It looks like Lenovo doesn't really hurt the Moto team under its wing and gives free space for experimentation, and this is good news. good example is the current flagship line of Moto Z, which we will now partially get acquainted with. Unfortunately, the Moto Z Force with a shatterproof screen will not be available for us (at least not yet), but Moto Z and Moto Z Play are about to appear on store shelves. The main common feature and feature of smartphones is the abundance of plug-in accessories that can simply refresh appearance and expand the functionality of smartphones. For many years, various manufacturers have been trying to make a modular smartphone. Everyone’s approach and ideas are different, but so far there hasn’t been much success: the fully modular Project Ara is closed, the more “nerdy” Fairphone 2 is still only collecting pre-orders, the PuzzlePhone has been in development since 2014, the last time we heard about it was about a year ago and this - far from full list such attempts. We got closer to a more realistic and convenient version of LG in the flagship G5, but there were some nuances in the form of the need to turn off the smartphone and a number of other nuances. As a result, he became the first and last similar smartphone Korean company. The Moto Z line is also not completely modular, but like the aforementioned LG G5, it allows you to connect some additional modules, although the technical approach is somewhat different. Let's see what happens with Moto.

What's this?

Moto Z- flagship smartphone with 5.5 inch AMOLED screen, powerful processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 4 GB random access memory, up-to-date, almost clean OS Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and the ability to use additional modules Moto Mods.

What's in the box?

Both smartphones are packed in cardboard boxes similar in size, shape and color, which are not remarkable in any way, quite ordinary packaging. The kit is slightly different. Moto Z's flagship box found a smartphone, black nylon back, a paper clip to eject the tray, a set of standard instructions and guarantees, plastic frame-bumper (in addition to nylon back), adapter with USB type-C to 3.5mm with cable clamp and rapid Charger TurboPower 15. It is non-separable, this should be taken into account, because not everyone has a USB Type-C cord on duty yet:

What came up with the design?

The smartphone received a rather unusual design. You may like it, you may not like it, but it is clearly impossible to call it banal and hackneyed. Slightly similar features can be traced with the G4 and G4 Plus smartphones that have previously appeared on sale. Front panel closed protective glass, the frames on the sides are narrow, but the "chin" and the area above the screen are impressive.

The Moto Z uses a square under-display fingerprint scanner like the G4 Plus. It protrudes slightly above the body, but is not a button (although you can block the smartphone with a long touch). It works incredibly quickly and accurately, from any angle. The Moto logo is located above the scanner, and on the sides there are two small holes and two eyes that resemble front cameras. These are microphones and motion sensors, respectively:

Above the screen is a large earpiece (it is also a multimedia speaker, quite loud), a set of sensors and a front camera with LED flash

Along the perimeter - a rounded metal frame. Mechanical buttons are also made of metal, they are separate for power and volume control. They have the same shape and identical dimensions. The only difference is that the power button has horizontal notches, so it's very easy to identify it by touch. The buttons are placed quite high, which with this screen size may seem inconvenient for some users:

On the top end there is an additional microphone, a SIM / MicroSD tray and a plastic insert in the middle, probably for antennas:

In the older Moto Z, the tray is hybrid. Or two nanoSIMs, or one plus MicroSD. In Moto Z Play, the situation is slightly different, but we will get to it:

At the bottom - all kinds Technical information and symmetrical USB Type-C on a plastic insert in the middle:

There are no useful elements on the left side:

Almost the entire back cover of Moto Z is made of metal, there are small inserts at the top and bottom, it looks like they are made of glass. There are black and gold options. On the back of the golden version there are transverse decorative stripes:

At the bottom of the back cover there is a platform with contacts for connecting additional modules:

The camera module has a round shape, in addition to optics, laser rangefinder and double flash has the Moto logo. The camera protrudes very noticeably from the body:

Fortunately, the kit includes an overlay on the back cover, thanks to which the camera is equalized with the body. I liked the nylon heel counters from the Moto X Force. A smartphone with such an overlay looks interesting, and it is more convenient to hold it:

There are no complaints about the materials and assembly, everything is on the highest level. Design is a contentious issue. It is unusual, but not everyone will like it. Moto Z is too thin and it seemed uncomfortable to use without a back cover, but the back cover significantly corrects the situation and everything falls into place. Of the pleasant additions, it is worth noting the presence of a water-repellent coating. The smartphone cannot be dipped into water, but the likelihood of damage in the rain or some kind of splash is significantly reduced.

