Hello everyone, we have already written about the older models from the Moto Z line, but the younger Moto Z Play was undeservedly forgotten. Fortunately, now the entire line is officially sold in Russia, so we managed to get a full-fledged boxed version and test it. Go!
Specifications
| Specifications | |
| Class | Average |
| Form factor | Monoblock |
| Body materials | Aluminum and glass |
| Operating system | Android 6.0 (planned to upgrade to 7.0) |
| Net | 2G / 3G / LTE (800/1800/2600), two nanoSIM cards |
| Platform | Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 |
| CPU | Octa-core, 2 GHz |
| Video accelerator | Adreno 506 |
| Inner memory | 32 GB |
| RAM | 3 GB |
| Memory card slot | Yes, not aligned with SIM slot |
| Wi-Fi | Yes, a / b / g / n / ac, dual-band |
| Bluetooth | Yes, 4.0 LE, A2DP |
| NFC | There is |
| Screen diagonal | 5.5 inch |
| Screen resolution | 1920 x 1080 dots |
| Matrix type | AMOLED |
| Protective covering | Glass |
| Oleophobic coating | There is |
| Main camera | 16 MP, f / 2.0, laser and phase detection autofocus, dual LED flash |
| Front-camera | 5 MP, f / 2.2, front flash |
| Navigation | GPS, A-GPS, Glonass |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, light sensor, proximity sensor, fingerprint scanner |
| Battery | Non-removable Li-Ion 3500 mAh |
| Dimensions (edit) | 156.4 x 76.4 x 7 mm |
| Weight | 165 gram |
| Price | 35,000 rubles |
Equipment
- Smartphone
- Charger
- Clip
- Rear socket
I would like to draw your attention to two details. I did not have a Type C cable in the kit, and it is non-removable in the charger. The clip for the Z Play is special, it has a longer needle, so you won't be able to remove the SIM tray with a third-party clip.
The smartphone comes with one socket for the cover. In my sample, it did not fit snugly, as a result, most of the time I used the device without it. It was not clear why a black panel was included in the kit for the white smartphone.
Appearance, materials, controls, assembly
The design of the Z Play is the same as the older models with one small exception. It lacks the two motion sensors next to the fingerprint scanner, so it doesn't feel like a surprised emoji is looking at you. In my opinion, abandoning them had a positive effect on the design of the device.
The device will be sold in two colors - white and black. Interestingly, the bezel in the white version is gold, in the black - silver. I had exactly a white model on my test, the combination with gold does not look lurid here, it is appropriate and looks good.
The back cover is made of glass with a round pattern, it shimmers beautifully in the light. The camera's protruding peephole is still there, but it's easy to hide with the built-in panel. By the way, the glass on the back also has an oleophobic coating, thanks to which the device is pleasant to hold in the hand, and prints can be easily erased with a cloth.
On the left there is a volume rocker and a power button, on the bottom there is a Type C port and a minijack.
At the top you can see a tray for two nanoSIM cards and a microSD card. Now, attention: these slots are not combined in Moto Z Play! An elegant solution is used with placement on both sides of the tray: on one there are two nanoSIMs, on the other there is a card slot.
Above the display are the front camera and flash, light and proximity sensors, earpiece. The latter is also an external speaker. I assumed that such a combination would negatively affect the sound quality, but Moto Z Play pleasantly surprised: the speaker has a good headroom, plus it does not wheeze even at maximum.
A fingerprint scanner is installed under the screen. This is not a physical button, but a regular scanner. It works very quickly, just a light touch. If the display is on, holding the scanner turns it off, which is convenient.
On the assembly, I have a small complaint. In my sample, the SIM card tray was a little loose, I don't think this is a massive problem, but I recommend checking this point before buying.
Dimensions (edit)
In terms of hand feel and size, I had an interesting feel from the Moto Z Play. Having previously tested the original Moto Z, the Play felt thick and heavy, even though it had the usual dimensions for its diagonal.
By the way, I was annoyed by the increasing thickness when using the panel, and this was one of the reasons why I refused to use it.
Screen
When a third-party company uses Samsung AMOLED screens, a lot depends on optimization. For example, the Nexus 6P did not bother too much, as a result, the color scheme looked either pale or "dirty". At the same time, Huawei and ZTE worked on optimization in their flagships, so their devices had excellent color reproduction.
Unfortunately, the Moto Z Play's display is closer to the Nexus 6P in terms of colors, the colors look either pale or dingy, this is especially noticeable when viewing photos and almost invisible when watching videos. White looks good at right angles, but tends to greenish tones at corners.
I cannot say that the screen is bad here, it is enough for most tasks, but it is important to understand that it will be inferior to the displays in Samsung smartphones or the flagship Huawei. Even the basic color setting does not help.
Operating system
The smartphone runs Android 6.0 with minimal additions from Motorola. On the one hand, it pleases me, but on the other hand, the company, for example, did not even add a battery indicator with numbers, I had to use third-party applications. The device is promised to be updated to 7.0 in the near future, but at the time of writing the review, the firmware was not yet available.
Performance
Somehow it happened that recently I tested several devices on this chipset at once and all of them showed excellent results at FHD-resolution. Moto Z Play is no exception: the smartphone works quickly, this also applies to the interface, and built-in applications, and third-party programs, and productive toys.
Autonomous work
I've heard a lot of positive reviews from colleagues about the Moto Z Play's battery life, and someone even managed to squeeze two days of work out of the device. Our battery life tests confirm these findings, but my personal experience is different. In everyday use (mail, twitter, web surfing, listening to music, enabled sync and mobile internet) the device lasted about five hours. This is a good result, but not impressive.
Camera
I'll start with the front camera. In theory, the presence of a flash should indicate an increased attention to this element, in practice, the pictures look ordinary, not extraordinary. I specially tested the work of the flash for selfies - in such a photo I looked like a gopnik (although, maybe, the lighting has nothing to do with it). The camera has a built-in beautifier, below there are three photos: without it, and a night frame with it.
I also asked Roman Belykh to comment on the quality of the main and front cameras:
Photographs very well during the day: accurate white balance, decent sharpness, nice bokeh, a fairly wide angle. In the evening or at night there is little noise, the sharpness practically does not drop, the colors are pleasant and natural. I didn't like the front camera: a lot of noise, low sharpness. The video shoots very high quality in 4k during the day, noise appears in the evening and at night and the sharpness decreases. Overall, I would rate the camera 7 out of 10.
Wireless interfaces
Here we have a complete gentleman's set, there are no complaints about the quality of the modules. NFC does not support Mifare Classic.
