![]() The volume controls are separated into two flat buttons above the screen lock key. I'd call the button a little small, but the travel and feedback are very good. It has a ridged texture to help it stand apart from the other two buttons. The lowest of the three is the screen lock key. Of note, if you turn on the fingerprint reader navigation controls, the screen-based buttons go away.Ī trio of buttons are perched high on the right edge of the phone. Once you do, the fingerprint reader acts like a trackpad and allows you to navigate back or access the app switcher when you swipe left or right, respectively. You'll need to turn to on the features using the Moto App. Similar to the Moto E4, the Z2 Play's fingerprint reader doubles as a navigation tool. The actual nav cluster comes and goes as needed on the screen itself. It's far more usable than the small square reader on last year's phone. Perhaps the biggest improvement in design rests on the phone's chin: the Z2 Play has a nice, oval-shaped fingerprint reader that's easy to find and use. I wish the display were as black as the thick bezels surrounding it, but it's not. The user-facing camera is hard to spot, while the "moto" logo (yes, lowercase "m") is painted on between the earpiece and the top edge of the display. ![]() You'll easily spot the two-tone LED selfie flash in the top-left corner. The black glass fills out the front nicely. The Z2 Play's face doesn't deviate from the Motorola playbook much. The glass, metal, and polycarbonate components all fit together cleanly and with precision. Nothing about the phone feels cheap or flimsy. I'm impressed by the rigidity of the frame and how tightly all the pieces are assembled. It's so close in quality to the Z Droid that you could easily mistake the Z2 Play for Motorola's flagship. The materials and build quality are excellent. The phone is slim enough that it slips into pockets with ease. I appreciate the Z2 Play's drop in weight (from 5.82 ounces to 5.11 ounces), but the weight loss won't matter much if you snap a battery pack or other heavy Mod onto the back. We can't pretend the Z2 Play is small - many people will still need two hands to interact with it - but there's no doubt in my mind that it's a more usable handset than the original. At the same time, the frame takes on a deeper curved shape that works with the thinner profile to make the Z2 Play more comfortable to hold and use. ![]() (Motorola sort of designed itself into a corner here.) Even so, Motorola trimmed the fat lining the Z Play's waistline, giving the Z2 Play a slimmer 6mm chassis. Keep in mind, the Moto Mods accessories demand a certain footprint, and all the Mods-compatible phones share similar (big) dimensions. The Z2 Play is slightly smaller and lighter than the Z Play. The Z2 Play is a good looking phone and it comes across as stronger and less delicate than the original. (Motorola will sell the Z2 Play in more colors later this summer.) The gray paint on the frame has a nice visual texture to it. I like the gray-on-gray coloring of our review unit, though Verizon also sells the Z2 Play in gold. The aluminum frame wraps all the way around the phone and has attractive chamfers along the edges that give it a little extra pizzazz. Motorola picked 2.5D glass for the front of the Z2 Play, though the curved edge is somewhat buried in the frame. This year's phone drops the fragile glass rear panel in favor of an attractive metal plate. As much as I liked the metal-and-glass chassis of last year's Z Play, the twin glass panels left the original more exposed to breakage. Thankfully, there's a lot to like about this second-generation, affordable smartphone from Motorola.įor example, the Z2 Play's design is better than the original. It would be easy to write off the Z2 Play as a minor spec bump to last year's excellent Z Play. The Z2 Play makes the most sense for those who may have already invested in several Mods, but it's also a good buy for just about anyone who needs a solid everyday performer. ![]() The Moto Z2 Play is a mid-range handset that's compatible with Motorola's collection of Moto Mods accessories. ![]()
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