How good is the screen?

The smartphone is equipped with a 5.5-inch AMOLED screen, resolution is 2560x1440 (pixel density 534 ppi). The screen is covered with protective glass Gorilla fourth generation with the smallest rounded edges and high-quality oleophobic coating. Everything is fine with viewing angles:

AMOLED matrix is ​​used good quality. The picture is bright and juicy. Some people like AMOLED, some don't, it's a personal matter of taste. I have nothing against it, especially since I have been using a smartphone with an AMOLED screen for a year now. Standard multi-touch test. The usual 10 touches, no surprises:

Moto smartphones from the previous line have a utility with two screen modes: normal (with more realistic colors) and bright (with brighter and more saturated colors):

As usual, the brightness margin of AMOLED displays is lower than that of IPS, although not critical, measurements with a colorimeter showed a maximum brightness of 347.398 cd/m2 . Of course, the brightness of the black field 0 cd/m2 , and the contrast tends to infinity, like all AMOLEDs. Calibration (in bright mode) is not perfect, the picture goes into cold tones, as it often happens. The CIE diagram shows the standard for AMOLED mismatch with the sRGB color space:

Comparison with other models:

Device nameBrightness of the white field,
cd/m2		Black field brightness
cd/m2		Contrast
Moto Z 347.398 0 ∞
Moto Z Play 361.047 0 ∞
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 345.91 0 ∞
Xiaomi Mi4 423.5 0.64 662:1
HTC Desire Eye 527.337 0.483 1092:1

How is performance?

As I wrote above, the smartphone has a flagship Qualcomm processor Snapdragon 820 plus 4 GB of RAM, everything is as it should be for modern flagships. I guess it doesn’t make any special sense to say that a smartphone flies with such hardware (especially since the Moto team basically uses practically pure android current versions). The only caveat is heating in the most resource-intensive applications and games. It affects the ultra-small thickness of the body. But the heating is not so significant and there is no particular discomfort:

A 32 GB UFS drive is installed inside (a 64 GB version exists in overseas countries), can be expanded with MicroSD cards instead of one of the SIMs. Cards up to 2TB are theoretically supported. Moto Z is equipped with dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4GHz + 5GHz with MIMO, Bluetooth version 4.1LE and NFC. There are no problems with the GPS module, it takes no more than 10 seconds for a cold start:

Now about autonomy: the engineers managed to shove a 2600 mAh battery into the Moto Z with a 5.19 mm thick case, which is quite modest by today's standards. Yes, you should not expect 2 days of work from him, but enough for a day. When used with calls, account synchronization, mail via Wi-Fi and 3G, and about half an hour of games, the smartphone survives until the evening. On a positive note, it comes with a fast charger. TurboPower 15, with which half the battery can be charged in 30 minutes, and full charge takes less than two hours.

For those who want to know more

The flagship 14nm 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 is installed in the smartphonewith four custom cores Kryo, which operate at slightly lower frequencies of 1.8 GHz, GPU Andreno 530 with a clock frequency of 624 MHz. RAM - 4 GB fast LPDDR4 plus extra coprocessors for natural language processing and contextual computing. In operation, the smartphone shows itself perfectly, everything works very quickly. In synthetic tests, it happens in different ways. For example, AnTuTu in one run showed about 56,000 points, which is an anomaly for such a system, the second time - more than 130,000, which is already in line with the characteristics. Benchmark results:

What about software and additional features?

Traditionally, Moto does not bother both users and smartphones with custom skins and uses almost pure Android, in this case version 6.0.1 Marshmallow with several additional features. They promise an update to 7.0 Nougat.

A standard utility for enrolling fingerprints and PIN codes to lock your smartphone. As I mentioned earlier, the scanner itself is lightning fast and accurate:

Simple and clear setup for working with two SIM-cards:

And the ability to create and use additional account Motorola "for additional services":

But the most interesting thing is Moto's proprietary assistant with support for motion, voice commands and useful notifications Active Display:

There is a set of simple and useful movements: a double rotary movement from sleep mode turns on the camera, a double "chopping" - a flashlight, reducing the screen to convenient control one-handed motion from the bottom edge of the screen and so on. Most are really useful and allow you to save a little time. Movements work flawlessly:

And the coolest feature is the "Active" display, which can display useful information and control the player. It turns on when you raise your hand:

A clock and all notifications appear on the screen. By dragging down the notification disappears, slightly up - you can see the notification without turning on the screen:

Love this thing since Moto X Force days:

Actually, everything, nothing superfluous, only necessary and useful.

