeably better than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much easier and appear at a lower speed than with regular glass.
With manual brightness control and when the white field was displayed in full screen, the maximum brightness value was approximately 415 cd/m², the minimum was 3.3 cd/m². The maximum brightness is not very high, but you need to take into account the good anti-glare properties of the screen and the fact that as the white area decreases, the brightness of the white areas increases slightly. As a result, readability during the day in the sun is at a fairly good level, and the reduced brightness level allows you to use the device even in complete darkness without any problems. There is automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor (it is located to the right of the front speaker slot). In automatic mode, as external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. The operation of this function depends on the position of the brightness adjustment slider. If it is 100%, then in complete darkness the automatic brightness adjustment function reduces the brightness to 110 cd/m² (too much), in an office illuminated by artificial light (about 550 lux) it sets it to 280 cd/m² (normal), in a very bright environment (corresponds to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) increases to a maximum - up to 415 cd / m² (to the maximum, as needed). If the brightness slider is at 50%, the values are as follows: 13, 120, 415 cd/m² (suitable), if at 0% - 3.3, 15, 415 cd/m² (the first two values are rather low). From our point of view, the automatic brightness adjustment function works adequately.
Only at low brightness levels is there significant modulation with a frequency of 239.7 Hz. The figure below shows the dependence of brightness (vertical axis) on time (horizontal axis) for several brightness values:
It can be seen that at maximum and average brightness the modulation amplitude is small, so there is no visible flicker. However, with a strong decrease in brightness, modulation appears with a large relative amplitude. Therefore, at low brightness, the presence of modulation can already be seen in a test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect or simply with rapid eye movement. Depending on individual sensitivity, this flickering may cause increased fatigue.
This screen uses an AMOLED matrix - active matrix organic light-emitting diodes. A full-color image is created using subpixels of three colors - red (R), green (G) and blue (B), but there are half as many red and blue subpixels, which can be referred to as RGBG. This is confirmed by a fragment of a microphotograph:
For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.
In the fragment above you can count 4 green subpixels, 2 red (4 halves) and 2 blue (1 whole and 4 quarters), and by repeating these fragments, you can lay out the entire screen without breaks or overlap. For such matrices, Samsung introduced the name PenTile RGBG. The manufacturer calculates the screen resolution based on the green subpixels; based on the other two, it will be two times lower. The location and shape of the subpixels in this option is similar to the option in the case of the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and some other newer Samsung devices (and not only) with AMOLED screens. Of course, there is some unevenness of contrast borders and other artifacts. However, due to the very high resolution, they have a minimal impact on image quality.
The screen has excellent viewing angles. True, the white color, when deviated even at small angles, acquires a slight blue-green tint, and at some angles turns a little pink, but the black color remains black at any angle. It is so black that the contrast setting is simply not applicable in this case. When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the white field is good. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of the Moto Z2 Play and the second comparison participant, while the brightness of the screens is initially set to approximately 200 cd/m², and the color balance on the camera is forced to switch to 6500 K.
There is a white field perpendicular to the screens:
Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field.
And a test picture:
According to visual assessment, the colors of the tested screen are oversaturated and unnatural; the color balance of the screens varies noticeably. Recall that photography can not serve as a reliable source of information about color rendering quality and are provided for illustrative purposes only. The photo above was taken for the profile Bright in the screen settings (it is selected by default), there are two of them:
What happens when you choose the second one is shown below.
Color saturation has become closer to normal.
Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:
It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens and the brightness of the Moto Z2 Play at an angle is noticeably higher.
And a white field:
The brightness at an angle for both screens has noticeably decreased (to avoid strong darkening, the shutter speed has been increased compared to the previous two photos), but in the case of the Moto Z2 Play the drop in brightness is much less pronounced. As a result, with formally the same brightness, the screen of the Moto Z2 Play visually looks much brighter (compared to LCD screens), since you often have to look at the screen of a mobile device from at least a slight angle.
Switching the state of the matrix elements is performed almost instantly, but at the turn-on (and less often off) edge there may be a step with a width of approximately 17 ms (which corresponds to the screen refresh rate). For example, this is what the dependence of brightness on time looks like when moving from black to white and back:
In some conditions, the presence of such a step can lead to plumes trailing moving objects, but in normal use these artifacts are difficult to see. Quite the contrary - dynamic scenes in films on OLED screens are distinguished by high clarity and even some “jerky” movements.
The gamma curve, constructed using 32 points with equal intervals based on the numerical value of the shade of gray, did not reveal a blockage either in the shadows or in the highlights. The index of the approximating power function is 2.22, which is close to the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma curve almost does not deviate from the power dependence:
By default, the color gamut is very wide:
The component spectra (that is, the spectra of pure red, green and blue) are very well separated:
Note that on screens with a wide color gamut, without appropriate correction, the colors of regular images optimized for sRGB devices appear unnaturally saturated.
When selecting a profile Ordinary coverage is compressed to sRGB boundaries:
The gray scale balance is acceptable. The color temperature is slightly higher than the standard 6500 K, and the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) remains below 10 units over most of the gray scale, which is considered normal for a consumer device. At the same time, color temperature and ΔE change little from shade to shade (except for the darkest ones) - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance. However, choosing a profile Ordinary the balance worsens, as the spread of ΔE values increases:
(The darkest areas of the gray scale can in most cases be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)
Let's summarize. The screen does not have a very high maximum brightness, but has good anti-glare properties, so the device can be used outdoors without any problems, even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. It is acceptable to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works adequately. The advantages of the screen include an effective oleophobic coating and acceptable color balance. At the same time, let us recall the general advantages of OLED screens: true black color (if nothing is reflected in the screen), good uniformity of the white field, noticeably less than that of LCDs, and a drop in image brightness when viewed at an angle. Disadvantages include an excessively wide color gamut and screen flickering that appears at low brightness. For users who are particularly sensitive to flicker, this may cause increased fatigue. The color gamut can be brought closer to the standard one, but at the cost of deteriorating color balance. However, overall the screen quality is high.
