Dubai: Lenovo’s Moto Z smartphone looks like a premium device but it is different from the rest. It is the first modular smartphone from Lenovo.
LG came out first with LG G5 with swappable components but fell short on execution. The magnetic snap-on modular accessories, also called “Moto Mods” such as cover, JBL SoundBoost speaker, Hasselblad True Zoom camera, Insta-Share projector and powerbank can be attached to the back of the device offered coherence and ease of use. Lenovo gives users some degree of customisation of the devices.
The box I received for the review had a projector, camera and a speaker.
Lenovo is trying to bring innovation into the smartphone arena similar to what it did with the Yoga laptop and tablet. Lenovo has to be appreciated for the modular concept but it needs to be seen how users are going to react because the add-ons are not cheap. All of these add-ons just work without any fuss. There are no settings to worry about and no annoying pairing process to go through.
May be in the next couple of years, third parties may develop better ideas at a cheaper price factor. Lenovo is trying to differentiate and give consumers a choice which is not there. Lenovo hopes to have enough mods in the market that would turn your phone into the hub of all productivity, which shows Lenovo’s commitment to the industry.
I loved the modular concept as you can add on accessories that suits my taste.
Moto Z is a powerful device that can stand up to most of the premium phones even if you strip away the compelling modular factor but it is the Moto Mods that make it special.
Made from military aircraft-grade aluminium and stainless steel, the device is both durable and stunning to look at.
The 5.5-inch AMOLED display (1440 by 2560 pixels at 535 pixels per inch density) is powered by 2.15GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and coupled with 4GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage capacity. The storage can be expanded up to 256GB via a dedicated microSD slot and with dual SIM support.
Colours all look good but it can be toned down if you find it a little too much in the settings.
The phone is ultra-thin at 5.2mm and weighs just 136 grams, the lightest and thinnest phone in the market. It runs on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and no news of Nougat but you will definitely get it.
The phone is not water proof but it is coated with water repellent nano coating so they’ll be fine if splashed or spilt on with water.
Motorola has tweaked the software features like twisting the wrist to launch the camera app, two chops downward gives you a flashlight and a wave gesture to show your missed notifications even when the device is sleeping.
There is no headphone jack and instead a USB Type C port and a headphone jack adaptor dongle to connect wired headphones. The issue is that when listening to the music, you will not be able to charge the phone.
The bulging and squarish fingerprint reader on the front looks like a home button, but it is not. It does nothing apart from reading the fingerprint and wake/off the screen. I have accidentally pressed it many times hoping to take me to the home screen.
The power button and the volume rockers are on the right side of the device while the SIM tray is on the top and the USB C port on the base of the device.
The bulging 13MP rear camera with f/1.8, laser autofocus, OIS, dual-LED (dual tone) flash and 8 x digital zoom takes decent snaps but does not match the sharpness and details of Samsung S7 or iPhone 7. In lowlight conditions, it struggles. Images can be a little oversaturated at times.
It has a faster shutter and quick focus, apart from 4K and slow motion videos. It can record 2160p at 30fps, 1080p at 60 and 30fps and HDR. The professional mode lets you adjust the ISO levels, focus metre and white balance for a DSR-like performance. Both the volume rockers can be used to take photos.
The camera app is simple and for setting, swiping the screen from left to the right.
The 5MP front-facing wide camera with ƒ/1.8 lens and LED flash can take Full HD snaps. It has Auto Night mode, Beautification software and Professional modes.
The bulging camera disappears when the shell is placed at the back. I will not be using the Moto Z in its thinnest form.
The 2,600mAh battery gave just under 12 hours of video playback which is pretty average. It gave just over six hours of web browsing and just under 11 hours of talk time. For moderate users, the device can give 18 hours of charge with battery saving features kicking in. The Moto Z uses Motorola’s “TurboPower 15” system. Plugging in for 15 minutes will get you 7 hours of battery life and a full charge in just under one-and-a-half hours.
Regarding connectivity, it has 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, WiFi Direct, hot spot, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS + GLONASS and NFC. It is priced at Dh2,599.
Pros
• Thin and light form factor
• Creative modular accessories
• Dedicated microSD card slot
• Moto software additions
• Excellent overall performance
Cons
• Mediocre battery life
• Camera needs improvement
• No headphone jack
• Big camera bump
• Moto Mods are pricey
• No wireless charging
Moto Mods
JBL speaker
The external stereo speaker is load and the sound quality is excellent to fill a room. The front-facing speaker on the phones is decent, though it lacks a lot of richness and bass. Motorola partnered with JBL to pump up the volume. It has the same size of the phone but it is 13mm thick and weighs around 145 grams due to the 1,000mAh battery inside. The kickstand has only one position, which angles the speakers downwards. The speakers are rated at 3W each. The frequency response range is 200Hz to 20 kHz.
The SoundBoost supplies around 10 hours of battery life. The battery inside can be charged separately or connecting to the smartphone. It costs Dh399.
Insta-share projector
There are a power button and a focus wheel to adjust the focus of the projector. The device can project up to 70-inch on the wall and the quality is only 480p resolution. It is worth for a small presentation in the office. It is 11mm thick and weighs 125 grams due to a built-in 1,100 mAh battery. The battery gives around one hour of juice. There is a stand to adjust the angle of the projector. I found the image quality enjoyable in a pitch dark room with the size of the image, but the bigger you get, the duller it is.
The device has a support for SDHC card. The lamp is rated for 10,000 hours of life.It can also be charged separately. It is priced at Dh1,299.
Hasselblad True Zoom
It adds a big lens with 10x optical zoom (25-250mm, in 35mm terms), a shutter button, and a Xenon flash with red-eye reduction, optical image stabilisation for stills, and electronic stabilisation for video. The True Zoom’s aperture range goes from f/3.5-f/6.5. When attached to the phone, it covers the Z’s internal camera and uses the phone’s software. It turns your phone into something much more versatile and looks like a camera. The 12MP Hasselblad camera has simple settings with modes like colour, black and white and colour (RAW). It has scenes like auto, sports, backlight portrait, night landscape and landscape.
The camera can only shoot only in 1080p when the phone can shoot in 4K. It is priced at Dh999.