How is the camera?

The camera app is Moto's own and is similar to the one used on the Moto G4 Plus. There is a separate shutter button, touch focus, exposure adjustment, flash and HDR settings are on the main screen. More detailed settings are opened with a swipe on the left. At the top of the screen is a mode switch, there is a manual mode:

Main camera 13 megapixels (pixel size 1.12um ) with optical stabilization, f / 1.8 aperture, laser autofocus and dual LED flash, it can shoot video in 4K. Frontal -5 MP, f/2.2, also has LED flash. The main camera really captures very well, even in low light conditions.

What are Moto Mods and what can they do?

One of the most important and distinctive features of the entire Moto Z-line is the so-called Moto Mods - additional accessories (“modules”) that are attached to the back cover with powerful magnets. Unlike the same LG G5, the procedure is as simplified as possible and takes seconds. The modules are securely fixed and such a mount does not cause any concerns, and it becomes clear why the camera module is made so large: thanks to it, in particular, the modules are well fixed. Each smartphone comes with one back, you can buy other options Style Shells:

So far, three wood options are available, another in red nylon and one in leather. I found black and gray wood and, of course, red nylon to be the most spectacular. Estimated price tags will be 400 UAH and 500 for leather (cheaper than in a foreign store). Add to the weight of 25-32 g, depending on the material:

A module with an optional Incipio offGRID Power Pack will be available at 2220 mAh Of course, it will not be able to fully charge the battery of any model, but it will significantly extend the operating time:

It can work in two modes: support for a smartphone charge at 100% or an energy-efficient version of 80%, in which (according to the developers) the battery will last longer:

At IFA 2016, a collaboration between Hasselblad and the Moto team was showcased: the module Hasselblad True Zoom, which turns a smartphone into something like a digital compact camera with full optical zoom and physical shutter buttons and zoom adjustment.

The module has its own 1 / 2.3-inch matrix with a resolution of 12 megapixels, optics with 10x optical zoom (4.5-45 mm, 25-250 mm in EGF), aperturef / 3.5-6.5, there is optical stabilization (only works in photo mode), video shoots in FullHD 30 frames per second, there is electronic stabilization.

According to the manufacturer, the camera is able to work not only with the native application, but also with most third-party applications. There is a xenon flash. Price tag - 7000 UAH.

Sample photos, including those using 10x zoom:

The next interesting module that will be useful when going to the country or nature is JBL SoundBoost. Yes, the dynamics of Moto Z smartphones are not bad, but in this module it turns out to be very good portable speaker, which sounds very good, both for its dimensions:

The speaker has two speakers 27 mm, 3 W each. Yes, you should not expect a sound like in some UE Boom 2, but the dimensions and the price tag are completely different. Supports the ability to use as a headset, there is a built-in folding stand.

There is a built-in 1000 mAh battery and USB port Type-C on the inside for charging, the charge is displayed on the status bar. Price tag - 2500 UAH.

And the last, most expensive module is Moto Insta-Share Projector. This is a plug-in pico projector with an adjustable flip-out stand. It is worth considering the compact size, it is highly desirable that the room be dark to get a clear picture.

There is manual focus, manual and automatic keystone correction. Permission - 854x480 WVGA (480p), brightness - 50 lumens, contrast - 400:1, maximum image diagonal - 70 inches. Price tag - 8500 UAH:

According to personal feelings, the implementation of additional modules from Moto turned out to be the simplest, most convenient and thoughtful. No latches and turning off the smartphone when changing the module, as in the LG G5. Only magnets and the simplest design that allows you to quickly replace the module. Yes, and the existing modules themselves are interesting, perhaps something else will appear. The only thing that can repel is a rather impressive price tag (for the most part this applies to Moto Insta-Share Projector and Hasselblad True Zoom).

