Moto Z3 Review:
I have had the Z3 for two weeks. My direct comparisons are to a Moto Z Force 2016. Previous Motorola phones I have had include the 2015 Moto X Pure and 2013 Droid Maxx. I paid $360 for the Z3 direct from Motorola using my wife’s student discount.
Form Factor:
The 2016 Z Force form factor is on the clunky side with large bezels around the device. In contrast, the Z3 has smaller bezels (although not Samsung small) with a larger screen. While I prefer the fingerprint scanner on the front bottom, I understand why it needed to be moved for additional screen real estate. Hopefully next year’s smartphones will feature the fingerprint scanner embedded in the screen. One gripe is that the fingerprint scanner on the Z3 will open the phone, but not lock it. The Z3 is slightly lighter than the Z Force. Some have complained that the power button is on the left side of the device, but being left-handed that has not been an issue for me.
Display:
The Z3 does not have the shattershield technology found in the Z Force. I understand this change as the 2017 Moto Z2 Force too often had screen peeling issues. Moreover, the Z3 has a much higher maximum brightness than the Z Force. If I do some serious pixel peeping perhaps I can see a slight difference in the higher resolution Z Force screen, but the Z3 screen is still excellent.
Performance:
The Z3 has last year’s top of the line Snapdragon 835 processor, while the Z Force has the SD 821 processor from 2016. Overall, there is a performance difference. The Z3 runs cooler, is faster, and is more battery efficient than the Z Force, despite the Z Force having a 500 milliamp larger battery. I am currently averaging approximately 35 hours on, with 6.5 hours screen time with the Z3 and my best with the Z Force was 25 hours on and 5 hours screen time. Standby time is excellent. Please note I do some aggressive battery management, using Greenify, Hibernation Manager, Pixoff at times, lower brightness, and force radios into 3G if 4G signal is weak. So your mileage may vary. Overall the Z3’s screen is much more efficient because of the processor and the lower resolution. RAM management seems to be similar to the Z Force.
Obviously, it would be great to have a Z3 with an SD 845 processor and 6 GB RAM, but Moto apparently decided to hit a particular price point. It was very disappointing because there is a good chance this will be the last Z phone in its line.
Camera:
I feel that the 2016 Z Force camera was underrated, having both OIS and a high degree of detail in photos because of the 21.4 megapixel sensor. It can struggle in mixed lighting high contrast situations (dark and bright areas in the same photo), although that can be improved by using a Google Camera port and using the HDR+ setting.
I have not tried the various Z3 options on its camera (cinemagraph, spot color), but I find the camera to be solid. I do wish it had OIS (optical image stabilization) for low light shots. However, one can use a Google camera port to improve low light or high contrast photos. This camera port is also much faster on the Z3 because of the SD 835 processor rahter than the Z Force’s older processor. With very limited testing, it is possible that the Z3 takes slightly better photos with the Hasselblad Moto mod than the Z Force, although more testing is needed. It seems it may be a slight upgrade from the Z Force camera, although if you crop or zoom in on a photo the Z Force has the advantage.
I have not done any direct testing with video, although I have read that the Z3 can have stabilization issues on some settings.
Overall:
If you are a Moto fan and are on Verizon, this is a solid upgrade from the 2016 Z Force. If you have the 2017 Z2 Force the camera is the same (other than the various tricks) as is the processor. You trade a higher resolution shattershield screen for a larger screen. Battery life seems to be better. You would also get an additional year of OS updates. So it is a much tougher sell. I have not compared the Z3 to the Z3 Play. Form factor is the same as is the screen technology. The Z3 Play probably has slightly better battery life while the Z3 has a performance speed advantage and perhaps a slightly better camera.
I like Moto phones for their build quality (although my 2016 Z Force died after 17 months and I had to get an out of warranty refurb replacement), clean OS with smart additions (Moto display, chop to turn on the flashlight, and twist to open the camera). The Moto Mods were an excellent concept, but failed to deliver a truly compelling accessory like a true high quality camera mod. It seems that Moto is focusing more on its mid-level phones such as the G lineup and not trying to compete at the flagship level. Hopefully 2019 will bring Moto back into competing at the highest levels, improving its camera quality and form factor.
