Anyone getting a Moto Z?

[benjamminh]

Uh, maybe that's because the HTC10 screen is 5.2", and the two droids are 5.5"? I agree the bottom chin is too big and capacitive buttons would at least use that space.

 

[benjamminh]

The Z actually has a better body to screen ratio than the HTC 10, but that does have dual front speakers. The Force is slightly worse, because of its shatter shield construction.

 

[benjamminh]

Double post.

 

[05GT]

The Z actually has a better body to screen ratio than the HTC 10, but that does have dual front speakers. The Force is slightly worse, because of its shatter shield construction.

Thought the HTC 10 had a front speaker that's in the same position as the Z and a second speaker on the lower edge of the phone.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[benjamminh]

It does, but I'll still give them credit for two speakers.

 

[anon(1733)]

The 10 does have two speakers one on the front and one on the bottom. But I find the front speaker on the Moto Z louder myself. Still would have been nice though if the Z had dual front speakers but I'm fine without. I don't use the speakers that often anyway.

 

[Veteater]

Veteater - do you know if there is any way to customize the efficiency mode of the battery mod? I'd rather the mod kick in at something other than 80%.

It depends on battery level. If you turn on efficiency mode and your phone is less than 80%, the mod will charge the phone to 80% and the phone stays there by simply using the mod as it's power source until it drains. If your phone is 80-99%, the phone will charge to 100% and the phone stays there, again by simply using the mod as it's power source instead of the internal battery. If you are already at 100%, then the phone will simply use the mod as its power source no matter what setting it's used on. The mod works similarly to an adaptive fast charger, like Motorola's own turbo charger, where the phpne charges, then once at 100%, the phone simply starts using the charger as its power source instead of the internal battery... only the mod doesn't charge very fast. But because the phone uses the mod's battery when at 100%, the mod can therefore be used as an extension of the phone's battery, so it's as if you have a 4,820 mAh battery instead of a case or pack that simply charges the phone.

 

[evan_adams]

^^^^ all the stars. Great post. Thank you.

 

[Veteater]

In hand, the chin felt as big as my turbo 2... because it's exactly the same size. It is large, and about as big as that of an iPhone, but at least the other bezels are small. The Z actually was nice to hold because of how light and thin it is, even if the edges are a wee bit sharp. Unless this year's nexus is substantially better than the Z, I might just go for a Z. Price differences are mixed by trade in deals I get for being a long time customer of Verizon, although updates of any kind will be slow due to that. But again, that's a might, not for sure. So we shall see.

 

[Veteater]

The Z actually has a better body to screen ratio than the HTC 10, but that does have dual front speakers. The Force is slightly worse, because of its shatter shield construction.

Neither have dual front speakers. The Z has a front speaker, and the 10 has a front speaker (tweeter) and a large bottom speaker (woofer). Both have fingerprint scanners at the bottom; the 10 has more top bezel, the Z has more bottom bezel, and the 10 has slightly more side bezel, because it's a smaller device and it can. So it just about balances out, both have about a 72% screen-to-body ratio.

 

[evan_adams]

Neither have dual front speakers. The Z has a front speaker, and the 10 has a front speaker (tweeter) and a large bottom speaker (woofer). Both have fingerprint scanners at the bottom; the 10 has more top bezel, the Z has more bottom bezel, and the 10 has slightly more side bezel, because it's a smaller device and it can. So it just about balances out, both have about a 72% screen-to-body ratio.

But the 10 feels heavier. But that was a Z w/O mod vs 10. W/mod or force I dunno.

 

[Veteater]

But the 10 feels heavier. But that was a Z w/O mod vs 10. W/mod or force I dunno.

W/battery mod the Z feels AMAZING in hand, almost to Moto X 2014 levels of good, with the added thickness and curve, and feels like it has a good weight, while not too heavy. I don't know exactly how much weight it adds to the phone. The force is definitely a more girth phone than the Z, and feels heavy in comparison, though it is not particularly heavy either. If you want a flagship Moto but don't care about mods (other than, maybe, style shells) then the Z force is the way to go, and currently one of the best all-round phones on the entire market. The Z is better for someone like me, who wants an extremely thin phone that could be used with Moto mods, and the user can choose between the two. I already have a very powerful bluetooth speaker, and I don't need a projector, so if I get a Z (serious consideration right now) my accessories would simply be a bumper, so the frame of the phone doesn't get all scuffed up, and the battery mod, so that I have a phone with a huge battery that feels good in hand. Price isn't such a big issue since I would simply get a Z on a trade in discount if I were to get one.

