Moto Z Play or spring for the Pixel?

[ohlauren]

Hello! I'm getting ready to replace my original Droid Turbo, and a couple days of research suggests I'd probably like the Moto Z line or the smaller Google Pixel best, but I'm having trouble making a decision.

My first instinct is to go for the Moto Z Play, since it's so much cheaper than the others - I'm in the US, on Verizon, and their website currently has it for $10 a month on their new payment plan thing, which works out to $240, which is a pretty damn good deal - and the battery life is apparently killer. The specs all sound pretty decent, not top of the line, but close enough for the price, and definitely an upgrade from my year old Turbo (which I'm only ditching because there's a loose connection in the speaker and I have to keep a binder clip on it to make sound and that's getting annoying). Buuut, it's a really large phone, and I have pretty small hands - the Turbo is generally a two-handed phone for me and the Zs I held are even wider (and feel disproportionately moreso), so that's a drawback.

The Google Pixel (not XL) is very tempting because it's smaller and felt great in my hand, and obviously the processing power and camera and Google-direct software are fantastic but I'm concerned about the battery life and lack of expandable storage - judging by how often I'm deleting things to make space currently with 32gb to work with (well, 23 after the os, which I believe would stay similar) that wouldn't cut it, so I'd pretty much have to go for the 128gb version, but adding another $100 on top of the already rather high price just seems like a lot, and still doesn't help with the battery life if that's lacking.

Sooo... thoughts? Does anyone have experience with both?
Would the battery life on the Pixel seem disappointing after the Droid Turbo? Am I going to notice the lower processing power on the Z Play if I don't have anything to compare it to? (Assume a fair amount of web browsing and social apps, lots of Netflix/streaming tv, and some puzzle/card games, occasionally more graphically intensive ones.) Is the Pixel worth the extra money or is the Play worth the extra width? If the battery life and fixed storage make the Pixel not worth it but the Moto Z Play isn't enough, is the Moto Z Force the answer? Or is there another phone I'm overlooking that is the perfect balance of power and battery life and size and price? (Don't say iPhone, I've tried them and hate iOS.)

 

[ohlauren]

Anybody?

 

[Morty2264]

Hi! Sorry for the delayed response!

To me, it seems that you have a tough choice on your hands - both options are really good! The Pixel is the phone of the year and the Moto Z line is stellar!

If I were to make a recommendation - obviously, based on my own biases - I would suggest you look at the Moto Z Play. If you're looking for a bargain and also for a great phone, you've got it made with the Play! My friend has the Play and is a hqrdcore gamer and so the battery, audio, and display of that phone are important! I've seen the Z and Z Play in person and the owners are going on about how wonderful the display is. It's a great bang for your buck. If you think it's going to be too big for your hands, you never know! You'll probably get used to it in a few days! Hold one in the store for a while and see how it feels!

Those are my two cents, but the decision is ultimately yours to make! Let us know if you have any further questions! Happy browsing!

 

[Ry]

Hello! I'm getting ready to replace my original Droid Turbo, and a couple days of research suggests I'd probably like the Moto Z line or the smaller Google Pixel best, but I'm having trouble making a decision.

My first instinct is to go for the Moto Z Play, since it's so much cheaper than the others - I'm in the US, on Verizon, and their website currently has it for $10 a month on their new payment plan thing, which works out to $240, which is a pretty damn good deal - and the battery life is apparently killer. The specs all sound pretty decent, not top of the line, but close enough for the price, and definitely an upgrade from my year old Turbo (which I'm only ditching because there's a loose connection in the speaker and I have to keep a binder clip on it to make sound and that's getting annoying). Buuut, it's a really large phone, and I have pretty small hands - the Turbo is generally a two-handed phone for me and the Zs I held are even wider (and feel disproportionately moreso), so that's a drawback.

The Google Pixel (not XL) is very tempting because it's smaller and felt great in my hand, and obviously the processing power and camera and Google-direct software are fantastic but I'm concerned about the battery life and lack of expandable storage - judging by how often I'm deleting things to make space currently with 32gb to work with (well, 23 after the os, which I believe would stay similar) that wouldn't cut it, so I'd pretty much have to go for the 128gb version, but adding another $100 on top of the already rather high price just seems like a lot, and still doesn't help with the battery life if that's lacking.

Sooo... thoughts? Does anyone have experience with both?
Would the battery life on the Pixel seem disappointing after the Droid Turbo? Am I going to notice the lower processing power on the Z Play if I don't have anything to compare it to? (Assume a fair amount of web browsing and social apps, lots of Netflix/streaming tv, and some puzzle/card games, occasionally more graphically intensive ones.) Is the Pixel worth the extra money or is the Play worth the extra width? If the battery life and fixed storage make the Pixel not worth it but the Moto Z Play isn't enough, is the Moto Z Force the answer? Or is there another phone I'm overlooking that is the perfect balance of power and battery life and size and price? (Don't say iPhone, I've tried them and hate iOS.)

First, I'd be wary of bill credit deals with any of the carriers.

It essentially locks you in for 24 months. While the Moto Z Play would end up costing only $240, the actual DPP amount is $408. You're getting a $7 credit on your monthly bill. If anything were to happen where you would want or need to use DPP again to by a phone with less up front cost, you'd have to pay off the full amount, not the discounted amount. (Example: 3 months in you really want to by an S8 on DPP, you'd owe $357)

I have the Moto Z Force Droid (which is similar in size to the Moto Z Play Droid) while my wife uses a Pixel (not XL) as her main phone. The Pixel has a much better feel to it.

Whenever someone asks about the Pixel, I always say that it takes the best photos in our use. It's quite amazing. If that's important to you, the Pixel is the choice.

32GB works fine for me with the Moto Z Force Droid and my wife with the Pixel because photos and video are the media types that take up extra space on our devices. Google Photos and it's unlimited backup feature manages this for us.

My wife gets a day's use out of the battery on the Pixel. The Moto Z Play Droid is a battery beast. If battery life is important to you, go Moto Z Play Droid.

If OS updates are important to you, go with the Pixel.

Also, Pixel might have delayed shipping. I'm not sure how well they're stocked in-store.

 

[ohlauren]

Thanks for the input guys! Yeah, I'm always wary of bill credit / rebate deals, and everything's always too good to be true! (Including that $10/mo deal on the play. It's only for new lines, but they don't say that anywhere actually visible, only if you hover over the right question mark on the detail page. Oh well.)

We've now opened up another can of worms, possibly switching from Verizon to T-Mobile to lower the monthly plan costs, which would also happen to save my mom about $100 on her phone outright ("Carrier Freedom" paying off her dpp on Verizon if she trades it in to them, and then buying the same model from them for a nice chunk less, even factoring in what she's already paid verizon she comes out ahead), and if I do get the Pixel and we switch soon enough, they're offering bill credits from bringing one in!

So if that happens, I'm leaning towards the Pixel. I'd have to pay for it up front, which would be a challenge, but would save me a good bit in the long run, so I could possibly justify going up to the 128gb and eventually buying a mophie-type battery case if I need it. If we stay with Verizon, I'm still not sure! The cost of the Pixel would be more managable on a payment plan than all at once but the Moto Z Play is still significantly cheaper for what still seems like a great machine, and that's an awfully tempting combo...