Moto Z vs. S7 Edge - My Comparison

[jeepentj]

I buy a lot of phones - about five per year. This year, I've had the S7, S7 Edge, G5 and now the Moto Z. I also have the Note 7 on order. I wanted to provide a quick comparison of the Moto Z to the S7 Edge (the best phone I've used this year). It's purely my opinion and am posting to maybe help somebody who is on the fence on which phone to buy.

Points for the Moto Z
- Speed: I know the internals are similar but the Moto Z is just much zippier. I'm not a benchmark guy, but the difference in my opinion is very noticeable in day to day use. Frankly, this surprised me.
- Battery life: Although the S7 Edge battery life is really good, I think the Moto Z may be even slightly better.
- Moto Mods - I flat out love them mostly because I'm just a gadget guy. I bought all three.
- Screen: I am not a fan of the curved screen and having used the S7 Edge for the last couple of months, it's nice to use a phone with a traditional (flat) screen.
- I love knowing the screen won't shatter. I'm still going to use tempered glass just to ensure it won't get any surface scratches but this is a sense of security that no other phone offers.

Points for the S7 Edge
- Camera. This is really, the only disappointment to me with this phone. With the S7 Edge, I know almost any picture I take is crisp and clear. Not so with the Moto. In my opinion, the delta is quite noticeable in all pictures with the exception of those taken in bright sunlight.
- Feel: Even though I love the feel of the phone, it's actually a little bit more slippery with the moto back on it than when it's naked. Probably a personal preference but worth mentioning. The phone is also a bit heavier than S7. Not much but noticeable.
- Waterproof. I know the Moto Z is splashproof but I enjoy taking my S7 into the pool and take solace knowing if I drop it, it'll survive.
Screen: The Moto Z screen is great and perfectly fine for use... until you compare it to a Samsung screen. Again though, the Moto Z is perfectly fine for every day use.

I usually don't post my thoughts on phones. I did for this one because frankly, I think the Moto Z is a better phone than some of the reviews make it out to be. If somebody were to ask me which one to buy, I'd fire back one question to then: how important is the camera to you? If it's super important, go S7. If not, you'll love the Moto Z.

 

[JHStewart1023]

Moto phones are usually hugely underrated period. I like them but i prefer my galaxy s7edge. I too have had the s7, lg5, htc10,note 5, even the iphone 6s plus and the nexus 6p. I like the Ui of Samsung... and the customization of android. A jailbroken iphone is just an iPhone running android apps basically. Or at least thats the feel i get from it. But my kids run on moto phones and my hand me downs and theyre sound and good quality.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[jeepentj]

Yeah, I would agree that the Moto phones are underrated. I like Touchwiz but frankly, it seems to negatively impact the speed of the phone a little bit.

I truly think the Z is a camera away from being perfect.

 

[bpe4]

Speed, storage, screens... these days with all the flagships, it's all a wash. To me, it really comes down to the 'feel' and the battery life. The uniqueness of the MOD system for the Moto Z also really sets it apart from the other flagships. (I won't even acknowledge the bad LG5 mod implementation).

I also had the S7 Edge for around 2 months before I sold it. No doubt it's a fine phone, and the battery life was stellar, but the edges really began to bother me, and I discovered I really like the feel of a traditional flat screen as well as a flat back. I.E.. phones similarly shaped as iphone's or Sony's Xperia line.. It's really a personal thing, but to me the Moto Z's shape is perfect.

The only thing I haven't experienced yet is stellar battery life. This is only Day 3, so I've gone through only a few full battery cycles, so I'm still trying to get a handle on the battery drain.

 

[anon(5630457)]

I buy a lot of phones - about five per year. This year, I've had the S7, S7 Edge, G5 and now the Moto Z. I also have the Note 7 on order. I wanted to provide a quick comparison of the Moto Z to the S7 Edge (the best phone I've used this year). It's purely my opinion and am posting to maybe help somebody who is on the fence on which phone to buy.

Points for the Moto Z
- Speed: I know the internals are similar but the Moto Z is just much zippier. I'm not a benchmark guy, but the difference in my opinion is very noticeable in day to day use. Frankly, this surprised me.
- Battery life: Although the S7 Edge battery life is really good, I think the Moto Z may be even slightly better.
- Moto Mods - I flat out love them mostly because I'm just a gadget guy. I bought all three.
- Screen: I am not a fan of the curved screen and having used the S7 Edge for the last couple of months, it's nice to use a phone with a traditional (flat) screen.
- I love knowing the screen won't shatter. I'm still going to use tempered glass just to ensure it won't get any surface scratches but this is a sense of security that no other phone offers.

Points for the S7 Edge
- Camera. This is really, the only disappointment to me with this phone. With the S7 Edge, I know almost any picture I take is crisp and clear. Not so with the Moto. In my opinion, the delta is quite noticeable in all pictures with the exception of those taken in bright sunlight.
- Feel: Even though I love the feel of the phone, it's actually a little bit more slippery with the moto back on it than when it's naked. Probably a personal preference but worth mentioning. The phone is also a bit heavier than S7. Not much but noticeable.
- Waterproof. I know the Moto Z is splashproof but I enjoy taking my S7 into the pool and take solace knowing if I drop it, it'll survive.
Screen: The Moto Z screen is great and perfectly fine for use... until you compare it to a Samsung screen. Again though, the Moto Z is perfectly fine for every day use.