Moto Mods
All Moto Mods are fully compatible not only with older models, but also with Moto Z Play. We have already talked about them several times in separate materials, so I'll just give a link to them:
Let me remind you once again the official prices for modules:
- Camera Hasselblad True Zoom - 20,000 rubles
- Moto Insta-Share Projector - 23,000 rubles
- Battery Incipio offGRIDtm Power Pack - 4,000 rubles
- Speaker JBL SoundBoost - 7,000 rubles
- Replacement panels for Moto Z (Z Play) - 2,000 rubles
In my opinion, the most popular module will be the battery cover for 4,000 rubles. It is relatively inexpensive and convenient, and the same Z Play can safely work for two or three days when using it. Personally, I really like the module from JBL, if I took a smartphone from Moto for the next two or three years, I would definitely buy it too. But the photomodule and the projector module, although they look impressive, are very expensive, I think that these two panels turned out to be too niche.
Conclusion
There are no complaints about the quality of speech transmission, you and your interlocutor can hear each other perfectly.
In retail, Moto Z Play costs 35,000 rubles. For this money, you get a smartphone with good battery life, an average display, a good camera, an interesting idea with modules and pure Android on board. Perhaps most of all I did not like the screen, it seems to me that if they used a high-quality IPS-matrix, it would have turned out better. As for the rest, we have an average from Lenovo at a price from a large A-brand. However, what is there to be surprised at, because this is how the Moto Z line is positioned in the company.
The main problem with Moto Z Play is the sheer number of competitors. For example, if you pay 4,000-5,000 rubles, you can already buy the Samsung Galaxy S7, which surpasses this model in all respects. The Huawei P9 Plus costs about the same, which also wins in all characteristics. And if you take a model with the same specs, then you can remember about Nova Plus, which would also hardly be sold for 35,000 rubles. Or the same Galaxy A7 2016, which has a better display.
It is difficult for a smartphone to compete with other people's flagships due to the fact that more than half a year has passed since the beginning of their sales and prices have dropped (this also applies to models of the middle segment), and the Z Play was released only now, so you should not expect a sharp decline in prices for it yet. ... In principle, I enjoyed using this smartphone, most of the impressions were positive, but I think that the model would be more interesting at a lower price (29-30 thousand).
Modular smartphones are an intriguing concept to say the least. Since different smartphones are not alike and come in different sizes, it makes sense to let users choose which parts are more important to them. By selling these components separately, the developers give customers the opportunity to save money on buying a new smartphone every time they want a change.
An attractive idea is one thing, but implementation in life is another. Even giants like Google have not been able to cope with bringing the idea of modular smartphones to life.
Last year, Motorola, owned by the Chinese company Lenovo, did the impossible and released not just a modular smartphone, but a whole line of modular devices and the modules themselves for them called Moto Mods. It was promised that this would not be a one-time promotion and this year the promise was kept as a new smartphone and new modules appeared.
Will these devices convince skeptics? Or is the quality of the devices not high enough for this? Let's try to understand this in a review of the Moto Z2 Play smartphone and three modules for it.
Contents of delivery
- Moto Z2 Play smartphone;
- Motorola Turbo Charge adapter;
- Cable> USB-A;
- SIM eject tool;
- Safety booklet;
- User guide.
Design
Support for Moto Mods can be not only a plus, but also a minus. On the one hand, users can expand the functionality of a smartphone with an improved camera, additional battery or digital projector. On the other hand, a smartphone must be of a certain size and shape in order for the modules to fit into it. Designers can experiment with body thickness, but other design aspects, such as a completely flat back surface and a camera bump in the center, should remain unchanged.
As a result, the Moto Z2 Play looks and feels like its predecessor, although there are differences from the original Moto Z Play. The smartphone has become thinner, without modules, the thickness is 5.99 mm versus 6.99 mm in the first generation. As a result, the battery has also decreased.
At the front is a 5.5-inch screen, underneath is a fingerprint scanner, above it is a front-facing camera and a rare dual flash. The hybrid SIM compartment also supports microSD cards and is located on the top. On the right is the power button and volume control. At the bottom is the USB Type-C connector and the analog headphone jack, which many Moto Z smartphones lack.
There is a camera on the back that looks similar to the cameras of previous models, but inside there are changes. At the bottom of the back is the Moto Mods interface.
The smartphone is thin and light, weighing 145 g. One has only to attach the modules and this lightness is gone.
Screen
From the very first boot, the Moto Z2 Play makes a good impression thanks to the contrasting Motorola logo. The smartphone draws attention to itself and highlights the virtues of the AMOLED screen.
A resolution of 1080 x 1920 at this size will be sufficient, however, with the default settings, the device does not show all available pixels, text and other elements are displayed larger than necessary. Fortunately, this is easy to fix.
While the screen initially impresses with its richness and vibrancy of colors, the joy does not last long. By default, the color mode is set to Vibrant, but even in the standard mode, colors did not appear realistic. Magenta is especially imprecise, resulting in a bluish tint to the smartphone.
The frustration continues when it comes to screen brightness, which can go up to just over 400 nits. This is significantly less than most modern smartphones and much less than the more affordable 600 nits Moto G5 Plus.
Overall, the screen offers great detail and rich colors, but lacks in key aspects. At this price point, you expect more from smartphone screens.
Interface and functionality
Motorola's software shell is one of the lightest versions of Android and always offers a variety of customization options. There are no big and eye-catching features here; instead, the changes are subtle. For example, the auto-rotate screen switch allows you to lock the device in portrait mode, but Motorola also added the ability to lock in landscape mode. While this is a small thing, extra choice never hurts.
A lot of attention is paid again to support for gestures, you can quickly launch a camera or flashlight. The smartphone can detect when you reach for it, it turns on and shows Moto Display notifications without even having to touch the screen.
Bring back the fingerprint sensor navigation gestures found on the Moto G5 Plus. Nobody forces them to use them, however, someone will find this option for working with the interface more convenient if you get used to it.
As always with Moto Mods, the smartphone offers helpful guides the first time you connect them to the device.
Processor and memory
For some time now, the Snapdragon 625 processor has been the best choice for providing sufficient performance while using little power to keep smartphones running for a long time. This processor was used in the first Moto Z Play, but Motorola has now switched to the more modern Snapdragon 626.
In almost all respects, this is the same processor, only about 10% faster. As a result, the new smartphone doesn't look noticeably faster than the previous one. There are other reasons for buying a new model, but it is frustrating that speed is not one of those reasons. The device is no faster than the Moto G5 Plus, but it costs a lot more.
