Moto’s Z series phones are known for Moto mods compatibility and the company’s most recent launch was Z2 Play. Moto has now launched their flagship device the Moto Z2 Force with shatterproof display and also Moto Mods compatibility. Moto Z2 Force is the successor of Moto Z Force released in 2016. The device comes with 5.5 inches Quad HD shatterproof display and is powered by Snapdragon 835 coupled with 6GB of RAM and 64GB storage. So how does the Moto Z2 Force perform in the segment? Let’s find out in the detailed Moto Z2 Force review.
Design and Build:
Looking at the Moto Z2 Force, you can clearly see the Motorola has a constraint with the design of Z2 Force. Since it has to support the Mods, you can see that the design isn’t much changed from Moto Z force or the Moto Z2 Play. It has an aluminum body with a brushed metal finish on the rear panel which looks good. But the camera unit has a large bump and the mod attachment area is exposed. But at 6.1mm thick and 143gms in weight, it is definitely one of the devices to easily carry around.
The right side houses the power and volume keys while the left panel has no openings or buttons. The top portion has SIM tray along with hybrid SD card slot, while the bottom panel has USB type C port. The phone does not come with a dedicated audio jack and you have to use the type C port.
The front panel has 5.5 inch Quad HD display, front camera, dual LED flash and the fingerprint scanner which also can be used as navigational buttons. The build quality is really impressive for a flagship but the design might not be the best out there especially with 16:9 display.
Display:
The most important feature of the Moto Z2 Force is the display. It comes with a shatterproof display. It has a 5.5 inch Quad HD display with shatter shield protection which is basically a multi-layer protection and prevents the display from cracking or breaking even in extreme falls. It works pretty well and even in our regular testing, there were no issues even in falls from a meter height. The display has an AMOLED Quad HD panel and is quite good in terms of colors and touch response. The colors are not popping out like regular AMOLED panels but look good with higher resolution display. The display color tone is also
But after using the phone in regular usage, the display has picked up a lot of scratches since the top panel of the display is a plastic one. Also, lack of 18:9 display is definitely a feature missing especially with OnePlus 5T and Honor View 10 offering it.
Software:
One of the most important aspects of using a Moto device is the pure or stock Android experience. The Moto Z2 Force comes with Android 8.0 Oreo with the stock UI. The phone comes with app drawer similar to the Pixel. The notification center and quick toggles are exactly the same as that you get on stock UI.
There is also an option to set the display color from the settings.
The only additional app on Moto Z2 Force is the Moto app which provides actions and gestures. Moto app provides some useful features in Moto Actions and Moto display. You can also turn off on-screen navigational button and use the fingerprint scanner.
The Moto actions include chop twice for a flashlight, twist for capture, shrink screen and more. The Moto display has night display option along with Moto display which shows new notifications on the display even when the screen is turned off. Moto Key is a new feature which allows you to login to websites and stores the password for easy login.
Overall, if you are a person who loves pure Android experience, Moto Z2 Force won’t disappoint you and it is upgradable to next version of Android as well.
Performance:
Moto Z2 Force is powered by Snapdragon 835 OOcta-core processor with 6GB of RAM. Snapdragon 835 is currently the most powerful chipset available. The performance of the device is smooth and there aren’t any hiccups in any department. The app performance is also fast, but the RAM management is also good.
The gaming performance of the device is also smooth and there aren’t any heating issues as well. The Z2 Force is a good device for gaming. The call quality of the device was good and we did not notice any signal issues. The front firing speaker unit on the device is adequately loud and has good quality as well.
The phone is also protected inside and out with a water-repellent nano-coating. Unlike Moto X4, there is no IP67 certification on this device. The phone comes with 64GB of storage and has micro SD card support.
Camera:
Moto Z2 Force has a dual 12MP camera with f/2.0 aperture with one camera for RGB sensor and the second one has a monochrome sensor. There is also PDAF and laser autofocus with dual tone dual LED flash. The selfie camera is a 5MP shooter and also packs dual LED flash. The camera interface is the typical one we have seen on almost all Moto devices.
The dual 12MP camera is capable of producing some really good results. The details are good and so is the color reproduction. The monochrome mode in the interface uses the second camera and does an impressive job with black and white photos. Overall for a flagship-level smartphone, this does a really good job with photos. The low light captures were also quite good. But the depth enabled mode needs a bit more tweaking to make it perfect. While the selfie camera is just a 5MP shooter, it turned out to be quite good and the LED flash helps in taking low light selfies. The video recording available is 4K and 1080p (at 60fps and 30fps). Overall, the camera did well on the device and here are some of the samples taken with the device.
Battery:
The Moto Z2 Force comes with 2730mAh battery and the capacity is pretty low for a flagship with Quad HD display. But when we tested the device for battery usage, we found it to last for a day with moderate usage which is quite good and with Moto providing the Turbo power pack mod free with the device which can extend the battery capacity of the device to above 6000mAh. This will give more than 2 days of battery life for the device.
The turbo power pack mod is included with the device for the price and it packs a 3400mAh battery and also supports turbocharging. This is quite a handy option for travelers.
Verdict:
Priced at Rs 34,999, the Moto Z2 Force is a good overall package especially with Power pack mod included with the purchase. The phone packs an impressive Quad HD shatterproof display, superior performance, stock Android and good cameras along with excellent battery life. The lack of 18:9 display in 2018 is probably the only major con you can think of on this device.
If you are looking to buy an affordable flagship, the Moto Z2 Force should be definitely on your list.
I have a Moto Z2 force, and the Moto Voice, talk to me, feature will not work while driving, it only works when I turn on the at home option. It works very good at home. I previously had a Moto x2 and that feature was so great that’s why I bought the z2. Any ideas.?