I usually don't post my thoughts on phones. I did for this one because frankly, I think the Moto Z is a better phone than some of the reviews make it out to be. If somebody were to ask me which one to buy, I'd fire back one question to then: how important is the camera to you? If it's super important, go S7. If not, you'll love the Moto Z.

I sold my S7 edge yesterday at Best Buy and I picked up the Moto Z Force Droid and I must say, I like this phone better. I'm a heavy user and battery life is really important to me. I love the Incipio Offgrid Power Pack motomod! It's really thin against the phone. I hardly even notice that I'm using a battery pack. I had the mophie juice pack for my S7 edge and it was massive. I had the LG G5 for a week earlier this year and the moto does mods so much better. I love that the mods are hot swappable. I don't know why any company would bother making mods for the G5, to be honest.

The camera on the Z Force seems fine to me. DxOMark gave it a score of 87. The S7 edge has a score of 88. They're pretty close in quality. The S7 edge took slightly better lowlight photos and it had quicker focus.

I hated the blue hue that was on the edge screen on the S7 edge. I didn't even use the edge features because they were pretty pointless.

My only complaint about the Z Force is that it doesn't have an IP68 rating. It's splashproof so that is good enough for me.

I have 13 days to return this phone if I don't like it. I may switch it out for the Note7, but I honestly don't see that happening. I love this phone too much.

 

[1901Madison]

Interesting points. Thanks for the comparison.

 

[rushmore]

Seems perhaps a par comparison is the Force and Note 7, since same size segment. I have only used both in stores, but seems both are fine devices. I was choosing between the Force and Note 7 for a MXPE replacement. The MXPE is a good device, but the 808 and display combined are power hogs with any higher resource apps. Especially games are hot stuff.

The main benefit IMO for the Force is the cool mod ecosystem and no Wiz. The Note 7 though appears to have more benefits from my perspective:

1. Bigger display, but slightly smaller device
2. Display is rated best released to date
3. No display space wasting navigation bar
4. Hardware display resolution and chipset scaling built in for tweaking
5. Better camera
6. Pen function
7. HDR for video
8. 3.5 mm jack
9. Gear VR is a good mod for Note 4

$80 more though and if you like the Moto mods, the Note 7 is not it.

 

[jeepentj]

All fair points. I actually have the Note on order and should get it next Friday. I'll end up selling either the Droid Force or the Note 7 depending whichever of the two I enjoy more. I really am figuring the pros and cons will be similar to those of the S7 Edge, which will leave me sticking with the Droid but we'll see.

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[Kashton]

Like the OP, I've been through the S7, S7 Edge and LG5. Typically all I use is apple simply BC the software interaction is unbelievably sooth and seamless. I say that BC I just did not enjoy the choppy feeling software that both Samsung's to me exuded. I still love apple but since I decided finally to give Android a try, something keeps me coming back to Motorola. I used the Droid Turbo original for a couple of months and thought it was a great phone and still do. I think the only thing I'd personally change or wish Motorola offered was the Z Force in at least one other variant which would be just a bit or at least noticeable smaller screen. 5.1 to 5.3 max. The Force is by far my favorite Android I've had and tested. The only reason I'm not going for the note 7 is BC I never warmed up to either S7. The Force is a cool phone and a keeper for me.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[rushmore]

Like the OP, I've been through the S7, S7 Edge and LG5. Typically all I use is apple simply BC the software interaction is unbelievably sooth and seamless. I say that BC I just did not enjoy the choppy feeling software that both Samsung's to me exuded. I still love apple but since I decided finally to give Android a try, something keeps me coming back to Motorola. I used the Droid Turbo original for a couple of months and thought it was a great phone and still do. I think the only thing I'd personally change or wish Motorola offered was the Z Force in at least one other variant which would be just a bit or at least noticeable smaller screen. 5.1 to 5.3 max. The Force is by far my favorite Android I've had and tested. The only reason I'm not going for the note 7 is BC I never warmed up to either S7. The Force is a cool phone and a keeper for me.

Posted via the Android Central App

I feel the same way about tablets, since prefer my iPad Pro over Android tablets. I do have a Lenovo Pro 3 Android, but got that for the built in projector to play movies and games/emulators with and be portable. It rocks for that, since no lag with gaming on the projector. Nice standalone device for media.

No question IMO that the Force is a great device- especially for the mods.

 

[YAYTech]

I think the only thing I'd personally change or wish Motorola offered was the Z Force in at least one other variant which would be just a bit or at least noticeable smaller screen. 5.1 to 5.3 max.

It'd be great if these phones prove popular enough that Moto developed another form factor with mods. Because of how the mods work, they're now locked into this size & shape, at least for a little bit (assuming we take their statement that there will be future phones compatible with the same mods). But, that doesn't mean they couldn't develop another form factor closer to 5" with its own mods. I just doubt they'll do so unless these current phones prove very popular, including good sales levels for the mods themselves.