This puts it in a difficult position in the market: it uses medium-sized components, but the price is high. Buying additional modules makes it even higher, as a result, you may have questions, shouldn't you buy a full-fledged flagship without any modules?
In this review, we considered the version of the smartphone with 3 GB of RAM, there are still variants with 4 GB. No problems were observed when working with many applications at the same time.
Connection
The USB-C interface is used for wired connection. Many smartphones use the slower USB 2.0 protocol with it, but in this case, a full-fledged USB 3.1 is used. The main connector on the back is for installing additional modules.
Cameras
The smartphone has a main camera with a resolution of 12 megapixels and an aperture of f / 1.7, as well as a Dual Pixel laser autofocus. Apart from laser aiming, this is the same camera found in the Moto G5 Plus. Overall the camera is not bad, but there are a few issues with it.
Photo quality
The results of the shooting are similar to those taken with the Moto G5 Plus. The quality is usually good, but about one in ten photographs may have exposure problems or other malfunctions that need to be removed. Low-light performance is poor, and despite its advanced autofocus, it also occasionally malfunctions.
The main advantages of this camera are not the lenses or the sensor itself, but the Motorola software. The Auto mode works very well, it optimizes the exposure for each scene, and the presence of special gestures allows you to quickly launch the camera even without a hardware button for this.
At the front is a 5MP camera with dual LED flash. Some apps like Snapchat have trouble using this flash, but it still won't hurt.
Video recording
The video quality is mixed. There are many settings options, 4K, HDR, stabilization, although you cannot use all of them at the same time. They provide enough variety and you can find something to your liking. HDR video comes out especially well.
As with the Moto G5 Plus, artifacts are observed under heavy compression, which degrades the image quality. These artifacts are especially noticeable at 1080p at 60 frames per second.
Multimedia
The disadvantages of the screen have already been mentioned above. Its advantages in the form of bright saturated colors make it comfortable to watch videos. However, video still needs high-quality sound, and there are problems here. The smartphone has a front speaker, it is also an auricle, it is not helped by the speaker below, as on many other smartphones.
The sound is loud enough, but it lacks bass, it comes out with a tinny tint, which can be corrected by connecting a JBL SoundBoost speaker. You can also improve the sound by connecting headphones.
Call quality
Since the pinna is used as the only speaker, the developers had to pay extra attention to it. Indeed, the sound quality during a telephone conversation is at a high level. You can hear your interlocutors well and the interlocutors hear you well.
Autonomous work
The original Moto Z Play smartphone had an amazing battery life and the developers had nothing to do but spoil it. However, the smartphone has become thinner and the battery has been reduced to 3000 mAh. With almost the same processor, this means that the runtime has decreased.
If earlier it was 14 hours, now it has dropped to 9 and a half. This is still a good result, although some users would have preferred the smartphone to remain thicker, but still use the 3510mAh battery.
Another disadvantage of the smartphone is the charging time above average. It takes more than two hours for it, whereas recently you can find smartphones with a recharge time of one and a half hours.
Moto Mods
Three new accessories are presented along with the smartphone. The first is the Wireless Charging Style Shell. Last year, there were already similar cases, only without wireless charging. It would be better if the charging was built into the smartphone itself, but the developers decided that it deserves an additional charge.
The case looks and works well, although a Qi-compliant 10W adapter is required. The cover has an attractive textured surface, but it wears out quickly around the edges. The case will start selling in late July for about $ 40.
The smartphone's battery capacity is doubled by the Moto Turbo PowerPack, which has a 3490 mAh battery. This module has a rubberized coating that collects dust and dirt. The module can be charged directly via the USB Type-C connector on the side, a button on the back allows you to quickly check the charge level using four LEDs.
The software of this module provides a high level of customization. You can choose turbo mode, when energy is delivered to the smartphone as quickly as possible, or more energy efficient mode, when the smartphone's charge level is kept at 80%.
This module is thicker than the wireless charger and significantly increases the weight of the smartphone, but the shape makes it more convenient than additional third-party batteries. Sales will begin at the end of July for $ 80.
Finally, there are the JBL SoundBoost 2 speakers, which are replacing the first generation from last year's summer. The arrangement of the elements remains the same: a pair of stereo speakers are separated by a stand. This stand enhances the convenience of watching videos and makes the unit attractive compared to external Bluetooth speakers.
The sound quality is at a good level, the appearance is also attractive, the module is protected from water. Attaching to a smartphone makes the device thick, so you hardly want to carry it with you in this form. The speaker contains its own battery, which is charged separately from the smartphone and provides about 10 hours of playback.
Conclusion
The Moto Z2 Play is an important smartphone as it continues to push the concept of modular devices to the masses. The project has already existed longer than many expected, many large manufacturers like Google could not stand it so much.
This smartphone has many advantages. It has good performance for this price point, long battery life, and a fair price tag. However, some steps were taken back. Among them are an insufficiently bright screen and a weak speaker. It doesn't look like a full-fledged successor to the original Moto Z Play. It has not become noticeably better and does not seem to be a continuation, but an offshoot.
If you look at other Motorola smartphones, the comparison should be made with the Moto G5 Plus. It has similar performance and costs almost half the price. Buyers will have to decide if they need the ability to install modules, because of which the smartphone costs $ 150 more, plus the price of the modules themselves.
If you like the idea of modular devices, thin smartphones, rich screen colors instead of high brightness, the Moto Z2 Play will not disappoint. This is a high-quality device and its modules help to eliminate some of its shortcomings. However, there is still plenty of room for improvement, so hopefully the next Moto Z smartphone will be even better.
pros
- Attractive slim design
- Good uptime;
- High-quality Android shell;
- Satisfactory camera;
- Modules extend functionality.
Minuses
- Insufficiently bright screen with inaccurate colors;
- Sound quality is poor;
- Long-term recharging;
- Compared to the first model, the performance has hardly increased;
- Modules add to the cost of the device.
Developing a modular concept different from LG's idea, Lenovo has introduced a new line of Moto Z smartphones that support interchangeable accessories. The flagships of the new series are the Z Force and Z Droid, announced in June. But the Moto Z Play, presented in September, has become a more affordable and massive device.
The smartphone differs from its "older brothers" in simplified characteristics, but it also costs much less. You can buy Moto Z Play now for about $ 500. In Ukraine, the official declared cost of Moto Z Play at the start of sales is equivalent to $ 480 or UAH 13,000, in Russia it is sold at a price of about 34,000 rubles.
