Lenovo has announced the Moto Z2 Play smartphone and a host of new Moto Mods. The successor to last year’s Moto Z Play will pack the same 5.5-inch 1080p display but the body will be slightly thinner and lighter than the 2016 edition.
However, Moto is also eschewing the original phone’s best feature; the outstanding battery life. Yes, the slimmer and lighter body comes at the cost of a smaller battery, dropping from 3,510mAh to 3,000mAh. That’s a a big disappointment, especially considering a slight price increase.
Related: Moto Z Play review – It’s all about the battery life
There’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 processor and up to 4GB of RAM. Users will be able to chose up to 64GB of storage, which can be bolstered through a MicroSD card.
The camera does appear to be a little better than last year with a f1.7 aperture lens on a 12-megapixel dual pixel autofocus sensor.
The phone will cost $499 in the US, from this summer. There’s no word yet on the specific UK price and release date, but we’ll keep you posted.
Moto has also announced a host of new Moto Mod options, including a TurboPack battery add-on that offers 3,490mAh of extra juice.
There’s also a really neat game controller called the GamePad (how imaginative!), which turns the phone into a handheld console that looks a bit like a smaller Nintendo Switch. It also has its own 1,035mAh battery.
There’s also a successor to the JBL SoundBoost speaker, which has new colours and the added bonus of water resistance. Moto is also adding a wireless charging shell Mod, which supports 10W wireless charging.
Is Moto shooting itself in the foot by losing the originals best feature? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.