Review of android-smartphone Motorola Moto Z2 Play: modularity in the second generation. Moto Z2 Play review

The brand has been confirming its competitiveness for several years thanks to the technical features of the devices and unique design findings. Interest in the company's products did not subside even during the forced break of several years, when its activities practically disappeared.

After they made the decision to buy, many experts feared for the future fate of the brand.

Contrary to their guesses about the closure of the company, the Motorola models not only continued the previously launched series of smartphones, but also borrowed some technical solutions from their buyer, which made it possible to introduce new, previously unused improvements into the development process.

We got our hands on the Motorola Moto Z2 Play - a modular smartphone of the mid-high price segment, which provides the user with the ability to customize and selectively improve the device's functions, which is currently a rare phenomenon in the field of smart technology. There are really a lot of modules and each of them, comparable in cost to independent smartphones, has special functions.

Specifications Motorola Moto Z2 Play

The main feature of the smartphone is modular retrofitting. The company's arsenal includes a projector, speaker, camera, joystick, additional battery and more budget cosmetic pads with wireless charging function.

In addition to this feature, the device can boast of not the weakest Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 processor, support for memory cards up to 2 terabytes and a built-in 3,000 mAh battery. The positioning of the model allows us to judge it as a confident average, almost a flagship with attractive features and a good list of characteristics, which can be found below:

Packaging and equipment Motorola Moto Z2 Play

Familiarity with the device, as you know, begins with its packaging, which in our case immediately causes a pleasant impression thanks to the thick cardboard and bright design. On the front of the box there is a company designation and an indication of the model, complemented by the image of some crystals inscribed in a contour circle with the Moto brand logo. In the style of the latter, the inner part of the box is also made, which protrudes outward by a couple of centimeters. The removable part contains the Lenovo logo, which reminds of the brand owner.

All information related to a specific device, that is, serial numbers, is located in the form of a sticker on the bottom edge. On the opposite side there is a corporate logo. On the back of the package there is again a logo in the form of the letter "M".

After the moving part is taken out, the gaze involuntarily concentrates on the device in a special cardboard niche.

Under it is a cardboard envelope with the "HelloMoto" slogan, familiar to users since the time the company produced push-button telephones.

Inside the envelope are documentation and a paper clip for opening the sim tray. Also in the box are:

• Charger;
• USB cable.

As for the quality of all accessories, there is not even the slightest claim to it. Everything is made with the utmost care and pleasing to the eye.

Note that along with the smartphone, we got an additional cover with a 360-degree lens. The materials of the box are similar to those of the hero of the review.

On the front and back sides, the manufacturer provides the buyer with basic information about the benefits of the additional device.

Immediately, we can only note the high quality of the accessory, as well as the presence of an additional rubber cover for the lens.

In the meantime, let's move on to studying the smartphone itself.

Today the company officially unveiled the new Moto Z2 Play. We publish on Galagram the key characteristics of the smartphone, official prices and the date when the new product can be expected in Russia and Ukraine.

Appearance: what has changed

The smartphone is thinner and lighter, but the Moto Z2 Play comes with a smaller battery thanks to its 5.9mm body. It also weighs even less at just 145 grams. Other design changes are the redesigned antenna line on the back and the shape of the fingerprint scanner. If you liked last year's Moto Z lineup, then the Z2 Play is also for you.

Moto Z2 Play specifications

The Moto Z2 Play has the same 5.5-inch FHD AMOLED display as last year's generation. The changes start with the processor, now a Qualcomm chip is installed here Snapdragon 626, 4 RAM and 64 GB in the top version, or 3/32 GB in the basic configuration.

Cameras

The decently decent 16MP rear camera has been swapped out this year with a 12MP f / 1.7 large aperture Dual Pixel sensor that captures even more light. There is also a laser and phase-detection autofocus (PDAF) module. The front camera is still on display and has a 5MP sensor with f / 2.2 aperture, but it now has dual LED flash.

Since the Moto Z2 Play comes with a smaller 3,000mAh battery, its autonomy is now around 30 hours. The operating system is a fresh clean assembly of Android 7.1.1. There is an NFC chip for contactless payments via Android Pay.