Camera
The front camera of the Moto Z2 Play remains the same: the matrix has a resolution of 5 megapixels, the size of an individual pixel is 1.4 microns. A wide-angle lens with an f/2.2 aperture and a fixed focus noticeably distorts the proportions, making it difficult to obtain an undistorted self-portrait from arm's length. But this is a tribute to fashion; selfie cameras are now made so that a group fits into the frame, and not just one person. But on the front panel there is its own multi-colored dual LED flash. And the resulting image is quite detailed and sharp.
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The main camera uses a module with a 12-megapixel matrix and a lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.7, equipped with fast laser and phase detection autofocus with Dual Pixel technology for faster focusing. A new type of laser autofocus allows you to focus at a distance of up to 5 meters. The pixel size is still the same 1.4 microns. There is a bright dual multi-colored LED flash.
The camera is rich in capabilities: there are gesture controls, manual mode, and the ability to adjust the exposure while shooting. The Professional mode displays arc-shaped sliders with variable values for shutter speed, light sensitivity (up to ISO 3200), manual focus, white balance, and exposure compensation scale.
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The camera can shoot video in a maximum resolution of 4K (30 fps), as well as 1080p at 60 fps, but it’s worth considering that stabilization does not work in these two modes - only in the usual 1080p (30 fps) and lower. In general, the camera copes well with video shooting: sharpness, color rendition and detail are normal, there are no artifacts in the image, the video is smooth, without noticeable jerks. The sound is also recorded with high quality, the noise reduction system copes with its tasks.
- Video No. 1 (30 MB, 3840×2160@30 fps, H.264, AAC)
- Video No. 2 (23 MB, 3840×2160@30 fps, H.264, AAC)
- Video No. 3 (40 MB, 1920×1080@30 fps, H.264, AAC)
- Video No. 4 (40 MB, 1920×1080@60 fps, H.264, AAC)
- Video No. 5 (40 MB, 1280×720, slo-mo)
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The car numbers are clearly visible. |
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The camera copes with macro photography. |
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Good detail in the field of the frame and in the plans. |
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Good sharpness in distant shots. |
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You can notice slight sharpening on the branches. |
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The text is well done. |
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A slight blur is noticeable on the left side of the frame. |
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Good sharpness and moderate dynamic range in HDR mode. |
The camera came out good, almost flagship. It has moderate software processing, an excellent HDR mode, and a clearly good module: the matrix handles small details, the optics almost do not spoil the edges of the image, although from time to time the pictures come out blurry for some unknown reason. That is why the camera is slightly below the flagship level, but otherwise there is practically nothing to complain about. It can be argued that the camera will cope well with various subjects.
Telephone and communications
The Qualcomm X9 LTE modem supports LTE Cat.13 (maximum download speed up to 300 Mbit/s) and LTE Cat.7 (maximum upload speed up to 150 Mbit/s). A lot of 4G LTE FDD and TD bands are supported (B1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 41, 66), in their including all 3 ranges used in Russia (3, 7 and 20). Within the city limits of the Moscow region, the device behaves confidently, and the quality of signal reception is not satisfactory.
The smartphone also supports both Wi-Fi bands (2.4 and 5 GHz), and has Bluetooth 4.2. You can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels. There is NFC with support for Mifare Classic, that is, the device works with an application for travel documents. The USB Type-C connector supports connecting external devices in USB OTG mode.
The navigation module works with both GPS (with A-GPS) and the domestic Glonass, but without the support of the Chinese Beidou. During a cold start, the first satellites are detected within the first minute. Positioning accuracy is average. A magnetic compass, necessary for navigation programs, is present.
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The platform can support both SIM cards in 3G/4G mode simultaneously in active standby mode. That is, the second SIM card can work in 3G for voice communications, even if a card from a different slot is assigned to transmit data in 4G. The interface allows you to select a specific SIM card for voice calls and SMS in advance. The cards operate in Dual SIM Dual Standby mode, there is only one radio modem. Also, for the convenience of users, the manufacturer has added several ready-made operating modes for the two cards.
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Software and multimedia
The software platform uses the latest version of Android 7.1.1 with the proprietary Moto Experiences interface, which is closer to the stock version of Android, both in appearance and in organization, than all versions of Lenovo’s own shell. Lenovo Moto smartphones resemble pure Google phones more than most of their competitors.
Added support for gestures, the ability to reduce the entire working area of the screen for ease of control with the fingers of one hand, and a multi-window operating mode. When you reach out to the device lying on the table, it immediately displays basic information in monochrome on the locked screen (date, time, remaining charge percentage). The interface as a whole is simple and calm in design, easy and fast to use. There are practically no third-party programs; everything you need is implemented here using Google Apps.
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To listen to music, use the standard Google Music player with equalizer settings. The device sounds good both in headphones and in speakers: the sound volume is enough for any environment, the sound is clear and loud, but not of the highest quality.
