Moto Z Play Droid review: A mid-range modular phone with a headphone jack

The Moto Z and Moto Z Force are two of Lenovo/Motorola’s finest smartphones and its Moto Mods are the best shot at making modular phones a reality (at least until Google’s Project Ara launches next year). 

Joining the Z family is the new Moto Z Play Droid, an Android device with mid-range specs, a long-lasting battery and one feature the Z and Z Force don’t have: a headphone jack. 

Works with all Moto Mods 

A Verizon-exclusive in the U.S., the Z Play Droid eschews the Z and Z Force’s rigid metal design for a glass sandwich (a booming trend in the Android world).  

It still has the same magnetic pin system protruding out of the backside for interfacing with Moto Mods. It’s fully compatible with all existing Moto Mods, like the expensive portable projector, external speaker, battery pack and the new Hasselblad True Zoom camera attachment. 

IMAGE: RAYMOND WONG/MASHABLE

IMAGE: RAYMOND WONG/MASHABLE

In my opinion, the metal pins clash with the glass back. I much prefer the cohesive coldness of the exposed pins with the striped metal on the Z and Z Force. It’s not the ugliest design by any means (I like the the glass back look). It’s just not as sleek as its siblings. 

The massive camera hump is still an eyesore, but like I said when I reviewed the Z and Z Force, it’s easily mitigated by throwing on a Moto Shell Case (sold separately) to make the entire backside flush. 

The middle sibling 

The screen’s the same 5.5 inches, but with a lower full HD (1,920 x 1,080) resolution as opposed to a sharper Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440) resolution. It’s plenty sharp with 403 pixels per inch (ppi) and you won’t find many faults looking at it, but if you’re planning on using it with VR headsets like Google Cardboard or the Homido V2, you’re going to get a subpar viewing experience. 

The fingerprint sensor works but it's no home button.

IMAGE: RAYMOND WONG/MASHABLE

Below the screen is the same squircle-shaped fingerprint sensor like on the Z and Z Force and G4 and G4 Plus. It’s super responsive and long-pressing it to lock the screen is still handy. The only downside is it’s still not a home button. Pressing it expecting it to bring you back to the homescreen is a lost cause. The fingerprint sensor is also useful for buying things with Android Pay. 

The Z Play Droid’s no powerhouse with its Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor and 3GB of RAM. While it’s not in the same league as the beefier Z and Z Force, it’s good enough to play Pokémon Go and take all the Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook you throw at it. It’s not like most people are using their phones to build rocket ships for NASA or anything. 

As always, Lenovo’s kept Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow mostly stock with a few of its own Motorola twists such as the quick camera launch (double twist gesture) and quick flashlight (double chop gesture). There’s also Moto Display, Actions and Voice, which provide a more contextually-aware phone experience. 

So much bloatware.

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Excessive bloatware is still an issue. Most of them are from Verizon and third-party apps you’ll want to either immediately remove or disable. Bloatware is the cost when phone makers sign a deal with the carriers and they care more about their own partnership interests than pleasing customers. You know, the people who are supposed to pay money for these things. 

Pull out the nano SIM card tray and you’ll also a find a microSD card slot to expand the 32GB of internal storage up to a theoretical 2TB (256GB cards are the largest currently available and they’re kinda pricey). 

The Z Force Droid is equipped with a 16-megapixel camera on the back with dual-LED flash, laser autofocus and phase detection autofocus. The front camera is a 5-megapixel shooter with an LED flash.

IMAGE: RAYMOND WONG/MASHABLE

The cameras have always a weak point on Motorola smartphones and while the Z Force Droid takes good photos, they pale in comparison to what Samsung’s Galaxy S7, S7 Edge and Note7 are capable of. 

For video, the rear camera can shoot 4K video at up to 30 frames per second (fps) and slow-motion video at 720p resolution at 120 fps. 

As I mentioned earlier, battery life is pretty good on the Z Play Droid. Motorola claims it’s good for up to 50 hours on a charge with mixed usage. As a somewhat heavy user, I got around 40 hours on a charge, but as always, if you manage your phone settings well, you can squeeze more battery life from a single charge. Besides, the Z Play Droid supports quick charging with the included Turbo Charger which gives you up to 10 hours of battery life with 15 minutes of topping off via the reversible USB-C port. 

A modest modular phone 

IMAGE: RAYMOND WONG/MASHABLE

The success of modular phones depends on two things: tons of (hopefully affordable) modules that really make investing in the modular system worth it and lots of phone options to choose from.

Adding the Z Play Droid gives Lenovo and customers three choices to pick from. If the Moto Z’s battery is too thin and the Moto Z Force’s battery is too thick and both phones' lack of a headphone jack isn’t kosher to you, then maybe the $408 (full cost, payable in monthly installments) Z Play Droid is the one for you. 

The only thing high-end about the Z Play Droid might be its metal and glass design, but that’s okay because it’s not intended to compete with the S7 and iPhone 6S. It’s the modular phone for the masses who have a tighter budget ... if you’re on Verizon or plan to switch to it. (There will be an unlocked verison of the Z Play Droid available in October for $450.)

Moto Z Play Droid

The Good

Works with all Moto Mods • Long battery life • Includes a headphone jack • Water-repellent

The Bad

Weaker performance • So much Verizon bloatware • Average cameras • Fingerprint sensor still doesn’t work like a home button

The Bottom Line

The Moto Z Play Droid is a decent addition to the Moto Z modular family, but it isn’t a groundbreaking device.