Motorola Moto Z Force - specs review

Hardware

A bustling spec sheet that checks all 2016 flagship smartphone marks.

Motorola wanted the best it could get for its flagship phone, so it splurged on components and didn't spare cash for components shopping. Thus, the Moto Z Force comes tricked out with Qualcomm's reputable Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, and up to 64GB of expandable UFS flash storage.

The Snapdragon 820, which features a quad-core CPU (up to 2.2GHz) and a powerful Adreno 530 GPU is in the company of a natural language and contextual computing processors. The latter are used for two convenient features you might have experienced on older Motorola phones. You can use voice commands to ask for directions, search for information, or get answers to your questions without touching your phone. Likewise, Moto Actions is a system for motion and gesture control. In this case, twisting your wrist opens the camera, two chops downward give you a flashlight, and place your phone face down enables Do Not Disturb modes for calls and notifications.


The battery unit which powers the Moto Z Force is a sizable 3500mAh one, which is supposed to be good for up to 40 hours of mixed usage (whatever this means). Moto knew what it was doing and included a TurboPower™ charger that nearly tops up the battery in only 15 minutes of charging. With a battery this big and fast to charge, along with a modern 14nm processor and energy-efficient AMOLED screen, we don't expect any major battery woes with the Z Force.

Other notable parts in the phone's heavyweight spec sheet include a fingerprint scanner on the front panel, an USB Type C port, and four microphones for superior sound reproduction and noise cancelation. That's a lot of hardware packed in this thin shell, but battery capacity isn't the only victim in Moto's quest for finesse. The 3.5mm audio jack had to go, too. To take the edge off from the realisation that your new phone has rendered your favorite pair of buds useless, Motorola sensibly included an USB Type C to 3.5mm jack adapter in the box. Plug in and enjoy the music!

Camera

The 21MP rear camera is supposed to focus very fast, while the 5MP front cam features a dedicated flash!

It's often the cameras that separate the men from the boys among smartphones. Thus, Motorola came up with a seriously busy camera setup that promises cutting-edge mobile photography. Its centerpiece is the 21MP rear camera whose bag of goodies includes a wide f/1.8 aperture, optical image stabilization, phase-detection laser-assisted autofocus, and a color-correlated temperature flash with dual LEDs. Flipping to the front side, the 5 MP selfie cam comes with a wide-angle lens, f/2.2 aperture, and a dedicated flash – one of the very few selfie cameras to have one.

With this camera setup, the Moto Z Force is capable of recording 1080p/60FPS and 4K/30FPS resolution videos, as well as slow motion videos and Video HDR.

Expectations

Initially, the Moto Z Force will be sold exclusively by Verizon, branded as the Moto Z Force DROID. Sales will begin this summer. A Moto Z Force Unlocked Edition will hit European markets in September, with American availability to follow later. Motorola isn't discussing prices yet, but it's a sure bet that the Moto Z Force will be more expensive than the regular Moto Z.

At first glance, the Moto Z Force checks all marks – fine looks, a big, sharp and shatter-proof display, a cutting edge processor, very powerful cameras, a big battery, and everything else you'd expect from a full-fledged flagship smartphone. Then there's the Moto Mods series of accessories, which will let you enhance the handset's capabilities in various clever ways.

The only smartphone that combines looks, durability, and power like the Moto Z Force is the AT&T-exclusive Samsung Galaxy S7 Active, but mind you, this one doesn't come with an obsessively-engineered shatter-proof screen. So the competition is clearly on – and may the more indestructible of the two win!