There have been major changes in the branding and models, but the character remains the same. The very popular Moto X series is now known as Moto Z. Along with the identity, the functionality has also changed completely. Because it supports different types of mods. LG tried something similar with the G5 flagship. However, the LG G5 could not become popular. We hope that Lenovo and Motorola have tried something new together.
Moto Z Look and Design
The new Moto Z is made of metal and glass. Its price is justified by these hardware specifications. However, its looks are not unforgettable when compared to the Samsung Galaxy S7 (Review) and the new iPhones.
The Moto Z is rather tall. This leaves a lot of space below the screen. You get a square fingerprint sensor with the Moto logo above it. The sensor looks like a home button, which isn’t really there. You get the standard onscreen Android controls for navigation. The sensor works to lock or unlock the screen. During our time with the Moto Z, we repeatedly touched this sensor as if it were the home button. In this process, the phone also locked up at times.
The sides of the phone have a metal frame. The left side is completely empty. There is a hybrid SIM tray on the top. There is a USB Type-C port at the bottom and there is no 3.5mm audio socket. The power and volume buttons are on the right side and they are very small.
The most interesting part of the Moto Z is the rear panel. All the modular mods work wonders here. The phone is very thin. However, there is a bulge where the camera lens and dual LED flash are located. At the bottom, you will see a wide metallic contact point. This is the place for the Moto Mods that stick to the back of the phone via a magnet. When you are not using a mod, you can stick the Style Shell on it. You can use the phone without the mod or shell if you want, but you have to be prepared to face sharp edges. The review unit we received came with the wood-grey Style Shell. You have the freedom to change the color and texture of the Moto Z according to your convenience. This shell makes the phone more grippy. We have no complaints about the increased width due to this.
The Mods and Style Shells attach magnetically to the back of the Moto Z without any hassle, and the camera bump helps them stay in place. We found the magnetic lock to be less than reliable.
There is no claim of water and dust proof in Moto Z which is expected in a phone of this price range. However, Motorola’s website states that the phone has a nano coating which will protect the phone from water or any other liquid splashes.
Moto Z Specifications and Software
The Moto Z’s specifications are impressive, but not enough to make a big difference to the affordable OnePlus 3 and Asus Zenfone 3. You get a 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, Adreno 530 GPU, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. There’s also support for microSD cards up to 2TB. However, due to the hybrid SIM design, you won’t be able to insert a second SIM if you’re using a microSD.
It has a 5.5-inch display with 1440×2560 pixel resolution. Its pixel density is 535 ppi. The battery is 2600 mAh. Motorola promises up to 7 hours of power in just 15 minutes of charging.
The rear camera has a 13-megapixel sensor. It comes with laser autofocus, f/1.8 aperture and most interestingly, optical image stabilization feature. The front camera has a 5-megapixel sensor but comes with a wide-angle lens. There is also a flash and the bigger sensor is expected to improve low-light performance. The phone runs on Android 6.0.1 with not many customizations.
We feel that the Moto Z’s fingerprint sensor should have been used for more purposes. The sensor is not a button, it works with just a touch. You can wake the phone from standby and activate it with a fingerprint in a jiffy. But, if you accidentally touch the sensor while the phone is active, it locks it immediately.
The biggest change in the Moto Z in terms of software is the Active Display feature. We have seen a glimpse of this in older Moto phones.
There are some voice and gesture controls as well. You can also launch the camera app directly from standby mode by simply twisting your wrist twice. We found this quite useful.
Motorola has provided only one app in this phone, Moto. It has all the controls for active display, gestures and voice assistant. There is also an icon named Moto Mods but it is a link to a web page.
moto z performance
The Moto Z is not as easy to use as other big-screen phones. Grip and comfort have been taken care of, especially when the Style Shell is attached. The lower part of the front and rear panel of the phone gets a little warm when using the camera or playing 3D games.
Videos of all formats play smoothly on the phone. The screen is bright and vibrant. There is no problem in reading even in bright sunlight. The only built-in speaker is fine for playing games and watching videos, but listening to music on it is not much fun. The headset provided in the box has a decent sound, but due to its hard plastic, it is awkward to use.
In terms of overall performance, the Moto Z never slowed down. Even with several heavy apps running in the background and multiple browser tabs open, the speed never slowed down.
Motorola has changed the default camera app this time. The app provided in Moto Z is easy to use. It has a pro mode in which it is possible to control focus, white balance, ISO, shutter speed and exposure. Video and slow motion have their own modes. The app can detect bar codes, QR codes and business cards.
We really liked the photo quality. In the photos taken in daylight, we found that all the details of the objects were captured well. Some textures were missing and the autofocus also faced problems sometimes. But, overall it can be said that the camera of Moto Z justifies its price.
(Click to see camera samples of Moto Z)
Photos taken at night were also good. There was some noise and motion blur, but we got enough pictures. The front camera is also quite capable. But we felt the flash was too powerful for objects at arm’s length.
(Click to see camera samples of Moto Z)
Battery life disappointed us. It falls short of Motorola’s claimed 12 hours. Our video loop test repeatedly gave disappointing results. We eventually asked the company to send us a second review unit. The new unit lasted 13 hours and 4 minutes in the loop test. Hopefully the poor battery performance is limited to just one unit. The phone easily lasted a day with normal use. Charging was also very fast. The battery was charged up to 20 percent in just 15 minutes and up to 45 percent in 30 minutes.
Our decision
Motorola has made its most solid attempt at a modular smartphone yet. Forgetting the Mods for a moment, the new Moto Z is a powerful and stylish handset. Most things about it are good and it does the job well. This phone is for those who want style and power. The ability to use Moto Mods is a major highlight of the phone.
However, it has a few drawbacks like a very awkward fingerprint sensor and it gets very hot. It is also more expensive than the OnePlus 3 and the Zenfone 3. If you don’t like any mods, you may not want to spend so much money on this phone. You may want to consider the Samsung Galaxy S7 instead.