Moto Z2 Force – A rock solid rock star [Review]

Motorola’s premier lineup of Mobiles, Z series is now back in news. The newest addition is the Moto Z2 Force. The highlight of the Z Series has always been its svelte design and Moto Mods. The earlier versions of Moto Z has been expensive and they lacked top end specifications. The only reason to buy them had been the Moto Mods. But with Z2 Force, it has got more than Moto Mods to excite us. So let us dive in and check it out.

In the Box

• Moto Z2 Force
• 15 Watt Turbo Charger
• In-Ear Headphones
• USB C Cable
• USB C to 3.5mm Adapter
• User Manuals
• Turbo Power Battery pack – Moto Mods (Worth Rs 5999)

Price and Availability

Moto Z2 Force is priced at Rs 34,999 for the 6GB RAM and 64 GB variant. It comes with a Turbo Power Battery pack Moto Mod. It will be available exclusively on Flipkart and will be an open sale.

Design

Moto Z2 Force is a mobile that is built like a tank. It has a top grade aluminum body and a Motorola proprietary Shatterproof display: ShatterShield. Now that is Reason No 1 to buy the mobile. It is a very thin mobile and feels very light and yet a solid mobile in the hand. During my review period, I dropped the mobile twice from a height of about 4 feet, accidentally and the mobile now does not show any signs of that accident. It is a very sturdy mobile that can take shocks and drops. It has a USB C type port at the bottom. The top has a hybrid SIM card slot and a noise canceling mic. The volume and power buttons are on the right. It lacks a 3.5 mm audio jack, but the box comes with a 3.5mm adapter.

The 5.5-inch display on the front is protected by a Shatterproof screen which is made of plastic and yet it feels very premium. We will talk about the display in detail, later. The fingerprint sensor is at the bottom along with the mic. The fingerprint sensor is fast and accurate. Above the display is the earpiece under which the speaker is fitted. But the speaker is powerful and can reach loud volumes without distortion.

The back has a camera bump to house the dual cameras and the dual LED flash. The bump has now become an identity for Moto mobiles. But the bump on Z2 has a functional relevance. This notch is where the moto mods latch on to. Moto Z2 force is not IP rated water or dust resistant. Like many Moto mobiles, it has a nano-coating for water splash resistant. Holding or handling the mobile is very comfortable and the thin form of this mobile adds to the comfort. It is a stylish, study premium mobile.

Display

Moto Z2 Force has a 5.5-inch P-OLED display and supporting 1440 x 2560 pixels resolution. The screen has an aspect ratio of 16:9, not that it is bad, but as we got used to 18:9 full view display, it looks mildly dated. But from display performance, it is one of the best P-OLED displays in this segment. It has very good viewing angles. The images and fonts are crisp and clear at any light conditions. It may not have an always-on display, but it has the Moto Display which is much more useful. Let us look at the Moto Display in detail in a later section. Moto Z2 Force’s display is an all-around package. Display quality is a very important part of any Mobile’s user experience and the Moto Z2 Force offers a pleasant user experience.

Moto Display

Moto Z2 Force has sensors on all sides that can detect an approaching hand. This is called the Moto Approach. As you approach the mobile or reach for it, the display shows time and all the notifications if any. This screen lights up as you get any notifications as well. The notifications are actionable. Without unlocking the mobile, the user can do a lot of actions on it, depending on the app that is sending in that notification. I found this very useful and it contributes to battery life as well. This is Reason No 2, that makes me appreciate this mobile.

Camera

Moto Z2 force has a dual 12 MP camera setup at the back and a 5 MP front-facing camera. The rear camera supports OIS and EIS for 1080p videos, though it can also shoot 4K videos. A twist of the mobile at any state can launch the camera app and another twist can switch to front camera. The Camera UI is simple and easy to use. It has pro mode, black and white mode, depth and panorama mode. The panorama mode can shoot vertical and also horizontal pan shots, which is a rare feature.

Quality of the images shot from this camera is highly satisfactory. The images are sharp and retain a lot of details. Under low light, the color reproduction is good and the noise levels are controlled. The brightness and contrast levels are the spot under ample light conditions. Under low light conditions, the exposure curve is fairly accurate thanks to the secondary 12 MP camera. The dedicated black and white sensor is used for the black and white shots. The contrast is deep and the images are punchy.

The mobile can shoot videos up to 4K and it has a very smooth Image stabilization algorithm even for the 4K videos. Overall, I believe that the Moto Z2 Force has got a complete package when it comes to camera and that is Reason No 3.

Hardware and Performance

Moto Z2 force has the latest processor from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 835. It has 6 GB of DDR4 RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. It has all the usual set of sensors. Some apps may show it does not have accelerometer or orientation sensor, but trust me, I have tested it out thoroughly. It has all the required sensor for VR, 360 videos and it is also Daydream compatible. It has NFC, BT 4.2 and dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac. This package gives me a buttery smooth performance. I have installed over 21 resource sensitive games on this mobile and also filled the memory to the brim. The mobile does not lag a bit. Gaming is also smooth. Loading games are fast and gameplay is also breezy with no frame drops. The heat never went beyond 38 degrees even after 2 hours of non-stop gaming. The latest Mobile from the Moto Z line up seems to have finally figured it out and we have a killer performer here.

Software

Moto Z2 Force runs on Android 8.0 Oreo with Stock UI skin. The mobile does not have any bloatware. Some of the native Android apps have been modified by Motorola, but otherwise, we get a clean stock UI experience. Stock UI experience may be clean, but the lack of interesting features and plain material visual design may strike you. But to address that point, Moto has an app called the Moto. This app has a lot of features built in. It has Moto Actions which can feature like one button navigation on the fingerprint scanner, chop torch, twist to open the camera, swipe for one-handed mode, Moto display approach, etc… Moto Display and Moto Voice are other interesting features that let you interact with your mobile with actions and voice control.

Moto Voice is Reason No 4 and it lets me open up any app on the mobile by just saying “Show me <app name>”. It is very minimal and non-intrusive feature. It works accurately and does not need much of training.

Battery

Now, this may be Reason No 5, but it is the most compelling reason to buy and own a Moto Z2 force. The mobile is a very thin mobile at just 6.1mm. Motorola has managed to squeeze in a 2730 mAh battery in it. It may sound very small in number, but the amount of software optimization that has gone in is phenomenal. Idle time battery consumption is almost ZERO. I have installed all the usual social media applications and yet, the battery is completely idle, when am not using the mobile. Features like Moto Display and Moto Voice may need the battery, but still, the software optimization takes care of their needs, without compromising on the battery life.

To sweeten the deal, the Turbo Power pack Mod with a 3490 mAh battery, adds up to a whopping 6220 mAh of combined battery power. The mod is bundled with the mobile. It can charge the mobile as fast as a 15W turbocharger. It has a bunch of options to control the charging, while the mod is slapped on it. Even with the mod, the mobile is manageable and not too bulky to use.

Verdict

The earlier generation of Moto Z mobiles was good on design and brilliant with the idea of Moto Mod. But they lacked something or the other. But the Moto Z2 force is a complete package. Yes. the Moto Z2 also lacks a few pointers like full vision display and IP rating. But looking at the other great features, especially the shatterproof screen which comes with a 4-year warranty and the phenomenal battery life, everything else is blown away. It is priced at Rs 34999 and will be available to buy from Flipkart in India. If you are looking to buy a rock solid mobile with a rock star performance, go for the Moto Z2 Force. Thank me later and you will never regret the decision.