Motorola Announces the Moto Z2 Play, New Moto Mods

Today, Motorola announced the second generation of its modular Moto Z Play lineup, along with new Moto Mods that extend its functionality.

“The Moto Z family of smartphones with Moto Mods has allowed people to do things they never thought were possible with a phone,” the Motorola announcement notes. “From projecting a 70-inch screen wherever you are to turning your phone into a camera with 10x optical zoom, the Moto Mods platform offers unprecedented mobile innovation.”

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This idea has always seemed solid to me, but like previous Motorola innovations—the incredible online configuration utility it provided for the Moto X, for example—modular, Mods-based extensibility doesn’t seem to have really taken off with consumers.

It should. But I’m glad Motorola keeps trying.

For the generation 2 Moto X2 Play, Motorola is providing a thinner and lighter body, a 12 MP “dual autofocus pixel” camera, and improved performance and battery life with fast charging capabilities. The device offers a 2.2 GHz octa-core processor, a 5.5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display, 3 GB of 4 GB of RAM (depending on the model), 32 GB or 64 GB of storage, and microSD expansion.

The phone will be available exclusively via Verizon starting in July, but anyone will be able to purchase it directly from Motorola for $499 later in the summer.

Additionally, Motorola has announced some new Moto Mods, including:

Moto GamePad. As you might expect, this Mod adds gamepad-like controls to either side of the phone so you can play video games more naturally. It also includes an extra battery for keeping your phone alive longer. The cost is $79.99.

JBL SoundBoost 2. This updated version of a first generation Mod costs $79.99 and provides a water-repellent coating, three color choices, and 10 hours of playtime.

Moto TurboPower Pack. This $79.99 Mod adds an extra day of battery life with fast-charging capabilities: You can charge to 50 percent of capacity in just 20 minutes, Motorola says.

Moto Style Shell with Wireless Charging. As its name suggests, this $39.99 Mod adds wireless charging capabilities in a variety of sleek styles.

You can find out more on the Moto website.

 

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Conversation 6 comments

  • Pbike908

    01 June, 2017 - 2:10 pm

    <p>I am curious as to how they say it has longer battery life when the battery is significantly smaller than the FAVORITE feature of the Z play — which is(was) battery life…</p><p><br></p><p>I guess we will have wait for the reviews. I am really curious to learn more about real world camera performance…</p>

  • wolters

    Premium Member
    01 June, 2017 - 2:48 pm

    <p>My two phones are the Pixel XL and Moto Z Force Droid and I currently use the Pixel as daily driver. The Moto Z line of phones are quite underrated and I hope the "Z2" series helps it gain more market-share. The Mods are actually quite useful and set this phone apart from the competetion. I was surprised to see a version 2 of the JBL speaker. If any mod needed to be updated, it was the camera mod. I've heard it is only "ok." </p>

    • roland

      04 June, 2017 - 10:17 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#121516"><em>In reply to wolters:</em></a></blockquote><p>Aside from the 10x Zoom and flash, the actual phone's camera hardware is better. It's not bad, but it's not great either, and I think people were expecting a bit more from it.</p>

  • James Wilson

    01 June, 2017 - 3:43 pm

    <p>So it's another device that allows you to get apps from Google Store. Like every other device. it also allows you to call someone, send SMS and um…. plug in modules?</p>

  • PincasX

    01 June, 2017 - 4:12 pm

    <p>It's an interesting concept but I can see why it really hasn't taken off. I watched the video and thought the camera and projector were cool but the reality is I doubt I would carry them around with me and probably wouldn't get enough use to make the worth the expense. I guess the challenge is coming up with a mod that people felt like they really needed. As it is, I don't know that any of these are so compelling that people would jump for them. </p>

  • Alexander Rothacker

    Premium Member
    01 June, 2017 - 7:32 pm

    <p>My wife has the Z Play. It's an awesome phone with unreal battery life, a great screen and good looking, too. Except she's hiding it in a monster of a case, and the camera is so, so at best. Not as good as the camera in my 950 was.</p><p>Now here is where the mods fall apart. To install a mod, one needs to remove the case, which in her case is quite the process. Also, there need to be a better selection of mods. A projector is great for business, but that's a niche. The phone mod is quite nice, but not as good as a similar sized point and shoot. The speaker could be good, but we already have a Bluetooth speaker.</p><p>Also, the way the mod system is designed, it won't allow for a smaller phone, or in general a phone that has a different design, it's not very future proof.</p><p>I'm already more intrigued by the Essentials mods. A 360deg camera, that is truly innovative and enhances the phone. The design is also more flexible with regards to re-using the mods on future phones.</p>

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