[Review] Moto Z Play – The Well Connected Workhorse Phone

Battery Life, Price & Conclusion

As far as battery life goes, the Moto Z Play significantly exceeded expectations as it managed to last close to two days with modest usage and a modicum of web browsing, social media and texting. Tacking on Moto Mods that depend on the built-in battery like the Hasselblad True Zoom reduces this endurance significantly but on its own, it’s a marathon runner. This can be further augmented by the battery Moto Mod for exceptional endurance indeed.

As it stands, the Z Play is the epitome of the midrange phone with reasonably good performance all around and exceptional battery life but what elevates it from being a plebeian performer is its semi-modular Moto Mods. Depending on how deep your pockets go and what you intend to improve on, the Z Play can have the option of having a vastly improved set of speakers tacked on via the JBL speaker Moto Mod. Or it could have a vastly better camera via the Hasselblad True Zoom Moto Mod. 

There’s even a pico projector mod that turns your phone into a projector and the aforementioned battery mod too for extra longevity. This added versatility and customisability is certainly unique though it doesn’t come cheap. If you’re sold on the idea of a modular phone and have a bit of extra cash to spend on a Moto Mod or two, the Moto Z Play represents one of the most affordable price points to get in on the game.

WHAT WE LIKED Solid build quality, number of impressive Moto Mods, Hasselblad True Zoom mod, Nougat 7.0, has a 3.5mm audio jack, good battery life
WHAT WE DIDN’T Moto Mods aren’t cheap, middling rear camera, seriously chunky with accessories
WE SAY Sturdily built with an innovative, semi-modular design, the Moto Z Play is an affordable entry point into the Moto Mod ecosystem. On its own the Moto Z Play is a serviceable sub RM1.8K phone with decent performance and great battery life but combined with its Moto Mods, it’s a potent camphone/portable pico projector/ghetto blaster.

Specifications
Price RM1,799
Display 5.5-inch Super AMOLED, 1920 x 1080 pixels, 403ppi
Processor Snapdragon 625 2.0GHz octacore
Memory 3GB RAM/32GB
OS Android Nougat 7.0
Camera 16-MP w/ F/2.0 and dual LED flash (rear) + 5-MP w/ F/2.2 + LED flash (front)
Battery 3,510mAh
Size/Weight 156.4 x 76.4 x 7 mm /165g
*Review unit courtesy of Lenovo Malaysia