Moto Z Play 3??

[TxDoc]

May be true, or a hoax.
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Moto Z3 & Moto Z3 Play

Images Allegedly Show LG Canada's Warehouse Stocked With Thousands of Nexus 5 Devices | Droid Life[/URL]
Images Allegedly Show LG Canada's Warehouse Stocked With Thousands of Nexus 5 Devices | Droid Life

Details this time around are somewhat scarce, but you can see from the Moto Z3 Play image up top and the Moto Z3 image directly below, that Motorola is going with an all-display front on these phones, similar to the Moto X5. That’s an important step for Motorola, since they locked themselves into a similar shape by keeping the current crop of Moto Mods around for three years. In other words, this needed to happen if the Moto Z3 line was going to stay relevant. Information we’ve reviewed suggests 6″ FHD+ (18:9) displays in both phones. That may seem odd, but the roadmap for Motorola appears to include a third Moto Z3 device with a Snapdragon 845 that will arrive later on that could have a higher-res display.

Neither phone has the X5’s iPhone X-like notch, but they do each include that bottom white software button that we’re assuming is for navigating the phone. As noted previously, Motorola has allowed phone owners to switch between on-screen navigation buttons and fingerprint reader-swipe style. This could be the modern software version of that.

Speaking of the notch for a second, we’re getting the impression that Motorola and Lenovo are about to be fully invested in displays with iPhone-like notches. The next Moto G7, Moto E6, and Lenovo K9 lines all may rock the notch.

We aren’t finding fingerprint readers on either phone, though. Like on the Moto X5, does that mean no fingerprint reader in place of something like facial recognition or has Motorola and Lenovo embedded them under the display?

 

[me just sayin]

post said something about looking at an image. did someone forget something?

 

[Sajo]

We know the Z3 series is coming, so that fact is not a hoax. Whether that image is truly the new Z3 Play, or not, is hard to say. The first thing I noticed was no fingerprint sensor on the front. They can't place it on the back because of the Moto Mods. So either the pic is just an early rendition, or it's embedded with the display (I don't see Moto going with facial recognition only). I'm guessing this is an early "press render" type of pic, but the new Z3 will look a lot like this. I hope to see some new colors this year and am looking forward to the new "Intelligent Moto Experiences" since I plan on getting a Z3 this Summer (or Fall). Thanks for sharing @TxDoc !

 

[hammerhead13]

Unless they decide to use a integrated Fingerprint reader in Power Button. Looks larger Than previous ones.

 

[Sajo]

Unless they decide to use a integrated Fingerprint reader in Power Button. Looks larger Than previous ones.

I kind of thought that also. Maybe it looks larger because they reduced the existing bezel so much? They can't change the basic size too much or the existing Mods might not work. I love my Z Force, and first time I have kept a phone longer than 1 year in a while, but am looking forward to a new Z3 later this year.

 

[TxDoc]

I love my Moto Z Play. The battery, the added 128 GB from the SD chip , the fingerprint reader.
I hope the Z3 battery won't go backwards. I do miss my wireless charging from my Moto droid turbo, though. I know you can add that mod, but the cases I prefer from Tech 21 won't fit.

I think it's like when you build a shop. No matter how big you build it, later on you can use more. It seems like you always get more memory, but not more battery.

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

 

[Sajo]

Looks like it is officially announced TxDoc.

moto z³ play - beyond the everyday

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[me just sayin]

Looks like it is officially announced TxDoc.

moto z³ play - beyond the everyday

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

look like if you buy the unlocked version, you get a free battery mod.

This year, Moto's really gunning to ensure the Z3 Play lasts as long as you need it to — if you buy the phone unlocked this summer for $499, you'll find one of the company's 2,000mAh battery Mods inside the box

The Moto Z3 Play packs a bigger, better screen and full Mod support

 

[Sajo]

Yep, I saw that earlier on their website. That's a good deal on the phone alone. But a free battery Mod is cool.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[hammerhead13]

3,000mAh Battery is a downgrade. They keep pushing 40hr battery life combined with Power Pack. I was getting better with my 1st Gen Moto Z Force. Still can get almost 2 days.

 

[Sajo]

It's the same battery as the Z2 Play. And the smaller battery in the Z2 combined with the newer chip gets excellent battery life. I don't consider the smaller size a "downgrade" after seeing how great the Z2 runs with that newer chip. It's just as good as the original Z Play in my opinion.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[me just sayin]

3,000mAh Battery is a downgrade. They keep pushing 40hr battery life combined with Power Pack. I was getting better with my 1st Gen Moto Z Force. Still can get almost 2 days.

is it really a downgrade? with the new and more efficient cpu, you may not notice a difference.

 

[Sajo]

I think we (as consumers) just got so used to seeing larger battery capacity year after year after year, that it was a shock last year to see some phones with smaller batteries than the year before. Thin is in now. I have not seen a difference in either of our Z2 Plays.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[hammerhead13]

Didn't the Z Play offer 48Hrs of Battery when it Launched just on its Internal Battery?

Motorola Moto Z Play vs Motorola Moto Z2 Play vs Motorola Moto Z3 Play - Phone specs comparison

I see that the Z2 play did have the same size. I guess I forgot how they used a smaller battery from the Gen 1 Z Play. Still love my Z Force. I use it as a Alt device. Use on Wifi all day still Flies. Cant wait for the Oreo Update for it.

 

[TxDoc]

Motorola Moto Z3 Play review: the thrill is gone.


