July 2016
The Moto Z — and its thicker brother, the Moto Z Force — are Lenovo’s best ideas on what a futuristic smartphone should look like. Both have top-end specs, a beautiful metal design and they’re crazy thin — the Moto Z measures just 5.2mm thick. Yet their most alluring feature is something else: a set of modular backplates that add new features without the annoying reboots that dogged the LG G5’s modular design. The Moto Z & Z Force are a bold vision, but are they actually good phones too? Let’s find out.
Reviewer: Chris Velazco
“After years of thoughtful refinements to the Moto X line, Motorola has plotted a new direction with the Moto Z. It’s incredibly slim, modular, and packs true flagship-level horsepower — all things you couldn’t really say about last year’s Moto X Pure edition.”
8.0
Reviewer: Chris Welch
“…the Moto Z Droid and Moto Z Force Droid are both good, premium Android flagships with standout features: one of them is ridiculously thin, the other super strong. Between the two, I recommend the regular Moto Z over the Force. For me, the thinner profile wins out over the toughened display and big battery.”
8.0
Reviewer: David Pierce
“Motorola said all along they had to make a phone that didn’t make compromises, for which the modular stuff was an added value with no subtractions. In almost every way, they did that. Of course, it’s not as polished or sculpted a phone as Samsung’s Galaxy S7. Nor is its camera as good. Nor is it waterproof. Nor does it have a headphone jack. Okay, the GS7 is probably better… But the Z is great.”
Reviewer: Lynn La
“The big question is if the Mods will take off enough to keep things interesting for Moto Z and Moto Z Force owners down the line. As far as our modular phone future goes, the Moto Z is an exciting step in the right direction. (Sorry, LG.) Buy the Moto Z and a Mod or two if you want to be part of that future today; but as a standalone handset, we think the OnePlus 3 or Galaxy S7 are better…”
Reviewer: Brandon Chester
“The Moto Z Force is a competent smartphone on its own, made even better with a shatterproof screen and MotoMods. In addition, Moto gets props for a stellar camera and sticking to near-stock Android. Even without MotoMods to boost its feature set, the Moto Z Force is worthy of your consideration if you’re looking for one of the best Android phones to be released in 2016.”
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