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Moto Z and Moto Z Force unveiled with MotoMods

Manny Pham
June 9, 2016

Its finally official, after months of leaks Lenovo has finally confirmed the Moto Z and Moto Z Force with peripherals MotoMods.

Thankfully Lenovo dropped the god-awful codenames Vertex and Vector Thin, and instead dropped on us the Moto Z and Moto Z Force. The new Moto Z range are the first Moto devices under Lenovo’s stewardship. Leaks were accurate as Lenovo also announced new peripherals called MotoMods, at Lenovo Tech World.

Moto Z and Moto Z Force

moto z

The Moto Z is the typical flagship device and according to Lenovo, it is the world’s first, thinnest premium smartphone with a thickness of 5.2mm. How is it so thin? By beating Apple to it and dropping the 3.5mm headphone jack. The Moto Z Force also sees the headphone jack missing.

A 5.2-inch quad HD display is on-board, powered by a Snapdragon 820 and 4GB RAM. The camera has 13-megapixels, featuring optical image stabilisation and laser auto-focus.

There will be two internal storage options: 32GB and 64GB, which can be expanded via microSD up to an impressive 2TB.

moto z 1

The Moto Z Force has everything the Moto Z has, apart from the slim profile. It does however have a 3,500mAh battery, capable of lasting 15 hours after only 15 minutes of charge, thanks to Turbo Charge. True to the Force name, the Moto Z Force has a shatter shield screen which Lenovo claims is unbreakable.

It seems Lenovo heard about the complaints about theaverage camera on the Moto X Force and has give the Z Force a significant bump with a 21-megapixel camera, featuring: optical image-stabilisation, phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and laser autofocus.

Moto Mods

We finally see what Lenovo are paying Ashton Kutcher for, after his little cameo earlier on during the presentation. The MotoMod peripherals attach seamlessly using magnets onto both Moto Z devices, without restarts or removing the battery. It’s also due to the MotoMods, Lenovo are shaving off every millimetre they can off the device, as it does add extra bulk.

Insta-Share Projector: was the first MotoMod on showcase, with the ability to project 70-inches of mobile content. Resolution is at 854x 480, not HD but then again it is a projector. It also has a built-in battery with adjustable viewing angles.

JBL Soundboost Speaker: is a speaker that turns tinny output into loud bass filled audio worthy of a Jamie Vardy party. It can last an impressive 10 hours of play time thanks to the 1,000mAh battery

Incipio offGRID Power Pack: this must have been Lenovo’s first idea when planning the MotoMods, a peripheral that extends battery life. This power pack will add 2,200mAh of power to the 2,600mAh Moto Z and the 3,500mAh Moto Z Force.

Style Shells: technically defined as a MotoMod but does not add any functionality. Simply an aesthetic upgrade if you get bored of the all-metal body. Doesn’t seem to add much bulk to the already slim Moto Z devices.

Lenovo has confirmed present MotoMods and future MotoMods, will be compatible with future Moto Z devices. A confirmation of future-proofing will only add more consumer confidence in the new Moto Z line and its MotoMods.

$1 million is promised to the developer who creates the next killer MotoMod.

The Moto Z, Moto Z Force and MotoMods will be available in the US this summer exclusively through Verizon. A worldwide release will rollout in September.

For more on Lenovo, visit What Mobile’s dedicated Lenovo page.  

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