Purchased at Best Buy Oct 2017, so have now used it daily for over three months. This is my third Motorola and Android smartphone (2015 Droid Turbo 2 and 2013 Droid Maxx, prior).
I can't say enough positive things about this phone: Super responsive (iPhone X fast, perhaps?), excellent battery life, very fast Turbo charging, great Motorola camera app (much improved from earlier versions), very useful fingerprint sensor, usable voice recognition (both Google Assistant and Moto Voice), and more.
Many misinformed web reviews (even from some of the most popular tech sites) almost steered me away from the Z2 Force, but I'm glad ignored them.
Criticism of the Z2 Force's smaller physical battery size vs. original Z is off base, battery life is actually higher due to much more efficient Snapdragon 835 processor and other components. Also, most reviews over focus on Moto Mods, which I consider fairly useless (I own none), but the Z2 is still a great flagship phone without them.
The Z2's front fingerprint sensor is brilliant with Moto "One Button Nav" enabled to use finger swipes that are much faster than the standard Android home, app, and back buttons, plus it increases screen real estate for apps. It's also very fast for locking and unlocking with a quick touch -- I truly don't see how iPhone X FaceID can be faster or easier than this.
Physical size and weight of this phone is ideal if you use a protector case. Without one, it's too thin to grip, but that's the point of its design. IMO, most other smartphones become *too* thick with protective cases.
Verizon's flexible glass screen protector is inexpensive and makes the Z2's plastic shatterproof screen look and feel as nice as any glass phone screen. I love that this Z2 (and my prior DT2) is shatterproof, it's already survived several hard drops with zero damage.
The new Moto camera app is a great improvement, very easy to use and some great features, and I now prefer it to iPhone and Google Camera apps. I especially love the Moto Action "quick capture" twist hand gesture to open the camera app (had this on DT2, as well), by far the fastest method I've ever used. I can twist the phone while coming out of my pocket, and the camera app will be open and ready to take a picture by the time I have it aimed at the subject (and while everyone else is still fumbling with their iPhones). I've snapped many great "fleeting moment" vacation shots thanks to this capability.
The Z2's dual camera lens Depth Mode effects are also fun. I've generated some very artistic blurred and black and white background style shots. Action mode multiple exposure works great too, very fast and easy to review and discard unwanted shots.
(FYI, I've posted example depth mode photos in the sticky photo thread on this forum.)
The Z2 Force camera is still deficient vs other flagship phones in low light, esp. with its lack of optical image stabilization (OIS). But outdoor daylight shots are great. And FWIW, there are also some pretty positive reviews of the Z2 camera app's Professional mode by advanced photographers, too.
The "chop-chop" Moto Action hand gesture for flashlight on/off is brilliant, something I use multiple times every day on nighttime dog walks, in dimly lit rooms, in dark cabinets, etc. Seriously, it makes for the best flashlight I've ever owned, since it's instantaneous to turn on, very bright, and always in my pocket!
Motorola also improved voice recognition by enabling both Google Assistant ("OK Google") and Moto Voice ("Show Me") to wake and unlock the phone hands free, something very few other brand smartphones can do. Moto Voice "Show Me" is a handy complement to "OK Google", I do use it regularly to open apps with my voice, near instantaneously, esp. when the phone is locked. "OK Google" on this Z2 works virtually the same as on my Google Home (in fact, both respond together when I'm home, which works fine).
Other than low light camera improvements, the only other missing feature I anxiously await on my next Moto flagship phone (Z3 Force?) is IP68 waterproofing, which will be a de facto flagship trait in 2018 and beyond.
I can't say enough positive things about this phone: Super responsive (iPhone X fast, perhaps?), excellent battery life, very fast Turbo charging, great Motorola camera app (much improved from earlier versions), very useful fingerprint sensor, usable voice recognition (both Google Assistant and Moto Voice), and more.
Many misinformed web reviews (even from some of the most popular tech sites) almost steered me away from the Z2 Force, but I'm glad ignored them.
Criticism of the Z2 Force's smaller physical battery size vs. original Z is off base, battery life is actually higher due to much more efficient Snapdragon 835 processor and other components. Also, most reviews over focus on Moto Mods, which I consider fairly useless (I own none), but the Z2 is still a great flagship phone without them.
The Z2's front fingerprint sensor is brilliant with Moto "One Button Nav" enabled to use finger swipes that are much faster than the standard Android home, app, and back buttons, plus it increases screen real estate for apps. It's also very fast for locking and unlocking with a quick touch -- I truly don't see how iPhone X FaceID can be faster or easier than this.
Physical size and weight of this phone is ideal if you use a protector case. Without one, it's too thin to grip, but that's the point of its design. IMO, most other smartphones become *too* thick with protective cases.
Verizon's flexible glass screen protector is inexpensive and makes the Z2's plastic shatterproof screen look and feel as nice as any glass phone screen. I love that this Z2 (and my prior DT2) is shatterproof, it's already survived several hard drops with zero damage.
The new Moto camera app is a great improvement, very easy to use and some great features, and I now prefer it to iPhone and Google Camera apps. I especially love the Moto Action "quick capture" twist hand gesture to open the camera app (had this on DT2, as well), by far the fastest method I've ever used. I can twist the phone while coming out of my pocket, and the camera app will be open and ready to take a picture by the time I have it aimed at the subject (and while everyone else is still fumbling with their iPhones). I've snapped many great "fleeting moment" vacation shots thanks to this capability.
The Z2's dual camera lens Depth Mode effects are also fun. I've generated some very artistic blurred and black and white background style shots. Action mode multiple exposure works great too, very fast and easy to review and discard unwanted shots.
(FYI, I've posted example depth mode photos in the sticky photo thread on this forum.)
The Z2 Force camera is still deficient vs other flagship phones in low light, esp. with its lack of optical image stabilization (OIS). But outdoor daylight shots are great. And FWIW, there are also some pretty positive reviews of the Z2 camera app's Professional mode by advanced photographers, too.
The "chop-chop" Moto Action hand gesture for flashlight on/off is brilliant, something I use multiple times every day on nighttime dog walks, in dimly lit rooms, in dark cabinets, etc. Seriously, it makes for the best flashlight I've ever owned, since it's instantaneous to turn on, very bright, and always in my pocket!
Motorola also improved voice recognition by enabling both Google Assistant ("OK Google") and Moto Voice ("Show Me") to wake and unlock the phone hands free, something very few other brand smartphones can do. Moto Voice "Show Me" is a handy complement to "OK Google", I do use it regularly to open apps with my voice, near instantaneously, esp. when the phone is locked. "OK Google" on this Z2 works virtually the same as on my Google Home (in fact, both respond together when I'm home, which works fine).
Other than low light camera improvements, the only other missing feature I anxiously await on my next Moto flagship phone (Z3 Force?) is IP68 waterproofing, which will be a de facto flagship trait in 2018 and beyond.
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