What exactly did the manufacturer save on, whether the new product is much inferior to the flagships, and whether it is worth buying a smartphone - the Moto Z Play review will help to figure it out.
The characteristics of the smartphone allow us to classify it as a middle class, but in some ways the device surpasses its rivals.
Design, body materials, dimensions and weight
Taking into account the modular concept, which implies the installation of functional accessories on the back panel, the design of all devices in the series is kept in the same style. The same applies to their dimensions: Moto Z Play measures 156x76 mm, and its thickness is 7 mm. These numbers are not much different from the flagships of the line. The device weighs 165 grams.
On the front, Moto Z Play has a typical Motorola look, it is slightly rounded, but does not have any pronounced "remnant" outlines. On the bottom of the glass panel there is a square fingerprint scanner (it can also block the device and perform other functions), above the display - a dual speaker, camera, sensors and a front flash.
The back panel is made of glass. It flaunts a protruding circle with a camera, a logo in the form of a corporate letter M and a contact area for plug-ins. In relation to the rear panel, the audience was divided into 2 camps. To some, this design seems stylish and futuristic, while others believe that without decorative overlays (fortunately, there are a lot of them), the device looks ridiculous from behind. 
The frame of the smartphone, made of metal, has an unusual design. It is separated by plastic inserts in the middle of the upper and lower ends. On the top, the insert is narrow, on the sides of it there are a slot for cards and a microphone hole. 
At the bottom, the plastic island is wider and houses the USB Type C port hole. 
The left sidewall is empty, there is nothing on it. 
On the right side are the power key and separate volume up / down buttons.
CPU
The Moto Z Play has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, the most up-to-date mid-range solution from this manufacturer (not counting the 626, which is nowhere to be found at the time of writing). It consists of 8 Cortex A53 cores, with frequencies up to 2 GHz, and the Adreno 506 graphics accelerator. The SoC is manufactured using a delicate 14 nm process technology.
The capabilities of the chipset are more than enough for everyday activities. You can also play it, although some demanding games will run normally only at medium settings. In AnTuTu, the device is gaining about 63 thousand points, which corresponds to the flagships of 2015.
Memory
The Moto Z Play has 3 GB of RAM, it is packed with LPDDR3 933 MHz chips. At the start of the system, about 2 GB of system memory is available. This is enough to run any application and multitask properly. The built-in memory of the smartphone is 32 GB, there is a separate slot for a flash drive up to 256 GB.
Battery
The battery capacity is 3510 mAh, which seems to be not so much for such a diagonal. Nevertheless, the smartphone demonstrates very good battery life. Of course, it will not give out 24 hours of video playback indicated by some sources (except in “spherical in a vacuum” conditions). But you can count on 15 hours of active screen, and this is comparable to the Vibe P2, which has 5000 mAh. In moderate use mode, you can expect 5 days of work without recharging. Display technology and chipset production technology play an important role in this autonomy.
The smartphone is equipped with a QuickCharge charger (here it is called TurboPower) with an energy output of up to 15 W. Up to 40% can be charged in half an hour, and 100% in about 100 minutes.
Cameras
The Moto Z Play has a main camera based on the OV16860 matrix with a resolution of 16 MP. The same is used in the G4 Plus. The sensor has a size of 1 / 2.4 ", which means a pixel size of 1.3 microns. The aperture of the optics is f / 2. The camera supports a hybrid phase-laser autofocus system and is equipped with a dual flash.
Photo with flash
Despite the fact that some users did not receive the camera very warmly, objectively it takes very, very decent pictures. The Samsung Galaxy A7-16 photographs in about the same way, and the equivalent Galaxy C7 is not at all a rival to the Moto Z Play, as it loses ground in the evening. During the day, the pictures are excellent, in the evening they are worse, but also very decent. Here are some examples of photos taken with the main camera: 
The front camera has a resolution of 5 MP, it is based on the OV5693 matrix. The size of the sensor is 1/4 ", the aperture of the optics is f / 2.2. There is a flash that really helps (there is more sense from it than that of the Galaxy J5, not to mention its purely formal presence among budget Chinese, like UMI Rome) The only nitpicking about the front-facing camera is that it does not have autofocus, otherwise this camera is pretty good.
The main camera can record video in a resolution of 3840x2160 pixels, with 30 FPS, and also writes slow-mo in HD. Thanks to the abundance of microphones, video is shot with decent stereo sound. The front camera shoots 1080p footage at 30 frames per second.
Screen
The smartphone display is built on a Super AMOLED matrix with a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels and a diagonal of 5.5 inches (401 PPI). It does a good job of color reproduction (although some users may find bright tones oversaturated), has maximum viewing angles and good contrast. The display settings are rather modest, so aesthetes will not be able to calibrate the gamma or color temperature to their own eyes. 
The display is covered with high quality glass with a normal oleophobic layer. The streaks remain, but they can be easily wiped off (this also applies to the back panel). Multi-touch supports up to 10 touches.
Communications
The smartphone is available in versions with 1 (for America) and 2 SIM cards. Supported networks are GSM, 3G HSPA and CDMA (for America and China) and LTE. European models have no problems with LTE Band 1, 3, 7 and 20, everything works. Wi-Fi supports 2.4 and 5 GHz networks, including the new ac standard. The navigator supports GPS and GLONASS systems, finds satellites confidently and quickly. There is an NFC module on board, which pleases.
Sound
The smartphone is equipped with a speaker located above the screen. Its quality can be called good, the volume is sufficient, but it is nothing more than a smartphone speaker. But something else pleases: unlike the ultra-thin flagship, the Moto Z Play has a headphone jack, so you don't have to part with the proven Zenheiser, Sony or Koss headphones, and don't weave a network of adapters. Responsible for sound processing is the Qualcomm WCD9335 DAC, which is really capable of working with uncompressed formats (that is, good Hi-Fi ears will show the difference between FLAC and MP3, albeit insignificant).
Operating system
Moto Z Play runs on Android 6, you can already upgrade to version 7 of the OS. The system is practically clean, it differs little from the stock Android, even the icons of the standard programs are not redrawn. The OS works stably, there are no crashes. There are no preinstalled applications, they are replaced by standard tools.
Peculiarities
The Moto Z has become a tradition for branded control chips. There is an Active Display function (the screen displays the date and time, notifications), and by turning the smartphone in your hand, you can start the camera. With a wave of the device (the main thing is not to drop it, it is slippery without overhead panels), you can start the flashlight, and by putting the gadget face down, you can turn on the silent mode. Twisting the smartphone in hand, the camera turns on.
