Moto Z

The Cliff's notes on the Moto Z, the successor to the Moto X as Motorola's flagship.

The good news:
* 5.5" 1440p AMOLED screen is reportedly very good.
* Hot-swappable modular design lets you bump total battery capacity up to 4,800 mAh (2,600 of which is removable; 2,200 of which is in a hot-swappable backplate) or swap out battery backplates without all the hassles of replacing the LG G5's internal battery.
* The magnetic attachments for the MotoMods shouldn't wear or fatigue over time, a concern some have raised about the LG G5's modularity.
* Looks better officially than in leaks, and the hockey-puck-like camera module now makes sense as the anchor point for the swappable backs.
* Nice variety of fashionable (wood, leather) and functional (Incipio battery pack, JBL speakers, pico projector) swappable backs.
* Nice specs (Snapdragon 820, 4 gb RAM, 32 gb or 64 gb onboard storage, microSD expansion).

The bad news:
* Verizon exclusive until this fall?!
* No 3.5mm headphone jack (though they include a dongle if you don't have USB headphones)
* Lenovo has a truly woeful reputation for software updates after acquiring Motorola.
* Pricing still TBA.

Thoughts?

 

Looks pretty nice but this:
Lenovo has a truly woeful reputation for software updates after acquiring Motorola.

I've had first hand experience with this... truly bad.

 

Yeah, me too. My 2014 Moto X was cut off at Lollipop, less than one year after it debuted. The same is true for every US-market, carrier-branded 2014 Moto X. And it's not the carriers' fault. It's not that they failed to distribute a software update provided to them by Lenovo; it's that Lenovo never gave them the update to begin with.

Also, Lenovo just released a new Moto Camera app in the Play Store...but only 2016 Moto devices get it. Owners of the 2015 Moto X, the flagship Moto device when the app was released, don't get it.

For me, this makes an otherwise-tempting phone fall squarely into my "do not buy" list.

 

Will verizon allow S-off to work and have the phone rootable with a custom recovery?

 

Yes, Ashton Kutcher and the Lenovo CEO both discussed this at length during the reveal yesterday... ;-)

 

Rant:

Spoiler

I get that they made it as thin as possible given the thickness of the Moto Mods modules, but come on. With a meager 2600 mAh battery powering a 5.5" S820 phone, the Incipio module will be an everyday necessity. With the battery module on, your Moto Z becomes 11.4 mm thick, which makes it sound a bit unwieldy. Not only that, but you've now covered up the premium aluminium and steel build with plastic. The Moto Z Force is there to the rescue, but why doesn't it have a 3.5 mm audio jack either when it's thick enough to accommodate one? Thankfully, the JBL and Projector modules also have built-in batteries. A smaller battery pack module with a matching build could resolve the situation.

I'm not too sure how I feel about the look of the large bottom bezel, with a square home button, or the large, circular camera hump, but I can see how the latter design decision serves a purpose. Hey, at least they're trying something new! Leaving those niggles aside, I think this modular concept is well-executed overall. The OnceCompute Moto Mod in particular shows Lenovo's willingness to innovate and takes me back to the Motorola Atrix days. What's also interesting is that the modules purchased today are said to be future proof. Whether that means that the next Moto flagship will sport a similar shape and dimensions, or if some sort of adapter will be available remains to be seen. Either way, it should make customers feel more confident about investing in these modules, which in turn should make more companies see the need to offer some of their own.

The fall availability could easily hurt sales. This is a global launch, so even if Moto's home market is the US, Verizon won't be an option in other markets. It will be pitted against new flagships with higher-binned Snapdragons, as well as the Note 6 and iPhone 7. The long delay from announcement until launch can also make people less aware of the Moto Z-series. I doubt in-store demos of the Moto Mods modules will be all that grand.

 

I would like "fashion backs" (the leather, wood, and other stylized materials) with about 1,000 mAh batteries inside. Thick enough so that the camera module doesn't protrude, and thin enough that it's not bulky and unweildy like the current 2,200 maH Incipio Moto Mod.

As for "covering up the metal," that's only on the back, as opposed to the sides and front edges as well like your typical battery case for your typical phone. It's still an improvement.

 

YouTube reviewer Erica Griffin (who is candid, doesn't pull punches, and was one of the first to really take LG to task for the build quality issues with the G5) has a lengthy hands-on video with the Moto Z and Moto Z Force (aka Droid Turbo). Cliffs notes: the Z Force's shatterproof screen isn't as nice as the normal Z's, and the leather backing doesn't fit flush enough to be secure, but she's very very impressed with the build quality and modularity of the non-Force Moto Z, the wood and synthetic style Moto Mods, and the functional Moto Mods.



Dang it, I really want to say "never again" with LeNopeNope, but the more I see of this, the more I want the Moto Z. Wood back for day-to-day office use, an Incipio power pack for weekends, and the JBL speaker back for working in the yard.

 

Definitely an improved feel over a regular case, and users can more easily take off the battery module and charge it while using the phone normally. Speaking of the sides, I wonder if we'll see bumper cases that don't block the modules.

I thought the fingerprint sensor and the blue dots on both sides acted as hardware navigation buttons, but it looks like they don't. Seems unnecessary to subject the AMOLED panel to more uneven wear due to having software navigation keys when the bottom bezel is that large. Then again, a 5.5" phone is large to many a hand and having on-screen keys means not having to reach as far with your thumb.

 

Yes, multiple people doing hands-on reviews have noted that it's confusing at first that the fingerprint sensor is not a home button and the two sensors are not the multitasking and capacitive keys, but instead just sensors for Motorola's active display.

On the other hand, this means that you have a real lip at the bottom to hold onto, unlike Samsung's setup where just about any touch on the bottom chin can activate a capacitive button.

On the plus side, if you get a black face instead of a white face, the two sensors aren't visible. This issue also was present on the 2014 Moto X, where there's four sensors (one in each corner of the front) which are really obvious on the white-faced models but basically invisible on the black-faced models.