Highlights
- Long Battery Life
- Impressive HD Screen
- Convenient Usage and Voice Control
- No Headphone Jack
The Moto Z3 Play is Motorola’s third installment in their Moto Mod-Ready Smartphone series, following up the Moto Z2 Play. The biggest change with this new iteration is the Z3’s use of an 18:9 aspect display and the expansion to 6.01 inches from 5.5 inches. It still utilizes a full HD+ resolution on an AMOLED panel. The edge-to-edge screen is stunning, providing HD display for all of your needs, from gaming to browsing your photographs. Motorola also decided to go with a dual-camera set up with the Z3 Play. The main sensor is 12-megapixels with a f/1.7 aperture while the secondary lens is a 5-megapixel sensor. The front-facing camera also got an upgrade, going from a 5-megapixel sensor to 8-megapixels with an f/2.0 aperture.
One of the most impressive features about the Moto Z3 Play is its battery. By itself, the Z3 Play is powered by a 3000mAh capacity battery, which easily provides a full day of power. On top of that, included with the phone is the Moto Power Pack Mod, which easily clips onto the back of your phone for extended battery life. The convenience of the Power Pack makes it ideal for traveling, and, because it is a relatively thin add-on, you’ll barely notice a difference in thickness.
Another great thing about this smartphone is its convenience in use. With Google Assistant integrated in, the Moto Z3 Play has easy-to-use voice control and easily syncs with all of your Google accounts. Additionally, they included some features that make it a bit quicker to perform some common tasks. For example, you can shake the phone twice to turn on the flashlight, or you can twist it twice in your hand to turn on the selfie-cam. On top of all of that, the phone is water resistant, which is becoming more of a standard these days.
One of the downfalls of the Moto Z3 Play is its lack of headphone jack. While it comes with an AUX adapter, it still isn’t the most convenient design choice, especially because the phone isn’t even 100 percent waterproof, which might be the only acceptable reason for ditching the headphone jack.
Conclusion
At $599, the Moto Z3 Play is one of the cheaper smartphones on the market. It is a solid device for those who don’t want to make a major investment in a flagship phone. The Z3 Play can do anything a standard smartphone can do, with the added benefit of a long battery life, likely its strongest feature.