New Moto Mods

The Moto Z2 Play works with Moto Mods just like last year's model, but now users have a ton of new ones to choose from. Exists Moto Mod GamePad with two joysticks and four control buttons X, Y, A, B. The controller also has its own 1035 mAh battery, so you don't have to waste your phone while playing.

Another powerbank mod with a built-in battery, which should add another 8 hours to the smartphone. The mod has a red LED, a USB-C port for charging, and a 3.5mm headset jack.

There is also TurboPower Pack which is equipped with fast charging Motorola TurboPower. It has a 3490mAh battery that can be charged up to 50% in 20 minutes via the USB Type-C port when it charges the phone with 15W charging.

Motorola also announced today JBL SoundBoost 2 Mod... The speaker is now splash-resistant, fabric-covered, and lasts about 10 hours. There is also a new JBL app that you can use to tweak your speaker sound.

Moto Style Shell are also back, now they are even more interesting. Style Shell adds wireless charging support to the Moto Z2 Play or any other mobile phone from the Moto Z lineup.

Release date and prices for Z2 Play

It is reported that the older version of 4/64 GB of memory in the US will be sold for 499 dollars. Alas, the price of the Moto Z2 Play for 3/32 GB has not yet been announced. In Russia and Ukraine, the novelty, along with the new Moto Mods, should be expected sometime at the end of June this year.

Motorola Moto Z2 Force is a combination of reliability, elegance and top performance. In addition to the extensive functionality of the gadget, you can add new capabilities to it using plug-ins.

A screen that can't be broken

Bright and contrasting 5.5-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2560 × 1440 is assembled using proprietary ShatterShield technology. The screen module consists of 5 layers:

• plastic;
• flexible glass;
• sensor;
• the screen itself;
• durable aluminum backing.

As a result, the display is incredibly durable. You can throw your smartphone on the floor from a height of up to 2 meters, drop heavy objects on it - not a scratch will remain on the screen!

Control your voice

The smartphone received a proprietary Moto shell, in which special emphasis is placed on advanced controls. For example, going to the previous page, opening the settings menu, activating the screen - all this can be programmed for gestures.

And the system utility Moto Voice allows you to control the gadget using voice commands. Just say a few phrases into the speaker, and the smart smartphone will remember your voice. After that, it is enough to ask to show a calendar or a weather widget, and Moto Z2 Force will instantly execute the command.

Ahead of time

Equipped with a Snapdragon 835 octa-core processor with 4GB of RAM, the Moto Z2 Force is arguably the best in performance in its class. The gadget responds to commands with lightning speed, works great in multitasking mode and maintains high frame rates in graphically pumped games.

In addition, the Moto Z2 Force demonstrates impressive capabilities when working with mobile networks. When the 4G LTE module is running, the bandwidth of the smartphone reaches 1 GB per second, so the gadget is quite ready for the emergence of ultra-high-speed fifth-generation networks.

Assemble your smartphone

The Motorola Moto Z2 Force is a modular smartphone so you can upgrade the function you need.

Lacking the capabilities of the 22MP dual main camera with OIS? Install the Moto 360 Camera module for wide-angle cameras, which also allows you to broadcast network.

Are you an avid gamer ready to stick to your favorite game for hours? For you there is a module in the form of a gamepad with familiar controls. Connoisseurs of high-quality and strong sound can install a JBL speaker, and to watch movies, a projector module is connected to a smartphone.

With overlays, you can even change the look of your smartphone, for example, use a panel made of wood or corrugated metal. And to extend battery life, simply install the TurboPower Pack plug-in battery.

Please note that in our online store you can only buy the smartphone itself. To purchase additional modules, refer to the manufacturer's website.

Last year, Lenovo and Motorola introduced a concept of modular functionality in the mid-range with the Moto Z Play. Its successor, the Moto Z2 Play, has some key improvements and even more Moto Mods accessories.

The “trick” of Moto Z2 Play is the support of removable pad modules (not included, purchased separately), thanks to which the device turns into a projector, a digital camera with a tenfold optical zoom, a music speaker and even a gamepad. There is also an additional battery module and a wireless charging attachment.