Among the features of a smartphone, we should not forget modules - accessories that expand capabilities. A Hasselblad optical zoom camera, projector, music box with speaker and battery are currently available. Other modules should appear in the future.
There is a choice of various panels that, if not unfastened correctly, scratch the rear window. One black nylon pad is included, the rest can be purchased (from 10 to 20 usd). 
Pros and cons of Moto Z Play
- good screen;
- good camera;
- plugins;
- excellent autonomy;
- good sound.
Flaws:
- the case is slippery and easily soiled;
- dimensions are not the most ergonomic.
Who is the smartphone for
The smartphone is designed for fans of stylish devices that require modern functionality. The back of the Moto Z Play can be customized to suit all tastes with interchangeable covers. The smartphone is versatile, and quite competes with the flagships of last year. It has everything that demanding users need: a normal screen, a decent camera, a decent chipset, and good battery life.
The smartphone is not suitable only for those who think that $ 500 for the Snapdragon 625 is a lot. However, in this case, the choice comes down only to the Chinese, who do not have modules, the camera is worse, the screen is not so bright, or not everything is so rosy with the music. In general, you will definitely have to pay for the savings.
Our review for Moto Z Play
Moto Z Play is a smartphone that can be considered the "golden mean" of the new Moto series. It has almost all the chips of its more expensive counterparts, but belongs to the middle category, and the Moto Z Play review did not reveal any critical minuses for the current price tag. There is nothing to compare the smartphone with.
If we discard modularity, the Galaxy A7-2016 and C7 are asking for competitors, but the former has weaker hardware and a less capacious battery, and the latter also lags far behind in terms of autonomy, and completely fails in terms of the camera. Xiaomi Mi5S Plus with two cameras shoots no better than the hero of the review with one. Sony has rivals, but they are inferior either in price or in hardware. Only Huawei Mate 8 and P9 are capable of seriously competing with it, but they also lack impressive autonomy.
The package includes a smartphone, a fast charging hub, a USB Type-C cable, a decorative panel, a set of instructions and a clip for removing the SIM card cradle.
On the Internet, we found photos of different Moto Z2 Play packages, as well as kits with headphones. Apparently, the manufacturer has provided for the variability of the configuration.
Design and ergonomics
On the front of the Moto Z2 Play, everything is pretty standard. The manufacturer's name flaunts under the speaker, all other elements have a functional purpose.
The smartphone is disastrously thin: its thickness is only 6 mm. If we consider the Moto Z2 Play as a standalone device, this solution does not benefit it: the sharp edges of the device are unpleasant in the palm of your hand, and the camera impudently protrudes by an additional 2-3 mm.
This nuance is forgivable, because we have a designer in our hands, and the body of a smartphone is just a basic filling. We try to try on the decorative panel that comes with the kit - and here we are in for a miss of the developers. She fidgets and fidgets.
Above the screen is a flashlight, speaker, camera and motion sensor. As conceived by the creators, the sensor should identify the user's approach to the gadget and turn on the backlight on the locked screen. In fact, it works haphazardly and without obvious patterns. On the top edge there is a cradle for two SIM cards and microSD. You don't have to choose between a memory card and a SIM card, you can connect everything at once.
We go down below: on the right side there are three mechanical keys. The power button is ribbed and easy to touch.
Under the screen there is a black dot of the microphone and the One Button Nav touch key - a multifunctional and customizable analogue of Home.
On the back of the smartphone there is a contact pad for modules, the Motorola logo and a seemingly gigantic camera eyepiece. But the solution with the antenna looks quite stylish: it frames the case beautifully and unobtrusively. On the bottom there is a Type-C socket and a mini-jack.
The Moto Z2 Play is available in two colors: Lunar Gray and Fine Gold. Both options look decent and will suit both men and women.
technobugg.com Display
The smartphone has a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1,920 × 1,080 pixels. There were no complaints about the display: it does not give off much green shades (which many AMOLED screens sin) and is bright enough for use in the sun.
The smartphone is protected from scratches and grease stains by the third generation Gorilla Glass with an oleophobic coating.
Camera
The main camera with a matrix resolution of 12 megapixels is equipped with a dual CCT-flash that adjusts to the color temperature of the environment. In the previous version of the designer from Motorola, the rear camera had a resolution of 16 megapixels, but had the worst aperture indicators. The aperture number of the Moto Z2 Play's lens is f / 1.7 versus f / 2.0 for the camera of its predecessor.
Working with the camera is quite simple, even in manual mode. Sometimes it comes in handy: the automatic white balance periodically misses. There were no other complaints about the automation. Sometimes there is a software bug found in Android devices.
The front camera with a resolution of 5 megapixels and an aperture of f / 2.2 allows you to take good pictures, and in low light, a powerful flashlight helps. A nice bonus: the selfie camera can shoot slo-mo videos and photos in manual mode.
The video capabilities of Moto Z2 Play are not far behind the flagship ones: the smartphone can shoot FullHD video at 60 FPS and 4K at 30 FPS. There is a stabilization function.
Performance and memory
The Moto Z2 Play has an eight-core Snapdragon 626 processor clocked at 2.2 GHz and an Adreno 506 graphics module clocked at 650 MHz. The Geekbench 4 benchmark test scored a weak 914 in single-core and an average of 4,628 in multi-core, beating the Meizu Pro 6 Plus and Google Pixel XL.
We tried hard games on Moto Z2 Play: several versions of Asphalt and Modern Combat. No lags or drops in FPS were noticed.
Moto Z2 Play smartphones are available with two storage and RAM options: 32/64 GB and 3/4 GB respectively. The microSD slot supports up to 2TB cards, so the amount of internal storage is not so important here.
Battery
The battery capacity has decreased compared to the previous version of the device and is now 3,000 mAh, which is equivalent to two days of work with moderate smartphone use.
The Moto Z2 Play comes with a TurboPower high-power charger that charges the gadget from zero to 50% in half an hour. In addition, among the "mods" there are several options for portable batteries that are easily attached to the body of a smartphone. All this makes the Moto Z2 Play the perfect phone in terms of battery life.
Moto and One Button Nav
The smartphone runs on bare Android 7.1.1. Nougat. I am glad that there are no unnecessary add-ons and a minimal set of applications, most of which are really needed. All the individual features of the gadget are hidden in one of them - the Moto application.
Moto functions are divided into three segments: Actions, Display and Voice. Display will allow you to customize lock screen notifications and screen colors in the evening, while Voice is an advanced version of OK Google.