In the dry matter

In the near future, the smartphone will be on sale for 18,000 UAH, which is on par with current flagships. The Moto Z got the appropriate filling: excellent quality 5.5-inch AMOLED screen with QHD resolution, high-end processor, 4 GB of RAM, high-quality main camera with laser autofocus and optical stabilizer, metal body, water-repellent coating and up-to-date, almost untouched Android with real the prospect of further updates. Separately, it is worth noting the possibility of expanding functions and changing the appearance using Moto Mods modules. Their implementation on this moment turned out to be the most convenient of all existing attempts. The first thing that comes to mind from the shortcomings is an objectively modest battery with a corresponding short life. battery life and controversial (albeit original) design. Personally, I really liked the Moto Z line, but I really heard the reaction of a large number of living people who absolutely did not like the design. And, perhaps, someone will not like the lack of a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

6 reasons to buy Moto Z:

  • Excellent screen;
  • high-quality metal case with a water-repellent coating;
  • powerful "iron";
  • cool main camera;
  • the ability to change the appearance and expand functionality using Moto Mods;
  • pure android current version with useful extras.

3 reasons not to buy Moto Z:

  • modest battery life;
  • no 3.5mm headphone jack;
  • may not like the design.
:
Specifications Moto Z
Display AMOLED, 5.5 inches, 1440x2560 pixels, pixel density 535 ppi, Gorilla Glass 4
Frame dimensions 153.3x75.3x5.19 mm, weight 136 g
CPU Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, 14 nm, 4xKryo 1.8 GHz, graphics accelerator Adreno 530, 624 MHz
RAM 4 GB LPDDR4
Flash memory

Let's say right away that Moto Z, released in 2016, is able to surprise even now. How often have you seen smartphones with a built-in projector, a 10x optical zoom camera, or a built-in audio speaker?

Moto module

So, the main feature of the smartphone is its ability to customize, like a character from an RPG game. There is a special connector on the bottom of the back of the smartphone, to which Moto Mods modules are attached, which expand the functionality of the smartphone. It can be a reinforced battery, an armor-piercing case, a giant almost reflex camera, or the same projector with a speaker. In 2017, when smartphones competed to see who could be thinner, this opportunity to make a smartphone for yourself was a sip. fresh air. Moreover, the connection system turned out to be extremely successful, which is why the replacement of the module took a matter of seconds. True, now it will not be so easy to find Moto Mods in official stores. But the secondary market is full of them.

High-quality AMOLED screen with a resolution of 2K

If we take the modularity out of the equation, then we get a solid flagship of 2016, which looks quite modern in 2019. It has an excellent AMOLED screen with a diagonal of 5.5 inches and a resolution of 2K. Plus a full functional package, including fast charging, a fingerprint scanner, USB C, an NFC chip, a well-thought-out gesture control system and an OTG connection that allows you to directly plug external USB devices such as a USB flash drive, keyboard or printer into your smartphone. The only thing missing is the good old mini-jack for connecting regular headphones.

Memorable design

The appearance of Moto Z also looks quite modern. Firstly, the thickness of 5.2 mm allows it to remain one of the most thin smartphones on the market. Secondly, the corrugated metal back stands out great against the background of boring and the same type of covers that are used in almost every modern smartphone. The side frames of the Moto Z are also quite thin. In a bad sense, only stands out Bottom part smartphone with a home button that looks indecently large by today's standards.

Perhaps the main weakness of the Moto Z is its Snapdragon 820 processor. In 2016 it was a flagship processor, but since then the manufacturing process has jumped ahead and now its power is comparable to entry-level and mid-range chips.

At the end of November, 2016 the Lenovo company provided for Russian market new smartphones Moto Z and Moto Z Play. A notable feature of the new products is the replaceable Moto Mods modules that allow you to turn your phone into a projector, a full-fledged camera or a music speaker. In this review, we will compare the flagship Moto Z with the powerful "mid-range" Moto Z Play, and also test all the optional Mods.

Equipment and appearance

Moto Z smartphones came to us for review in black, Moto Z Play - in white. The first one comes with: a charger with a non-removable USB Type C cable, a clip for a tray with SIM cards and a flash drive, a Type C - 3.5mm headphone adapter, a protective bumper and a panel for the back cover. Z Play, unfortunately, does not have a complete bumper, but an adapter is not needed - the smartphone has a classic 3.5 mm jack connector.

Smartphone batteries are non-removable, the charger and both smartphones support TurboPower technology, which allows you to increase the operating time of devices by 9 hours in 15 minutes of charging!

Both devices are sold in white with a golden rim and black with dark gray. The glasses on the front and back have an oleophobic coating, thanks to which smartphones feel good in the hand, and prints are easily erased.

Recently, many manufacturers have begun to combine slots for SIM and flash cards, which limited users - insert a second SIM or flash drive? But Lenovo made an excellent move - a feature of these models is the presence of two slots for a SIM card and a separate (!) For a microSD flash drive.

