The Moto Z2 Play is a successor to what was perhaps the most successful device in the revamped Z series. The Z2 continues the tradition of striking a good balance between design and performance while bringing the whole Moto Mod ecosystem to yet another handset.
Starting off from the front of the device, you’ll observe a 5.5 inch Full HD Amoled Display that has Gorilla Glass 3 on top for protection. The panel looks quite good and like any AMOLED screen, it displays deep blacks and brilliant contrast levels. We do wish that it was a bit brighter though.
Up above is a 5MP front facing that now has a Dual Tone LED flash next to it which should enable better selfies in low light. The phone uses onscreen controls and now has a larger sized fingerprint sensor. The fingerprint sensor now doubles up as a gesture area and using the Moto Actions app can be enabled to replace the onscreen controls. It takes some getting used to but works quite well once you’ve figured it out.
Along the bottom edge lies the USB 3.1 supporting type c port as well as headphone jack while the top has the dual SIM and dedicated microSD card slot.
Over on the right side lie the segregated value rocker as well as the power button. The entire construction is metal and feels very premium. In fact, it is very clearly a step up from the previous generation.
The antenna band finds a unique arrangement along the back of the phone. The entire effect is very visually appealing. Even the 16 pin connector at the bottom has got some aesthetic improvements. The camera bump however remains very pronounced. At the back is a 12MP camera with laser and dual pixel autofocus. We took some preliminary shots with it and found the camera to be fairly mediocre. In good lighting, it is possible to get decent shots but this is true of most smartphones these days. Low light shots are quite a struggle for the hardware. The 3000 mAh battery is unremovable of course. It does support turbo charging.
Internally the Moto Z2 Play is powered by a Snapdragon 626 processor paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage that can be expanded further. The software onboard is Android 7.1 and in typical Moto fashion, is almost completely devoid of any bloat. Other than the Moto Actions app that enables some admittedly useful gestures, there’s little else. Moto Display is a very useful addition that brings up an ambient display showing essential information when you bring your hand close to the phone. In practice this works very well.
Performance is generally very satisfactory and while it is not blazing fast, you won’t be left wanting for speed either. The one thing that really sets the Moto Z2 Play apart is it’s support for Moto Mods and how it can give a handset completely new abilities. We’ve got the new JBL Soundboost 2 here with us. Snapping it on to the phone via the magnets lets you make it a veritable party machine.
Priced at Rs. 27,999, the Moto Z2 Play is perhaps not quite the deal that the Play series is expected to be. Indeed, unless you are interested or vested into the Mods platform, it might not be the ideal choice for you. That said, the Z2 Play certainly is a very well built and balanced device that offers something unique in it’s category.