Moto Z Play Review: A Superb Mid-Range Phone

Motorola has released another smartphone to complement the release of its previous flagship devices. The Moto Z Play offers a more affordable and still decently powerful smartphone that more-than-satisfies the demands of the average user, according to a recent CNET review.

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The Z Play does not take home the prize for the most affordable smartphone. However, when coupled with great battery life and a durable build that rivals Motorola’s more premium phone lines, the new device is worth considering for the smartphone user who doesn’t want to sacrifice premium quality for a price.

Many of Motorola’s recent features have made their way to the Z Play, including Moto Mods, which allow ultimate customization of a phone (i.e., by turning into anything from speakers to a movie projector). Cnet revealed that the device has a similar feel and design to the flagship Moto Z Force, including the built-in fingerprint sensor. While the rear is not metal but glass, and there is no ShatterShield display to speak of, the metal rim around the Z Play hints at an unexpected sturdiness. The Z Play comes packed with a 16-megapixel camera and a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED screen running at 1080p, additional features that feature more on premium devices. And unlike Apple’s sudden push towards the unknown future, this phone has a headphone jack. The octacore Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, Adreno 506 GPU, and 3GB of RAM might make the phone a little slower, but unless you are a serious smartphone gamer, you won’t notice the difference while thumbing through your daily apps. The sound quality is not great, but hey, that’s what Moto Mods are for.

What really makes the Moto Z Play worthwhile is the stellar battery life, clocking out at over 50 hours of continuous use. If you need to power up in a hurry, the TurboPower charger gets you up to nine hours of charge in fifteen minutes. The 16 MP dual autofocus camera also works great for the casual photographer, but don’t expect much for low light images.

The Moto Z Play, while not a top-of-the-line smartphone, does not get buried under Motorola’s other devices. It is more affordable than most while offering the right amount of power for everyday use.