The included panel is very handy. First, it protects the magnetic contacts on the back cover and the protruding camera. Secondly, it is very pleasant to the touch, reminiscent of a textured fabric.

Despite the rather impressive dimensions, smartphones fit perfectly in the hand. And if Moto Z Play is comparable in thickness to the products of the "apple" brand, then Moto Z is surprisingly thin, just over 5 millimeters!

Both smartphones are equipped with all the necessary sensors: proximity, lighting, accelerometer, as well as a fingerprint scanner, which is located under the screen. This scanner recognizes up to 5 prints simultaneously in just a fraction of a second, stunningly fast and convenient!

Screens on smartphones are made using AMOLED technology and have a protective coating of Corning Gorilla Glass. The resolution of the displays is impressive: FullHD on Moto Z Play and Ultra HD (4K) on Moto Z. The screen behaves well in the sun, does not fade, and adaptive brightness adjustment adjusts to the current lighting.

The back camera in Moto Z Play has a resolution of 16 megapixels, dual flash and laser autofocus. The resolution of the Moto Z is slightly lower - 13 megapixels, but the camera of this smartphone is equipped with an optical image stabilization system and allows you to shoot Full HD video at a frame rate of 60 fps.

Smartphones work on operating system Android. Moto Z has already been updated to the most latest version 7.0, Moto Z Play is still "working" on the 6.0.1 system, soon they promise an OS update.

Both devices have built-in “chips” that allow you to increase ease of use: when you swipe up from the bottom, the screen “shrinks” for one-handed control, if you make a chopping motion with your smartphone down, the flashlight will turn on, and if you turn it left and right, the camera application will open. If you take the smartphone in your hand during a call, it will switch to vibration mode, and if you turn the screen down, it will switch to completely silent.

Moto Z has a flagship filling: the latest generation processor from Qualcomm - a quad-core Snapdragon 820, 4 GB of RAM, 32 GB of internal memory and an Adreno 530 video accelerator. , 3 GB of RAM, everything else is the same.

The rear cameras of smartphones, although they differ in resolution, are almost impossible to see the difference on the screens. They are equipped with dual LED flash, laser and phase detection autofocus. The Moto Z also features Optical Image Stabilization, which allows for sharper, blur-free shots through lens movement. The front cameras are identical - 5 MP and LED flash.

Specifications

Moto Z Moto Z Play
Form factor Monoblock Monoblock
Housing materials aluminum and glass aluminum and glass
Operating system Android 7.0 Android 6.0 (upgrade to 7.0 planned)
Net 2G/3G/LTE (800/1800/2600), two nanoSIM cards
Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 Qualcomm Snapdragon 625
CPU Quad-core, 1.8 GHz Octa-core, 2 GHz
video accelerator Adreno 530 Adreno 530
Inner memory 32 GB 32 GB
RAM 4 GB 3 GB
Memory card slot Yes, separate, up to 2 TB Yes, separate, up to 2 TB
WiFi Yes, a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band Yes, a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
Bluetooth Yes, 4.1LE, A2DP Yes, 4.1LE, A2DP
NFC There is There is
Display 5.5" Quad HD AMOLED display (1440p/535ppi), CorningⓇ GorillaⓇ Glass 5.5" Super AMOLED display, (1080p HD/403ppi) CorningⓇ GorillaⓇ Glass
Oleophobic coating There is There is
Main camera 13M, f/1.8, laser and phase detection autofocus, LED flash, optical image stabilization 16 MP, f/2.0, laser and phase detection autofocus, dual LED flash
Front-camera 5 MP, f/2.2, LED flash 5 MP, f/2.2, front flash
Navigation GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
Sensors Accelerometer, light sensor, multiple motion sensors, fingerprint reader Accelerometer, Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Fingerprint Reader
Battery Fixed, Li-Ion 2600 mAh Fixed, Li-Ion 3500 mAh
Headphone jack USB Type-C, 3.5 mm adapter included 3.5mm
Dimensions 153.3 x 75.3 x 5.2mm 156.4 x 76.4 x 7 mm
The weight 136 g 165 g

Additional Moto Mods

One of the main features of the new Moto smartphones is modularity. For both models, you can additionally purchase various Mods that expand the functionality or change the appearance of the devices.

photomodule Hasselblad True Zoom able to turn your smartphone into a real full-fledged camera! Tenx optical zoom, xenon flash, optical stabilization, RAW photo - why do you need your "soap box" now, when everything now fits in your pocket?