FM radio available. It’s interesting that you can try to use it without headphones connected as an external antenna, but you won’t be able to catch anything this way. There was no built-in voice recorder in the device.
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Performance
The Moto Z2 Play hardware platform is built on a single-chip Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 system made using 14-nanometer technology. Let us recall that the previous Moto Z Play ran on the Snapdragon 625. The Snapdragon 626 includes eight 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 cores with a frequency of up to 2.2 GHz; the Adreno 506 video accelerator with a core frequency of up to 650 MHz is responsible for graphics processing. The amount of RAM is 4 GB, and the built-in flash memory is 64 GB. Of these, about 50 GB of storage and approximately 2.5 GB of RAM are initially free. There is also a version of the smartphone with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of flash memory.
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 is a platform designed for mid-range smartphones. This is a fairly recent chip, introduced in October 2016 and replacing the Snapdragon 625. Essentially, the difference lies in the increased core frequency (from 2.0 to 2.2 GHz), but there are also less noticeable changes - for example, a radio signal amplifier has appeared for TruSignal antenna. Thanks to the 14 nm process technology, this SoC has good performance with low power consumption.
In both complex and graphics tests, the SoC Snapdragon 626 demonstrates not top-end results, but quite satisfactory for any task. The performance is sufficient for recording and playing video with resolutions up to 4K UHD and demanding games. Mortal Kombat X is played by a smartphone without the slightest slowdown.
Testing in comprehensive tests AnTuTu and GeekBench:
For convenience, we have compiled all the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks into tables. The table usually adds several other devices from different segments, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry figures). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” - due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.
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Testing the graphics subsystem in gaming tests 3DMark, GFXBenchmark and Bonsai Benchmark:
When testing in 3DMark, the most powerful smartphones now have the ability to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).
| Moto Z2 Play (Qualcomm Snapdragon 626) |
Asus Zenfone 3 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 625) |
HTC One X10 (MediaTek Helio P10) |
Honor 6X (HiSilicon Kirin 655) |
Xiaomi Redmi 4X (Qualcomm Snapdragon 435) |
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| 3DMark Ice Storm Sling Shot ES 3.1 (more is better) |
470 | 466 | 421 | 378 | 292 |
| GFXBenchmark Manhattan ES 3.1 (Onscreen, fps) | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| GFXBenchmark Manhattan ES 3.1 (1080p Offscreen, fps) | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4,5 |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex ES 2.0 (Onscreen, fps) | 23 | 22 | 17 | 19 | 26 |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex ES 2.0 (1080p Offscreen, fps) | 23 | 23 | 17 | 19 | 16 |
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Browser cross-platform tests:
As for benchmarks for assessing the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowance for the fact that their results significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this is possible during testing not always. For Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.
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AndroBench memory speed test results:
Thermal photographs
Below is a thermal image rear surface obtained after 10 minutes of battery testing in the GFXBenchmark program:
Heating is higher in the upper right part of the device, which apparently corresponds to the location of the SoC chip. According to the heat camera, the maximum heating was only 35 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees), which is relatively little.
Playing video
To test the omnivorous nature of video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Internet. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern options using processor cores alone. Also, you shouldn’t expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a table.
According to the testing results, the smartphone played all test files in the MX player without any problems - albeit in SW mode. The smartphone does not have its own video player, and the device plays videos through the gallery without AC3 support, that is, without sound. But it’s unlikely that anyone will watch videos on a smartphone this way; you’ll still have to download a third-party player.
Further testing of video playback was performed Alexey Kudryavtsev.
We were unable to test the hypothetical support for MHL or SlimPort (Mobility DisplayPort) adapters due to the lack of an adapter option that connects to the USB Type C port. Therefore, we had to limit ourselves to testing the display of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Method for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices) Red marks indicate possible problems associated with the playback of the corresponding files.
According to the frame output criterion, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is good, since in most cases frames (or groups of frames) can (but are not required) be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 (1080p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, one to one in pixels, that is, in the original resolution. On the test worlds, the features of PenTile screens appear: the vertical world through the pixel is in a grid, and the horizontal one is slightly greenish. At the same time, the described artifacts are absent in real footage. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235: all gradations of shades are displayed in shadows and highlights.
Battery life
The non-removable battery installed in the Moto Z2 Play has a smaller capacity than the Moto Z Play, only 3000 mAh. However, even with such a battery, the smartphone demonstrates more than decent, very impressive battery life results. And this is surprising, because the thin beauty initially does not at all create the impression of a device capable of long-term operation without recharging. In real conditions, the Moto Z2 Play, even under high load levels, can easily last a whole day without recharging.
Testing has traditionally been carried out at the usual level of power consumption without using power-saving functions, although the device naturally has them.
Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd/m²) lasted until the battery was completely discharged for more than 18 hours, and when continuously watching videos in high quality (720p) with the same brightness level via a home Wi-Fi network, the device operates for almost 14.5 hours. In 3D gaming mode, the smartphone was able to exceed the 8-hour mark, but this result highly depends on the specific game.
From an incomplete network adapter with a maximum output current of 1.5 A 5.2 V, the smartphone is charged within 2 hours 10 minutes with a current of 1.5 A at a voltage of 5.2 V. Wireless charging is not initially supported, but for its implementation there is a corresponding pad from Moto Mods series.
