Hello, I am preparing a series of articles about new modules for the Moto Z line and for these purposes I borrowed from Z2 Play. And since I also tested the last generation, I decided that I can share with you my impressions of the novelty in the format of ten facts.
# 1. Dimensions
The smartphone is thin. Very thin and very lightweight. If the previous Z Play, in principle, had good dimensions, then the Z2 Play has become even better in this parameter, its dimensions and weight are comparable to the original Moto Z.
- Moto Z – 153.3 x 75.3 x 5.2 mm, weight 136 grams
- Moto Z2 Play – 156.2 x 76.2 x 6mm, 145g
# 2. Display
In the past Moto Z Play, the screen was good on paper, but in fact it had a 'dirty' color gamut at stock settings. The Z2 Play has worked on both the calibration and the quality of the display, now it is an excellent AMOLED display with a bright and juicy image.
No. 3. Clean Android
I haven't used stock for a long time Android, Google Pixel passed me by, and other manufacturers are increasingly installing their own skins. So I was pleasantly surprised by Moto's decision to keep clean Android with minimal changes. For example, in Z2 Play, the dialer has Russian letters.
No. 4. Work speed
Another fact automatically appears from the past. Stock Android and optimization from Google make the device one of the fastest among all tested by me. This manifests itself in the little things, but you get used to it very quickly: here the menu scrolled faster, the browser started up there faster, the toy does not jam, etc.
By the way, the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 with Adreno 506 is responsible for the performance. This is an update of an excellent chipset for the middle segment, its performance is more than enough for all tasks at FHD resolution.
No. 5. Moto Chips
Remember when I said that Moto barely touches a clean one Android, but added a couple of their own chips? Let's talk about them in more detail. You can customize each of them through the dedicated Moto app.
The first option is tied to gestures, it appeared in the first generation Moto Z. But since then the number of gestures has increased significantly. For example, you can hide the on-screen buttons and transfer all control to the fingerprint scanner. Swipe to the left of the scanner will emulate the back button, swipe to the right will emulate the 'recent apps' key. Also, the reduced screen mode became available, to activate it, just swipe down from any part of the display. If there is an incoming call, the smartphone stops ringing as soon as you take it in your hand, this is useful if you called at an inconvenient moment. And if, in principle, you need to turn off all notifications, then just turn the device upside down, and the 'do not disturb' mode will automatically turn on.
The second option is called Moto Display. The smartphone uses all of its sensors and position sensor to 'understand' when the user needs to know the time or see new notifications. Usually, the sensor is triggered when you take the smartphone in your hand or are just reaching for it. If you hold your finger on the notification icon in this mode, it will be displayed in full. By the way, this option is disabled in the settings.
No. 6. TurboCharge
In the comments, readers often curse when companies are using their own fast charging standards instead of equating Qualcomm and MediaTek. I asked the company what it is connected with.
It turned out that this 'Kvalkom' fast charging technology is proprietary, and the world standard is USB-PD, by the way, it is this technology that is used when charging new MacBooks with Type C, for example. The key difference between QC 3.0 and USB-PD is that the latter maintains a constant voltage of 5V, and QC 3.0 can sometimes boost it.
As for the charging time of the smartphone, everything is fine with that, in 10 minutes the device charges on average by 30-35%, and the total charge time is 55 minutes.
No. 7. Modules
One of the main features of the Z line is, of course, Moto Mods. This year there is a whole scattering of them, together with new products, about ten different modules are available in total, and their number will continue to grow.
I really like the back battery cover, interchangeable panels (and one of them is included) and, of course, the new game module that turns the smartphone into a game console. But we'll talk about Moto Mods next time.
No. 8. Dual SIM and microSD card
In every review of a smartphone with two SIM cards, there is at least one person who complains about the hybrid slot or the complete lack of a memory card slot. Moto Z2 Play is one of the few devices in which SIM and microSD card slots are located separately. That is, you can use the device with two SIM cards and a card at once.
Another plus of the Z2 Play is the dual SIM mode. Usually in a smartphone with one radio module, when one SIM card is in 4G mode, the second automatically switches to 2G, this has always been a problem for Tele2 subscribers who could not use this operator as a conversational SIM card. So, in Z2 Play, while the first card is connected to LTE, the second one can work in 2G / 3G mode.
No. 9. Fingerprint scanner and on-screen buttons
I know some readers don't like it when the on-screen buttons are on the front of the scanner. However, in Z2 Play, you can easily disable the on-screen buttons, and set the actions of the side keys to swipe on the scanner (swipe to the left – imitation of the 'Back' button, to the right – call up the latest applications).
No. 10. Working hours
Despite the average battery capacity, the Z2 Play can guarantee you five hours of display on maximum brightness. When it decreases, this figure rises to seven to eight hours. But this is a common everyday use, in the video viewing mode the smartphone lives much longer, up to 12 hours of the display on.
Conclusion
In retail, the 64 GB version costs 35 thousand rubles. Overall, I liked the Z Play update. The smartphone has become thinner, lighter, improved display, added new chips and updated the chipset. As a result, a good smartphone came out on a clean Android from a major manufacturer.
P.S. Next Friday I will briefly talk about the new Moto Mods, and then we will separately talk about each of them once every couple of weeks.