True Zoom comes with a nice black case that allows you to keep the module in excellent condition.

Below are examples of photos without zooming and with a 10x zoom.

The second of the modules announced to date is a projector insta-share. One movement - and a full-fledged picture from the smartphone screen is displayed on your wall! Even a small resolution of 480p is enough to display an image of 70 inches, which is larger than almost any modern TV. The projector has a built-in battery that can provide 60 minutes of viewing, after discharging the module starts to be powered by the smartphone battery. If you plug your phone into a power outlet while watching, both the phone itself and the projector will be charged.

To extend the life of the smartphone itself, it is no longer necessary to buy external battery, getting in the way in a bag or pocket. It is enough to connect a thin module-battery Incipio offGRID™ Power Pack and the operating time will increase to 22 hours!

Decorative trims on the back Moto Style Shells allow you to change the style of your smartphone every day according to your mood.

And the last module JBL Soundboost Speaker– will appeal to all music lovers. This portable speaker also connects in one motion, has two 6-watt speakers and a built-in 10-hour battery. Now music is with you everywhere!

Conclusion

Moto turned out great stylish smartphones With powerful stuffing, quality camera and long time work. And modules that expand the functionality of devices help to make a final choice: Moto Z smartphones are the most interesting novelties of 2016!

After the transition of Motorolla under the wing of Lenovo, the cult brand faced a difficult task - not to lose the army of the company's fans, who have always been perceived as fresh blood among countless identical devices from other manufacturers.

And new items from Lenovo really turned out to be interesting. The main feature of the Play series smartphones is a modular interface that allows you to improve the functionality of the smart phone with the help of separately sold accessories. Moto Z Play, which we bring to your attention, is the youngest model in the Play line, which is cheaper than the flagships, but at the same time offers all the advantages of a modular design. We will test the novelty and decide whether it can establish itself in the world of smartphones, where numbers and the pursuit of technical characteristics rule.

Price and main characteristics

In terms of cost, Moto Z Play balances on the verge between expensive mid-rangers and flagships, its current price today is 32 thousand rubles.

Specifications:

  • display: 5.5”, Super AMOLED FHD 1920*1080 px;
  • processor: Snapdragon 625 + video accelerator Cortex A53;
  • RAM: 3 GB;
  • internal memory: 32 GB + micro SDXC memory cards up to 256 GB;
  • camera: main - 16 MP + double flash, front - 5 MP;
  • communication: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, LTE;
  • battery: 3510 mAh.

The dimensions of the smartphone are 156 * 76 * 7 mm, weight - 165 grams.

Equipment and appearance

The smartphone is packed in a simple but neat cardboard box, inside which, in addition to the phone, is:

  • a paperclip to remove the card tray (it has an increased needle length, so it will not work to open the tray with another paperclip);
  • charging adapter with fixed cable;
  • textile overlay back corps.

Let's reproach the manufacturer for the absence in the kit USB-C cables which will need to be purchased separately.

Externally, Moto Z Play practically does not differ from the flagship of the Z line. The entire front of the smartphone is covered with Gorilla Glass 3 protective glass, which has an excellent oleophobic layer.

Above the screen is a selfie camera module, a flash, a set of sensors and a speaker hole (protrudes slightly above the surface).

Under the screen is a fingerprint scanner, which is designed as a square platform. The sensor key does not function as a Home button - all control buttons on the Moto Z Play are on-screen. The fingerprint sensor works perfectly, unlocking the phone is fast and error-free. Also, using the scanner, you can turn off the screen, which in practice is much more convenient than using a mechanical lock key.

The back of the Moto Z Play is made of Corning glass. Glass easily collects fingerprints, but it can be easily wiped off with any cloth. On the surface there is a camera block, which has impressive dimensions, the lens itself occupies only a small small part of it. The eye of the camera sticks out quite strongly, but if you put on the textile cover that comes with the kit, the surface of the back part will even out.

At the back there is also a block of magnetic contacts, through which Moto Mods modules are connected to the phone. The textile pad included in the kit is needed just to protect the contacts, the manufacturer strongly recommends putting it on the smartphone in cases where the modules are not used.

The side ends of the smartphone are made of metal, they have two small plastic inserts for antennas. On the top edge there is a tray for cards, it has a double-sided hybrid design, and allows you to use two SIM cards and a flash drive at the same time.