Bottom line
Not the brightest, but large and economical AMOLED display, satisfactory speaker sound, good cameras, ample communication capabilities, quite a decent fresh mid-level Qualcomm hardware platform and a very decent level of autonomy, unexpected for such a thin and light device with an elegant appearance - these are the main advantages new items called Moto Z2 Play. A smartphone priced at about $500 belongs more to the top segment, and there is someone to compete with - there are better screens and more powerful processors. However, what cannot be taken away from the hero of this review is its charm: you simply don’t want to let go of the very thin metal body with pleasant dimensions and comfortable weight. Well, those who like experiments and upgrades are given such a wide field of activity in the form of a whole set of replaceable modules that there is simply no alternative to it on the mobile market now.
Moto Z is radically different from anything we've seen before from this manufacturer. The smartphone is very thin, only 5.2 mm (for comparison, the iPhone 7 has a 7.3 mm body). On the front there is an abundance of sensors and microphones, on the back there is a round camera module in the shape of a Moto 360 watch display. The device is more reminiscent of a futuristic concept. This gadget definitely won’t be confused with others.
An abundance of sensors is, of course, technologically advanced, but frankly ugly. And the camera protrudes by as much as 3 mm. In a word, out of habit, the appearance of a smartphone causes irritation and hostility. But, as they say, you get used to everything. So after a week you stop noticing all these rough edges.
The body of the Moto Z is made of metal, with a glass insert at the back. The device is assembled with high quality. However, Motorola was famous for its good build quality. There will be three colors on sale: silver, gold and black. The latter, by the way, is the most advantageous option: all these numerous sensors and holes are not so noticeable on it. But ours, as you can see, is golden.
The Moto Z looks cool from the back, but the bezel takes some getting used to. It is better to buy the black version: numerous sensors and microphone holes are not so visible on it.
Let us immediately emphasize that the Moto Z is not suitable for work in its “naked” form. The fact is that the body is thin, the edges are sharp, and the dimensions are rather large - it’s uncomfortable to hold in your hand, the device tends to slip out. Replaceable covers are quite a solution.
The manufacturer has provided panels made of different materials that are attached to the smartphone using magnets. I put the cover on and the feeling of working with Moto Z changes dramatically. It's comfortable to hold, your fingers don't slip, and the camera doesn't stick out. At the same time, the smartphone remains beautiful and thin.
Panels made of plastic, wood, fabric and leather will be available for sale. The fabric one comes complete with a smartphone, and a new one will cost 1,990 rubles.
The magnets on the back of the Moto Z aren't just for replacement covers. They accept Moto Mods, which will be sold separately. The idea was implemented successfully: modules can be quickly changed without turning off the phone. Engineers from LG did not think of this when developing the G5 model, by the way.
There are already 6 such modules:
- JBL speaker with stereo sound and its own battery. Costs $80.
- Hasselblad photo module with a 12 megapixel camera, optical stabilization and tenfold zoom.
- Two battery covers: 2200 mAh and 3000 mAh.
- Mini Insta Share projector for the price of a large projector: $300.
- Car mount with fast charging function.
True, the modules are quite expensive. A battery for 4000 rubles? Thank you, I’d rather buy an external battery 5 times cheaper. Column for 5000? For the same money you can find portable speakers several times more powerful. The only thing of interest is the Hasselblad photo module, but few will buy it for $250.
Another victim of the thin body was the headphone jack - there was no room for it (as was the case with the Apple iPhone 7). Now the headphones connect either via Bluetooth or via USB Type-C. Luckily, the Moto Z comes with a 3.5mm adapter.
What's nice is that this did not affect the sound quality. Clear, loud, but not as bassy as in the HTC 10. On par with other flagships: Huawei P9 Plus, LG G5 and Galaxy S7.
It is strange that there is no support for the Bluetooth aptX codec. It is needed for high sound quality when we are talking about connecting headphones “over the air”. That is, Motorola wants us to give up wires, but forgot to provide high sound quality.
But I was impressed by the external speaker. There is only one here, but it produces a loud and clear sound. What’s nice is that the speaker doesn’t overlap while playing games or watching movies.
It’s too early to remove the 3.5 mm jack from smartphones. Even for the sake of thickness. It’s good that the Moto Z comes with an adapter.
During a conversation, the interlocutor can be heard perfectly, and the interlocutors themselves also liked the sound. This is thanks to the four microphones scattered throughout the body of the Moto Z. They are a great help in a noisy subway and in strong winds.
The fingerprint scanner is built into an unprepossessing square under the screen. This is not a key, as it might seem at first glance, and it cannot be pressed. There is a sensor, but it only has two functions: when pressed for a long time, the smartphone is locked; when touched in full-screen applications, the navigation panel extends.
The scanner reads fingerprints instantly. Quickly touch the square - and the smartphone is immediately ready for use. In terms of response speed, Moto Z is not inferior to the leaders OnePLus 3 and Huawei P9 Plus.
The Moto Z has an AMOLED matrix with a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels. For a 5.5-inch screen this is more than enough. The image is clear and contrasty. Black color is perfect. The backlight brightness is high, but there is almost no reserve. That is, on a bright sunny day the screen may be dim.
Moreover, if you turn the brightness to minimum in the dark, the screen still remains merciless to the eyes: all because the minimum level is not as low as we would like.
The screen is made using AMOLED technology and is energy efficient. The image is clear and contrasty, but the brightness settings are not as great as we would like.
The weak point of Motorola flagships has always been the camera. However, here the situation has changed. The Moto Z has a module with a resolution of 13 megapixels and f1.8 aperture. Moreover, an optical stabilizer and laser autofocus have been added here.
