Motorola’s updated Moto Z2 Play is ready to mod up

• Moto Z2 Play taps on the Moto Mod ecosystem of modular accessories
• Long battery life helps keep the phone going without having to worry about charging

MOTOROLA’S Moto Z, launched last year, was the company’s first attempt at making a truly modular phone. It has, in a way, become the spiritual successor of Google’s now defunct modular phone Project Ara.

Now Motorola has released an updated version of the Moto Z series in the form of the Moto Z2 Play in Malaysia.

The Moto Z2 gets a sleek ultra-slim aluminium unibody that is slimmer than its predecessor.

This mid-range handset features a 5.5-full HD Super Amoled display and runs on Android 7.1.1 with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 processor underneath. It is supported by 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage that users can expand up to 200GB via a microSD card.

The Z2 Play has some cool tricks up its sleeve with a fingerprint sensor that combines the home, back and recent app buttons all in one.

It also packs a 3,000Mah battery, oddly smaller than the previous Moto Z’s 3,510mAh battery, but all the same, Motorola claims the Moto Z2 Play can last up to 30 hours and gets seven hours of power from just 15 minutes of charging.

On the imaging side, the Z2 Play packs a 12-Megapixel rear camera and a 5-Megapixel front shooter.

According to Motorola, the Moto Z2 Play is available now in two colours: Lunar Gray and Fine Gold and retails at US$465 (RM1,999).

All about the mods

The Z2 Play’s claim to fame is its ability to accept all available Moto Mods from a 70-inch screen or adding a camera with 10x optical zoom.

In addition, Motorola has added a few new Mods to the mix. Among the new Mods that you can magnetically snap onto the back of the Z2 Play to enhance include the JBL SoundBoost 2 that now boasts a splash-proof body and 10 hour long built-in battery, TurboPower battery pack for additional battery stamina and the GamePad mod (due in Q3 2017) that adds a full game controller for more precise controls during gaming.

The new Mods include the Moto Turbo Power Pack and new style shells for the phone that grant it wireless charging capabilities.

According to Motorola, it’s Moto Mods have proved to be very popular in Malaysia with one in every two customers buying one of its higher end mods that include the Moto Insta-Share Projector and Hasselblad True Zoom Moto Mod.

“We are fully committed to the Moto Mods and aim to launch at least 12 new mods each year,” said Lenovo Mobile Business Group and Motorola Mobility executive director, general manager for Asean Augustin Becquet.

Becquet explained that Motorola studied the common features that people look for in a phone which were mainly better battery life and better camera features both of which are addressed by the TruePower battery pack and Hasselblad True Zoom Moto mod.

Motorola adds that it has adopted an open source approach to its mods allowing anyone to obtain the Moto Mod development kit to begin developing their own mod. Motorola has even challenged developers to bring their best ideas for mods by holding a competition to create the best new mods.

Some of the finalists in the competition include interesting ideas like a Walkie Talkie mod, Smart Wallet and a Solar Battery.

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