Motorola’s Moto Z2 Force smartphone is definitely impressive, but those who buy it will have to live with some annoying downsides — not to mention expensive mods.
The good stuff | The Moto Z2 Force feels like a premium product. It’s also durable, good-looking and quick.
The bad stuff | The phone’s battery life is less than stellar, mods can be incredibly expensive and it doesn’t have a headphone jack.
The Moto Z2 Force is Motorola’s flagship device this year and it definitely turns heads — as a top-of-the-line phone should. I tried it out for a couple weeks along with the Moto Insta‑Share mod.
Note: The Moto Z2 Force and Motorola Moto Insta‑Share mod used for this review were loaned to me by AT&T.
Design
The Moto Z2 Force which runs Android 7.1 (Nougat) has a 5.5-inch Quad HD 1440p Super AMOLED display made with Shattershield technology which is “guaranteed not to crack or shatter,” according to Motorola. The phone also has a super thin yet durable aluminum unibody casing that feels good in your hand.
The Moto Z2 Force has a fingerprint reader at the bottom of its face, which can be programmed to replace the on-screen Android controls using Moto Actions. Setting up this so-called “one button nav” also frees up more space on the screen and makes the display look a bit more impressive. Also on the Moto’s face is its 5MP front-facing camera and an LED flash.
The bottom of the moto phone has a USB-C connector and no headphone jack. Motorola includes a 3.5mm to USB-C headphone adapter in the box, so you can still use your favorite pair of wired headphones. The power button and volume controls are on the handset’s right side. Along the top-right side, there’s a microphone and SIM/microSD card tray.
The massive bump on the phone’s backside is its dual-camera system, which is fitted with two 12MP sensors. One sensor is a standard color camera while the other is monochrome. Lower on the phone’s back is the phone’s Moto Mods connector.
The Moto handset comes with 64GB of storage but it’s expandable up to 2TB via microSD. The phone also comes with a smaller 2730 mAh battery, which I had to charge at least once during days of heavy use.
Performance
Those who like to game on their handsets will definitely have a good experience with this phone. Inside the Moto Z2 Force is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor and 4GB of RAM.
That combo makes the handset really quick. Here’s the Moto’s benchmark compared to other flagship handsets I’ve reviewed and tested with AnTuTu Benchmark.
Camera
I really enjoyed using the Moto Z2 Force to shoot photos and short videos. It’s not fantastic in low-light conditions and can take a little patience to get the right exposure but the shutter is fast and the photos tend to come out looking crisp (even when there’s action).
Here are some photos I took around Kansas City.
Macro
Panorama
Low-light
Selfie
Moto Insta‑Share projector mod
Attaching the Moto Insta-Share projector to the Moto’s back adds quite a bit of bulk to the otherwise slim handset. That’s why I tended to only attach the projector when I wanted to show it off. Luckily, adding or removing the mod to the phone’s Moto Mods connector only takes a second, assuming the handset isn’t being protected with a case.
The projector mod was a lot of fun to show off and use irregularly but it wasn’t by any stretch a need to have feature. Though, I was impressed by the quality even when the projector was outputting a 70-inch picture. For those who may have a valid use for this attachment, I only have one warning: Do not use the projector for longer periods of time.
One night I decided to project a movie onto my new home’s blank wall. The picture looked great. The hum of the projector didn’t overpower the phone’s audio output and all seemed to be going well. After an hour and change, I decided to test the temperature of the handset — it was really hot. And for pretty much any piece of technology, too much heat can be damaging.
I detached the projector mod from the Moto and — to my surprise — the projector felt fine. I then used a free CPUTemp app to see how hot the Moto had gotten. The phone was running at about 115 degrees (Fahrenheit) and this was a few minutes after removing the mod.
If you’re interested in getting your hands on the projector, Motorola is offering a free Moto Insta-Share mod with phone purchases through Sept. 9, 2017. Normally the projector mod costs $300.
Problems
The Moto Z2 Force’s battery is easily one of its biggest annoyances. It’s just not enough power to get through a full day of use, especially if you’re also using a mod on a regular basis. That said, there are battery mod options. But if you’re having to use the Moto’s modular capabilities for battery life, you’re missing out on the other goodies available via a mod.
Speaking of mods, I would advise you really look into the mod offerings before committing to the Moto Z2 Force. The price of the handset is about $720 (and closer to $810 if you’re buying it through AT&T). On top of that, mods cost anywhere from $40 to $300. At the end of the day, the Moto Z2 Force handset and a mod could end up costing a lot more than the other flagship devices.
A long-running issue for Motorola smartphones that is also worth bringing up: These phones tend to not get a lot of updates. Meaning major software fixes or revisions don’t come often, though they may be needed, and regular security patches don’t tend to be a priority.
For me, the lack of a headphone jack was also a bummer.
Recommend to a friend?
I really wanted to love this phone but at the end of the day, there are other really good Android options out there (for about the same price) with better battery life and nicer cameras. That’s not to say this isn’t a good phone, though. The Moto Z2 Force just doesn’t cater to the needs of the average smartphone user or their budget.