During the day, the camera takes excellent pictures: high detail, clearly defined sky, correct reproduction of colors and shades. The automation works flawlessly. I liked the work of automatic HDR. Even against the bright sun, the processor pulls out dark areas, removes glare and does not brighten bright objects.
With the onset of darkness, the focus begins to play pranks. Sometimes it “hits” past, sometimes it frantically tries to grab onto the light source. Shutter speed is sacrificed to noise reduction: there is little grain, but moving objects are blurred. Static images remain clear thanks to stabilization.
The front 5-megapixel camera has a flash. At night and indoors, it will help out selfie lovers. The image capture angle is large, so if you try, you can fit a large group into the frame.
The quality of the camera in Moto Z has caught up with current flagships from other manufacturers. But in poor lighting it is inferior to the Samsung Galaxy S7, Google Pixel and iPhone 7 Plus.
Motorola Moto Z is one of the fastest smartphones in the world. The new product runs on the proven Snapdragon 820 chip with a frequency of 2.15 GHz. The same processor is found in LG G5, HTC 10, OnePlus 3. According to test results, Moto Z is in the top three.
In Geekbench 4, the smartphone scored suspiciously low. Moto Z earned 5,200 points from its foreign colleagues. We'll chalk it up to the lags of the test sample.
RAM 4 GB, physical memory - either 32 or 64 GB. This will be enough for most users, but just in case there is a slot for memory cards. Then you can increase the volume by another 256 GB. But keep in mind: the flash drive is installed instead of one of the two SIM cards.
In reality, the smartphone works very quickly. He doesn't care what to do - launch games, play 4K videos or keep several applications in the background. Everything is so smooth that you can’t help but compare the Moto Z with the Google Pixel.
An analogy with Pixel arises when looking at the system. Motorola Moto Z is the only flagship that runs pure Android. There are no heavy shells and a bunch of useless applications. Everything is neat and to the point. Yes, Moto Z is not the first in tests, but in terms of optimization it can compete with Google’s own devices.
The Motorola Moto Z is a bold new experiment in many ways, but its bold choices lie in its modularity. Just like the LG G5, the Moto Z comes with several modules that give the device new capabilities, turning it from just another smartphone to a smartphone plus a great speaker, projector, battery, and more.
Lenovo Moto Z and Moto Z Force - Reviews
Can the Motorola Moto Z live up to its promises? Let's find out.
Note: We've put the Motorola Moto Z and Moto Z Force in the same review because the differences between them are minimal. But, we took into account all the differences and our preferences, they are displayed in this review.
Modular design of Motorola Moto Z and Moto Z Force
Modules are so popular right now. Oddly enough, the first company was Motorola, which started the whole concept with Project Ara, a modular smartphone concept that was taken over by Google. Today, everyone is fascinated by the idea of customizing their smartphones with modules that they can add and remove at will. Until now, everyone has been doing it wrong.
On the LG G5, you press a button to eject the bottom of the phone, swap out the battery, and insert a new module, rebooting the entire device. This is not a very user-friendly approach, and there are currently only two modules that can be purchased right now.
The Ara project at least made it easy to add modules that could be replaced without turning off the device. However, the idea is similar to Lego, where everything except the processor or RAM can be replaced.
At the moment we have the Motorola Moto Z and Z Force. Lenovo (which currently owns Motorola) understands how the modules should work. The modules they offer are sophisticated products such as branded battery packs from Kate Spade and Incipio, a JBL SoundBoost speaker, and an Instashare projector. The modules are easy to connect and disconnect and remain securely attached when required using very strong magnets.
The modules do not move, rotate, fall, or become detached accidentally. Magnets make it incredibly easy to replace them without hassle. The ease of use makes you want to use these modules all the time, unlike the LG G5, which almost discourages using them with awkward battery tugs and reboots. Magnets may seem like a completely obvious and uninspired solution, but they work.
Design and features of Motorola Moto Z and Moto Z Force
Personally, I don't like glass backs on phones. They're fragile, they pick up too many fingerprints, and they're slippery. The 5.2mm Motorola Moto Z is so thin it's a little scary, and to top it all off, the front and back are made of glass. The metal frame ensures that the panels grip securely, and the body doesn't have curves like the Galaxy S7. The shiny metal parts are well crafted, but they don't have much style. The camera bump sticks out a bit unattractively from the glass panels.
There's no headphone jack, which is just stupid. However, this seems to be an annoying trend as Apple is rumored to be ditching the headphone jack on the iPhone 7.
I don't quite enjoy touching the Moto Z when it's not in a case, but it's more beautiful and feels great with the wood back of the optional mod styles. In addition to this, these mods eliminate the camera bump, adding a much-needed curve to the back of the smartphone. You can keep the style mod you like on your Moto Z forever - or until you want to replace it with another mod.
Although the Moto Z Force is thicker at 7mm, it also benefits from mod styles. The Z Force is thicker and noticeably heavier than the regular Moto Z, but it's not too thick for a flagship phone. The Lenovo Moto Z Force has the added benefit of a shock-resistant screen, thanks to the Shattershield technology that debuted on the Droid Turbo 2 last year. This time around, the reinforced screen on the Force doesn't look any different from the flimsier one on the standard Moto Z.
We dropped the Motorola Moto Z Force onto concrete, wood floors, metal flooring and ceramic tiles from a height of about 1.22 meters, and the screen didn't get a single scratch. You can read on the company's website about how several layers of glass and plastic protect the screen of this phone from breaking.
