The "1-Minute" Review
Verdict
Apart from price, the Moto Z3 Play is one of the most compelling modular phones to date. However, pricing considered, there are other phones that offer better performance or cameras if Moto Mods aren’t important to you.What's good
- Modular design
- Great battery life
- microSD support
- Sleek design
- Strong camera (for the price range)
What's bad
- No 3.5mm headphone jack
- Price
- No water resistance
- Dim display
As the longest running modular Android phone series, the Moto Z-series offers a blend of flexibility and mid-tier performance that helps it stand out from the competition. The Z3 Play is their 2018 update to the popular lineup and comes with some interesting design changes and spec updates. But it also comes with a price increase -- a potential issue for people new to the Moto Mods ecosystem.
The new design follows this year’s trend of glass front and rear panels with an aluminum chassis. Reviewers thought the phone looked great but noticed that the aluminum sides were prone to scratches and scuffs. Normally, you’d just grab a case to protect the phone, but with the mod support, that is a tricky problem.
The major changes come in button placement. To keep the phone the same size as previous models while adding a bigger screen, they had to shift the fingerprint scanner to the side of the phone. This forced them to move the power button to the phone’s left side.
While reviewers questioned the arrangement at first, most had no problems hitting the scanner or powering on the phone after a few days of use.
They also ditched the 3.5mm headphone jack. So if you want to use your favorite cans, you’ll need a 3.5mm to USB Type C adapter.
The phone includes a 6.01-inch 1080-by-2160 pixel Super AMOLED display -- the Z-series’ first release with a taller aspect ratio. Reviewers loved the slim bezels and the detail on offer from the display. Screen brightness was the only weak link mentioned. While not dim enough to be a problem, it’s noticeably dimmer than most phones in the same price range.
Motorola chose an octa-core 1.8Ghz Snapdragon 636 processor with 4GB of RAM to power the phone. While far from a flagship processor, the chip provides enough muscle for daily tasks and light gaming with no noticeable lag or stuttering. With graphics-intensive games, you might need to scale settings back.
In typical fashion, Motorola applies few touches to the Android 8.1 Oreo interface. you’ll find slight tweaks to the interface and the addition of Moto Actions. Otherwise, it’s a stock setup and reviewers appreciated how smoothly the software ran.
Depending on your region, you’ll find variants with 32 or 64GB of internal storage. Support for microSD cards up to 2TB makes adding extra space affordable and simple.
While the phone includes a dual-lens 12MP/5MP rear camera, the 5MP sensor is only used for depth sensing. There’s no telephoto zoom or true monochrome mode. However, reviewers were impressed with the results with many calling it the strongest Motorola camera to date. In good lighting, the phone produces well-balanced images with plenty of contrast and color.
Low-light shooting produced softer images with muted colors. Yet, images were mostly noise-free and well focused -- a common issue with low-light shots in mid-tier phones.
The front-facing lens received equal praise. While it lacks a flash, it captures plenty of detail as long as there is any amount of light in the room.
The phone’s 3,000mAh battery lasted most reviewers a full day with no problems -- even with gaming and streaming music or video. Paired with the USB Type-C TurboPower charger for full charges in under 90 minutes, you should have no worries about battery life. Pairing it with the Moto battery mod, many hit two days with ease.
Despite the praise, the phone has one glaring issue that stopped most reviewers from recommending it -- the price. With the bump in price, the Z-series has moved from a firmly mid-tier phone with excellent specs to a questionable value.
Tom’s Guide summarizes concerns well, saying, “The issue the Z3 Play faces involves the competition. A few years ago, all of those Z3 Play charms would have sufficed at [the price]. But then, [the OnePlus 6] and [the Honor V10] arrived and raised the stakes, with top-tier performance and very few concessions. Of course, the Z3 Play has its mods, but they're hardly a replacement for a brighter screen, better low-light photos or a faster processor.”
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Raj Deut, ReckonerOne of the biggest selling points of any of the new Motorola smartphones is the inclusion of its Moto Mod connector on their rear. At the bottom of the Z3 and its prior iterations are a series of pins that connect hardware accessories to use with the phone.
- Bogdan Popa, SoftpediaThe Z3 Play comes with its pros and cons, yet I believe that Motorola neglected some key capabilities thinking they could be improved with Mods anyway. This is entirely true, but from a customer perspective, it means we’d have to spend extra to get features you would otherwise receive out of the box...
- Stephen Watson, What MobileOverall the Moto Z3 Play has plenty of positives in performance and the operating system and the fact most of the Mods are not overly expensive and there is a wide range to chose from such as a stereo speaker, Insta-Share projector, Polaroid printer and 360 camera to name a few. At less then £500 it...
- Phil Tann, AusdroidDespite a couple of failings, the Moto Z3 play represents not just great bang for buck for the vast majority of users – but an outright good phone.
- Alan Martin, TrustedReviewsMoto Mods are still magical but, head over heart, there are better options close to the predicted RRP that you should carefully consider them before buying.
Prices (Where to Buy)
Common Questions
We've got you covered! Download a free PDF copy of the Motorola Moto Z3 Play user manual here.
Motorola backs up the Moto Z3 Play with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.
If your Moto Z3 Play has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact Motorola support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find Motorola's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.
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