The most interesting thing is hidden in the "Actions" tab: here gesture commands are included, some of which are really convenient. For example, you can program the camera to turn on by a double pivot movement of the smartphone, or set the flashlight to ignite with two intense strokes.
The One Button Nav button deserves special attention. Firstly, a correctly working fingerprint scanner is built into it. It works instantly and always - you don't have to resort to the classic password code. Secondly, the button can be programmed for the command "Back", "Home" and "Multitasking", which means that the classic navigation bar at the bottom of the screen can be abandoned.
Modules
By itself, a smartphone can seem inconvenient, ugly and unreasonably expensive. But if you know about the full potential of the Moto Z2 Play, then it becomes clear why it is too thin, why the developers allowed themselves to make such a bulging camera and, in the end, why it costs $ 500.
Verdict
It is difficult to come up with an unambiguous opinion about the Moto Z2 Play. It is quite expensive, not the most convenient and clearly not flagship in terms of characteristics. But there is a reason why smartphones from the Moto Z family find their user. It's fun to operate.
Gadgets are purely utilitarian products that help us solve problems. We do not seek to explore them, reducing the process of use to a set of simple memorized actions. The modular system Moto Z offers an alternative and many scenarios: today you are a semi-professional photographer, tomorrow you are the center of a music party, and the day after tomorrow you are the owner of your own cinema.
Smartphones from the Moto Z series are able to awaken the collector's passion in the user and make him feel the joy of buying a device not at once, but over and over again with the purchase of each new module.
Finally, the Moto Z2 Play is a decent smartphone that offers all the key features of modern devices. If you don't like i phones and their countless clones, take a look at Moto Z2 Play - a smartphone from people who know how to take risks, for people who know how to have fun.
Slim device with a spectacular appearance, good autonomy and replaceable modules
Lenovo, which owns the rights to the Motorola brand, unveiled this summer an updated version of its "modular" smartphone, the Moto Z2 Play, which is capable of using a variety of interchangeable covers 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 a projector. There are a lot of changes compared to the previous model (Moto Z Play), and not all of them are extremely progressive: the battery, for example, has decreased in volume. For all the details, read our Moto Z2 Play review.
Main features of Moto Z2 Play
- SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 626, Octa-core Cortex-A53 @ 2.2GHz
- GPU Adreno 506 @ 650 MHz
- Operating system Android 7.1.1, Moto Experience
- Super AMOLED 5.5 ″ touchscreen display, 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, magnetic field, fingerprint, accelerometer, gyroscope
- Battery 3000 mAh
- Dimensions 156 x 76 x 6 mm
- Weight 145 g
Replaceable modules
The Moto Z2 Play goes on sale, of course, without replaceable modules. They are quite expensive and will have to be purchased separately. By this time, the manufacturer invented even more various modules of the Moto Mods line, here are the most noticeable of them. The $ 300 Moto insta-share projector turns a smartphone into a 70-inch projector, and Hasselblad's True Zoom, also for an additional $ 300, turns it into a 10x optical zoom digital camera. There is a JBL SoundBoost overhead speaker for $ 70, there is even a joystick module that can turn a smartphone into a gamepad. There is also a module with an additional TurboPower Pack battery and Moto Style pads that add wireless charging functionality. The support for old modules is preserved, that is, those purchased for Moto Z Play are quite suitable for Moto Z2 Play.
Appearance and usability
The design of the Moto Z2 Play is almost the same as that of its predecessor, however, due to some details, the appearance of the smartphone as a whole has changed so much that now, indeed, without any discounts, we can talk about a stylish and decent-looking modern device.
The button with a fingerprint scanner on the front panel has become not square, as before, but a standard elongated one, this instantly transformed the front panel. The back panel, instead of glass, received a matte metal surface, which also refined the appearance of the review hero and made it more reliable. 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, carry this smartphone without overlays, but in this form, few people like the rounded camera module that protrudes outward and the large contact block Moto Mods Connector located at the bottom of the rear panel. On the other hand, without any overlays, 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 the thin profile, strongly rounded corners and smoothed ends, the smartphone lies comfortably in the hand, and it fits quite comfortably in the pockets of clothes. The matte metal surfaces are not easily soiled, the device does not slip in the hands, it is held securely.
The side buttons are rather small and thin, but they have a pleasant, distinct and resilient movement and are convenient to use. The familiar volume rocker is split in two here.
The entire front panel is covered with 2.5D Gorilla Glass with barely noticeable sloping edges. Above the screen, sensors and a front camera peephole with its own flash, moreover, from two LEDs, are habitually installed. However, there is no event LED on the front panel.
There are no touch-sensitive hardware buttons under the screen, it is suggested to use the navigation bar of buttons on the screen itself. However, their functions can be duplicated using the central button, drawing on it gestures that perform the same standard navigation actions: return to the previous screen, to the home screen, open the list of running programs. It is not very convenient to "swipe" on the small button to the right and to the left, but there will certainly be people who want to do this.
The main speaker here is not brought out to the bottom end or to the rear panel, but is combined with the earpiece speaker, that is, the sound comes out in any case from the slot at the top of the front panel above the screen.
At the bottom 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 upper end is dedicated to the card slot, and the fact that, again, even in this ultra-thin case, the manufacturer found a place 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 such as Huawei, which was one of the first to practice the "hybrid" connector, have no particular desire to take care of user comfort. Here, everything is much more convenient: on one side of the slide, both SIM cards are installed, and on the other side, a memory card is quietly placed, and hot swapping of cards is supported.
The Moto Z2 Play comes in just two colors: Lunar Gray, which we tested, and Fine Gold with a white front panel, which also looks pretty attractive.
Screen
The Moto Z2 Play has a Super AMOLED display covered by 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass with sloping edges. The physical dimensions of the screen are 68 × 121 mm with a diagonal of 5.5 inches. The resolution is 1920 × 1080, the dot density is about 401 ppi. The frame around the screen, taking into account the curvature of the end parts of the case, does not come out very narrow: on the sides it is almost 4 mm, bottom and top - 17 mm each.
The brightness of the display can be manually adjusted or automatic settings can be used based on the operation of the ambient light sensor. The AnTuTu test diagnoses support for 10 simultaneous multitouch 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 test sample.
The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are no worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) (below, just Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the turned off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - Moto Z2 Play, then they can be distinguished by their size):
The Moto Z2 Play's screen is slightly darker (photo brightness is 111 versus 112 for the Nexus 7). The doubling of reflected objects on the Moto Z2 Play's screen is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. Due to the smaller number of boundaries (such as glass / air) with greatly different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of intense ambient light, but their repair in the case of cracked outer glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be changed. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, much better than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much easier, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of ordinary glass.