This is an amazing breakthrough in technology, we wish every smartphone had the same level of protection. If you are prone to dropping your device, you should buy the Moto Z Force. Lenovo is so confident in the new Motorola's shatterproof screen that it's backing the Force with a four-year warranty. Good luck trying to break it apart.
Unfortunately, neither the Moto Z nor the Moto Z Force has water resistance similar to the Galaxy S7. Both devices have a nano-coating that should protect against minor spills and splashes, but nothing more. Do not take this phone into the bathroom.
Lenovo Moto Z and Moto Z Force - Specifications
AMOLED screens measure 5.5 inches on both models with the same Quad HD resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. Both screens and their resolution are impressive. The phones are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, which is found in devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Edge, S7 and LG G5. A whopping 4GB of RAM creates such a headroom that both phones run incredibly fast and are capable of handling intense games and tasks without a hitch. The benchmark results were very impressive, with the Geekbench multi-core test coming up with a score of 5,328, Sling Shot 3D Mark coming in at 2,615, and the Quadrant score coming in at 44,620. In short, it performs about the same as any of the most expensive smartphones you can buy today.
Motorola Moto Z and Z Force come with your choice of 32GB or 64GB of storage, which can be expanded up to a whopping 2TB via MicroSD card slot.
A fingerprint sensor on the front of the phone rounds out the specifications, adding security and mobile payments. It's a fast and responsive sensor, although the small square looks awkwardly sticking out from the phone's body.
We have absolutely no reason to complain about the Moto Z's specs; they're on par with any other new 2016 flagship, including the Galaxy S7, LG G5, HTC 10 or OnePlus 3.
Focus cameras
The camera is one of the few areas where the Moto Z and Moto Z Force diverge. The standard version of the Motorola Moto Z has a 13-megapixel rear camera, while the Z Force has a 21-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization to keep your photos and videos at their best. The Lenovo Moto Z Force takes slightly better photos, although we encountered focusing speed issues on both phones.
No new Moto phone focused quickly and easily, which is what we expect from flagship smartphones. It took a long time before the devices managed to focus on any subject in any lighting conditions. Even on a bright sunny day, the Moto Z and Force struggled to concentrate and produce a photo quickly. The camera app even warned me to “keep the camera still.”
This is simply unacceptable. When I use an iPhone, Galaxy S7, LG G5, HTC 10, or any other flagship smartphone, I can get the picture I want in record time and move on. I don't have to worry about focusing or standing still—I can just take a photo, knowing the phone will return a perfect, clear photo.
With the Motorola Moto Z, I had to wait a few seconds to focus and take a photo. Thus, it was impossible to capture moving objects, animated people, or my beloved cat.
Of course, HDR was turned on by default, which means it takes extra time to process images, but even when I turned HDR off, the camera still took a long time to take a photo. Hopefully this is a software bug that can be fixed because it's frustrating.
However, the resulting images were very good. The close-ups were very detailed and painterly, looking great. Low-light shots were grainy, although sometimes blurry because the camera took a long time to focus to take a photo. A tripod would help, but it's ridiculous because you have to carry it with you.
At the same time, the front camera has 5 megapixels and a wide-angle lens to capture more good shots. Selfies looked great, but the sensor still takes a while to record the image.
Battery life
In terms of battery life, the Z Force has the advantage with a larger 3,500mAh battery. This will give the device almost two days of battery life, which is an amazing amount of time. Unfortunately, the slim Motorola Moto Z only has a 2,600mAh battery that lasts about a day before you need to charge it. It's not too bad, but it's still disappointing.
Luckily, both phones offer TurboPower fast charging technology via a USB Type-C port, which is supposed to give you 8 hours of battery life for every 15 minutes of charging. We found the data to be accurate and as advertised.
Motorola Moto Z Software and Updates
The Moto brand is well known for offering an almost stock version of Android OS, you won't find any significant changes in the Motorola Moto Z and Moto Z Force. The only addition is an application from the Moto company, which allows you to set quick gestures for cameras and so on.
Smartphones will always receive timely Android updates to protect users from security threats, and we hope this trend continues.
Moto Z and Moto Z Force Warranty
The Lenovo Moto Z comes with a one-year warranty, while the Z Force comes with a four-year warranty thanks to its rugged coating.
Bottom line
Both phones look different, taking some nuances from previous Moto phones and offering a smart and simple approach to the modules. The Lenovo Moto Z Force is our favorite of the two options with its large battery and shatterproof screen.
The Motorola Moto Z smartphone is also very good and will definitely benefit from the addition of a battery module.
Even though the Moto Z and Moto Z Force are powerful devices, the camera issues we encountered were disappointing. These phones cost the same as other flagships like the Galaxy S7, HTC 10 and LG G5 - all of which offer better camera experiences. Plus, modules are expensive, so if you want to take full advantage of modular phones, you'll have to pay even more for them.
None of the Motorola Moto Zs have a headphone jack, so you'll need Bluetooth headphones.
Just like the LG G5, the Moto Z is a smartphone best suited for tech enthusiasts who are dying to try new modules. It's an innovative, interesting device that makes use of the modules better than any other smartphone that has tried to implement this feature so far, but it will cost you extra.
Advantages
- Smart modular design.
- Strong processor.
- Fast work.
- Fingerprint sensor.
- Ability to personalize styles with mods.
Lenovo's acquisition of Motorola clearly benefited the latter. Now these are not faceless smartphones “if only there was one,” but a field for experimentation and innovation, because not only the American market, but the whole world is at stake. Thus, the emphasis is on the average and Moto Z Play is a clear confirmation of this.
