Motorola has been making phones that offer great value and deliver a great pure Android performance, which is the case with the Moto Z2 Play. The smartphone has some great features but it also lacks in some key areas. The marquee feature of the smartphone is the design and a great display that gives users an intuitive experience. The smartphone performs well but lacks a great camera to make it the complete smartphone. Having said that, the Moto Z2 Play is a smartphone that cannot be ignored in the crowded market and here are our reasons.

© MensXP/Samiksha Sharma

The Z2 Play is crafted with a very premium finish and has the right ergonomic feel you would want from a smartphone. The wide-angled display makes the smartphone stand out from the clutter to make it feel like a top-tier device. In fact, we loved the design so much that we would never want to put a cover on this beauty. You can, however, use one of the back covers that snap on like other mods for the smartphone, in case you want to secure your device from fall damage. 

The smartphone is thinner and lighter than the previous generation and makes the design of the phone one of the most noticeable features about the Z2 Play. 

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The Moto Z2 Play is the hybrid of the previous Moto Z and Z Play from last year and Motorola has upgraded the device with a few specs that make the overall performance a great experience. The smartphone has the Snapdragon 626 processor which makes the smartphone 10% faster than the previous iteration and is coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB internal storage. The screen has also been upgraded where the Z2 Play has a 5.5-inch 1080p AMOLED display and works perfectly with the processor to save battery life. Part of the reason why the smartphone performs well is due to the fact the device has stock Android 7.1.1 Nougat. The smartphone is free from any form of bloatware and makes the experience a lot smoother when compared to other Android smartphones. The smartphone also gets the latest updates as soon as Google updates the Android platform. 

The other noticeable difference is the fingerprint scanner which can also be used as the multi-tasking button and the back button. The fingerprint scanner can be used to go back, switch apps or even open the camera by swiping up. You can even long tap the fingerprint scanner to fire up Google Assistant. Even though the capacitive buttons are present, with the three button Android navigation enabled, the two buttons are removed and you get more real estate on the screen. 

The smartphone handles gaming easily with no glitches or crashes, however, the smartphone does heat up if you play games for a long duration. We played 'Asphalt 8' and 'Limbo' on the device, and while the smartphone gave us a seamless gaming experience, the battery would run out quickly. 

© MensXP/Samiksha Sharma

The Moto Z2 Play is compatible with a number of Moto Mods that have been part of their ecosystem for the past three years. Every Mod released till date is compatible with the Z2 Play. New Mods such as the JBL Soundboost 2 deliver clear and crisp sound quality when listening to music and is probably our favourite mod for the smartphone. The turbo battery mod is yet another great accessory for your smartphone that adds an additional 3450 mAh battery life to the Z2 Play. The turbo charge mod can also be charged quickly just like the smartphone. You can even customise the back of your phone with various “Style Shells” that also supports wireless charging. 

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The Moto Z2 Play has a 3000 mAh non-removable battery which may sound enough for a smartphone but it simply did not feel enough. The phone would last 13-15 hours with regular use and intense use it would drop down to 11 hours. The smartphone does have fast charging via the USB Type-C port however if you plan to game or use the phone extensively, we advise you to invest in the battery mod. 

© MensXP/Samiksha Sharma

The Moto Z2 Play has a 12-MP camera and has support for PDAF and laser autofocus. Having said that, we felt that the camera was not as good as we would have expected. The smartphone delivers great daylight images reflecting true to life colours however the camera takes a beating when we take images in a closed environment or in low-lit areas. We found this surprising as the primary camera has an aperture of f/1.7 which in theory should deliver good low-light pictures. The smartphone has a 5-MP front-facing camera and does a decent job of taking selfies but suffers from the same problem of taking good images in low-lit and closed environments. The images taken are often over exposed and could only be controlled by adjusting the ISO in manual mode. Here are some sample images so you can judge for yourself: 

© MensXP/Samiksha Sharma

© MensXP/Samiksha Sharma

© MensXP/Samiksha Sharma

© MensXP/Samiksha Sharma

© MensXP/Samiksha Sharma

© MensXP/Samiksha Sharma

© MensXP/Samiksha Sharma

The Moto Z2 Play is a thinner and lighter version of the Z play but lacks the battery life to deliver a full experience. Aesthetically, the smartphone looks great and offers mods that can enhance the quality but it would cost you extra. The smartphone has a fairly decent camera which works great in open environments but suffers in quality when it comes to low-lit and indoor environments. The smartphone performs well thanks to the Snapdragon 626 SoC and the pure Android software, which is by far the marquee feature of the smartphone.