You may have already seen our extensive review of the new Moto Z and Moto Z Force flagship Android phones from Lenovo only about one month ago. It’s the end of August and we’ve already got a 3rd version of the Moto Z! This one is called the Moto Z Play and it’s got some significant yet subtle differences. The Moto Z Play is about 1mm wider and taller than the Moto Z, and it’s almost 2mm thicker. That gives you room for a much larger 3510 mAh battery. The Moto Z Play also uses a different processor. It’s got the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 625 processor with up to 2 GHz Octa-Core CPU with Adreno 530 GPU instead of the Quad-Core Snapdragon 820. The Moto Z Play also only has 3Gb of RAM instead of 4Gb. The display resolution is also downgraded from 2560×1440 pixels on the Moto Z and Moto Z Force to a still-respectable 1080×1920 pixels on the Moto Z Play.
Oh and you remember how annoying it is to have to use a USB-C to 3.5mm headset jack adapter for your headphones on the Moto Z and Moto Z Force?
Another difference is the Moto Z Play has a 16 Mp camera with an f/2.0 aperture, laser autofocus, PDAF, color balancing dual LED flash, 1.3um pixel, and zero shutter lag. The Moto Z has a lower resolution camera while the Moto Z Force has a higher resolution camera. The Moto Z Play is in the middle, but it also has a special feature for recording slow motion video at 720p and 120fps.
Moto Z Play Droid will be available in the U.S. beginning September 8 at Motorola.com and at Verizon for $17 per month on the Verizon device payment plan or $408 full price. The Moto Z and Moto Z Play will be available in the US in GSM unlocked versions, with pre-sales beginning on September 15 and availability beginning in October. Moto Z will be available unlocked for $699.99 and Moto Z Play will be available unlocked for $449.99.
Looking for a comprehensive table showing all the spec differences between the Moto Z, Moto Z Force, and Moto Z Play? You got it!
Moto Z | Moto Z Force (U.S. Only) | Moto Z Play | |
Dimensions | Height: 155.3 mm Width: 75.3 mm Depth: 5.19 mm Weight: 136 g | Height: 155.9 mm Width: 75.8 mm Depth: 6.99 mm Weight: 163 g | Height: 156.4mm Width: 76.4mm Depth: 6.99mm Weight: 165g |
Processor | Verizon: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 820 processor with up to 2.2GHz quad-core CPU with Adreno 530 GPU US GSM/ROW: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 820 processor with up to 1.8GHz quad-core CPU with Adreno 530 GPU | Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 820 processor with up to 2.2GHz quad-core CPU with Adreno 530 GPU | Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 625 processor with up to 2 GHz Octa-Core CPU with Adreno 530 GPU |
Software | Android™ 6.0.1, Marshmallow with Moto enhancements (Moto Display, Moto Actions, Moto Voice) | Android™ 6.0.1, Marshmallow with Moto enhancements (Moto Display, Moto Actions, Moto Voice) | Android™ 6.0.1, Marshmallow with Moto enhancements (Moto Display, Moto Actions, Moto Voice) |
Display | 5.5″ Quad HD AMOLED display (1440p [2560×1440] / 535 ppi), CorningⓇ GorillaⓇ Glass | 5.5″ Quad HD AMOLED display (1440p [2560×1440] / 535 ppi), Moto ShatterShieldTM | 5.5” Super AMOLED display, (1080p HD [1080×1920] / 403 ppi) CorningⓇ GorillaⓇ Glass |
Storage (ROM)* | Options: 32 GB, 64 GB, microSD card support up to 2 TB | Options: 32 GB, 64 GB microSD card support up to 2 TB | Options: 32GB (VZW & ROW), 64GB (China) with microSD Card support (up to 2 TB) |
Memory (RAM)* | 4 GB | 4 GB | 3GB |
Rear Camera | 13 MP with: f/ 1.8 aperture, optical image stabilization (OIS), laser autofocus, zero shutter lag, color correlated temperature (CCT) flash with dual LEDs, 1.12um pixel | 21 MP with: f/ 1.8 aperture, optical image stabilization (OIS), laser autofocus, phase detection autofocus (PDAF), zero shutter lag, color correlated temperature (CCT) flash with dual LEDs, | 16MP with: f/ 2.0 aperture, laser autofocus, PDAF, color balancing dual LED flash, 1.3um pixel, zero shutter lag |
1.12um pixel with Deep Trench Isolation (DTI) | |||
Front Camera | 5 MP with wide field of view and flash | 5 MP with wide field of view and flash | 5MP with wide field of view and flash |
Video Capture | 1080p full HD video, 60fps; 4K (30fps) | 1080p full HD video, 60fps; 4K (30fps) | 720p (120fps), 1080p (30fps), 4K (30fps) |
Battery** | U.S., Canada + Europe: 2600 mAh, up to 30 hours mixed usage ROW: 2600 mAh, Up to 24 hours mixed usage China: 2600 mAh, Up to 20 hours mixed usage | 3500 mAh, up to 40 hours mixed usage | 3510 mAH, up to 50 (US/EMEA), 45 (ROW) and 36 (China) hours mixed usage |
Turbo Charging+ | U.S., Canada + Europe: TurboPower™ gives you up to 8 hours of power in just 15 minutes of charging ROW: TurboPower™ gives you up to 7 hours of power in just 15 minutes of charging China: TurboPower™ gives you up to 6 hours of power in just 15 minutes of charging | TurboPower™ gives you up to 15 hours of power in just 15 minutes of charging Charge your battery up to 50% in less than 20 minutes | TurboPower™ gives you up to 9 (NA/EMEA), 8 (ROW), 7 (China) hours of power in 15 minutes of charging |
Colors Vary by country and channel | Black with Lunar Grey trim, Black front lens Black with Rose Gold trim, Black front lens Fine Gold, White front lens | Black with Lunar Grey trim, Black front lens Black with Rose Gold trim, Black front lens Fine Gold, White front lens | Black/Silver/Black Slate White/Fine Gold/Sugar White |
SIM | Nano-SIM Dual-SIM available in select countries | Nano-SIM | Nano-SIM Dual-SIM available in certain countries |
Audio | Front-ported loudspeaker, 4-mic support | Front-ported loudspeaker, 4-mic support | Front-ported loudspeaker, 3-mic support |
Bluetooth® Technology | Bluetooth version 4.1 LE | Bluetooth version 4.1 LE | Bluetooth version 4.0 LE |
Wi-Fi | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz with MIMO | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz with MIMO | 802.11 a/b/g/n, 2.4/5 GHz |
Water- repellent | Water repellent nano-coating | Water repellent nano-coating | Water repellent nano-coating |
NFC | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Originally published on Pocketnow on August 31, 2016. More from the Pocketnow archive.