Design, ergonomics, equipment Motorola Moto Z Play
The “golden mean” is confirmed by the design of the device itself. The device is in many ways similar to the Z series, but if you look closely, you can easily find the distinctive features of the X line. The entire front of the device is covered with third-generation tempered Gorilla Glass. At the very top there is a slightly protruding speaker, on both sides of it there is a camera and a light sensor combined with a flash, proximity sensor, if you like. At the bottom is a square fingerprint sensor, to the right of it is a microphone with a motion sensor that responds to gestures. The fingerprint ID is combined with the home button, the function keys are virtual, that is, they are part of the operating system interface. This is a bit disappointing, but otherwise, as there is plenty of space on the panel for them.
I should immediately note that the device is offered in:
- white body with a golden rim around the perimeter;
- black with a silver rim around the perimeter.
I was also pleased with the presence of USB Type-C, as well as a full-fledged 3.5 mm audio output, which, by the way, is missing from its older brother. The left side of the case is empty, on the right there are traditional tiny volume control buttons and a corrugated power key. For a large 5.5-inch smartphone, this is not the best solution, especially for small hands, since you will have to reach for the physical buttons.
The rear of the case also received tempered glass from Corning. It houses a fairly large block of main optics flush with the plane, which is also decorated with a round pattern that prevents the device from falling due to wet hands. The camera lens is adjacent to laser autofocus and a two-color LED flash. At the bottom there is a magnetic pad for Moto Mods and a third microphone. Thus, you can install additional devices: Hasselblad True Zoom, JBL Soundboost, Insta-Share Projector, and Incipio offGRID, but more on that later.
As for ergonomics, you need to get used to the phablet, since the massive platforms below and above the screen do not always displease the front pocket of jeans. At the same time, the thickness of the device is only 6.9 mm, weight - 165 g, which is acceptable for such dimensions. As a bonus, there is an additional panel with a folding stand that hides the sharp edges of the metal on the back cover of the smartphone, but then the thickness of the Moto Z Play will increase to 9.1 mm, and the weight will increase to 187 g.
There are no complaints about the build quality. There is no play, no creaking or rattling, the candy bar feels solid. When installing magnetic modules, there is a slight longitudinal play, but this is a cost of the technology itself.
In the box along with the smartphone you will find:
- Charger;
- Paperclip;
- Replaceable back panel;
- Manual.
Moto Z Play smartphone screen
The smartphone has a 5.5-inch SuperAMOLED matrix with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. I must admit that this is not enough for such a diagonal; here 2K is at least necessary. And, if this is excusable for Chinese gadgets, then Motorola is not, even though it is essentially now also from the Middle Kingdom. The corresponding pixel density is 401 dpi. However, for most of us this is enough.
Color rendering depends on the selected mode. Thus, the standard profile guarantees a neat sRGB palette with a white temperature comfortable for the eye within 6200K. The bright profile increases it to 6800K, but other colors take on a poisonous tint. Black color for this type of matrix is traditionally good, but when viewed from an angle it conveys a slightly greenish tint. Be that as it may, the viewing angles here are quite wide.
The minimum brightness value is higher than that of IPS screens, but the display does not fade in the sun and does not glare, although when photographing it creates the illusion of incorrect color rendering of objects.
There are no complaints about the tempered glass Gorilla Glass 3, although, given the price of the Moto Z Play, it was possible to install fourth-generation protection. Multi-touch is designed for ten touches, which is more than enough for games and more, but there is no high sensitivity function. The oleophobic coating is beyond praise.
Motorola Moto Z Play: software and OS characteristics
The device runs Android 6.0.1, there is a proprietary launcher, but otherwise it is a bare android. A standard utility is integrated to configure gesture control; it looks complete, so the developers did the right thing without changing anything. The fingerprint sensor can be configured to lock the device by pressing it for a long time, which is very convenient, considering the physical key for this is not very good.
Among the shortcomings of the interface, it is worth noting the minimum of pre-installed applications. For example, there is no file manager and branded gallery.
Among the advantages we highlight:
- customizable virtual keyboard;
- a set of skins and themes;
- convenient settings menu.
Moto Z Play: hardware review and testing
The smartphone is built on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chip with eight Cortex-A53 cores and a frequency of up to 2 GHz. The picture is complemented by 3 GB of RAM and the Adreno 506 video core. At the moment, these are average characteristics that provide corresponding performance in games. Multitasking and smooth interface are at the proper level. This is largely due to the high-speed RAM.
In the AnTuTu benchmark, the device scores 62544 points, which is again an average result. The graphics performed well in Doodle Jump DC Super Heroes and Lara Croft: Relic Run, and in Godfire: Rise of Prometheus blurring is observed, although there are no microbugs. World Of Tanks Blitz at maximum settings produces 20–32 fps.
A 32 GB flash drive is provided for data storage, where a little more than 20 GB is available to the user. However, no one is stopping you from expanding this figure using memory cards up to 2 TB.
Telephone part and communications Moto Z Play
The device operates in GSM, 3G and LTE networks. There are no complaints about the quality of communication and signal reception. Both nano-SIMs support voice calls, but only on third-generation networks, and only one is used for LTE data transfer. There is only one radio module, that is, SIM cards work alternately.
