- May 9, 2015
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Been using the Z2 Play for a few days and it's the first mid-tier phone I've used since the smartphone craze began. Usually go for the flagship models, whether it's an iPhone, the Z Force Droid, the S8+, etc. So my experience is probably colored by those phones.
Have been using the Verizon model, 32 GB, 3 GB RAM with a 128 GB Samsung EVO Select U3 micro SD card inserted. I'll be returning the Z2 Play for a couple reasons, the main ones being the lag, the camera and the much slower download speeds.
-- I hadn't realized that chip architecture can limit download/upload speeds until reading about it in-depth, after noticing how much slower my downloads were, as compared to my other phones. My FiOS gigabit connection gets me at, or near, 500 MBs download on my other phones, while capping out around 110 with the Z2 Play.
-- The lag is there, especially on apps such as Facebook and Google Photos. Editing a picture on Google Photos leads to a "wait" splash screen that forces me to close the app and re-open. (I've recreated that annoyance about five times.)
-- The camera just isn't that good. Oh, bright light and outdoors it'll snap a nice picture, but inside, or in lower light, the lack of OIS reveals itself.
-- On the plus side, it's a great looking and feeling phone. I use a Moto Modo black leather back and the Z2 Play feels great in the hand with it. I will say the battery was a pleasure, but with only using it for a few days, I can't say it's a battery beast. Not enough time for that. Also, even at Full HD, the screen seemed plenty bright enough in the sunlight. And there is still nothing to compare with Moto Actions. Flipping the wrist to activate the camera makes me smile every time, especially when watching somebody stumble to get the camera up on their iPhone. (Why the hell hasn't the great, almighty Apple implemented quicker camera access?)
So guess it'll be the new Z Force, whenever that drops, as I am a big fan of the Moto Z line and Moto Mods. I'm guessing the Z Force camera and processor will boost it back to what I consider "normal." I'm not here to rip the Z2 Play, I'm simply pointing out that to me it was a noticeably different experience from the flagships.
Have been using the Verizon model, 32 GB, 3 GB RAM with a 128 GB Samsung EVO Select U3 micro SD card inserted. I'll be returning the Z2 Play for a couple reasons, the main ones being the lag, the camera and the much slower download speeds.
-- I hadn't realized that chip architecture can limit download/upload speeds until reading about it in-depth, after noticing how much slower my downloads were, as compared to my other phones. My FiOS gigabit connection gets me at, or near, 500 MBs download on my other phones, while capping out around 110 with the Z2 Play.
-- The lag is there, especially on apps such as Facebook and Google Photos. Editing a picture on Google Photos leads to a "wait" splash screen that forces me to close the app and re-open. (I've recreated that annoyance about five times.)
-- The camera just isn't that good. Oh, bright light and outdoors it'll snap a nice picture, but inside, or in lower light, the lack of OIS reveals itself.
-- On the plus side, it's a great looking and feeling phone. I use a Moto Modo black leather back and the Z2 Play feels great in the hand with it. I will say the battery was a pleasure, but with only using it for a few days, I can't say it's a battery beast. Not enough time for that. Also, even at Full HD, the screen seemed plenty bright enough in the sunlight. And there is still nothing to compare with Moto Actions. Flipping the wrist to activate the camera makes me smile every time, especially when watching somebody stumble to get the camera up on their iPhone. (Why the hell hasn't the great, almighty Apple implemented quicker camera access?)
So guess it'll be the new Z Force, whenever that drops, as I am a big fan of the Moto Z line and Moto Mods. I'm guessing the Z Force camera and processor will boost it back to what I consider "normal." I'm not here to rip the Z2 Play, I'm simply pointing out that to me it was a noticeably different experience from the flagships.
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