 

[Veteater]

W/battery mod the Z feels AMAZING in hand, almost to Moto X 2014 levels of good, with the added thickness and curve, and feels like it has a good weight, while not too heavy. I don't know exactly how much weight it adds to the phone. The force is definitely a more girth phone than the Z, and feels heavy in comparison, though it is not particularly heavy either. If you want a flagship Moto but don't care about mods (other than, maybe, style shells) then the Z force is the way to go, and currently one of the best all-round phones on the entire market. The Z is better for someone like me, who wants an extremely thin phone that could be used with Moto mods, and the user can choose between the two. I already have a very powerful bluetooth speaker, and I don't need a projector, so if I get a Z (serious consideration right now) my accessories would simply be a bumper, so the frame of the phone doesn't get all scuffed up, and the battery mod, so that I have a phone with a huge battery that feels good in hand. Price isn't such a big issue since I would simply get a Z on a trade in discount if I were to get one.

•SPEAKER TEST•
OK, so I went back to the Verizon store to resolve service issues I was having with my droid turbo 2; meanwhile, while I waited for them to get to me, I did an audio test between the HTC 10, my Turbo 2, the Moto Z, and the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. I have created a rating scale, consisting of 100 points. 25 for loudness, 20 for clear audio, 25 for bass, and 25 for mids-treble, and an extra 5 thrown in for putting the speaker in the right location.
*Content utilized for the test:
Svidden- We Are (EDM/Dubstep)
Disturbed- Open Your Eyes (Rock)
LeafyIsHere (Voice/Talking)
Samsung Galaxy Note 7:
Loudness 17/25
Clarity 18/20
Bass 15/25
Mid-Treble 22/25
Location 2/5
Overall: 73/100...C
I just wish it were on the front, as it is a good speaker unit. It is well balanced, and while not as loud as the HTC 10 or the Droid Turbo 2, it is clear. Bass was decent, and Mids are where the speaker begins to come alive. Treble was not overly sharp or overly muddy... However, the phone was not at exactly full volume when tested, so I cannot comment on distortion at full blast (it was at 90% volume). Unfortunately, you cannot hear the speaker if you are holding it in landscape because it's n the bottom of the phone. So while a good speaker, it is in the wrong location.
Moto Z Droid:
Loudness 16/25
Clarity 20/20
Bass 13/25
Mid-Treble 25/25
Location 5/5
Overall: 79/100...C+
The Moto Z speaker is a good one. And, it is on the front, great for watching movies and playing video games with. However, the speaker is pretty mediocre as far as loudness goes. It is very clear in its sound, and distortion was unnoticed at full blast. Mids and highs were sharp and simply nice to hear on the Z and clearer than those of the Turbo 2, but the speaker lacks bass when compared to the Note 7, HTC 10, and its Droid Turbo 2 predecessor, although the EDM/Dubstep song played did sound decent on the Z, if a bit lackluster on bass. Other audio samples, especially voices, sounded very good on the Z, where bass really isn't required. As long as you don't listen to a ton of Dubstep music or anything that has more than moderate bass levels, the speaker on the Z is a good unit.
Droid Turbo 2:
Loudness 20/25
Clarity 17/20
Bass 19/25
Mid-Treble 22/25
Location 6/5 (EXTRA POINT!)
Overall: 84/100...B
The Droid Turbo 2's audio experience is simply enjoyable. No, the dual grilles at the bottom does not mean dual speakers. The right grille is the speaker, and the left is the loudspeaker. The one at the top is the earpiece, in a totally different setup than the Moto Z's "one speaker for all functions" approach. Since the speaker on the Turbo 2 is larger and most likely has more powerful drivers than that of the Moto Z's, the sound is louder and definitely more bass heavy, which can be seen almost instantaneously when the phone is listened to side by side with the Z. Anyway, the amount of bass is very enjoyable and comes in handy when listening to EDM/Dubstep music, or anything bass-heavy. Mids and highs weren't sharp and clear like the Z's; while they were definitely there in full precedence due to the notably balanced sound coming from the Turbo 2, they were a little muddy. I allotted the Turbo 2 the extra location point because although they are both on the front, the speaker at the top of the front is somewhat awkward. If the Turbo 2's speaker had slightly clearer sound (especially in mids and treble) then it would be one of the best (if not the best) single speaker units on the market to date. Definitely a great speaker unit.
HTC 10:
Loudness 23/25
Clarity 20/20
Bass 20/25
Mid-Treble 24/25
Location 6/5 (EXTRA POINT!)
Overall: 93/100...A
The HTC 10 simply takes the cake here. It is extremely loud and clear, and basically every point in every audio sample I played was repeated amazingly. There is the tweeter up top, and the woofer on the bottom, for Bass and Mids. Sure, the latter will be covered during gameplay, but the tweeter is decent by itself, though just as advertised, the tweeter is for treble. But the sound experience as a whole was simply amazing, and in my opinion, better than the HTC One M9 before it. If you want a great phone and an audiophile's dream that works on Verizon (I don't think the ZTE Axon 7 does) then the HTC 10 is the phone to beat. End of story.

