A few questions on the Z Play

[JenTDOT]

Hi everyone!

I'm coming from an iPhone 6 and trying to figure out if the Z Play is right for me. I'm very familiar with Android phones-my last one used was a Note 5.

Anyhow, my iPhone is suffering from this latest update and I am charging over 2 times a day. Blah. So I'm upgrading early.

I am attracted to this phone due to the sick battery life, the fact it's zero dollars on my plan, and that it comes with a free JBL mod from my carrier. (I'm in Canada)

I played around with it yesterday and it seemed a wee bit large for my hands, but nothing I can't deal with or get used to.

I'm a power user and hate waiting for apps to load. I like a snappy interface. It's hard to tell from their demo what's real, though. Is it very responsive?

One thing that seems petty but drove me nuts was the font on some apps like YouTube and a few others. It seemed thick and like it had a yellow highlight around it? It was a bit hard to read. Is this an option that's configurable? I'm hoping it was just their stupid demo...

I take a lot of photos, but if this camera is on par or better than what I used on my old iPhone 4S, I would be fine with that.

I am trying to choose between this and the S7 Edge. I think the edges might drive me a little bonkers on the S7. Has anyone had any experience comparing both? I don't need all the fancy S7 options, but the battery and look is nice.

Last and most important question: How is the heat on this phone? I hate phones that get really warm, and that's one reason I'm hesitant to pull the trigger on an S7-every Sammy phone I've had seems like it warms up pretty quick.

I was hoping the Motorola runs very cool. My iPhone barely got warm and that is my preference.

Thanks so much for any insight on these questions.

Jen

 

[Sid-V]

Jen, I just pulled the trigger on a Moto Z Play a week ago using the same deal - $0 on my plan (Canadian carrier) and free JBL mod. Your post made me go into YouTube as I had never noticed anything odd about the font. I do not see any of the yellow highlights that you describe - at a loss to figure out why you might have seen them on the demo unit. Battery life is awesome (two days between charging is not unreasonable - I have been using just over 50% in a full day (6am to 11pm) of constant use). The phone stays cool, and the only time I have noticed it getting a little warm is while it is plugged in and charging from a depleted battery state. It is nothing like my last phone, which would heat up even during moderate use.

I have not noticed any lagging or slowdowns even when eight or nine apps are open at the same time. I am very pleased with this phone - for me, the Moto Z Play processor deems more than fast enough, and the longer battery life (and cooler operation) is much more important than the higher screen resolution on the Moto Z.

 

[JenTDOT]

Thanks so much for replying! This really helps with my decision.
Telus has the $0 and JBL deal, and it's very hard to resist.

I love hearing that the phone runs cool as well. Heat just bugs me.

Have you found any cases for it, or are you just using the snap on that it came with? I'm a klutz, so I am going to try and find something to use while out and about.

 

[Go Liath]

The edges from the galaxy line would be annoying I think.

The font I can't comment on, isn't it a specific font on that demo unit? Like, they changed it specifically? Or some other customer did?

Camera is OK, not good or bad, it's serviceable.

Phone itself is snappy.

Also, no, this phone runs cooler than the ice cold heart of my ex.

 

[Sid-V]

The Z play does not come with a moto style back in Canada - it comes out of the box naked with the electrical motomod contacts in the back exposed. My Telus store only had three cases to choose from, and I bought a muvit folio case to provide a bit of protection to front and back (they did not have a screen protector in store yet). I plan to buy a moto or Incipio style back, maybe from one of the other phone companies, so I don't have to keep it in the folio all the time.

 

[JenTDOT]

Lol Go Liath! I'm guessing that is quite cool, then. Ha! Thanks for sharing.

 

[JenTDOT]

Aww boo. That's weird that it has no snap on inside.

 

[Go Liath]

Lol Go Liath! I'm guessing that is quite cool, then. Ha! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Go Liath]

After ignoring me she wouldn't return any answer on any medium, so yeah, damn cold. That Play should be freezing.

 

[Soundtallica]

My 2 cents on some of the things you asked about:

Battery life is as good as everybody claims it is. Fine size can be changed in the settings.

It's very smooth. Certainly fatter than my old droid turbo 2 with a SD810 (last year's most powerful processor)

Camera is great in daylight. It suffers in low light in auto mode, but if you play with the exposure adjustment and manual controls it's actually good in those situations. It's most certainly much better than an iPhone 4s.

This phone runs ridiculously cool. According to gsam, it rarely goes over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, even when playing fairly intensive games

 

[JenTDOT]

My 2 cents on some of the things you asked about:

Battery life is as good as everybody claims it is. Fine size can be changed in the settings.

It's very smooth. Certainly fatter than my old droid turbo 2 with a SD810 (last year's most powerful processor)

Camera is great in daylight. It suffers in low light in auto mode, but if you play with the exposure adjustment and manual controls it's actually good in those situations. It's most certainly much better than an iPhone 4s.

Thanks, I agree with all of this.

This phone runs ridiculously cool. According to gsam, it rarely goes over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, even when playing fairly intensive games

 

[JenTDOT]

So I got the Z Play tonight.
I like it. It's very snappy and yes cool as can be! I am happy with that.
It's a little heavy with this speck shell on it, but hopefully I will get used to that.

I am so lost with figuring some stuff out. I keep getting haptic feedback on the keyboard. Is there a master switch to turn this off? I can't find it, if so...

 

[Mexico619]

I pre-order one in the hopes of replacing my S7 Edge since it's been terrible for me. My s7 has been lagging a lot and I'm having to charge the battery at least twice a day. I'll transfer my stuff and do a factory reset in my s7 edge and see if that fixes anything. If not then I'll sell the Edge and keep the z play to hold me over unti another phone comes out that I want (wanted the note 7, but you guys know how that went). The only things I'll miss on my s7 is the camera and water resistant.

 

[JenTDOT]

That sucks about the Edge. That was the other phone I was going to get, but they took it off sale right before I went to the store. I m pretty impressed with the Z play. I have experienced no slow downs or lag at Ll.
I've had a few Sammy phones-S4 (that lagged horribly) Note 2,3,4 and 5. Note 5 was the best. It didn't lag or heat up.
I think this is for sure a two-handed use phone for my girly hands, and a wee bit heftier than I'm used to, but it's pretty sweet.

 

[huungryshark]

swipe up from bottom for one handed small screen. tap anywhere near to make it normal size again

 

[huungryshark]

here...

 

[Sid-V]

So I got the Z Play tonight.
I like it. It's very snappy and yes cool as can be! I am happy with that.
It's a little heavy with this speck shell on it, but hopefully I will get used to that.

I am so lost with figuring some stuff out. I keep getting haptic feedback on the keyboard. Is there a master switch to turn this off? I can't find it, if so...

Settings > Language and Input > Google Keyboard > Preferences > Vibrate on Keyboard (on/off, and vibration strength can be adjusted)

 

[Sid-V]

I looked at a Speck case too, but it was pretty bulky. Looking forward to the style back instead.

 

[Soundtallica]

I looked at a Speck case too, but it was pretty bulky. Looking forward to the style back instead.

I use the Speck case and it's not bulky at all. I like it: it has a dual layer construction that absorbs shock and has saved my phone from a drop already, it's clear to show off the Z Play's beautiful construction, has a raised lip on the front to protect the screen, and and it cancels out the camera hump. My only gripe is that it's hard to take off and put on.

 

[JenTDOT]

It's really not truly bulky, but it does add a bit of heft to the phone. I like the protection it provides, and the fact the camera hump is hidden. Coming from an iPhone, I have to get used to a little more weight and width.