Moto Z2 Play Review: This Moto Gets More Mojo With the Mods

Moto Z2 Play Review. How complete or incomplete is the new Moto without the Mods? We take a look.

Moto Z2 Play comes with a super AMOLED display.(Photo: TheQuint)

If you have seen the movie Transformers, I am sure you’ll agree with the fact that a transformer looks much cooler when its transforms into a 20-foot-robot rather than a car, truck or even a helicopter. I think of the Moto Z2 Play as the same. Although, it’s a pretty cool stand-alone smartphone, but with the Mods, it gets that extra mojo!

Even though the new Moto looks like the old Moto, it brings to us a little extra that makes the Z2 Play a breath of fresh air. Here’s a look at the new Moto Z2 Play.

Moto Z2 Play packs new set of Mods. (Photo: The Quint)

Pros:

• Sleek & comfortable design
  
• Great camera quality
• Smooth UI
• Modular capability
• Vibrant display

Cons:

• Low battery back-up
• Bulge on the rear camera
• A bit overpriced
• No capacitive keys
• Not water-resistant

The Moto Z2 Play is 145 grams in weight.(Photo: TheQuint)

What’s Good?

I fell in love with the design of the Moto Z2 Play. It looks and feels almost like the Moto Z that was launched earlier, but a bit more sleek, stylish and sophisticated. The Moto Z2 Play is a phone you’d love holding in your hands.

The full metal design is an instant eye-catching feature, and the smooth finish at the back feels plush. It weighs 145 gram and is just 6mm thick. Clearly, this Moto phone is keeping an eye on its waistline.

The 5.5-inch full HD Super AMOLED display is vibrant and performs well even under direct sunlight. Colours are rich with the right amount of contrast. The volume and power button on the right have a good haptic feedback.

Very responsive! Features like Night Display, Moto Voice and gestures make the Android 7.1 Nought experience on the Moto Z2 Play better. The fingerprint scanner now comes with gestures which I feel is an innovative addition.

Moto Z2 Play comes with a full metal design.(Photo: TheQuint)

What’s amazing is that Moto has managed to accommodate a 3.5mm headphone jack on the phone, even with its slim design

Camera is the biggest selling point of the Moto Z2 Play. The 12-megapixel sensor at the back comes with f/1.7 aperture and dual-LED flash. It also has some handy modes like Slow motion, Professional mode, and my personal favorite – Live mode – where you can go live directly from the camera app on Youtube, with a simple tap. It also performs well outdoors and in low light conditions.

The front camera of the Moto Z2 Play comes with a flash.(Photo: TheQuint)

Image taken indoors.(Photo: TheQuint)

Macro image.(Photo: TheQuint)

Image taken from a moving car.(Photo: TheQuint)

Image taken in cloudy weather.(Photo: TheQuint)

(Photo: TheQuint)

Image of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.(Photo: TheQuint)

The front camera is a 5-megapixel sensor that also comes with a flash. It’s a wide-angle lens at f/2.0 aperture.

What’s Bad?

I really missed the capacitive keys on the Moto Z2 Play. Shuffling back and forth via the fingerprint gestures is tough to get used to. The phone comes with 64GB of internal storage, which although is enough, but expandable memory option would have sweetened the deal.

Now the biggest flaw I feel is the third tier Snapdragon 626 processor inside the phone. During hardcore gaming and multi-tasking, expect a few lags. I say ‘few’ because of the 4GB RAM inside. Not a big fan of the camera bulge at the back, but one has to learn to ignore it as without it, there would be no Mods.

Latest Nougat 7.1.1 on the new Moto.(Photo: TheQuint)

Battery back-up might become a concern if you are someone who load their phone with hundreds of apps. The Super AMOLED display and the background applications are going to run riot, and for a 3000mAh battery to take all of that is going to be tough. Also, water-resistance would have been appreciated, but I guess Moto had their platter full.

2 new Moto Mods have been introduced.(Photo: TheQuint)

Why Buy It?

For Rs 27,999, the Moto Z2 Play seems a bit overpriced but that’s an initial feeling. The real problem is that without the Mods, it feels kind of incomplete (like Jai without Veeru), and since the Mods cost substantially more, your buying decision is affected. It’s a good phone no doubt, but because of the the price bracket, it falls under and has serious competition from the OnePlus 3T and even the Honor 8. But wait, here’s the bigger picture, the modular technology and the ecosystem the Moto Z2 Play is offering puts it shoulder to shoulder with bigger competitors and this is where I feel this Moto phone holds its own and justifies its price tag.

For the ones who are planning to buy the Moto Z2 Play, I recommend you invest in the Mods as well, just to make the experience better. And as Moto will be launching more Mods in the future, it seems like a good investment to make.

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