At the ongoing Lenovo Tech World 2016, the Chinese giant has officially unveiled two new smartphones under the Moto branding: the Moto Z and Moto Z Force. Naturally, these two devices are high-end, flagship smartphones; the latter even has a shatterproof display.
As high-end devices, both the Moto Z and Moto Z Force feature flagship-level specifications. These include a 5.5-inch QHD AMOLED display, a very capable Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor paired with 4GB of RAM, up to 64GB of expandable storage, a fingerprint sensor, and what Lenovo touts to be the “world’s fastest charging.” According to the company, users can get up to 15 hours of usage with only 15 minutes of charging with the Moto Z.
Lenovo also introduced Moto Mods with the unveiling of the Moto Z series. Essentially, these are accessories that attach to the back of the smartphones magnetically; Lenovo emphasised that these Mods will have a very secure connection with the Moto Z despite only relying on magnetism. Other than that, the Moto Mods are also hot-swappable: users won’t have to switch off the device in order to connect to the different Mods offered.
In comparison to the Moto Z, the Moto Z Force has several notable differences. These include a larger 3,500mAh battery (the Moto Z has a more modest 2,600mAh battery), a shatterproof display, and a 21MP rear camera (13MP f/1.8 rear shooter with optical image stabilisation on the Moto Z). However, the extra battery capacity of the Moto Z Force does come at a sacrifice: it is thicker at 7mm, while the Moto Z has a razor thin 5.2mm body. Of course, this also means the Moto Z does not have a 3.5mm audio jack; users will have to rely on the included adapter that plugs into the USB-C port to get that functionality.
According to Lenovo, the Moto Z and Moto Z Force will be available worldwide from September 2016 onwards. Unfortunately, the retail prices of these two flagship devices have not been announced yet. Hopefully, it will be priced competitively; the modularity of the Moto Z and Moto Z Force is certainly a compelling feature.
Update: We have learned that the Moto Z Force will only be available in North America. Regardless, we will keep a close eye on the local availability of the Moto Z.
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