Would you recommend a Moto Z2 Play? Are you satisfied?

[dlalonde]

I have a Z2 Play- it's a great phone, and stock Android is very nice. However, the camera isn't even close to your old Pixel or S8. You must not take many pics.

No I never cared that much for the camera. That's the part I skip in every phone review, I can't be bothered. Does it capture an image? Is it good? Fine that's perfect for me. The pictures I took with my Z2 Play were not as good indeed. But they do the job.

 

[blackberrysoup]

while the Z2 Play's camera isn't going to beat the Pixels or the S8s of the smartphone world, it is actually very capable and I would rank it amongst the top, at least in the mid range smartphone world.

 

[Doug Moffat]

Not a fan of Moto but I I have a friend who delights in watching movies on his ceiling as it lies in bed. My Note 8 doesn't do that.

 

[Andrew Bonner]

I have highly recommended the Z/Play series to anyone who will listen, and after 9 months, will continue to. I've noticed very good camera improvements on the software side, the past few months, and that makes this phone good even for quick snapshots. I can slap my camera mod on if I'm going somewhere where I will take lots of photos.

My absolute favorite thing about this phone is that I literally will never have to worry about running out of battery. That alone is almost enough to make me say this is my favorite phone ever, but the Moto software and hardware decisions put it over the top, IMO. Chop, chop for flashlight, and twist, twist for camera have made all the difference too. Fingerprint sensor is the best implementation that I've seen. Never misses, and doubles as navigation so I get my entire screen real estate.

Best phone I've ever used, and it cost half the price of my last 4 phones (Droid Incredible, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Note 3, LG V10).

 

[dlalonde]

I have highly recommended the Z/Play series to anyone who will listen, and after 9 months, will continue to. I've noticed very good camera improvements on the software side, the past few months, and that makes this phone good even for quick snapshots. I can slap my camera mod on if I'm going somewhere where I will take lots of photos.

My absolute favorite thing about this phone is that I literally will never have to worry about running out of battery. That alone is almost enough to make me say this is my favorite phone ever, but the Moto software and hardware decisions put it over the top, IMO. Chop, chop for flashlight, and twist, twist for camera have made all the difference too. Fingerprint sensor is the best implementation that I've seen. Never misses, and doubles as navigation so I get my entire screen real estate.

Best phone I've ever used, and it cost half the price of my last 4 phones (Droid Incredible, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Note 3, LG V10).

I had it for a month now. I'm selling it. The Z2 Play still doesn't have Oreo and all they answer is "We'll send it out as soon as it's ready" which is a non-answer. With my S8 I understood that it was long before Oreo arrived. But Motorola has no excuse and I find the way they treat this info like classified info a little contemptuous.

I'm trying to sell it to go back to the Pixel.

Otherwise it's a great phone so it's a shame Motorola can't follow...

 

[Andrew Bonner]

I had it for a month now. I'm selling it. The Z2 Play still doesn't have Oreo and all they answer is "We'll send it out as soon as it's ready" which is a non-answer. With my S8 I understood that it was long before Oreo arrived. But Motorola has no excuse and I find the way they treat this info like classified info a little contemptuous.

I'm trying to sell it to go back to the Pixel.

Otherwise it's a great phone so it's a shame Motorola can't follow...

So, sounds like it's a Moto problem, and not a phone problem.

 

[dlalonde]

So, sounds like it's a Moto problem, and not a phone problem.

Yes because the device is amazing for the price. If getting new versions of Android quickly and monthly updates are not that important for someone, this device is great especially at its current price. I'm currently on the February patch after being on the December patch so security patches aren't bad at all.

 

[ryanidcomm]

Just curious, why did you say better battery, considering Z Play has the bigger battery capacity.

Even with the smaller battery.. The chipset and screen are optimized for good battery life

 

[el5egundo]

excellent phone. as ex Lumia/Windows user use it with Microsoft Launcher and everything goes slick and smooth. battery gives me whole day of intensive using with dual Sim active without any problem. In a waste sea of boring Samsungs and Huaweis, really stand out, by design and performance.

 

[MissoulaMarinerFan]

Best phone I've ever had, hands down. I've had it for...2 months - no reboots, no lag, no stutter - even with having screen on full brightness and fiddling with game on it for an hour or so, I'm still left with plenty of battery to get me through the day.

 

[Ry]

Currently using the Moto Z2 Play, coming from the first gen Z Force Droid.

The mid-range is pretty awesome right now.

 

[dlalonde]

The end for me and Motorola

The Moto Z2 Play is a good device. Really, it is. But it will be my last ever Motorola device. Moto will not be getting one more penny from me ever.

Software is a big problem for Motorola apparently. Of course there's the Oreo update that will probably arrive when all the other OEMs are pushing out Android P but that's not the only problem I have.

The Google feed on the left that keeps disappearing and that no one here or anywhere seems to be able to solve. The Google Assistant which stops listening as soon as it's called which defeats the purpose of having a hotword, the one button nav that is more frustrating than helpful sending us back to the home screen 90% of the time (yes I know it's optionnal, I'm listing ligering issues), my text messages either not sending or sending with a huge delay or receiving old text messages twice (and please don't suggest using another app, I should be able to use the default one without any issue), the YouTube app which is blank half the time (which doesn't seem to happen on my other devices). Those are the frustrating experiences I get on a daily basis, several times a day. The first two issues being the most important ones to me (I threw the towel concerning the Oreo update anyway). And yes I've tried clearing the cache, uninstalling and reinstalling and ever factory resets... nothing works. Those issues can only be solved on Motorola's end.

Worst, no one will buy the phone second hand. That's how bad Motorola's rep has become. So I'm stuck with a device that runs defective software, no update to fix it, no one at Motorola that seems to know what to do about it (or give a flying crap anyway) and a company that could careless... Great!

If I was a rich man, I wouldn't think twice, give this device to my kids and get a proper working device, like the ones Motorola used to do. My eldest son needed a phone and I helped him find a second hand Moto X Play. He couldn't be happier. But that was a pre-Lenovo device.

Unfortunately I'm stuck with this crappy software for the remainder of my contract. So thanks Lenovo!

 

[Ry]

I had it for a month now. I'm selling it. The Z2 Play still doesn't have Oreo and all they answer is "We'll send it out as soon as it's ready" which is a non-answer. With my S8 I understood that it was long before Oreo arrived. But Motorola has no excuse and I find the way they treat this info like classified info a little contemptuous.

I'm trying to sell it to go back to the Pixel.

Otherwise it's a great phone so it's a shame Motorola can't follow...

Did Samsung give you a date on the S8 update?

 

[dlalonde]

Did Samsung give you a on the S8 update?

Sorry, I don't understand your question.

 

[Ry]

Re: The end for me and Motorola

Software is a big problem for Motorola apparently. Of course there's the Oreo update that will probably arrive when all the other OEMs are pushing out Android P but that's not the only problem I have.

Uh. What did you expect from a non-Google phone?

The Google feed on the left that keeps disappearing and that no one here or anywhere seems to be able to solve.

Yeah. That's broken. But for me, Google has neutered that feed so much that it's not worth the swipe anymore. I've turned that off.

The Google Assistant which stops listening as soon as it's called which defeats the purpose of having a hotword

So when you say the hotword, Assistant appears but the mic stops immediately? That sucks. Glad I don't have that issue.

the one button nav that is more frustrating than helpful sending us back to the home screen 90% of the time (yes I know it's optionnal, I'm listing ligering issues)

One Button Navigation has worked out well for me. There is no "us". A good 90% to 95% time, it executes my intentions.

my text messages either not sending or sending with a huge delay or receiving old text messages twice (and please don't suggest using another app, I should be able to use the default one without any issue)

That sounds like more of a carrier issue than a phone issue. I'm using the Verizon Moto Z2 Play with Android Messages as my SMS/MMS app. I'm a heavy texter and have not run into this issue.

the YouTube app which is blank half the time (which doesn't seem to happen on my other devices).

I've seen this issue with the YouTube app on both my Moto Z2 Play and my Moto Z Force. Definitely not "half the time". Maybe it's a Motorola issue? I'll check on my wife's Pixel. Pressing Home and switching back to the YouTube app resolves it for that instance but yeah, it's frustrating when it happens though it's definitely not half the time for me.

Worst, no one will buy the phone second hand. That's how bad Motorola's rep has become. So I'm stuck with a device that runs defective software, no update to fix it, no one at Motorola that seems to know what to do about it (or give a flying crap anyway) and a company that could careless... Great!

It's hard on resale when the SIM unlocked Verizon Moto Z2 Play has been selling for around $240 brand new on a device payment plan. Still - this is a budget/mid-range phone, definitely not iPhone-level resale.

If I was a rich man, I wouldn't think twice, give this device to my kids and get a proper working device, like the ones Motorola used to do. My eldest son needed a phone and I helped him find a second hand Moto X Play. He couldn't be happier. But that was a pre-Lenovo device.

Unfortunately I'm stuck with this crappy software for the remainder of my contract. So thanks Lenovo!

Which carrier sold this to you on-contract?

Sorry it didn't work out for you. I've made the switch from the Z Force Droid to the Z2 Play and it's working out for me.

 

[Ry]

Sorry, I don't understand your question.

Did Samsung give you a date for their Oreo update? Or was it "we'll send it to you when it's ready"?

Moto Z2 Play was also before Oreo - and it's not even the "high-end" model that would normally get updates first.

And historically, Motorola doesn't give a date, even before Lenovo came along.

 

[dlalonde]

Re: The end for me and Motorola

Uh. What did you expect from a non-Google phone?

Well just that they'd release the update around the same time as other OEMs. Even Nokia's released it for their 2017 models.

So when you say the hotword, Assistant appears but the mic stops immediately? That sucks. Glad I don't have that issue.

Yes that's right. It does suck but I'm glad you don't have that problem.

One Button Navigation has worked out well for me. There is no "us". A good 90% to 95% time, it executes my intentions.

Well there is an "us" given I've seen other people complain about this on Reddit and the Lenovo forum, even a mod say he turned it off. "Us" didn't mean 100% of users. But I'm glad it's working well for you.

That sounds like more of a carrier issue than a phone issue. I'm using the Verizon Moto Z2 Play with Android Messages as my SMS/MMS app. I'm a heavy texter and have not run into this issue.

My wife's on the same carrier as me and doesn't have that issue. My Z2 Play came on this carrier only in January though and was exclusive to one carrier before that. Maybe there's an issue with this particular carrier?

I've seen this issue with the YouTube app on both my Moto Z2 Play and my Moto Z Force. Definitely not "half the time". Maybe it's a Motorola issue? I'll check on my wife's Pixel. Pressing Home and switching back to the YouTube app resolves it for that instance but yeah, it's frustrating when it happens though it's definitely not half the time for me.

Keep me posted. I get this issue at least once a day and I'm not a huge YouTube user.

It's hard on resale when the SIM unlocked Verizon Moto Z2 Play has been selling for around $240 brand new on a device payment plan. Still - this is a budget/mid-range phone, definitely not iPhone-level resale.

Yeah it's not the most coveted device.

Which carrier sold this to you on-contract?

It's on Videotron in Canada but I'm using on Rogers (Videotron uses Rogers' infrastructures).

Sorry it didn't work out for you. I've made the switch from the Z Force Droid to the Z2 Play and it's working out for me.

I'm glad it's working out for you. I wish it would for me as it's a very good device in itself.

Did Samsung give you a date for their Oreo update? Or was it "we'll send it to you when it's ready"?

No not as such but there was approximate info was available around on websites like SamMobile. But to be fair, this is only an issue for me that stems with a past experience with Motorola and it becomes worst given how late they are in comparison to other OEMs. See Motorola started saying the Nougat update would come "soon" for the X Play soon after the OS was released made available on Nexus devices. That went on until October 2017 which is more than a year later. I'm not expecting Pixel like updates but there is a middle ground between that and a year.

Now the whole update situation wouldn't be so bad had I not experienced all those other issues.

Moto Z2 Play was also before Oreo - and it's not even the "high-end" model that would normally get updates first.

Which only adds to the worry that the wait will be long given the Z2 Force didn't even get it yet (except for one carrier in the US only).

 

[revtech]

Sorry to hear about your experience, while you certainly have the right to express your opinions I want to add for anyone reading this thread that I have had this phone since it came out and have none of these issues. That is, of course, not including the Oreo update which none of us have. However I would hasten to ask what specifically it is in Oreo that you feel you must have in order to make this phone better for you? I don't mean to call your motivation into question, but it sounds like it might just be a fomo issue . . 7.1.1 is pretty good imo.

 

[dlalonde]

Sorry to hear about your experience, while you certainly have the right to express your opinions I want to add for anyone reading this thread that I have had this phone since it came out and have none of these issues. That is, of course, not including the Oreo update which none of us have. However I would hasten to ask what specifically it is in Oreo that you feel you must have in order to make this phone better for you? I don't mean to call your motivation into question, but it sounds like it might just be a fomo issue . . 7.1.1 is pretty good imo.

I'm a latest software person. I want the latest stable software available as soon as it's available. Couldn't afford a Pixel though. So I was expecting a delay in the delivery of Oreo obviously.

With Motorola I thought that, given it was a near stock device, it would be updated faster than most OEM's especially Samsung and the new Nokia. But no. So it sort of feels like Motorola doesn't actually care and just throws devices out there without following up. That mixed with a previous Moto device that I had, the X Play, which received Nougat 2 months after Oreo was released all the while Motorola said it was coming "soon". That's kind of worrisome.


Plus I'm also hoping to get an update (Oreo or just a monthly update) that could solve those issues. But the fact is that updates are rare with Motorola so you have to wait until they decide to release one.

My fear is that Motorola decided to be a hardware company more than a software company, which would be fine if they just said so.

So it's not just Oreo even if there are things I'm looking forward to using such as autofill and some other side loaded apps available only for Oreo and up.

 

[kingstu]

Oreo is available for the Z2 Play, just not for our region. One of the biggest challenges is making the mods work properly in the various versions of Android and the various hardware builds. The distinguishing factor of the Z series is the ability to hot swap mods and have them just work. They also typically design enhancements into the Mod platform to allow for the next series of devices to work also and perhaps have features we can't imagine.

They are a hardware company and that is why they basically take stock android as their operating system but the software changes needed for the mods to work so effortlessly is non-trivial. I am not defending their delay but explaining it is a lot more complicated because of the mods and if even one mod doesn't work properly on one device that should be resolved before pushing out an update.