At the bottom there is a 3.5 mm headphone jack, which is absent from the older model of the Moto Z series, and USB-C port.

The left side is empty, while on the right there is a volume rocker (which, by the way, is small and not very convenient) and an embossed smartphone shutdown key. Build quality is excellent, nothing to complain about

Screen

The display in the Moto Z Play is not bad, but there are a lot of complaints about it. This is a 5.5 inch Super AMOLED matrix with Full HD resolution and a pixel density of 403 ppi. According to the manufacturer, the smartphone uses a screen matrix from Samsung, however, due to software optimization in quality, it is inferior to the screens of the flagships S7 and S7 Edge

The viewing angles are almost maximum, with deviations the colors are not inverted, only the brightness drops slightly. The maximum brightness is 361 kD, which is enough for comfortable use of the smartphone under the sun. Auto-correction of brightness works adequately.

Pentile is practically invisible, only when viewing the picture from a distance of less than 10 cm, there is some graininess at the transitions between white and other colors. Contrast and color saturation, as expected for AMOLED, is excellent.

Now for the disadvantages. We didn't like the factory color calibration. There is a clear distortion with cold tones, due to which the white has a bluish tint. Colors, in general, look a little muddy, which is unlikely to go unnoticed by ordinary users, but for photographers, the Moto Z Play's display will definitely disappoint. We put the screen deserved 4/5.

Performance

The smartphone is equipped Snapdragon processor 625, paired with the Adreno 506 video accelerator. This bundle has proven itself in all devices of 2016, it is characterized by good performance and practically complete absence heating.

Moto Z Play is no exception - the shell flies, when surfing the Internet there is not even the slightest jamming, resource-intensive applications and 3D games work without problems. Shoals for smartphones were not noticed when playing 4K video. In the benchmark Moto Z Play is gaining 62.5 thousand parrots. For everyday tasks 3 GB of RAM is more than enough, and the internal storage of 32 GB can be expanded with flash drives up to 256 GB.

Camera

Both Moto Z Play cameras - the main and front, are equipped with flashes, two and one-tone, respectively. The front uses a 5 MP OmniVision OV5693 module with aperture 2.2. Despite the presence of a flash, which can be regarded as an emphasis on selfie capabilities, the pictures come out not of the highest quality - there are problems with detail and sharpness.

The main camera (sensor OmniVision OV16860 at 13 MP, 2.0) produces good pictures. The exposure and white balance are determined accurately, the detail is decent, there are no problems with autofocus (it's laser here).

Moto Z Play also shows itself worthy when shooting indoors with insufficient lighting. Automation correctly sets the shutter speed and ISO, so you can take a good picture on the first try.



The stock camera app does not have manual mode, but there is good HDR and panorama shooting. By using third party applications Moto Z Play can shoot in RAW format. Video shooting is possible with a resolution of 4K (bitrate 50 Mbps, 30 fps), the quality of videos is simply excellent and comparable to the flagships of the market.

speaker, sound quality

The main speaker of the Moto Z Play is really good. It is loud, clear in sound and has a very palpable level. low frequencies so you can enjoy listening to music. Speaker also not bad, the interlocutor's speech is perfectly audible, while the sound is not flat, you can even distinguish the timbre of the voice and other nuances.

The sound in the headphones does not disappoint. There is no dedicated DAC, but the 625 dragon provides decent sound, which requires quality headphones from the middle price category. As a player, Moto Z Play can work continuously for 30 hours on a single charge.

Battery

The autonomy of Moto Z Play deserves extremely positive feedback - with moderate use of the phone, the 3510 mAh battery is enough for 2 days of work. Tests show the following results: 15 hours of watching HD video and 27 hours of reading at 30% screen brightness, an hour of playing tanks drains the battery by 18%.

The smartphone supports QuickCharge 2.0 fast charging, it can be charged from scratch in 70-75 minutes, in normal mode charging takes about 3 hours. It is also worth considering that you can buy a mod in the form of a 2200 mAh battery for the phone, which will further increase the already good autonomy.

Communication and Internet

The advantage of Moto Z Play is the ability to fully use two SIM cards and a flash drive. There is only one radio module in the smartphone, the quality of the priming network is not satisfactory. On a cold start, navigation satellites (GLONASS and GPS) are detected by the smartphone for 20 seconds.

