Phones Lenovo Moto Z, modular phone (2016)

[Surf Donkey]

http://www.droid-life.com/2016/06/09/moto-z-moto-z-force-specs-official/

Go ahead and lock this mods, but we have a thread for every other Android phone in this section. We don't need to merge this with a front page article with Apple drones responding how Motorola ripped off their rumor. We are in this section to stay away from that garbage.

That all said, not a sexy phone, cool innovation. Looking forward to seeing how it does. Probably not far as a Verizon exclusive. But they are promising future compatibility of the mods, so looking forward to seeing where the unlocked version goes.

Loving the innovation we are getting this year. It was getting pretty boring out there. Plus they are offering one million to the developer of the best mod. That should bring out some interesting stuff:
https://twitter.com/nickstatt/status/740985271898898433

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Moto...snap-on-modules-for-added-awesomeness_id81999

For those that don't like the hump, I do think a Style shell is meant to be used with this phone to customize the back.

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Thes...Z-Style-Shells-and-they-look-gorgeous_id82012

 

[epicrayban]

Go ahead and lock this mods, but we have a thread for every other Android phone in this section. We don't need to merge this with a front page article with Apple drones responding how Motorola ripped off a their rumor. We are in this section to stay away from that garbage.

100% this. I don't understand why phones can't have their own threads in the Alt section.

 

[nj-morris]

It might be lacking in some areas, such as battery, but I'm still seriously impressed. 5.2mm? This thing is even lighter than the iPhone 6, and that's a 4.7-inch phone. The fact that they could even fit that battery size in such a small body blows me away. And for those of you complaining about the headphone jack, there's an adaptor in the box.

And if that's not your thing, at least they give you a choice of a shatterproof phone with a 3500mAh battery.

Oh, and also, does anybody know what 2GB/64GB means?

 

[spriter]

I like this method of modular add-ons. Quick and easy without compromising the main body. Certainly more elegant than LG's interpretation.

Headphones... I'm using BT more and more but the adapter is at least there. Would probably prefer if a 3.5mm jack was still there but it is what it is.

A bit wary of the super thin model - been there with a 5mm Oppo R5 with a 5.2 inch amoled panel that didn't last much longer than lunch (also no headphone jack). I guess it's gonna up sell the motomod battery.

I'm more interested in the Force but looks like it's US and carrier specific only.

 

[ozaz]

I like the modular add-ons. Seems to be the right way to do it.

But I'm not interested in a 5.5" phone. If there were a 5" model I'd be interested.

 

[Surf Donkey]

[doublepost=1465512649][/doublepost]Moto Z Force hands-on: Built to last, this is the flagship to watch

http://www.technobuffalo.com/2016/0...-built-to-last-this-is-the-flagship-to-watch/

Also, once again, another company keeping the OS pretty true to stock. Awesome to see!

The interface is basically stock Android 6 Marshmallow, with some add-on Motorola apps, like the rounded clock widget. Motorola eliminated virtually all redundancy with many applications, Google Photos, Google Contacts, and Calendar are all there, and no Motorola duplication.

 

[jamezr]

This is a very nice looking phone! I hope it does well. But man that camera bump......

 

[Surf Donkey]

 

[epicrayban]

The force is 100% exclusive to Verizon though. Unless I'm mistaken?

 

[Surf Donkey]

The force is 100% exclusive to Verizon though. Unless I'm mistaken?

It is for now... sucks big time. Verizon must have paid out BIG money for this.

But I look at it this way, cool innovation and if it takes off when version 2 come out, hopefully they don't need the carrier subsidies.

 

[sevoneone]

So is the Z the replacement for the X, or a new Model and a new Moto X may materialize? My daily phone is a 2014 MotoX, and a 2013 MotoX before that. I din't get a 2015 because I didn't want the larger screen and am still happy with the 2014 model. I have to say, I really do not think that this new phone is for me.

Beyond screen size, the sleek styling that was a trademark of the X is gone. The mods are cool and intriguing, but I just don't see myself actually making use of any of them. Why do I want a proprietary mobile projector that will only ever work with one model of phone, or a speaker for that matter? I have a nice Bose SoundTouch speaker at home and a cheapish waterproof bluetooth speaker for on the go. The only thing I'd ever use is a battery, at which point, I'll take a phone with a bigger internal battery. Also, no confirmation of stock Android or a Pure edition has me very very cautious.

It's a neat phone, I hope there is a market for it for Moto and Lenovo's sake, but it is not the phone for me. Will have to look at the new Moto G or maybe an Xperia compact for my next phone I think.

 

[Col4bin]

Monkey see, monkey do.

(Or, monkey hear rumor, monkey do.)

 

[Surf Donkey]

Sometimes I really miss the macrumors down arrow. Though people would get finger cramps using it on me around here

 

[spriter]

Monkey see, monkey do.

(Or, monkey hear rumor, monkey do.)

Oh it was more than rumour. The R5 and K1 ivvi mini have been out years without a 3.5mm headphone jack

 

[jamezr]

Oh it was more than rumour. The R5 and K1 ivvi mini have been out years without a 3.5mm headphone jack

Exactly....there were phones without a headphone jack before the apple rumors. There are phones with a headphone jack that are thinner than the iPhone and most current generation Android phones too.

 

[BlueGoldAce]

Monkey see, monkey do.

(Or, monkey hear rumor, monkey do.)

Right....one could say the same for apple too? Remember the whole "3.5 inch screen is the perfect size" thing? How about widgets, notifications, etc?

 

[MRU]

I actually don't like it myself, and i bought both last year's Moto X Style and Force .. as well as 2014 & 2013 Moto X's.

