This year Motorola is betting on affordable devices. The latest to join the growing family of Moto phones is the Moto Z2 Play. No standard Moto Z2 will be available in 2017, so the spotlight goes on the Moto Z2 Play now.
In what follows we’ll see how the brand new Moto Z2 Play compares to last year’s Moto Z Play – a phone which has been very popular with users. We called it “exceptional” for a number of reasons, but mainly because it could deliver such a great battery life.
Design and Display
At first glance, the Moto Z2 Play looks quite similar to the Moto Z Play. But at a closer inspection, one starts to see the differences. For starters, the Moto Z2 Play appears to be made of metal, while its older brother came equipped with a glass back.
The Moto Z2 Play features the more complex, pill-shaped physical home button à la the Moto G5 Plus, which also doubles as a fingerprint scanner and supports gestures for back and opening up the multitasking window. Both handsets are water-resistant, so a splash of water shouldn’t hurt either model.
Motorola made the Moto Z2 Play thinner than its predecessor. The newcomer measures 6.15 x 3.0 x 0.24 inches in comparison to the 6.16 x 3.01 x 0.28 inches of the Moto Z Play. It also weighs 145 g, while the older model tips the scales at 165 g.
Motorola didn’t upgrade the display of the Moto Z2 Play. So like its predecessor, the new-comer features a 5.5-inch AMOLED display with 1920 x 1080 resolution – all in league with most upper middle-rangers out there.
Internals
Compared to the Snapdragon 625 under the hood of the Moto Z Play, the Moto Z2 Play relies on a newer Snapdragon 626 chipset. It’s an octa-core CPU comprised of eight Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 2.2GHz and Adreno 506. As for the Snapdragon 625, it’s also an octa-core processor, clocked at a lower 2.0GHz frequency.
While the new Moto Z2 Play offers a choice of 3GB or 4GB of RAM with 32GB or 64GB of internal storage, the Moto Z Play was only available with a standard 3GB/32GB configuration.
Both models include a microSD card slot which allows for memory expansion up to 256GB.
Cameras
Motorola slapped a 12-megapixel camera with dual pixel phase detection autofocus and f/1.7 aperture on the back of the Moto Z2 Play. Last year’s model takes advantage of a 16-megapixel sensor with phase detection autofocus, dual-LED flash and f/2.0. Both can shoot 4K video.
As for self-portraits, the freshly squeezed phone bundles a 5-megapixel snapper with f/2.2 and dual LED flash, while the Moto Z Play takes advantage of a 5-megapixel with single LED flash.
Software
The Moto Z2 Play launches with Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box, while the Moto Z Play ships with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow out of the box.
However, Motorola recently started sending out the Android 7.1.1 Nougat update for the Moto Z Play.
Battery
The biggest drawback when it comes to the Moto Z2 Play is the smaller battery. Compared to its predecessor which packed a 3,510 mAh juice box, the Moto Z2 Play relies on a smaller 3,000 mAh one. It’s the compromise Motorola choose to make in order to deliver a slimmer, lighter device this year.
Motorola notes the battery inside the Moto Z2 Play should last up to 30 hours on a single charge, while the Moto Z Play was advertising to offer 50 hours.
Value
The Moto Z2 Play will be available this summer for $499 a pop from Verizon. An unlocked model will also be available from Motorola itself.
Don’t forget the Moto Z2 Play is compatible with truckloads of Moto Mods – old and new. The newcomers include the GamePad, SoundBoost 2 and Turbo Power Pack – all of which will cost additional cash.
As for the Moto Z Play, you can still pick it up from places like Best Buy where it’s available for $399.99 or Amazon where it sells for $449.99.
Naturally, the Moto Z Play is compatible with the Mods that were just announced, as well as the old ones.
Created by the Yank Technologies, a startup which is part of Columbia’s University’s startup lab, the MotherBox is an alien-looking hub that can transmit 2 watts of power to any smartphone located in a range of 20-inches. It works like this – the closer you are to it the more power it will send your way. So if you’re 5-inches away from the MotherBox, you should get up to 10W flowing through your device.
The MoterBox works in league with a smartphone app which allows users to customize the rate of charging. It also displays notifications to alert you when connected devices are running low on juice.
Since it launched back in late February, the project has been fully funded. Luckily there are still Late Bird bundles available, if you’re looking to grab one. For $89 you’ll get a MotherBox + USB Cable + MotherBox Receiver. The estimated delivery date is set to September 2017. A MotherBox Mini bundle is a bit more expensive, as it will ship out for $99.
LG has a different strategy in mind, as it plans to offer slightly modified LG G6 versions called the LG G6 Pro and G6 Plus. Both handsets will rely on the same Snapdragon 821 which currently fuels the standard G6 version.
It’s expected the LG G6 Plus will come with a retail price of approximately $890, while the LG G5 Pro will sell for around $700.
At launch, LG’s mobile payment alternative will be available only through four South Korean credit card companies including Shinhan, KB, BC and Lotte. However, LG says more support is coming by the end of September.