Moto Z2 Play & New Moto Mods Launch

Posted date | 02/06/2017 Posted by | know your mobile

Paul Briden 02/06/2017 - 3:23pm

The Moto Z2 Play is now official, together with brand new Moto Mod back panels

Lenovo has just announced the Moto Z2 Play; the second generation Moto Z Play smartphone, along with a selection of new modular Moto Mod back panels.

The Moto Z2 Play was fairly heavily rumoured in recent months and a lot of the leaked information we've seen earlier has proven accurate; the handset has a new design as well as updates to the internal hardware, in particular the camera.

The overall design isn't massively far removed from its predecessor as, after all, some similarity was necessary to ensure cross-compatiblity between the old and new models and the old and new Moto Mods. However, the fingerprint scanner has been changed, though it's still front-mounted below the display. The antenna band has also been carefully integrated as a single continuous edging around the back panel; it's blended in quite nicely.

Most of the dimensions are the same as the first-gen Moto Z Play, again for Moto Mod compatibility, but it is 1mm thinner than the older model.

That means the display size is also familiar - a 5.5in setup using IPS LCD technology with a 1080p FHD resolution. As a mid-range model it has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 SoC on the inside. You can choose either 32GB or 64GB storage models which nets you either 3GB or 4GB of RAM respectively, and the handset also supports microSD cards. Standard connectivity includes 4G LTE, 3.5mm audio, Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi, A-GPS/GLONASS, NFC, and Type-C USB.

On the imaging side, there's a 12MP primary camera with and f/1.7 aperture and dual-pixel phase detection autofocus - this is the same combo Samsung uses on its flagships with fantastic results. It also supports 4K video recording, while the front-facing secondary is 5MP wide-angle setup with a f/2.2 aperture.

The one area that has us raising some eyebrows is the battery, which has been reduced from the older model's 3,510mAh down to 3,000mAh.

All of 2016's Moto Mods will work with the Moto Z2 Play, including the Hasselblad True Zoom, JBL SoundBoost, Mophie Juice Pack, and Incipio Offgrid. The new additions include the Moto Gamepad, which is exactly as it sounds; a controller add-on for the phone to use for gaming; it features a D-Pad and dual-analog sticks, as well as a 1,035mAh battery boost.

Other new Moto Mods are the Moto TurboPower Pack, a quick-charge capable 3,490mAh battery pack booster, and a successor to the JBL SoundBoost appropriately dubbed the JBL SoundBoost 2 (1,000mAh battery, twin 3W speakers, kickstand).

There's also a new set of four Moto Mod Style Covers to change the look of the phone, however, unlike last year's version which was purely aesthetic, these new ones add wireless charging support for Qi and PMA charging.

The Moto Z2 Play will be available in Brazil starting on June 2.

Lenovo revealed it plans to roll the phone out globally later in June, but didn't specify precisely when other than to say it will be an exclusive in the US for carrier Verizon. It will, however, become available more generally in the US later this year via Motorola's online webstore.

The new Moto Mods will be hitting the market soon, here are some prices: