Phones Lenovo Moto Z, modular phone (2016)

[spinedoc77]

The mod system by Moto is very niche and will serve some people who want an expensive gimmick to carry around with them. I like how they just go on and off so easily. Very nicely done by Moto. I still think they are too expensive and don't really provide a usefulness to justify the cost and burden of carrying them around.

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016...gs-a-huge-price-increase-lame-modular-system/

$80 for the JBL mod isn't bad at all IMO. $80 is a good price for a decent Bluetooth speaker anyway. You also get more battery life and the kickstand. The projector is stupid expensive and can't wait until Moto gives them away because they didn't sell any.

 

[jamezr]

$80 for the JBL mod isn't bad at all IMO. $80 is a good price for a decent Bluetooth speaker anyway. You also get more battery life and the kickstand. The projector is stupid expensive and can't wait until Moto gives them away because they didn't sell any.

I was thinking a Bluetooth speaker would better for $80 and put out better and louder sound. Just my 2 cents. But I love the way the mods just snap on and off!

 

[spinedoc77]

I was thinking a Bluetooth speaker would better for $80 and put out better and louder sound. Just my 2 cents. But I love the way the mods just snap on and off!

Yeah you're probably right, it would face the right way as well. I just really dig the kickstand and extra battery life.

 

[MRU]

$80 for the JBL mod isn't bad at all IMO. $80 is a good price for a decent Bluetooth speaker anyway. You also get more battery life and the kickstand. The projector is stupid expensive and can't wait until Moto gives them away because they didn't sell any.

Problem is it's not a Bluetooth speaker. It will only work with the Z and Z force. If they had actually made it Bluetooth so it had functionality with other devices it would be better.

 

[spinedoc77]

Problem is it's not a Bluetooth speaker. It will only work with the Z and Z force. If they had actually made it Bluetooth so it had functionality with other devices it would be better.

I still think it's fairly reasonable since it has the kickstand and extra battery. But yeah universal Bluetooth would have made a lot of sense as well. Then you could attach it and use it, or you could detach it and face it towards you, or even use it on a different device.

 

[jamezr]

This sucks for everyone interested in the new Moto phones....

Motorola confirms that it will not commit to monthly security patches

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016...-will-not-commit-to-monthly-security-patches/

 

[MRU]

This sucks for everyone interested in the new Moto phones....

Motorola confirms that it will not commit to monthly security patches

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016...-will-not-commit-to-monthly-security-patches/

Especially if your paying €750 for a phone ...

 

[Fernandez21]

This sucks for everyone interested in the new Moto phones....

Motorola confirms that it will not commit to monthly security patches

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016...-will-not-commit-to-monthly-security-patches/

Seriously, can Lenovo screw up Motorola anymore than it has? Remember how refreshing the original Moto X was and how delightful it was to own, and how quickly it received updates? All a distant memory now.

My lack of faith in the Lenovo buyout is what caused me to drop my Moto X at the time, after having seen the same dance number when palm was bought out. When was the last time a buy out worked out for those being bought?

 

[jamezr]

Seriously, can Lenovo screw up Motorola anymore than it has? Remember how refreshing the original Moto X was and how delightful it was to own, and how quickly it received updates? All a distant memory now.

My lack of faith in the Lenovo buyout is what caused me to drop my Moto X at the time, after having seen the same dance number when palm was bought out. When was the last time a buy out worked out for those being bought?

Those are valid points. The Moto X and Pure was great running almost stock Android with quick updates almost as soon as Google released them. But Lenovo has quickly put it's stamp on Moto and not in a good way at all.
I was going to look at the Moto X when Verizon lost it's exclusive rights. But I might not now....

 

[co.ag.2005]

Seriously, can Lenovo screw up Motorola anymore than it has? Remember how refreshing the original Moto X was and how delightful it was to own, and how quickly it received updates? All a distant memory now.

My lack of faith in the Lenovo buyout is what caused me to drop my Moto X at the time, after having seen the same dance number when palm was bought out. When was the last time a buy out worked out for those being bought?

According to DL, this is the way it's been for a while. It looks like they roll security updates into larger updates. Still sucks, but I wasn't aware of this until I read the article.

http://www.droid-life.com/2016/07/26/moto-z-wont-get-monthly-security-updates-never-expected/

 

[spinedoc77]

Seriously, can Lenovo screw up Motorola anymore than it has? Remember how refreshing the original Moto X was and how delightful it was to own, and how quickly it received updates? All a distant memory now.

My lack of faith in the Lenovo buyout is what caused me to drop my Moto X at the time, after having seen the same dance number when palm was bought out. When was the last time a buy out worked out for those being bought?

Lenovo is terrible, they take everything and screw it up, then try to charge a premium for it. They are the Sony of this decade. We are definitely going to miss the Google days of Motorola and the creativity they demonstrated. I can't believe that with the premium spent they wouldn't do security updates.

 

[jamezr]

Lenovo is terrible, they take everything and screw it up, then try to charge a premium for it. They are the Sony of this decade. We are definitely going to miss the Google days of Motorola and the creativity they demonstrated. I can't believe that with the premium spent they wouldn't do security updates.

yeah...they say they are going to wait and roll them up with OS updates and the like. But how long will that take? Will it be every quarter or twice a year or yearly? Big unknown right now. So if there is an security exploit found Lenovo might not patch it for months......

 

[MRU]

Very in depth review over on Android Police.

http://www.androidpolice.com/2016/07/26/moto-z-review/

Just posting the conclusion, but it's definitely worth reading the full review.

----------------
" CONCLUSION

When it comes down to it, these aren't bad phones. They aren't great ones, either. I don't think that I can recommend the Moto Z or Moto Z Force in their current state, especially when you consider the pricing. You're looking at $624 for the Moto Z and $720 for the Moto Z Force. That's Galaxy S7 money, and that phone doesn't practically beg for a raft of expensive "modular" accessories.

I want Motorola to convince me Moto Mods make sense, but the examples we have so far don't do that.

The design of the Moto Z series is based on the premise that Mods are necessary, and they just aren't. All of the design features I liked about Motorola phones in recent years have been dropped in the interest of making the Mods work, which seems like a decision aimed at making money on accessories more than making a good phone. I want Motorola to convince me Moto Mods make sense, but the examples we have so far don't do that.

The only one I can see a real argument for is the Power Pack, but that's because the Moto Z was designed to be thin and have a small battery. Still, attaching that Mod makes the phone heavy and unpleasant to use.

There are things to like about the Moto Z despite all that. The Z and Z Force are very fast phones, and the version of Android they run is clean and has useful features. Verizon's bloat is annoying, but at least the unlocked version won't have that. Although, the Force will remain a Verizon exclusive. Only the regular Moto Z will be available unlocked.

Don't get me wrong; I like that Motorola is taking risks with smartphones. I just wish the risk wasn't such a blatant cash grab in this case. If one of the Mods is for some reason exactly what you've been waiting for, and you don't mind the price, by all means go for it. Likewise, if you just think the snap-on accessory thing is cool and want to take a risk, this is the phone to get. For everyone else, you should at least wait to see if Motorola can release some more compelling Mods."

 

[nj-morris]

Lenovo is terrible, they take everything and screw it up, then try to charge a premium for it. They are the Sony of this decade. We are definitely going to miss the Google days of Motorola and the creativity they demonstrated. I can't believe that with the premium spent they wouldn't do security updates.

No, for now I think that Sony are the Sony of this decade. I don't think that they will last much longer though.

 

[jamezr]

Engadet on the Moto Z line. Take them with a grain of salt.
Curious to see them list the lack of headphone jack as a negative. Wonder if they will do the same when they review the new iPhones?

https://www.engadget.com/2016/07/31/moto-z-and-z-force-mini-review/

 

[Chazz08]

Lenovo is terrible, they take everything and screw it up, then try to charge a premium for it. They are the Sony of this decade. We are definitely going to miss the Google days of Motorola and the creativity they demonstrated. I can't believe that with the premium spent they wouldn't do security updates.

I actually think this phone may have been from when Google owned Motorola. There's no way Lenovo could have come up with this that quickly. They haven't even owned Motorola a year, yet. I don't think they have, anyway. I should looke that up. Haha.
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Engadet on the Moto Z line. Take them with a grain of salt.
Curious to see them list the lack of headphone jack as a negative. Wonder if they will do the same when they review the new iPhones?

https://www.engadget.com/2016/07/31/moto-z-and-z-force-mini-review/

I haven't had any issues not having a headphone jack. I just leave the adapter on the ones I have, and with the great battery, I've never had to have it plugged in when listening to music or watching YouTube. It hasn't bothered me at all. I wasn't sure if it would, but I've been pleasantly surprised.

 

[epicrayban]

Unlocked moto z pre orders start September 15.

$699 -- I don't know, Lenovo...

 

[M5RahuL]

I loved my ThinkPads when they still were under IBM.

Ever since Lenovo bought ThinkPad, it went the way of do do!!

 

[jamezr]

Unlocked moto z pre orders start September 15.

$699 -- I don't know, Lenovo...

They do seemed to be overpriced. Then add the cost of the mods? Pretty expensive for what you get imho

 

[epicrayban]

They do seemed to be overpriced. Then add the cost of the mods? Pretty expensive for what you get imho

Both Lenovo and HTC with the pricing... =T

 

[nj-morris]

Unlocked moto z pre orders start September 15.

$699 -- I don't know, Lenovo...

RIP Motorola. You are dearly missed.

 

[Three141]

I had not given Motorola a chance in my short list but the moto z and moto 360 have got me interested. i'll see what Microsoft and Apple bring but switching to Motorola is a real option.

I also like the Asus Zen watch pretty good design.

 

[MRU]

Pricing is not the greatest this side of the Atlantic.

It's not available here on ANY carriers so there is no subsidised pricing.

Moto Z is €700-750

Moto Z Play (the midrange edition) is €450-500

€450-500 seems an awful lot of money for a snapdragon 652 in today's Android world.

 

[epicrayban]

This phone will be forgotten. Motorola has a chance to capitalize on Samsung's note 7 mess, but they probably just don't have the marketing power to do so. It's a shame.

Also, that starting price, same mistake HTC made with the HTC 10. Just my prediction.

 

[phoneguy265]

http://www.theverge.com/2016/10/1/13122260/motorola-moto-z-play-review-good-battery

The Moto Z Play from Lenovo has the best battery life of any smartphone I’ve ever used. It’s so good and so superior to the competition that this — the third member of the Moto Z family — just became my top recommendation if battery life is your most important criteria in choosing a smartphone.

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This phone will be forgotten. Motorola has a chance to capitalize on Samsung's note 7 mess, but they probably just don't have the marketing power to do so. It's a shame.

Also, that starting price, same mistake HTC made with the HTC 10. Just my prediction.

Actually it is making some.nice momentum now that's it is unlocked it seems. This will be my next phone if the Pixel disappoints.