With manual brightness control and with the display of the white field on the whole screen, the maximum brightness value was approximately 415 cd / m², the minimum - 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 with a decrease in the white area, the brightness of the white areas increases slightly. As a result, the readability in the daytime in the sun is at a fairly good level, and the reduced brightness level without any problems allows you to use the device even in complete darkness. There is an automatic brightness control according to the light sensor (it is located to the right of the front speaker slot). In automatic mode, when the ambient light conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. 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 lit with artificial light (about 550 lux) it sets to 280 cd / m2 (normal), in a very bright environment (corresponds to illumination on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or slightly more) increases to a maximum - up to 415 cd / m² (to a maximum, this is what you need). 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 at 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 the test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect or simply with rapid eye movement. Depending on individual sensitivity, such flickering can cause increased fatigue.
This screen uses an AMOLED matrix, an active matrix organic light-emitting diode (OLED). A full-color image is created using subpixels of three colors - red (R), green (G) and blue (B), but there are half the red and blue subpixels, which can be referred to as RGBG. This is confirmed by a fragment of a micrograph:
For comparison, you can see the gallery of photomicrographs 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), while repeating these fragments, you can lay out the entire screen without gaps and overlaps. For such matrices, Samsung has introduced the name PenTile RGBG. The manufacturer considers the screen resolution for green subpixels, for the other two it will be two times lower. The location and shape of the subpixels in this variant is similar to the variant in the case of the Samsung Galaxy S4 screen and some other newer Samsung devices (and not only) with AMOLED screens. Of course, there is some unevenness in contrast borders and other artifacts. However, due to the very high resolution, they have minimal impact on image quality.
The screen has excellent viewing angles. True, when deviated even at small angles, the white color acquires a light blue-green tint, and at some angles it turns a little pink, but the black color remains black at any angle. It is so black that the contrast parameter is simply not applicable in this case. When viewed from a perpendicular view, the uniformity of the white field is good. For comparison, here are photographs in which the screens of Moto Z2 Play and the second participant of the comparison show the same images, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to about 200 cd / m2, and the color balance on the camera was forcibly switched to 6500 K.
White field perpendicular to screens:
Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field.
And the test picture:
According to the visual assessment, the colors of the tested screen are oversaturated and unnatural, the color balance of the screens is noticeably different. Recall that the photograph can not serve as a reliable source of information about the quality of color reproduction and is provided only for a conditional visual illustration. The photo above was taken for a profile. Bright in the screen settings (it is selected by default), there are only two of them:
What happens when choosing the second is shown below.
Color saturation is now 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 is noticeably higher at an angle.
And white box:
The brightness at an angle on both screens has noticeably decreased (to avoid strong darkening, the shutter speed is 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 Moto Z2 Play's screen visually looks much brighter (in comparison with LCD screens), since you often have to look at the screen of a mobile device at least from a slight angle.
The switching of the state of the matrix elements is performed almost instantly, but at the on (and less often off) front there may be a step with a width of about 17 ms (which corresponds to the screen refresh rate). For example, this is how the dependence of brightness on time looks like when switching from black to white and vice versa:
In some conditions, the presence of such a step can lead to trails trailing behind moving objects, but in normal use these artifacts are difficult to see. Quite the opposite - dynamic scenes in films on OLED screens are distinguished by high definition and even some "jerky" movements.
The gamma curve, plotted at 32 points with equal intervals in terms of the numerical value of the shade of gray, showed no blockage in either the shadows or the highlights. The exponent 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 spectra of the components (i.e. the spectra of pure red, green, and blue) are very well separated:
Note that normal sRGB-optimized images appear unnaturally saturated on screens with wide color gamut without proper color correction.
When choosing a profile Usual the coverage is compressed to the sRGB borders:
The grayscale balance is acceptable. The color temperature is slightly above the standard 6500 K, and the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) remains below 10 units for most of the gray scale, which is considered normal for a consumer device. At the same time, the 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 the color balance. However, choosing a profile Usual the balance worsens, since the spread of ΔE values increases:
(In most cases, the darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since the color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)
Let's summarize. The screen has a not very high maximum brightness, but it has good anti-reflective properties, so the device can be used outdoors without any problems even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable value. It is permissible to use the mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works adequately. The advantages of the screen include an effective oleophobic coating and an acceptable color balance. At the same time, let's 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, a drop in image brightness when viewed from an angle. Disadvantages include excessively wide color gamut and screen flickering at low brightness. Users who are particularly sensitive to flicker may experience increased fatigue due to this. The color gamut can be brought closer to the standard, but at the expense of the color balance deterioration. However, the overall quality of the screen is good.
Camera
The front camera of Moto Z2 Play remains the same: the matrix has a resolution of 5 megapixels, the size of a single pixel is 1.4 microns. The wide-angle f / 2.2 fixed-focus lens noticeably distorts the proportions, making it difficult to get an undistorted self-portrait at arm's length. But this is a tribute to fashion, selfie cameras are now being made in such a way that a group, and not one person, would fit into the frame. But the front panel has 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 sensor 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 focusing at distances up to 5 meters. The pixel size is still the same 1.4 microns. Includes a bright dual color LED flash.
The camera is rich in possibilities: there is a gesture control, and a manual mode, and the ability to adjust the exposure while shooting. Professional mode displays arcuate sliders with variable values of shutter speed, sensitivity (up to ISO 3200), manual focus, white balance, exposure compensation scale.
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The camera can shoot video at a maximum resolution of 4K (30 fps), as well as 1080p at 60 fps, just keep in mind that stabilization in these two modes does not work - only in normal 1080p (30 fps) and below. In general, the camera copes with video recording with dignity: sharpness, color rendition and detailing are normal, there are no artifacts in the image, the video sequence is smooth, without noticeable jerks. The sound is also recorded with high quality, the noise reduction system copes with its tasks.