However, the company had to make a number of compromises. The Z2 Play has a much lower battery capacity while the price of the device has gone up.

Moto Z2 Play specifications

Design

There are no major changes in the design, however, they could not have been expected. The Moto Z line is designed to make all of its smartphones compatible with Moto Mods. We probably won't see a radical redesign of the Moto Z line for several years.

The Moto Z2 Play is 1mm thinner than its predecessor, making it more comfortable to hold in your hand. In addition, the glass back has been replaced with a metal one, which gives the device a more premium look and does not collect fingerprints. The antenna strips were not placed in the form of plastic inserts at the bottom and top, as is usually done, but they were placed along all the perimeter of the rear panel, which, by the way, also gives the device a stylish look.

The home button with a fingerprint sensor at the bottom of the front panel has acquired a standard elongated shape, instead of a square one in the Z Play, and now it works faster and more reliably.

The smartphone can be used without additional overlay modules, if you are not confused by the bulging camera lens and the connector for attaching the modules. By the way, without additional attachments, the Z2 Play is very thin and you don't want to thicken it at all.

On the right side are the power key and two separate volume buttons. Despite the fact that they are quite small and thin, they are quite convenient to use due to the elastic and precise movement.

The front side is protected by 2.5D Gorilla Glass. Above is the usual selfie camera sensor and LED flash.

There are no touch buttons under the screen, the navigation panel is located on the display itself. The physical key under the display can duplicate the functions of the on-screen buttons when “drawing” on it with gestures of standard navigation actions. Due to its small size, it is not very convenient to do this, but there is such an opportunity.

The single speaker is located at the top of the front panel.

The bottom end has a USB Type-C charging port and standard audio output. It's nice that they didn't sacrifice it for the sake of the “subtlety” of the device.

On the top there is a slot for 2 nano-SIM and microSD memory cards. We should again pay tribute to the manufacturer - the ultra-thin case also did not become the reason for the combined slots. The solution is simple and elegant: two SIM cards are inserted on one side of the slot, and a memory card on the other.

Since the model does not belong to the flagships, you will not find any frills here, such as high certification of water resistance. But the Z2 Play has a water-repellent nano-coating that provides splash resistance.

The smartphone is available in two color options: gray (with a black bezel) and gold (with a white bezel).

Display and sound

The Moto Z2 Play comes with a 5.5-inch AMOLED display (1920 x 1080 resolution, 401 ppi pixel density). As expected from AMOLED, the screen produces vibrant colors and deep blacks, as well as great viewing angles.

However, the maximum brightness is not enough for comfortable viewing of information on the display in bright sunlight. Disadvantages: at low brightness, the screen starts to flicker, so your eyes can get tired. In general, the display quality is quite good.

Unfortunately, the sound quality is not very high, since the smartphone has only one speaker. It is not very loud, and its front positioning results in a somewhat “one-sided” sound reproduction. Of course, a great way to improve sound quality is to use one of the offered JBL SoundBoost Moto Mods (more on that below).

Praise to the manufacturer, even the reduction of the case by 1 mm did not prevent Motorola from retaining such a beloved 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Camera

The main camera sensor received a resolution of 12 MP and a maximum aperture of the lens f / 1.7. The camera is equipped with laser and phase detection autofocus, as well as a dual LED flash.

In low light conditions, images are quite bright, but still there is a lot of noise in the pictures. The camera is slower when shooting in low light conditions, especially when using HDR and without OIS, so don't expect photos to be sharp or detailed.

Photos taken in good lighting are definitely better and have more accurate colors and details. However, the images still lack sharpness. In general, the camera performance is not bad, but, unfortunately, it is far from competing with expensive flagships. An additional module can radically change the situation (see information in the next section “Moto Mods”).

The selfie camera went to the smartphone from its predecessor. It has a 5-megapixel sensor with f / 2.2 aperture and LED flash.

Moto Mods

Actually, we got to the point for which this whole device was started - removable attachment modules, with which you can significantly expand the functionality of your device.