It does nothing for me aesthetically, i really dislike the chin and the Moto logo on the front and the square finger print sensor which clashes with the curves of the phone and the circular motifs on the back. A circular fingerprint sensor would at least echo it's own design cues with clock widget and camera hump. It leaves me bewildered from a design perspective. It aesthetically seems designed by committee and not by design engineers.

Sadly it's not got anything to redeem it's design or reduction in battery size to make me part with my money this year.

I am genuinely gutted as I loved owning the Moto X's in the past.

 

[Col4bin]

Right....one could say the same for apple too? Remember the whole "3.5 inch screen is the perfect size" thing? How about widgets, notifications, etc?

You're absolutely right. If we've learned anything about the mobile phone industry and competing brands, what goes around comes around eventually.

 

[Savor]

I think the "6.4 Lenovo Phab2 Pro looks more interesting. But maybe we should wait for the foldable displays next year and just skip the 6 inch and 7 inch range altogether. I don't want to get a phablet at 5.5-7 inches with a large slab when I can fold.

Modular designs and foldable displays do look to be future in a market that is becoming saturated and stale...

 

[epicrayban]

It is for now... sucks big time. Verizon must have paid out BIG money for this.

But I look at it this way, cool innovation and if it takes off when version 2 come out, hopefully they don't need the carrier subsidies.

I mean specifically the Force is Verizon exclusive. Permanently. No? My understanding is that only the regular moto z (not the Force one) will be available unlocked in the Fall. But not the Force.

They're both Verizon exclusives, but one of them is permanent.

Am I mistaken?

 

[lowendlinux]

This phone is the ugliest thing I've ever seen. What little respect I had for Lenovo is now gone.

 

[nj-morris]

Not available in the UK as far as I know. WTF Lenovo?!

 

[epicrayban]

It's sad that they couldn't get any other carrier to carry and to try to sell this phone. It has such a difficult hill to climb not being as exposed as Samsung or Apple or even HTC and LG phones.

It's gonna be tough for lenovo, I think to make this a success. Plus didn't they say recently that they're not seeing any real gain from the Motorola acquisition? Or something like that?

 

[BlueGoldAce]

It's sad that they couldn't get any other carrier to carry and sell this phone. It has such a difficult hill to climb not being as exposed as Samsung or Apple or seven HTC and LG phones.

It's gonna be tough for lenovo, I think to make this a success. Plus didn't they say recently that they're not seeing any real gain from the Motorola acquisition? Or something like that?

They actually made a decent profit with Motorola, but it didn't meet their expectations. This is Lenovo after all, by far the biggest PC manufacturer in the world. They have high expectations, as they are a highly profitable company. I imagine that Lenovo will be perfectly fine in the rest the world. Buying phones from other places in the carrier will take a while to gain traction United States, but if it ever does, it will spell big problems for the more expensive phone manufacturers.

 

[Surf Donkey]

I actually don't like it myself, and i bought both last year's Moto X Style and Force .. as well as 2014 & 2013 Moto X's.

It does nothing for me aesthetically, i really dislike the chin and the Moto logo on the front and the square finger print sensor which clashes with the curves of the phone and the circular motifs on the back. A circular fingerprint sensor would at least echo it's own design cues with clock widget and camera hump. It leaves me bewildered from a design perspective. It aesthetically seems designed by committee and not by design engineers.

Sadly it's not got anything to redeem it's design or reduction in battery size to make me part with my money this year.

I am genuinely gutted as I loved owning the Moto X's in the past.

I don't disgree with you at all as far as the departure from the Moto X. But what was Lenovo going to do? If they just put out another standard Moto phone, everyone would just say..... "well there goes Lenovo/Motorola. they can't compete with Samsung." It wouldn't have mattered if it had the same or better specs than the S7. Just look at the HTC 10. It is arguably the best flagship this year, but it likely won't sell well, because it is just another phone.

While the aesthetics are very off, I do see this as a prototype phone for new innovation. Something they felt they had to to do stay alive. Something the LG G5 tried and failed on first attempt. And for their first attempt, Lenovo has done it SO much better. As long as the pins stay the same on the back and they support the mods in future versions (as promised), this really could take off.

So they had to start making adjustments to design to fit with the mod plan:
1) Overall choice number 1... make it thin : they have to make it thin or any mods will make the phone look like a brick (and some still do even with the phone as thin as it is)
2) Large camera hump : Obviously this is due to the thinness, but I also think it has to protrude more to work with some of the mods attached. And with any mod attached, there is no longer a hump
3) The battery : I am actually impressed the size they fit in there with everything else going on including the mod connectors. Sure it is small, but most all mods have extra battery.
4) Finger print reader : This was a miss. Obviously it couldn't go on the back with the mods. Perhaps they should have just left it off? But then they would have been dismissed on poor security. The one they have is not good though. It should have been a capacitive button like the HTC 10. To have this scanner taking up room on the front but still have on screen buttons is really annoying.
5) The chin and bezels.... again, due to space. But I do wish there was space in there for navigation (see above)
6) No headphone jack. There is an adapter. I could personally care less about this. Might be a dealbreaker for some, but Apple and Samsung will be doing it in the next couple of years as well. So get over it.

Perhaps they should have made this a different phone and kept the X. But obviously Lenovo didn't see potential there and put everything into one basket. If this gets any traction, there will be a second revision, and I think it will be greatly improved.

The biggest mistake they made is Verizon exclusive. But perhaps the subsidies from that helped seed the prototype planning. But the issue is that when the "pure" edition comes out in Fall, it is against the Note, the Nexus and devices will be getting N. This is confirmed it will still ship with MM unlocked. So it will be in the rear view mirror for many.