 

[benjamminh]

Would people comment on how fluidly the phone performs? I have read a few people say it's the quickest, most fluid phone they've used. Anandtech's review using all those synthetic tests indicated that the Moto Z/Z Force are probably the fastest Android phones right now (they hadn't tested the Note 7).

 

[1901Madison]

Would people comment on how fluidly the phone performs? I have read a few people say it's the quickest, most fluid phone they've used. Anandtech's review using all those synthetic tests indicated that the Moto Z/Z Force are probably the fastest Android phones right now (they hadn't tested the Note 7).

I have the Z Force and I have never used a phone this smooth, and that includes the iPhone 6 Plus.

 

[anon(1733)]

Would people comment on how fluidly the phone performs? I have read a few people say it's the quickest, most fluid phone they've used. Anandtech's review using all those synthetic tests indicated that the Moto Z/Z Force are probably the fastest Android phones right now (they hadn't tested the Note 7).

That has been my experience so far. I have had all the major Flagships minus the G5 and the Axon 7. The Moto Z is definitely the most fluid device I have had so far. The OP3 was very fast but even the Z beats it. Very impressed so far. I haven't tried the Note 7 yet and I am looking forward to what the V20 brings however. I'm undecided if I'll get the next Nexus device also. It has been a pretty good year so far for cell phones. All of them are pretty well done.

 

[cbreze]

@Veteater,
I appreciate your opinion on the Z's speakers. I really appreciate decent sound quality on my phones. Not a headphone guy because I need to hear what's going on around me. I was a bit disappointed with the Z's speaker sound. Kinda lackluster although this was in store. I currently have the MXPE and it sounds great as we know. The speaker mod isn't going to do what I need on a daily basis. It's more of a slap it on in the garage for good tunes while your working on your car type mod IMO. So, I'm hoping my X holds out a bit longer.

 

[Veteater]

@Veteater,
I appreciate your opinion on the Z's speakers. I really appreciate decent sound quality on my phones. Not a headphone guy because I need to hear what's going on around me. I was a bit disappointed with the Z's speaker sound. Kinda lackluster although this was in store. I currently have the MXPE and it sounds great as we know. The speaker mod isn't going to do what I need on a daily basis. It's more of a slap it on in the garage for good tunes while your working on your car type mod IMO. So, I'm hoping my X holds out a bit longer.

I understand your concern. While the Z droid has a solid front-facing speaker, it is a bit behind the Droid Turbo 2, its predecessor, in audio quality, due to the fact that it is quieter by a bit and lacks bass compared to the Turbo 2, although mids and treble are very good on the Z's speaker. However, when you compare the Z droid to the Moto X Pure, it's no contest. The X Pure wrecks the Z and wrecks the Turbo 2. But then again, it has stereo speakers, and very good ones at that. So obviously the Pure has louder sound, and the sound quality out of it is amazing, and since you are used to a phone with such good audio quality, it makes perfect sense you are disappointed in the Z droid's audio quality, and frankly you should be, coming from a phone with such beastly audio. I have listened to music on a Pure, but have not done a detailed review on one. If I were to do one, the X Pure would probably do about as good in the test as the HTC 10. I would not go for the mod, as much as I like it and as convenient (and nice-sounding) as it is, but I think I'll stick to my Bluetooth speakers. While it is worth it, I wouldn't buy it. It seems to me like you are on Verizon, so my recommendation to you, if you want a phone that matches or beats the audio quality of your X Pure, and is very good at everything else, then I would go for the HTC 10. Right now, it is between the HTC 10 and the Moto Z for me.
HTC 10
-LCD display (AMOLED technology gives you more of a "WOW" reaction, but you end up with screen burn-in and ghosting after 6 months-year of use)
-VERY nice to hold
-5.2" display
- Sense UI is somewhat stock-ish but still offers its customization
-Better camera
-Better built in battery
-Audio quality
Moto Z Droid
-More unique design
-Extermely thin
-AMOLED display gives you that WOW factor
-Hands down THE FASTEST phone I have ever used
-Easier-to-use Camera UI
-AMOLED to stock Android
-Efficient for what battery it has
-Capability expansion with Moto mods
-A little less expensive

 

[Veteater]

@benjaminh They don't need to. The Note 7 has the exact same processor setup as the S7, which is hands-down the slowest SD820 phone out there, even slower in most normal tasks than both my Nexus 6P or Droid Turbo 2.

 

[benjamminh]

I just wondered if Samsung might have done some tuning. In one review an updated driver to the gpu was given credit for the Z's performance over other 820 phones.