Moto Gamepad

This module will make a pocket game console out of your smartphone - a kind of PlayStation, but in miniature. This module has all the necessary controls: sticks, a cross, “bumpers” on the top, buttons for actions. The manufacturer has prudently equipped the module with an additional 1,035 mAh battery, so you shouldn't worry that the module will “eat up” the smartphone's own charge. By the way, such a battery will be enough for games for about 7-8 hours.

JBL Soundboost 2

This replaceable module turns your smartphone into a true portable speaker with great sound quality. The sound power is enough for a large room, and for a picnic (by the way, the module is not afraid of rain and splashes from the pool). It also has a built-in battery that lasts about 10 hours.

Hasselblad True Zoom

If you are into photography, you will love this module that turns your smartphone into a true digital camera with 10x optical zoom and xenon flash. Perfect for vacation or for those who just love to take pictures.

Moto insta-share projector

Yes, yes, this is a real projector in your smartphone! The image is transmitted at an angle of 70 degrees to any surface. The built-in battery lasts for an hour of viewing. The possibilities of use are quite wide: you can show a presentation, and watch a film on the wall of your own tent during a hike.

This is a power bank that is attached directly to your device, and it does not greatly affect the thickness and weight of the smartphone itself. And the module Moto Style implements the wireless charging function.

Performance

Under the hood, you'll find the Snapdragon 626 mobile platform, backed by an Adreno 506 GPU and 3 or 4 GB of RAM. There are also two options for 32GB / 64GB internal storage.

As we mentioned, the memory can be expanded via a dedicated microSD slot. You can also connect an external drive using USB OTG.

The processor used in the device is a solid mid-range processor, it provides good performance with low power consumption. The smartphone is good at doing common day-to-day tasks like browsing the web, reading emails, and checking social networks. The smartphone also proved to be excellent in games, even rather “heavy” variants run without lags.

Software

The device runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat with Moto Experiences proprietary firmware. This is a near-pure Android with only a few minor enhancements such as support for gestures, a smaller display area for better viewing experience, or multi-window mode.

Did you know that you can open the Moto Z2 Play's camera with just a wave of your hand?

And here it was not without some "chips" that do not carry a special semantic load, but make the use of the smartphone pleasant and special, or something. If you bring your hand to a locked smartphone, it will display basic information about the date, time, battery charge. If you take a smartphone in your hand during an incoming call, the melody will start to fade - after all, it is already clear that you saw the call and there is no point in ringing any further. To turn on the flashlight, you just need to shake your smartphone - quickly and conveniently. And to activate the camera, you need to rotate twice with the brush, which contains the Z2 Play.

The rest of the interface is simple and intuitive, easy and fast to work with. It is not overloaded with third-party programs that are sometimes so annoying.

Battery

The design cues, however, forced the manufacturer to compromise, bringing the battery capacity down to 3,000mAh from the 3,510mAh that was available on the Z Play.

As a result, the Z2 Play doesn't deliver the two full days of battery life that was possible with the Z Play. However, it can last for at least a day and a half, which is certainly much longer than 90% of Android smartphones can offer today. Even with heavy use at the end of the day, you still have 25 to 40% of your battery remaining. Not bad enough for me.

In addition, fast charging is available. Motorola's Turbo Power allows you to charge your phone up to 50% in just 30 minutes.

conclusions

Pros:

• design and build quality;
• Moto Mods;
• separate slots for a memory card and two nano-sim;
• "Pure" Android;
• smooth performance;
• autonomy.

Minuses:

• price;
• Moto Mods will have to be purchased separately;
• insufficient screen brightness.

Moto Z2 Play evokes sincere sympathy, both in design and in its unusual use.

Someone would argue that $ 500 for the "average" is a lot. But if you consider that in real use the smartphone shows very decent performance and add to this excellent autonomy, sufficient RAM, separate slots for micro-SIM and memory cards and "pure" Android, it turns out that it is worth every ruble spent on it.

And that's if you don't even mention the Moto Mod modules, without which the Z2 Play, by the way, is a full-fledged device.

Yes, for this money you can get a more powerful OnePlus 5 in all respects. But if you already had a Moto Z line device or want something unusual, then you should take a closer look at the Z2 Play.

The article uses photographs from