- Movie # 1 (30 MB, 3840 × [email protected] fps, H.264, AAC)
- Movie # 2 (23 MB, 3840 × [email protected] fps, H.264, AAC)
- Movie # 3 (40 MB, 1920 × [email protected] fps, H.264, AAC)
- Movie # 4 (40 MB, 1920 × [email protected] fps, H.264, AAC)
- Movie # 5 (40 MB, 1280 × 720, slo-mo)
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The numbers of the cars are clearly distinguishable. |
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The camera copes with macro photography. |
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Quite good detailing in the field of the frame and in plans. |
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Good sharpness in the distant shots. |
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Light sharping can be seen on the branches. |
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The text has been worked out well. |
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A slight blur is visible on the left side of the frame. |
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Decent sharpness and moderate dynamic range in HDR mode. |
The camera came out good, almost flagship. It has moderate software processing, excellent HDR mode, clearly a good module: the matrix works out fine details, the optics almost does not spoil the edges of the image, although occasionally the pictures come out blurry for some unknown reason. That is why the camera slightly falls short of the flagship one, but otherwise there is practically nothing to complain about. It can be argued that the camera will handle a variety of different scenes well.
Telephone part and communications
The Qualcomm X9 LTE modem supports LTE Cat.13 (maximum download speed up to 300 Mbps) and LTE Cat.7 (maximum upload speed up to 150 Mbps). 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 them number and all 3 ranges used in Russia (3, 7 and 20). The device behaves confidently within the city limits of the Moscow region, the quality of signal reception raises no objections.
The smartphone also supports both Wi-Fi bands (2.4 and 5 GHz), there is Bluetooth 4.2. You can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. 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 both with GPS (with A-GPS) and with the domestic Glonass, but without the support of the Chinese Beidou. The first satellites on a cold start are detected within the first minute. Positioning accuracy is average. There is a magnetic compass required for navigation programs to work.
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The platform is able to support both 3G / 4G SIM cards in active standby mode at the same time. That is, the second SIM card can work in 3G for voice communication, even if a card from another slot is assigned for data transmission in 4G. The interface allows you to select a specific SIM card for voice calls and SMS in advance. The cards work in Dual SIM Dual Standby mode, there is only one radio modem here. Also, for the convenience of users, the manufacturer has added several ready-made operating modes for two cards.
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Software and multimedia
As a software platform, the Android OS of the latest version 7.1.1 is used with the proprietary Moto Experiences interface, which is closer to the stock version of Android, both in appearance and organization, than all the variants of Lenovo's own shell. Lenovo Moto smartphones resemble pure Googlephones more than most competitors.
Added support for gestures, the ability to reduce the entire working area of the screen for ease of control with one hand, multi-window mode. When stretching out his hand to the device lying on the table, he immediately displays the basic information on the locked screen in monochrome (date, time, remaining percentage of the charge). The interface as a whole is simple and calm in design, easy and quick to work with. There are practically no third-party programs, everything you need here is implemented using Google Apps.
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To listen to music, a regular Google Music player with equalizer settings is used. The device sounds good both in the headphones and in the loudspeaker: the sound volume is sufficient for any environment, the sound is clear and loud, but not of the highest quality.
There is an FM radio. It is curious that you can try to use it without headphones connected as an external antenna, but you will not be able to catch anything this way. There was no built-in voice recorder in the device.
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Performance
The hardware platform Moto Z2 Play is built on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 SoC, made using 14nm technology. Recall that the previous Moto Z Play was powered by 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 RAM is 4 GB and the built-in flash memory is 64 GB. Of these, about 50 GB of storage is initially free and about 2.5 GB of RAM. 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 fresh chip, introduced in October 2016 and replaced the Snapdragon 625. In essence, 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 appeared for TruSignal antenna. Thanks to the 14 nm process technology, this SoC has good performance with low power consumption.
Both in complex and in graphics tests SoC Snapdragon 626 demonstrates not top-end, but quite satisfactory results for any task. The performance is sufficient for recording and playing video up to 4K UHD resolution and demanding games. Mortal Kombat X plays with a smartphone without the slightest lags.
Benchmarking AnTuTu and GeekBench:
All the results obtained by us when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks, we have summarized in tables for convenience. Several other devices from different segments are usually added to the table, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry numbers). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison, it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, therefore, 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 for the highest performing smartphones, it is now possible 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 evaluating the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowances for the fact that the results in them significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so that the comparison can be truly correct only on the same OS and browsers, and this possibility is available when testing not always. In the case of Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.
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AndroBench memory speed test results:
Heat images
Below is a thermal image back surface obtained after 10 minutes of running the battery test in the GFXBenchmark program:
Heating is higher in the upper right side of the device, which apparently corresponds to the location of the SoC. According to the heat chamber, the maximum heating was only 35 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees), which is relatively little.
Video playback
To test the "omnivorous" video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats that make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. Note that it is important for mobile devices to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is often impossible to process modern versions using processor cores alone. Also, do not 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 tabulated.
According to the test 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 hardly anyone will watch a video on a smartphone in this way, you still have to download a third-party player.
Further video playback testing was done by Alexey Kudryavtsev.
We were unable to test 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 confine ourselves to testing the output 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 "Testing methods for video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)" Red marks indicate possible problems related to the playback of the corresponding files.
According to the criterion for outputting frames, the quality of video playback on the screen of the smartphone itself is good, since in most cases frames (or groups of frames) can (but are not required) to be displayed with a more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without frame drops. 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 edge of the screen, one to one pixel by pixel, that is, in its original resolution. The test worlds show the peculiarities of PenTile screens: 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 frames. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235: all shades are displayed in shadows and highlights.
Battery life
The non-removable battery found in the Moto Z2 Play has a lower capacity than the Moto Z Play, at just 3000 mAh. Nevertheless, even with such a battery, the smartphone demonstrates more than decent, very impressive autonomy results. And this is surprising, because a thin handsome man initially does not at all give the impression of a device capable of long-term operation without recharging. In real conditions, the Moto Z2 Play, even at a high level of load, is able to hold out without problems for a whole day without recharging.
The tests were traditionally carried out at the usual level of power consumption without using power saving functions, although these are naturally available in the device.
Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at the minimum comfortable brightness level (the brightness was set to 100 cd / m2) lasted more than 18 hours until the battery was fully discharged. the brightness level through the home Wi-Fi network, the device operates for almost 14.5 hours. In 3D games, the smartphone was able to pass the 8 o'clock mark, but this result is highly dependent on the specific game.
From an incomplete mains adapter with a maximum output current of 1.5 A 5.2 V, the smartphone is charged for 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 overlay from Moto Mods series.
Outcome
Not the brightest, but a large and economical AMOLED display, satisfactory sounding of the speaker, good cameras, broad communication capabilities, quite a decent fresh mid-level hardware platform from Qualcomm 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 with a price of about $ 500 belongs rather 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 the review is charm: a very thin metal case with pleasant dimensions and a comfortable weight simply does not want to let go. Well, fans of experiments and upgrades are provided with 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.
