- [Michael] For the fifth year running,
Motorola's spicing up the summer
with a smartphone that's not afraid to stand out.
But, this year, the bombastic brand name feels a bit forced.
I'm Mr. Mobile, and I went hands-on
with the Moto Z2, Force edition,
and the latest Moto Mod 360 camera.
This is a quick look.
(instrumental pop music)
- The Z2 Force edition looks a lot
like the Z2 Play I reviewed a few weeks ago,
which, in turn, looks like last year's Moto Z line.
That familiarity tempers the excitement, a bit,
but it comes from a good place.
Remember, Motorola promised
that all of its stick-on Moto Mod accessories from last year
would work on this year's phones, and vice versa.
We knew that keeping that promise would result
in a familiar form factor,
so that's pretty easy to forgive.
You've really gotta be invested in those Mods, though,
to forgive some of the other design decisions
that went into this phone.
For one thing, there's still no headphone jack,
despite the fact that this chassis
is actually a hair thicker than the Z2 Play's.
Maybe that's explainable by the larger power pack.
Oh, except it's not.
Actually, the new Force edition packs a 9% smaller battery
than the Z2 Play.
And it's 22% smaller than last year's Moto Z Force.
And charging that smaller battery might actually take longer
because there's only a 15 watt charger in the box,
instead of last year's beefy 25 watt plug.
So, why does this thing cost over $300 more
than the Z2 Play?
Well, there are some standouts.
The ShatterShield display cover is back,
and Motorola promises it'll make your screen
stronger than ever.
Indeed, I dropped my review device on concrete,
less than an hour after receiving it,
because I'm an idiot.
And it's scuffed, but not shattered.
If you do manage to crack it,
there's a 4-year warranty backing it up.
The display underneath is Quad HD Amoled.
The silicone simmering under the aluminum
is the latest 835 Qualcomm.
4 x 4 MIMO is here for high-speed, LTE Data.
And there are four gigs of RAM and 64 gigs of storage,
unless, of course, you live anywhere but the U.S.,
where you get more.
Your consolation prizes:
micro SD expansion of front-facing selfie flash,
and the excellent Moto Software Suite,
running a top Android 7.1.1.
The most visible upgrade sits in the camera crater.
The Z line has finally gotten the dual camera treatment
with a pair of 12 Megapixel Sony sensors.
One's for color, and the other is monochrome.
You've also got portrait mode
for a background-blurring effect,
which seems to work about as well as any of them do.
And you can shoot video in 4k.
I captured some B-Roll with the Force edition,
at the press event,
including a shot of Mark Guim from AndroidCentral,
playing with a new Mod, the Moto GamePad.
Anyway, we'll see how this camera performs,
once I can spend some more time
putting it through its paces.
And the same goes for today's other big headlining camera,
the 360 mod.
I had an absolute blast with Samsung's Gear 360.
And I'm eager to see whether the slightly wider aperture
and the higher resolution of this Mod
helps it kick out better images.
Certainly, the phone's high-end processor
should help with that.
All the actual work is taking place within the device.
Motorola says you should be able
to shoot 4k video in 360 with 3D audio
for the low, low price of $299.
I asked why an independent battery
wasn't included for that price,
and was told that, well, for one,
the company wanted to emphasize slimness,
and, for another,
the camera doesn't draw all that much juice.
We'll see.
I came away from the launch event confused
and a little concerned.
The phone looks promising
in the way that most flagship smartphones do,
and I have a soft spot for the Moto Mod ecosystem,
which is a fun twist on the boring rectangle in your pocket.
But with the Z2 Force edition,
Motorola seems to think it can get away
with watering down things like battery capacity
in order to sell Mods,
while, at the same time,
demanding prices between $700 and $800 for the privilege.
The Z2 Force is gonna have to be an outstanding phone
to justify that pricetag.
So, until I can really put the thing through its paces,
I'm forced to remain skeptical, for now.
If you want Motorola Z2 Force edition,
it's up for pre-order, now, in three colors
on all major U.S. carriers,
and it'll start shipping August 10th
with a free Projector Mod, while they last.
No word, yet, on unlocked pricing,
but stay tuned for that, and much more, in the full review.
Until next time, thanks for watching,
and stay mobile, my friends.