Review: The Moto Z, and friends

Lenovo's latest offering is a treat to use, but it's the Moto Mods - which can be snapped on like magnets - that make it truly spectacular

Lenovo's got a trick up its sleeve, and it's picked the Moto Z from its Motorola line to perform it with. The brand has seen some really neat phones in the past - I remember my StarTAC from way back; that was cool then, and this one is no different. It's the world's thinnest phone at 5.19mm "thick", and it's no pushover: its specs are comparable to some of the top-tier phones out there, including the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, the HTC 10 and  the LG G5.
The Moto Z - also known as the Moto Z Droid in the US - has a 5.5-inch quad-HD Amoled display and is vibrantly rich when it comes to brightness and colour, thanks to its 535ppi resolution - that's bigger than the iPhone 7's 326ppi and the Google Pixel's 441ppi. The smartphone is made of military aircraft-grade aluminium - no word if it's bullet-proof (I guess it isn't), but it is water-resistant (only).
Performance is also great, without any noticeable lags. At the bottom of its front side is a fingerprint scanner and, no, it isn't the home button as this is on-screen. It's not clickable, but it adds a pleasant twist: aside from unlocking your phone with your fingerprint, it also locks it for you. A convenient idea!
Here's the biggest problem I see: while it comes with a USB Type-C port, it lacks the 3.5mm audio jack - that's an extra piece of equipment to carry. At least, it comes with a complimentary 3.5mm-to-USB Type-C adapter; Apple users, you are not alone. It also has NFC, so it's compatible with Android Pay.
Right at the back is a rather oversized camera lens, which I find okay, despite others disagreeing. At the bottom are some electronic pins, and you probably know what they're for by now. Of equal star power are the Moto Z's friends, the Moto Mods. And they're ready to give the LG G5 and its "Friends" a pretty good run for their money. There are four of them and you can just snap them on like magnets. All the Moto Mods, by the way, are also compatible with the shatter-proof Moto Z Force.

Hasselblad True Zoom
Leading the Mod mob is the Hasselblad True Zoom that transforms the Moto Z's already-sturdy camera into a top-of-the-line snapping beast. Snap it on, power it up and let Hasselblad's technology, along with its 10x optical zoom, work its magic. The quality is really great.

JBL SoundBoost
Home-party freaks will enjoy this. Slap on the JBL SoundBoost and start dancing to the beat! Personally, I like the way it boosted the bass, and the overall audio that's blurted out. This Mod has a kickstand as well, so you won't have to worry about making the whole thing lean on your drink.

Moto Insta-Share Projector
If you're dissatisfied with the Moto Z's 5.5-inch screen, you can get a huge boost with this. Put it on and you can project whatever's on the screen onto your wall. It has a range of 70 inches, and going beyond that will render your view blurred. It has decent quality, but you also have your TV or computer monitor to connect to, right?

Incipio offGRID Power Pack
Of course, since we're into convenient attachments, why not throw in a power bank as well? This will spare you the hassle of wires and let you continue using your phone as per usual.

AND SO.
If it wasn't for the missing 3.5mm jack, this would've gotten a higher - as a matter of fact, perfect - rating from me. But some people are still fairly put off by this non-feature. (Yes, I know it's the future, but my argument remains: what if, for some reason, you lose the adapter?)
The Moto Z ticks all the boxes in the modular phone revolution, and the magnetic snap-on idea is genius.

THE LOWDOWN
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, 2.2GHz quad-core CPU, Adreno 530 GPU
Memory: RAM - 4GB LPDDR4; storage - 32/64GB, microSD up to 2TB
Platform: Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow (upgradeable)
Display: 5.5" quad-HD Amoled, 535ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 4
Camera: Main - 13MP with OIS, laser autofocus, zero shutter lag; front - 5MP wide-angle
Connectivity: Up to 4G LTE; Moto Mods connector; Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 LE, NFC, USB Type-C; nano-SIM
Battery: 2600mAh, up to 30h of mixed-use
Others: Fingerprint scanner for locking and unlocking; water-resistant
Price: Dh2,599 with JBL SoundBoost (Dh399 if bought separately); Hasselblad True Zoom, Dh999; Insta-Share Projector, Dh1,299; Incipio offGRID Power Pack, Dh299
Pros: World's thinnest, easy-to-use Mods, great screen, camera and performance
Cons: No 3.5mm jack, battery rather small
Author's rating: 9.5/10
 
alvin@khaleejtimes.com

• Hard Drive