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The Moto Z and Z Force are the
first phones to break from Moto's attractive, but well-worn look and
feel. Gone are the complexly curved sides, thick middle body and unibody
construction. Instead we have a modern and somewhat angular design
that's actually very slim, unlike the old Moto design that got chubby
toward the middle. Whether this is Lenovo's influence or just the next
step for the folks at Motorola who work largely independently from their
parent company, we don't know. What we do know is that the Moto Z and
Moto Z Force (both Droid Editions in the US and exclusive to Verizon
Wireless) are some of the best phones on the market today. They run on
the top dog Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 CPU with Adreno 530 graphics and 4
gigs of RAM. They have colorful and very bright QHD 2560 x 1440 AMOLED
displays, capable cameras, and a unique modular accessory system that
puts LG's "Friends" for the LG G5
to shame. You can get stylish back covers, an extended battery back, a
projector (Lenovo does love putting projectors on mobile devices) and a
JBL speaker back. It's easy--magnets hold the various back covers firmly
on the back, and the phone automatically recognizes them (and informs
you of that fact) without a need to disassemble, reboot or yank out the
battery. In fact, for better or worse, both Moto Z models' batteries are
sealed inside. This is how a modular phone should be: simple and
attractive. The question is, do you want or need a modular phone? While I
personally don't feel that I must have one, the Moto modules are useful
enough and easy enough to use that I find them tempting.
The Moto Z and Moto Z Force are available for pre-order on July 21, 2016 and will be in Verizon Wireless stores on July 28th.
What's the Difference Between the Moto Z and Moto Z Force?
The two models are nearly
identical, with the same CPU/RAM/storage, wireless features, screen size
and front camera. The Moto Z has a 13MP rear camera while the Moto Z
Force has a 21MP rear camera. The Moto Z has a 2600 mAh battery while
the thicker and heavier Moto Z Force has a capacious 3500 mAh battery.
To be fair, the Moto Z is one of the thinnest phones on the market at
5.2mm, so the 7mm Moto Z Force is by no means thick just because it's
not as slim at the Moto Z. Both models' displays are covered by Gorilla
Glass 3, but the Z Force has a shatter-proof covering for those who need
serious screen robustness. Moto invited us to drop the phone from 5
feet onto a hard floor to test that shatterproof screen, so they're
confident (note that this isn't a rugged phone and it might suffer
damage elsewhere when harshly tested). $96 sets the two models apart in
the US. The Moto Z is $624 ($26/month) on Verizon Wireless, and the
Droid Z Force is $720 ($30/month).
Design and Ergonomics
Both phones have slim designs
with an aluminum chassis, metal surround and a striped glass back with
antenna windows in black at the top and bottom. The phones will likely
also be available in white with a gold back and black with gold trim,
but our two review units are black with gunmetal trim. The smartphones
are intended to be used with Moto Style Shell back covers that cover and
protect the many gold pogo pin connectors that interface with optional
Moto Mods. With a Style Shell mounted, there's no camera hump, but if
you use the phone naked there is a large round camera hump on the back.
The shells are slim and light though sturdy, and one is included in the
box.
The Moto 5.2mm Z is exquisitely
thin (Moto claims it's the thinnest phone currently on the market), and
the Moto Z Force is thicker, but still relatively slim for a phone with
a 5.5" display. The phones have a fairly large and identical footprint,
but they're smaller than the Nexus 6P and 5.5" iPhone 6s Plus. They're easy enough to handle, and the sides are easy to grip, unlike the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
with a curved 5.5" display. That Samsung is however the smallest among
the 5.5" competition. Build quality is excellent and the phones feel
like quality products, though the front faces are a bit generic and look
much like the Moto G4 Plus.
The Moto Z models have a front mounted fingerprint scanner that works
impeccably. You might be tempted to use that scanner button as the home
button, but the home, back and multi-tasking buttons are on-screen. The
fingerprint scanner simply locks and unlocks the phone.
The volume buttons and power button are small (perhaps too small) and are clustered tightly together near the top right side of the phone. I'd like more separation or a different size/tactile feel for the power button.
Moto Mods
- Style Covers ($20-$25): these
are cosmetic backs and they'll be available in six designs at launch;
Washed Oak, Charcoal Ash, Silver Oak, Black Leather, Black Herringbone
and Red Nylon. More will be added in the future. They're sturdy, yet
slim. Though they slightly thicken the phones, they do remove the camera
hump and protect the many data pins on the back. I do like the look of
the naked phones, but our black models show so many fingerprints so
quickly, that I'd rather cover it.
- The InstaShare Projector
($299.99) has a built-in stand and a secondary 1100 mAh battery. This is
a 50 lumen DLP projector (400:1 contrast ratio) that can project up to
70" images and it has keystone and brightness adjustments. For those
unfamiliar with projector specs, this isn't a very bright or high
contrast projector, so you'll use it in dark rooms to maximize
viewability and contrast.
- The JBL SoundBoost ($79.99)
makes the phone as loud and full sounding as a laptop...a laptop with
better than average audio. The Mod has stereo 3 watt speakers (6 watts
total) with a claimed 80db loudness. It also has a 1000 mAh secondary
battery and a built-in kickstand.
- Incipio OffGrid power back. A not too
thick 2200 mAh battery that augments battery life. It's likely most
appealing to those who go with the Moto Z rather than Z Force, since the
basic Z has the smaller battery. There are other battery backs coming
with some serious style from Kate Spade and Tumi priced from $60 to $90.