The interfaces are provided:
- dual-band Wi-Fi ac-standard;
- Bluetooth 4.1LE;
Multimedia Moto Z Play
The smartphone is equipped with two photomodules:
- Basic presented by a 16-megapixel camera with dual LED flash based on the OmniVision OV16860 sensor. The pixel size of the latter is 1.3 microns, the aperture is f/2.0, there is image stabilization and autofocus. For the latter, a laser rangefinder is provided.
- Frontal The optics are represented by a 5-megapixel OmniVision OV5693 sensor, the grain size of which is 1.4 microns, and the aperture is f/2.2. In this case, a single-color LED is used.
Shooting during the day in cloudy weather accurately sets the white balance and produces, if not ideal, then close to it. When photographing indoors, you can accurately guess ISO, white balance and exposure, but you don’t always get a good photo the first time. Night shooting with a small amount of noise and a minimum of blurred frames. There are no complaints about the macro mode; as they say, capture the ladybug in all its glory, even the bokeh effect can be imitated. HDR improves a number of RAW frame parameters, the photo turns out artistic, but the panorama tends to slowly save the final image.
There is support for 4K video with a frame rate of 30 fps and a bitrate of 50 Mbps. This ensures smoothness and detail in the video.
The speaker is of high quality and provides a soft timbre and an adequate range of conversation volume. Three microphones do a great job of canceling out ambient noise. The external sound is smooth and clear, there are even hints of rich bass. The sound in the headphones is appropriate, which was achieved not without the help of the SoC audio path - dense mid-bass, good mid-range frequencies and soft highs. Amplifier 20 mW per channel.
Moto Z Play offline mode
Autonomy is provided by a 3510 mAh battery, there is support for QuickCharge 2.0 fast charging. As a result, the device charges to 100% in just over an hour, if you use a conventional charger it will take 3.5 hours. If you talk for half an hour every day, watch videos for the same amount of time, surf the Internet, and listen to music for three hours, then the charge will last for two days. Moreover, the brightness of the screen plays a big role, for example, a 4K video at maximum brightness with the “Airplane” mode activated will drain the battery completely in 14 hours. However, if you reduce the brightness to half, this figure will increase to 18 hours.
Features and modules of Motorola Moto Z Play
So, in total you can buy and install four modules: Hasselblad True Zoom, JBL Soundboost, Insta-Share Projector and Incipio offGRID, however, this is not the limit, but only what is available in Russia. There will be at least two more of them.
- Hasselblad True Zoom is an additional 12-megapixel camera that supports Full-HD video and allows you to implement the bokeh effect, that is, blur in the background. At the same time, the thickness of the lens is 15.1 mm, weight - 145 g. Thus, the smartphone becomes similar to a “point-and-shoot”, which is facilitated by the rounded edges of the module. There is also an optical image stabilizer and a dual xenon flash, which means there is something to suffer for, since support for JPG, RAW, and DNG formats is also implemented. There is also a 10x zoom. This miracle costs a lot - 15,390 rubles.
- JBL Soundboost- an option designed to improve the sound quality of the device. For this purpose, there are two 27 mm stereo speakers with a power of 3 W each. The frequency spread is in the range of 200–20,000 Hz, and the thickness of the module is 13 mm with a weight of 145. Naturally, a 1000 mAh battery is integrated for this purpose, which can provide you with music for 10 hours without recharging. The latter is carried out via USB Type-C. Needless to say, JBL Soundboost sounds good. There is speakerphone support. The price of the device is 7,000 rubles.
- Insta-Share Projector the thinnest unusual module is 11 mm, weighing no more than 125 g. The solution is a mobile DLP projector and is capable of transmitting an image with a resolution of 480p. The projection brightness is 50 lumens and the contrast ratio is 400:1. The result is a 70-inch image with a 16:9 aspect ratio. Among the features is a manipulator wheel for increasing sharpness, keystone distortion is corrected automatically. The power source is a 1100 mAh battery, which is enough for an hour of watching videos. There is one stereo speaker. If we talk about the longevity of the projector, the developer guarantees 10,000 hours of continuous operation. The asking price is 20,000 rubles.
- Incipio offGRID- This is an additional battery for Moto Z Play, perhaps the cheapest and most popular module for a smartphone costing about 4,000 rubles. For this money you get a 2220 mAh battery, as well as a fast charging function. In this case, you can choose the version of the device: with wired and wireless storage. The module is capable of extending the battery life of the device by 22 hours. Incipio offGRID thickness: 6.2 mm, weight - 80 g.
Pros and cons of Moto Z Play
Motorola Moto Z Play is certainly an interesting device, not without the help of plug-in modules, but the cost and dimensions of the latter make a modular solution the lot of geeks and enthusiasts. For everyone else, it’s easier to buy a separate gadget, although an additional battery and a designer panel may also be of interest to the average user.
Among the undoubted advantages of the device it is worth highlighting:
- plug-ins;
- energy efficient processor;
- SuperAMOLED screen;
- good main camera;
- customizable fingerprint sensor;
- laser rangefinder;
- front camera flash;
- protective glass on the back panel;
- great sound.
- high cost of modules;
- minimum of proprietary software;
- inconvenient function keys.
Moto Z Play: price and video review
Overall, the Lenovo Moto Z Play is a very good solution. What we have here are average characteristics that don’t reach the level of a flagship, but they clearly can’t be called budget either. The smartphone justifies its price; don’t forget about the brand fee. We must admit that the manufacturer has been guilty of this lately. In a nutshell, if you want an unusual device that stands out from the crowd, at a reasonable price and with balanced characteristics, then this is the smartphone you need.
The Moto Z Play price in Russia is 35,000 rubles. Check out the video review below:
