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

[dlalonde]

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.

I'd agree with you on the mods if it wasn't for the fact that, up until the time I wrote my original post (the Z2 Play version of Oreo only came out only in India and just a couple of days ago) no Motorola phone from 2017, bar of course the X4, had Oreo except for the Z2 Force, which also supports mods, and only for one carrier in the US. So I don't think that explains it.

 

[kingstu]

The Moto Z has Oreo, the Moto Z Play has Oreo and the Moto Z2 Force has Oreo. None of them are officially released for the US versions. The Z2 Force has Oreo for all US carriers. Verizon has indicated the the Z Droid and Z Force Droid should be getting it soon according to what is indicated when doing a check for updates. There might be contract issues about Verizon getting to release the update for it's versions before the unlocked versions. I don't know why we seem to be the last region to get updates but I doubt Motorola will explain their release schedule to us.

 

[J Dubbs]

I like Moto phones, but Lenovo plain sucks when it comes to updates....in fact they suck so badly that as much as I want to pick one up when I get the emails with the sale prices, I'm not going to.
Part of my concern is the fact that a large part of the Moto team was laid off, and as much as Lenovo wants us to believe it's not going to affect the Moto line at all, the fact that Lenovo themselves are struggling, as well as the Moto division, makes me leery to invest in a phone line that could easily be dropped at a moment's notice.

They already announced recently that one of the Moto phones was only getting one os update instead of the 2 that was promised to folks who already purchased the phone. It was one of the budget devices, don't remember which one, but still...Not cool.

Overall I'm getting the feeling the writings on the wall for Motorola. I want to pick up a Moto Z2 (or Z) play, so I come here to check in and see how things are going (or not), and it's not very encouraging :-(

I was so close to ordering one tonight with a battery mod (the next best thing to a replaceable battery), but after checking here I just don't feel it's the right decision for me. I think spending the extra money down the road on a pixel, when my MXPE finally dies, is going to be the best decision for me ;-)

 

[this_is_nascar]

I'll continue to purchase Moto phones as long as they keep making them, assuming battery life stays what it is or better.

I can't imagine myself having to charge throughout the day to keep life in my battery.

 

[dlalonde]

I like Moto phones, but Lenovo plain sucks when it comes to updates....in fact they suck so badly that as much as I want to pick one up when I get the emails with the sale prices, I'm not going to.
Part of my concern is the fact that a large part of the Moto team was laid off, and as much as Lenovo wants us to believe it's not going to affect the Moto line at all, the fact that Lenovo themselves are struggling, as well as the Moto division, makes me leery to invest in a phone line that could easily be dropped at a moment's notice.

They already announced recently that one of the Moto phones was only getting one os update instead of the 2 that was promised to folks who already purchased the phone. It was one of the budget devices, don't remember which one, but still...Not cool.

Overall I'm getting the feeling the writings on the wall for Motorola. I want to pick up a Moto Z2 (or Z) play, so I come here to check in and see how things are going (or not), and it's not very encouraging :-(

I was so close to ordering one tonight with a battery mod (the next best thing to a replaceable battery), but after checking here I just don't feel it's the right decision for me. I think spending the extra money down the road on a pixel, when my MXPE finally dies, is going to be the best decision for me ;-)

I'm no expert on Motorola/Lenovo but I've gone from being a Moto fan (when it was owned by Google) to banning Motorola phones altogether. My whole family has Motorola phones, MXPlay and prior. I just got rid of my Z2 Play (if you buy one don't expect it to be easy to sell if you decide it's not for you) and got a barely new Pixel XL (2016) and I couldn't be happier. Like I said they make great phones and I still think that. But unfortunately once it's out in the world they don't seem to care (or lack the manpower to care).

I'll continue to purchase Moto phones as long as they keep making them, assuming battery life stays what it is or better.

I can't imagine myself having to charge throughout the day to keep life in my battery.

If getting the latest software isn't your thing then they remain a great choice. Lightweight Android, solid devices and the camera is getting better and better.

 

[Ry]

The Moto Z has Oreo, the Moto Z Play has Oreo and the Moto Z2 Force has Oreo. None of them are officially released for the US versions. The Z2 Force has Oreo for all US carriers. Verizon has indicated the the Z Droid and Z Force Droid should be getting it soon according to what is indicated when doing a check for updates. There might be contract issues about Verizon getting to release the update for it's versions before the unlocked versions. I don't know why we seem to be the last region to get updates but I doubt Motorola will explain their release schedule to us.

There are times where the carrier versions get updates faster than the unlocked versions. It's really up to the OEM and carrier and not a carrier problem.

 

[Ry]

I like Moto phones, but Lenovo plain sucks when it comes to updates....in fact they suck so badly that as much as I want to pick one up when I get the emails with the sale prices, I'm not going to.
Part of my concern is the fact that a large part of the Moto team was laid off, and as much as Lenovo wants us to believe it's not going to affect the Moto line at all, the fact that Lenovo themselves are struggling, as well as the Moto division, makes me leery to invest in a phone line that could easily be dropped at a moment's notice.

They already announced recently that one of the Moto phones was only getting one os update instead of the 2 that was promised to folks who already purchased the phone. It was one of the budget devices, don't remember which one, but still...Not cool.

Overall I'm getting the feeling the writings on the wall for Motorola. I want to pick up a Moto Z2 (or Z) play, so I come here to check in and see how things are going (or not), and it's not very encouraging :-(

I was so close to ordering one tonight with a battery mod (the next best thing to a replaceable battery), but after checking here I just don't feel it's the right decision for me. I think spending the extra money down the road on a pixel, when my MXPE finally dies, is going to be the best decision for me ;-)

For me, security updates are more important than OS updates. For example, if the choices were simply a phone with Nougat on the May 2018 Security Patch Level vs. a phone with Oreo on the March 2018 Security Patch Level, I'd rather be on the Nougat device.

But, neither of those updates are not at the top of my list when I pick my next phone. I'd rather worry about what my phone can do today than what it can do tomorrow. I also understand the nature of open source and how Android works in addition to trusting Google's extra layers of security (via Google Play Services).

I don't worry about missing a month or two of updates and Motorola's current track record with the devices I currently own is acceptable to me (unlocked Moto X Pure Edition purchased September 2015 sitting on Nougat with the October 2017 Security Patch Level, Verizon Moto Z Force Droid purchased August 2016 sitting on Nougat with the February 2018 Security Patch Level and Oreo coming soon, Verizon Moto Z2 Play purchased February 2018 sitting on Nougat with the April 2018 Security Patch Level).

I've bought into the convenience of Moto Mods - I'd rather slap a Moto Mod battery than be tethered to an external battery pack. One thing I've loved about what Apple's done with the consistency of their designs is that it allows for some accessories to be used over multiple generations. I have this now with Moto Mods and based on the leaks, they'll hit the minimum 3 years. I'd love for them to announce extended support.

Maybe the writing's on the wall with Moto Mods and the three year experiment will conclude with the third generation of Moto Z devices. But that's fine - I'll probably step down to a Moto G6 or Moto X4 successor. Either way, I didn't pay full price for any of the Moto Mods I have. No one should. Pricing is as ridiculous as any other non-Amazon/non-eBay smartphone accessories.

Sure, there's some things, like updates, that Motorola can do better. But it's pretty much the same story with every OEM that's not Google.

To me, I'd rather have choice than have Pixel be the end all, be all. And old Motorola leadership is in charge of Google hardware now so I see the spirit of the well-received 2013 Google-owned Motorola (hi first gen Moto X) continuing on at Google.