There are more Moto Mods under
development, and third parties can develop Mods with the help of Moto's
dev kit. Mods must be certified by Motorola, which is likely a good
thing so you won't have to worry about poorly designed Mods that might
disrupt the phone's functions. Motorola says that the Moto Mods platform
will be supported by future Moto Z phones, so they'll likely find new
life if you upgrade to next year's Z phone.
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Display
Whether you choose the Moto Z or
Moto Z Force you'll get the same bright and colorful AMOLED 5.5" display
with QHD 2560 x 1440 resolution for a high 535 PPI pixel density. These
are truly lovely displays, and the Moto ShatterShield on the Z Force
Droid Edition doesn't reduce image quality despite a complex 5 layer
design. Colors are saturated and blacks are inky, which is typical of
AMOLED, but they're a bit more natural than the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7
edge. If you like Samsung AMOLED displays, you'll probably like these
Moto displays. If you found those Galaxy displays attractive but a bit
too saturated, you might even prefer the Moto Z family screens. The Z
screens are plenty zingy and saturated (more so than IPS phones like the
LG G5), but they're not as saturated as Samsung's, even on the
"vibrant" setting.
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Horsepower and Performance
There's nothing to see here, move
on. The Snapdragon 820 is currently the top of the line CPU available in
US flagship Android smartphones, and it performs similarly here
compared to the Samsung Galaxy S7 family and the HTC 10 running on the
same CPU. It's a fast and efficient 4 core CPU (two 2.2 GHz high power
cores and two 1.6 GHz low power cores) that's plenty fast. While we
noticed occasional lag on the midrange Moto G4 with the Snapdragon 617,
we experienced zero lag on the Moto Z and Moto Z Force Droid Edition
models. There's plenty of Verizon bloatware on board, but Moto's very
clean Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow build (close to Nexus clean) helps. Moto
is typically very quick to update to new Android versions, and we hope
to see Android Nougat at the end of summer when available from Google,
but Verizon isn't the fastest carrier when it comes to approving Android
OS updates.
The Moto Z and Moto Z Force Droid
Edition models are available with 32 or 64 gigs of internal storage and
they have a microSD card slot compatible with cards up to 2 TB.
Cameras
Just a few years ago, Motorola was
synonymous with mediocre cameras in phones. That certainly has changed,
and the 13 and 21 megapixel cameras in the Moto Z and Z Force are able
to hold their own against the flagship competition. The Droid Force's
21MP camera with the Sony IMX338 sensor is noticeably better at
capturing fine detail than the lower resolution 13MP Moto Z, which isn't
surprising. Though both phones are quick to focus thanks to the usual
contrast detect system augmented with laser focus, the Moto Z Force
nailed more photos spot on in challenging situations like macro and
subjects with movement (from branches swaying in the breeze to a zipping
kitty). It adds PDAF (phase detection auto focus), which is the next
step up not just for camera phones but for mirrorless and dSLR cameras.
While both cameras are good, the Moto Z Force camera stands out and
yields more keepers. If your phone is your only camera and photography
is important to you, the Z Force is the one you want. If you just want
good camera phone photos, but it's not the most important feature on
your list, then the Moto Z will do.
Both cameras can shoot 4K video at
30 fps and 1080p video at 60 fps. They have optical image
stabilization, which helps reduce jitters in video footage and allows
the camera to use lower shutter speeds for sharper low light photos.
Auto HDR and panorama are standard, and there's an advanced mode if you
want control over more settings. The camera app is simple and fairly
intuitive.
Battery Life
Both phones have relatively good
battery life compared to their flagship brethren, and the Moto Z Force
obviously has the better battery life since it has a higher capacity
3500 mAh battery vs. the 2600 mAh in the Moto Z. Both smartphones'
battery life can be augmented via the Incipio 2220 mAh Moto Mod back and
both come with a Moto TurboPower charger, which is akin to a Qualcomm
Quick Charge charger. It can top up the battery by 40% in 30 minutes. I
had no trouble routinely making it through the day with the Moto Z with
moderate use, and the Moto Z Force lasted until the next afternoon. If
you're a Pokemon Go fanatic, the data connection and heavy GPS use will
result in lower runtimes.
Conclusion
The Moto Z and Moto Z Force Droid
Edition Android smartphones are modular phones done right. Rather than
the geeky Project Ara approach where you build the phone from scratch
via component building blocks (camera, processor, battery modules and
more- how many folks feel qualified to do this well), or LG's Friends
modules that require a battery pull and reboot for the limited number of
available Friends, Moto has the simple way to add accessories on.
Equally as important, they have a useful selection of accessories at
launch--a projector, stereo speakers that fit on the back of your phone,
even second displays and thermal sensors may be on the horizon. It's an
accessible and even fun to use system, and the style covers are the
natural evolution of removable plastic backs now that many phones are
sealed. Even if you're not particularly interested in Moto Mods, these
are attractive, slim smartphones with a clean Android build that's
likely to get timely OS updates. There's no heavy UI overlay, but in the
US, there's Verizon's usual mess of apps.
Competition is fierce, and the
Moto Z models are up against the Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 edge, the
upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 7, the HTC 10, the iPhone 6s Plus and the
LG G5. These Motos hold their own in terms of screen size and quality,
performance and imaging. If you find the Samsung and LG phones heavy UI
overlays too much, the Moto Z family along with the HTC 10 are worth a
strong look.
Price: $624 for the Moto Z and $720 for the Moto Z Force
Websites: www.motorola.com, www.verizonwireless.com
