[D13H4RD2L1V3]

Yeah, that might be a familiar name.

Some of you remember my initial thoughts on the Moto Z, which were admittedly a bit sour and kinda skeptical. While I did warm up slightly over time, I still wasn't too much of a fan of it. And now, here we are. What a plot twist, eh?

The story on how I got it was pretty interesting.

Some of you remember my bad luck with phones, beginning with dead LG G4s, and progressing to the Note 7, of which you already know the fate that befell that beautiful, but ill-fated device.

So, living on a 3.5 year old One M7 again for some time, since I had a vacation in Thailand popping up, I decided to go purchase a new phone there as an unlocked device. I initially wanted to go for an unlocked HTC 10 in Carbon Gray. Well, after some time searching for one, I concluded that finding an HTC 10 is like finding a needle in a haystack, as the place was pretty much populated with Huaweis, Oppos and Vivos, along with the usual Apple and Samsung section. My next choice was the ZTE Axon 7. I was very close to getting the gray model, only to be told that they were out of stock not only in the particular store I was in, but also throughout the city. It also didn't help that this particular Axon was the A2017G variant, which has poorer software support and global LTE compatibility.

Yet another defeat. The Oppo and Vivo devices didn't interest me and while the S7 edge is a mighty fine device, I wanted to try something different. There was actually a Moto Z and a Z Play right behind me, but I only played with them for a few minutes, and that particular store didn't have them in stock yet. An XPERIA XZ and X Compact was also present, but I had concerns with the way Sony's been going with their handset business.

I decided that if I am unable to find a good Android-powered handset by the end, I may just spring for an iPhone 7 Plus, which had the 128GB variant in stock and was also globally unlocked (sadly, it has the Intel modem, which I didn't like, something which may influence my decision to just purchase the US unlocked model).

After a while in Bangkok's famous Mahboonkrong mall, I came across a store whose other branch I visited the other day. Again, they didn't have the Axon 7 in stock (only the Axon 7 Mini), but when I asked about the Moto Z, they apparently did have quite a few in stock, mainly the Z Play but they also had 2 Moto Zs, albeit they were in white.

After looking at the 2, I eventually decided on the regular Moto Z (even though I feel the Moto Z Play is the better all-rounder) and I got a JBL SoundBoost MotoMod for a pretty nice price. I'm still trying to find an Incipio mod to make the battery last longer.

Pretty interesting story on how I came to the Moto Z, eh? It was not what I planned for, but I am actually quite surprised by it. I'll post a full impressions and review after a while.

[Gdwheel]

I think the Z is a great device. I have the unlocked version, as well, on AT&T. It has a good form factor, feels good in the hand, great screen, very fast with pretty much stock Android ui. The fingerprint reader is great and being able to put the phone to sleep with it is a plus. Ambient Display is also very nice. The stock battery is pretty good, but the ability to slap on one of the mods gives it great battery life. The only concern I have is over updates and support. I have also had signal issues with the past devices, but the one I have now seems much better. Oh, and Moto support is absolutely terrible.

I look forward to your review. Enjoy.

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

Oh, and Moto support is absolutely terrible.

I hope I won't have to deal with them. Heard quite a number of horror stories.

[Law2138]

I read that Lenovo is making the move to go all in with the Moto brand.

"Make Moto Great Again!".

They truly make some great devices, and now is a good opportunity to build off the Moto Z success.

[ffejjj]

Still aggravated that I can't buy the Moto Z on Sprint.

[Gdwheel]

I read that Lenovo is making the move to go all in with the Moto brand.

"Make Moto Great Again!".

They truly make some great devices, and now is a good opportunity to build off the Moto Z success.

They can start by issuing security updates (it is on July 1) and get Nougat out to the Z. Then maybe we can believe that they will support their phones. I love the Z, but would like them to be better with their support.

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

They can start by issuing security updates (it is on July 1) and get Nougat out to the Z. Then maybe we can believe that they will support their phones. I love the Z, but would like them to be better with their support.

Mine is on August 1st but considering that Samsung is pushing the November patch to the S7 right now, Motorola needs to seriously pick up the pace.

Software is hard, but the Z runs a build of Android that's extremely close to Google's vision of Android, which itself is pretty darn close to AOSP. I don't think it requires that much effort compared to running a full-blown custom skin, though that also depends on how many people are working in software.

[dookie.]

They can start by issuing security updates (it is on July 1) and get Nougat out to the Z. Then maybe we can believe that they will support their phones. I love the Z, but would like them to be better with their support.

My VZW Z is on Sept, FYI. Maybe a manual check is in order?

[Gdwheel]

I check every day and no update for the unlocked Z.