I have had the Z3 for two weeks. My direct comparisons are to a Moto Z Force 2016. Previous Motorola phones I have had include the 2015 Moto X Pure and 2013 Droid Maxx. I paid $360 for the Z3 direct from Motorola using my wife’s student discount.
Form Factor:
The 2016 Z Force form factor is on the clunky side with large bezels around the device. In contrast, the Z3 has smaller bezels (although not Samsung small) with a larger screen. While I prefer the fingerprint scanner on the front bottom, I understand why it needed to be moved for additional screen real estate. Hopefully next year’s smartphones will feature the fingerprint scanner embedded in the screen. One gripe is that the fingerprint scanner on the Z3 will open the phone, but not lock it. The Z3 is slightly lighter than the Z Force. Some have complained that the power button is on the left side of the device, but being left-handed that has not been an issue for me.
Display:
The Z3 does not have the shattershield technology found in the Z Force. I understand this change as the 2017 Moto Z2 Force too often had screen peeling issues. Moreover, the Z3 has a much higher maximum brightness than the Z Force. If I do some serious pixel peeping perhaps I can see a slight difference in the higher resolution Z Force screen, but the Z3 screen is still excellent.
Performance:
The Z3 has last year’s top of the line Snapdragon 835 processor, while the Z Force has the SD 821 processor from 2016. Overall, there is a performance difference. The Z3 runs cooler, is faster, and is more battery efficient than the Z Force, despite the Z Force having a 500 milliamp larger battery. I am currently averaging approximately 35 hours on, with 6.5 hours screen time with the Z3 and my best with the Z Force was 25 hours on and 5 hours screen time. Standby time is excellent. Please note I do some aggressive battery management, using Greenify, Hibernation Manager, Pixoff at times, lower brightness, and force radios into 3G if 4G signal is weak. So your mileage may vary. Overall the Z3’s screen is much more efficient because of the processor and the lower resolution. RAM management seems to be similar to the Z Force.
Obviously, it would be great to have a Z3 with an SD 845 processor and 6 GB RAM, but Moto apparently decided to hit a particular price point. It was very disappointing because there is a good chance this will be the last Z phone in its line.
Camera:
I feel that the 2016 Z Force camera was underrated, having both OIS and a high degree of detail in photos because of the 21.4 megapixel sensor. It can struggle in mixed lighting high contrast situations (dark and bright areas in the same photo), although that can be improved by using a Google Camera port and using the HDR+ setting.
I have not tried the various Z3 options on its camera (cinemagraph, spot color), but I find the camera to be solid. I do wish it had OIS (optical image stabilization) for low light shots. However, one can use a Google camera port to improve low light or high contrast photos. This camera port is also much faster on the Z3 because of the SD 835 processor rahter than the Z Force’s older processor. With very limited testing, it is possible that the Z3 takes slightly better photos with the Hasselblad Moto mod than the Z Force, although more testing is needed. It seems it may be a slight upgrade from the Z Force camera, although if you crop or zoom in on a photo the Z Force has the advantage.
I have not done any direct testing with video, although I have read that the Z3 can have stabilization issues on some settings.
Overall:
If you are a Moto fan and are on Verizon, this is a solid upgrade from the 2016 Z Force. If you have the 2017 Z2 Force the camera is the same (other than the various tricks) as is the processor. You trade a higher resolution shattershield screen for a larger screen. Battery life seems to be better. You would also get an additional year of OS updates. So it is a much tougher sell. I have not compared the Z3 to the Z3 Play. Form factor is the same as is the screen technology. The Z3 Play probably has slightly better battery life while the Z3 has a performance speed advantage and perhaps a slightly better camera.
I like Moto phones for their build quality (although my 2016 Z Force died after 17 months and I had to get an out of warranty refurb replacement), clean OS with smart additions (Moto display, chop to turn on the flashlight, and twist to open the camera). The Moto Mods were an excellent concept, but failed to deliver a truly compelling accessory like a true high quality camera mod. It seems that Moto is focusing more on its mid-level phones such as the G lineup and not trying to compete at the flagship level. Hopefully 2019 will bring Moto back into competing at the highest levels, improving its camera quality and form factor.
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