Motorola has unveiled the Moto Z and the Moto Z Force, the latter being an exclusive Droid phone for Verizon customers (this is the coveted Motorola Droid series that winds up at Verizon USA each year). At the same time, however, the Moto Z, the unlocked model of the modular Moto Z series, is headed worldwide. Unbeknownst to us, having watched the Moto Z announcement, the company has now considered releasing a mid-range version of the Moto Z (as though the Moto G and Moto G4 Plus aren’t mid-range enough) called the Moto Z Play. The device has been spotted via Indian import/export size Zauba.
The find, detected by TechUpdate3, shows that the Moto Z Play is codenamed “Vertex” and has a 5.5-inch display (which matches that of the Moto Z and Moto Z Force). Motorola is also importing the Moto G4 Play (XT-1607) to India, with a second model number bearing a 5-inch screen instead (we presume this device is a lighter-specced model than the Moto Z Play).
The site supplies the following specs and features for the Moto Z Play:
- 3500mAh battery
- fingerprint sensor
- 16MP rear camera with OIS, Laser AF, and PDAF
- 2GB RAM/16GB storage and 3GB RAM/32GB storage configurations
- octa-core, Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor
- 5.5-inch AMOLED display with a Full HD screen resolution (1920 x 1080p)
The 3500mAh battery of the Moto Z Play matches that of the Moto Z Force that will belong exclusively to Verizon (it too, has a 3,500mAh battery), but it shows that Motorola wants this mid-range device to sell well and makes the battery an incentive for its success. Motorola will stick with its AMOLED panels but allow users to get more RAM and storage (2GB RAM vs. 3GB RAM; 16GB storage vs. 32GB storage) if they desire it. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor is an octa-core, but is designed for mid-range devices and not the high-end. With that said, there’ll be some compromises with its functionality, but those who purchase the Moto Z Play want something more budget-friendly and won’t seem to care all that much. The Moto Z is a new line for Motorola that’s distinct from the Moto X (or so the company says), so we can presume with some certainty that the MotoMods will also arrive for the Moto Z Play.
The 1080p display is sufficient for what users need, but it won’t look as good on a 5.5-inch display (at this point, we’d expect a display of this size to have a Quad HD display with 1440p screen resolution). If the Moto G4 Plus can get a 1080p display and it has a 5-inch display, then we’d expect the Moto Z Play to get something higher than 1080p (perhaps 1200p would’ve been a bit friendlier in terms of spec competitiveness). Still, AMOLED panels will do the trick, making this display brighter in resolution than other smartphones on the market.
Well, we’ll provide more details about the Moto Z Play, but for now, you need to know that Motorola is doing all it can to reach all price points and consumer preferences. Samsung has had its share of success with this approach, so perhaps Motorola’s hard work will reap enormous fruit.
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