In two weeks time, Motorola is set to reveal its latest modular smartphone – the Moto Z3 Play. We’ll also see the Moto Mods platform expanding further, with a purported 5G Moto Mods module set to debut as well.
While LG and Google have long thrown in the towel in the modular smartphone game, Motorola is holding the fort, now in its third generation. And it’s a strategy that has seemingly paid off, now with an expansive range of interesting modules to boot.
The Lenovo-owned company made a promise to support Moto Mods for three generations, and it has so far kept its promise.
According to a leaked internal Lenovo document detailing the Moto Z3 Play, the phone will the one of the thinnest premium smartphones in the market. This does come at a cost. The Z3 Play will only have a 3,000mAh battery, the same as its predecessor the Z2 Play but substantially smaller than the original Z Play at 3,510mAh.
Funnily enough, the point of the “Play” version was always to serve users who didn’t mind a thicker phone but having bigger battery capacity.
But nonetheless, you can always slap on a battery Mod, which is the beauty of the platform.
The upcoming Moto Z device will pack a Snapdragon 636 chipset, mated to 4GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB of storage, with microSD support.
It will feature a near-bezel-less 6-inch 18:9 Max Vision FHD+ AMOLED display, in line with the current trend of smartphones.
Motorola brings a 12MP dual-camera system to the Z3 Play, with a pretty average 8MP selfie-shooter.
Interestingly, the Z3 Play features a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, as seen on Sony Xperia flagships. It is unclear how well this works, but in any case, the device will also support Face Unlock and other standard authentication methods.
The device will offer TurboPower charging that promises “half a day’s power in half an hour.”
On the software side of things, the Moto Z3 Play will run Android 8.1 Oreo, and as you would expect will be stock-ish Android with some Moto additions and customisations.
These additions include Moto Display, Moto Experiences for smarter and easier shortcuts to features, and Moto Voice.
The Z3 Play will also have some new trickery in the camera department. The device will come with the ability to create “cinemagraphs,” much like Apple’s Live Photos. It will also offer other creative effects to add to your photos.
Portrait mode will be offered with both the front and rear cameras – a handy feature, though not a surprise these days.
A neat feature is spot colour, where you can pick a colour in the photo you’ve shot and turn the rest into black-and-white. It’s a creative feature, but nothing new.
Moto Mods
XDA has also revealed some of the Moto Mods that will come with the Moto Z3 Play. Apparently they will be paired with different “editions” of the phone. Here are some expected bundles:
- Moto Z “Power” Edition: Bundled Battery Moto Mod
- Moto Z “Style” Edition: Bundled Style Shell
- Moto Z “Gamepad” Edition: Bundled Gamepad Mod
- Moto Z “Projection” Edition: Bundled 70-inch Projector Mod
The latest leak also reveals a 5G Moto Mod that will bring 5G connectivity to the Moto Z series. The mod looks quite thick and features an antennae lip at the top.
There is no price indication on the Z3 Play nor the Moto Mods, but judging from its predecessors, the Z3 Play will likely be sold for under MYR2,000.
Motorola no longer lists the Z2 Play in its line-up, at least in Malaysia, but if you’re interested, you can still pick one up from Lazada from as low as MYR1,499. Do check out the Motorola Official Store for Moto Mods and other Moto devices.
Stay tuned for 6 June 2018.
Source: XDA-Developers