The device works with Wi-Fi interfaces (max. data transfer rate 57 mb/s), Bluetooth 4.1 and NFC, but the latter does not support Mifare Classic, which does not allow it to read metro transport cards. Possibility to connect to a smartphone peripherals With using USB-C The cable itself is not included.

Moto Z Play video review

Competitors, conclusion

Moto Z Play is mixed. For 33 thousand rubles, he offers interesting design, excellent autonomy, a decent camera, an average display and, importantly, pure Android. The performance of the smartphone is good, it is enough for any tasks, but not a record for its money. In this price category, there are many Chinese (,) on the Snapdragon 820, which in synthetic tests will be an order of magnitude more powerful. The question is, do you need it?

Instead of excessive performance, we are offered the opportunity to use mods. The battery already mentioned (price - 4 thousand rubles), a camera module with optical zoom from Hasselblad (20 thousand rubles), a mini-projector that produces a picture with a diagonal of 70 inches (23 thousand rubles) and a speaker from JBL (7 thousand ).

Moto Z Play is undoubtedly one of the most interesting devices last year. If its price does not bother you and you do not chase the power of iron, then this is really a good option for a smartphone with the expectation of long-term use.

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Finally, Lenovo got to the announcement of the Moto Z smartphone. This is the first representative of the Moto family, which no longer belongs to Motorola brand, since the Chinese giant refused the latter.

So, the latest leaks turned out to be true. The device is made of metal and can offer a certain modularity, as MotoMods can be connected to it. The thickness of the body, excluding the protruding camera module, is only 5.2 mm. It is for this reason that rumors have recently appeared on the Web regarding the return of the legendary Razr brand.

In fact, two smartphones are presented: Moto Z and Moto Z Force. The second stands out in that it received an "unbreakable" ShatterShield screen. The models are based on the Snapdragon 820 SoC, have 5.5-inch Super AMOLED screens with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and 4 GB of RAM. For data storage, there is 32 GB of flash memory, which can be expanded with memory cards.

The main camera with a resolution of 13 MP (the Moto Z Force has a camera with a resolution of 21 MP) received optical stabilization and a laser autofocus assistant. The maximum aperture value is F/1.8. The front has a resolution of 5 megapixels and has its own flash. You can also note the USB-C port, the fingerprint scanner in the button under the screen and the presence of a water-repellent coating. The mass of the device is another feature of it. It is only 136 g, which is unusual for a fairly large device. In general, the dimensions are 155.3 x 75.3 x 5.19 mm.

But the most interesting thing about the new products is the very MotoMods modules. In essence, Lenovo offers the same idea as LG in its G5, but implemented in a more convenient way and with more potential.

At the first stage, four modules will be available. The first is a projector. This module was developed by Lenovo. The projector is capable of displaying images up to 70 inches and has its own battery. The design allows you to adjust the angle of inclination up to 90 degrees. The luminous flux reaches 50 lumens.

Second module - acoustic system JBL. It also has its own battery, which is enough for 10 hours of operation, as well as a small foot that allows you to position your smartphone so that the sound spreads better. The volume is declared at the level of 80 dB.

The third module is an additional battery with a capacity of 2220 mAh. It will be enough to provide the device with an additional 22 hours of operation. The Moto Z's own 2,600mAh battery allows the smartphone to last about 30 hours, according to the company. By the way, the Moto Z Force model has a battery capacity of 3500 mAh. This model is thicker (6.9 mm) and heavier (163 g).

Well, the last module is not a single device, but whole class. These are interchangeable covers made of various materials, familiar from previous Motorola flagships. Since the novelty received a metal case, the engineers decided to change the appearance in a simple and convenient way.

The company's announcement that MotoMods will be compatible with the company's future smartphones looks very interesting. At a minimum, this means the preservation of dimensions and shape. In addition, Lenovo is launching a program for developers, offering them to create their own modules for Moto Z. We will find out how popular this feature will be at the end of the year.

New smartphone support technology fast charging. Lenovo promises that in 15 minutes the device can be charged so much that this is enough for 15 hours of work.

The Moto Z and Moto Z Force have one more feature that was not paid attention to at the event. These smartphones lack the standard headphone jack, which can turn off many potential buyers. True, a special adapter for connecting headphones to a USB-C port will be supplied in the kit.

It will be possible to buy new items in September or a little earlier, but subject to a contract with Verizon. Unfortunately, Lenovo for some reason did not announce prices.

All news for today

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