Motorola decided to change things up a bit this year. So instead of the standard Moto G and Moto X launch line, they made sure to add a new brand to their lineup. Motorola has made waves w/ the budget G and gotten a lot better w/ the Moto X. This time around, we add some modularity w/ the Moto Mods. We have the Moto Z or more specifically, the Moto Z Droid & the Moto Z Force Droid.
This is a different approach for Motorola as they a 2 device launch as typically, it will be a flagship then we get the Droid version of it. This time around, Verizon gets 1st dibs on the latest from Motorola. Keep reading to see our 2 cents and everything else in-between about the new Moto Z and Moto Z Force for Verizon.
Hardware
This definitely an evolution of design in regards to what you might expect from Motorola. At thew core of it, it still uses Moto's design language but within the details is where things change. Of course, the addition of the fingerprint scanner ditches the 2nd front-facing speaker from the Pure Edition. Good news is that the fingerprint scanner is pretty fast but it doesn't act as a second Home button.
There's no water-resistance available but you do have a water-repellent coating to handle in misting-to-light rain but not to take on a drop in the toilet or anything like that. They separated the volume rocker into 2 buttons above the Power button. The placement might be a little on the high side for some but it's not that big of a deal for me. Other than that, you got a solid build from both devices but w/ the Moto Mods setup, not sure if there will be cases made for this.
Both versions of the Moto Z Droid offer up a 5.5inch AMOLED display w/ Quad HD resolution, powered by a Snapdragon 820 CPU, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage expandable via microSD, running Android 6.0.1, a f/2.2 wide-angle 5MP front-facing camera w/ a flash, and a dual-LED flash on the rear. The standard Z offers a f/1.8 13MP rear-facing shooter w/ OIS + laser auto-focus and a 2600 mAh battery. While the Z Force offers a f/1.8 21MP rear-facing camera w/ OIS & laser auto-focus and a 3500 mAh battery.
Perfomance
The 5.5inch QHD AMOLED display on the new Moto Zs are pretty stellar. You got a slightly smaller display than the Pure Edition but w/ more pixel per inch to get an even better screen quality than previous Moto efforts. When put up against the likes of the S7, Samsung panels are brighter & more vibrant but Moto still did a great job here. Easily gets the Silver for Android devices utilizing AMOLED panels.
This is the one area no Android phone this year should have any problems w/ thanks to the Snapdragon 820 CPU + 4GB of RAM combo as the Moto Z is no different. Gaming, multiple apps open, etc. - you can handle pretty much everything you can throw at it. The Moto Z's 2600 mAh battery handles pretty well despite the smaller size. I could get about 16 hours w/ heavy usage and a closer to 24-hours w/ moderate usage. The 3500 mAh battery inside of the Moto Z Force has a super long battery life. It is quoted at 40-hours of juice w/ mixed usage as I was able to get 24 hours heavy and close 48-hours medium to moderate usage.
Moto is still the battery king w/ either version of the Moto Z.
Lastly, the software section of the Moto Z continues to progress by retaining all of the cool things everyone knows and loves of Motorola. You still have Moto Display w/ larger notifications, chop 2x to turn on the flashlight, twist your wrist 2x to open up the camera, Moto Voice and more. The Command Center gets new look w/ choosing a custom color, weather highs & lows of the day, and battery life when you expand it.
Camera
Moto beefed up their cameras and updated their camera software for their new flagship. Although both cameras look the same, they are different in a few ways. The Z has a f/1.8 13MP camera and the Z Force has a 21MP f/1.8 camera. You still have a 5MP camera on the front w/ a front-facing LED flash form the Pure Edition.
Their shooters perform a lot better as their image processing has been beefed up as well. You can capture better details this time around and thanks to the lower aperture, it handles low-light a bit better than previously. On the downside, the colors can be a bit muted in some instances and you can notice some noise around the edges.
Moto Mods
The highlight of the new Moto Z, their new modular pieces. Motorola's modular efforts are powered by magnets and functional design. The handset itself is designed to snap on and off w/ ease. It shouldn't be any surprise on how well they work as they had a hand in the early stages of Project Ara.
We tested out all of the ones currently available: the JBL SoundBoost speaker, the Power Pack, Insta-Share projector, and even the Style Shells. Some are pricier than others but I hope you weren't expecting them to be dirt cheap. But they aren't super-expensive - save for the projector which is priced at half the price of the Moto Z itself. My personal favorite is the JBL Mod as it is a powerful little speaker as the kickstand is a great touch to it. We loved them as we hope you will too.
Moto Z: the best in modularity and battery. Impressive in every other department.
TG 2 Cents
Not to sound cliche but these are the best Motorola has put together. The selling point is Moto Mods as they do a much better job than LG w/ their modular efforts. The cameras on the Moto Z are improved from the Pure Edition from last year. Out of the 2, I would point you towards the Z Force over the standard Z. Due to the better camera, longer battery life, and 2nd-gen ShatterShield involved.
But be mindful, that you will be shelling out the $$$ you would pay for the creme de la creme of Android: the Galaxy S7. So you have to decide on whether or not you want the S7 or the Moto Z w/ Moto Mods. Definitely curious as Motorola supposedly is still working on a new Moto X for this year as well. Be mindful as the Moto Z is their new premium line more or less.