Two years ago, Motorola’s Moto Z Play stood out for one specific reason: it provided exceptional battery life, thanks to an efficient processor and large battery. It was also part of Motorola’s first wave of Moto Mod-compatible phones, so if you wanted to extend that battery life even further, you could slap a battery Mod on the back and keep going for days — literally. The Z Play wasn’t a perfect phone by any stretch of the imagination, but its longevity and midrange price more than made up for its blocky design, slower performance, and so-so camera. It was the kind of phone that I couldn’t resist using, despite its many flaws.

But two years and two phone generations later, the $499.99 (or $449.99 for the Amazon-exclusive version) Moto Z3 Play has lost almost all of the original’s charm. The price is higher, the battery life is far worse, and it still has a midrange processor and so-so camera. The Z3 Play has been gussied up with a larger screen in the now-fashionable 18:9 aspect ratio, and it’s still compatible with all of the same mods that the first model could use. (Motorola is even throwing a battery pack Mod in the box with the Z3 Play gratis.) It’s considerably thinner and sleeker than the original model, but the fingerprint sensor is in a less convenient spot, and the 3.5mm headphone jack has disappeared.

Most of all, the Z3 Play, like many of Motorola’s mod-compatible phones outside of the original Z Play, feels like it solely exists to keep the Mod platform going and to provide a 2018 device that can use the existing Moto Mods. The slimmer design means the battery has a lower capacity, compelling you to use a Mod to extend its life. The single front speaker doesn’t sound nearly as good as contemporary devices with dual stereo speakers, which forces you to use a speaker Mod to boost output. This is a phone that exists for accessories.
6.5 Verge Score
Motorola Moto Z3 Play
Good Stuff

Sleek design and premium build quality
Great software additions
Works with Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile

Bad Stuff

Thin design leaves little room for battery or headphone jack
Fingerprint scanner is awkward to use
Battery life is below average, adding a mod makes the phone big and unwieldy

Buy for $499.99 from Motorola
Buy for $449.99 from Amazon

The Z3 Play is certainly more contemporary than its blocky predecessor, and the taller screen fits right in with the rest of the phones that are available now. The display — a 6-inch, 1080-pixel wide, OLED panel — is rich and vibrant with saturated colors and wide viewing angles.

But the sleek design of the device is almost to a fault. Its sub-7mm thickness makes it one of the thinnest phones you can buy, but that leaves little room for a battery and apparently no room for a headphone jack. It also makes the Z3 Play awkward to handle when it doesn’t have a Mod attached. Like many phones that are available now, both the front and back of the phone are glass (Gorilla Glass 3 in this case) and are significant fingerprint magnets. I do like the Play’s dark, metallic blue color, but tough cookies if you don’t as it’s the only color Motorola is selling the Z3 Play in.

In order to make room for the larger screen while still maintaining the same overall size and shape as prior Z phones (that ensures compatibility with the Moto Mod platform), Motorola had to move the fingerprint scanner from the front of the phone to the side. This is one of the most frustrating things with the Z3 Play, as the smaller, side-mounted fingerprint scanner is awkward to use. It’s especially difficult to use when you hold the phone in your left hand (as I often do), which requires an awkward claw grip to reach the scanner. Even weirder: Motorola didn’t integrate the power button into the scanner, so the Z3 Play’s on / off button is on the opposite side of every other phone. It’s a shame Motorola wasn’t able to utilize an under-screen fingerprint scanner, which seems like a perfect solution for the stew of design constraints Motorola put itself in with the modular platform.

Motorola has also upgraded the camera system to an in-fashion dual-lens shooter, which is capable of fake-blur portrait mode effects. The 12-megapixel camera is fine; it’s fast and can take good photos in the right lighting. But it’s not going to blow anyone away with its quality, especially as it struggles in lower lighting. The same goes for the 8-megapixel front camera, which can take sharp selfies, provided you have enough lighting.

The Z3 Play’s 3,000mAh battery is below average for this size of phone. It can suitably last a day if you’re a light user, but if you use your phone much at all, it won’t make the grade. To make up for this, Motorola includes a Moto Power Pack Mod in the box with the phone, which adds 2,200mAh of battery capacity. But it also adds a lot of thickness and weight to the phone, making it much heavier and larger than most phones that just have larger batteries built-in.

With the Power Pack Mod attached, the Z3 Play can last two or sometimes even three days between charges. But I’d rather just have better battery life without having to fuss with a detachable accessory — even if it’s included in the box.

Motorola phones have long had great software experiences, and the Z3 Play continues that. There are a plethora of useful features, such as gestures for quickly launching the camera or flashlight or putting the phone in Do Not Disturb mode when you place it face-down. None of these features feel like bloat either; the main user interface is basically stock Android 8.1 Oreo.

Most of the time, the Z3 Play is fast and responsive, but it struggled with choppy scrolling and laggy performance in a number of apps, such as Twitter and YouTube. That’s not something I’d expect from a $500 phone in 2018, and it’s certainly not a problem that similarly price phones, such as the OnePlus 6, have.

The Z3 Play does have one feather in its cap that the OnePlus 6 and many other, unlocked phones can’t match: it’s compatible with Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, and AT&T out of the box. If you’re a Verizon or Sprint customer who is looking for an unlocked phone in the sub-$500 range, the Z3 Play is one of the very few choices you have available.

Throughout my time using the Z3 Play for this review, I kept thinking about how much more compelling the original phone was two years ago, blocky design and all. I even pulled my Z Play out of the drawer and charged it up to see if it still had appeal. It turns out that I’d rather use that two-year-old phone over this newest incarnation.

The Moto Z3 Play feels like a baseball team slogging through the last couple of months of play, knowing that they need to finish the season but also knowing they won’t end it with a trophy in hand. Motorola committed to supporting the design of its 2016 Moto Mods for three generations of phones, and the Z3 Play is that third-generation phone, riding out its contract. But for the rest of us, it’s a ride better left skipped.