Motorola Moto Z2 Play
Motorola Kicks Out Fresh Stereo Speaker Mod for Moto Z Phones
Motorola recently added the Moto Stereo Speaker to its lineup of magnetic mods for the Moto Z series, such as the Z2 Force and Z2 Play. The Moto Stereo Speaker, available from Motorola's web site for $60, features two 28mm drivers, a fold-out kickstand, and support for speakerphone calls. Motorola says the speaker doesn't have its own internal battery and is powered entirely via the attached phone. The Moto Stereo Speaker is a cheaper option than the speaker mods from JBL and Amazon, which cost $80 and $150, respectively. The Moto Stereo Speaker is available in red, black, or blue.
Motorola Debuts 5 Gorilla Glass Mods for Moto Z Phones
People who own one of Motorola's Mod-friendly smartphones can snap up one of five new Style Shells to adorn the back. Where the original shells were generally made from nylon, these new shells are made from Gorilla Glass. Each has a unique pattern to give the phone a little visual pizzazz. The Style Shells are compatible with the Moto Z2 Force, Z2 Play, and other Motorola handsets. They cost $29.99 each and are available from Motorola's online store.
Motorola Rolls Out Savings On Smartphones And Mods
Motorola is running a sale this week on a number of its products. Through Monday, November 27 the Moto Z is reduced from $499 to $399, the Moto Z2 Play is reduced from $499 to $399, the Moto X4 is reduced from $399 to $339, and the Moto E4 is reduced from $199 to $169. Motorola is also offering 25% of all Moto Mods. Moreover, most purchases made through Motorola.com qualify for free shipping.
Motorola, Polaroid Partner Up On Insta-Share Printer Moto Mod
Motorola and Polaroid today announced the Insta-Share Printer, a Moto Mod that lets people instantly print and share images captured with their Moto Z handset. The attachment includes its own dedicated camera button for snapping photos and can print directly from the camera roll, Facebook, Instagram, and Google Photos. The printer includes software for customizing photos with filters, borders, and text. The printer can spit out prints that measure 2 inches by 3 inches. The ink is smudge proof, according to Polaroid, and the adhesive-backed printer paper lets you stick photos anywhere. The Polaroid Insta-Share Printer will be available for $200 at Verizon stores and Motorola.com beginning November 17. Best Buy, B&H, Fry’s, and NewEgg will start taking pre-orders for the mod on December 6 with an expected in-store date of December 13. The Polaroid Insta-Share Printer is compatible with the Z series of devices from Motorola, including the Moto Z2 Play and Moto Z2 Force.
Moto Smart Speaker Goes On Sale November 13 for $150
Motorola today said the Moto Smart Speaker with Amazon Alexa will become available over the coming week. Amazon, Best Buy, and Motorola will each kick off pre-orders for the modular attachment starting November 7, with general sales commencing November 13. The device will be available from Verizon by November 16. Motorola is charging $150 for the smart speaker, which lets Moto Z owners access Alexa when on the go. The Smart Speaker can be used to play music and interact with Alexa just like at home with an Amazon Echo speaker. The mod includes its own battery that can deliver up to 15 hours of listening without impacting the phone's power source. It includes a charging dock that works together with the Moto Z to provide a nightstand mode with active Alexa listening. It is compatible with all Moto Mod handsets, including the newer Moto Z2 Play and Z2 Force.
Motorola Commits to Updating High-End Phones to Android Oreo
Motorola today said it will update a significant number of its smartphones to Android 8 Oreo. Those devices on deck for the latest version of Android include the 2016 Moto Z, Z Droid, Z Force Droid, Z Play, and Z Play Droid, as well as the 2017 Moto Z2 Play, Z2 Force Edition, X4, G5, G5 Plus, G5S, and G5S Plus. It appears that Motorola's E and C series devices will not be updated to Oreo. Motorola said that in addition to the core Oreo code and Google Play Protect, the updates should improve handset speed, battery life, multitasking, text selection, notifications, and autofill behaviors. The updates will arrive on a per handset basis beginning later this fall.
Moto Gamepad Mod Hits Verizon Aug. 25 for $80
Verizon Wireless recently provided details on the availability and cost of the Moto Gamepad Mod for the Z2 Play and Z2 Force smartphones. The Gamepad, available for preorder via Verizon's web site, will ship by August 25. Verizon said the Gamepad will be available online and in stores. The phone snaps in magnetically via the Mod connector. The pad features a standard set of gaming buttons and joysticks positioned on either side of the screen, in addition to a 3.5mm headset jack and USB-C port for charging. The Gamepad includes its own 1.035mAh battery, so it won't suck juice from the phone and in fact can provide the Z handset with up to 8 hours of gaming time. The Gamepad will cost gaming enthusiasts $79.99. The Moto Gamepad Mod is a Verizon exclusive, as is the new JBL SoundBoost 2 speaker Mod.
Motorola Z2 Play Hits Verizon Stores Today
Verizon Wireless began selling the Motorola Moto Z2 Play handset today. The Moto Z2 Play, announced earlier this month, has a 5.5-inch full HD display and supports Moto Mods. The Moto Z2 Play is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 processor with an Adreno 506 GPU, 3 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of storage. The 12-megapixel camera uses phase-detect and laser-assisted autofocus and has an f/1.7 lens. The front camera has a wide-angle 5-megapixel sensor with front-facing flash and f/2.2 lens. The phone relies on USB-C but still packs a 3.5mm headphone jack. The phone has a 3,000mAh battery and Motorola's rapid TurboPower charger. It runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat with Moto Display and Moto Voice. Verizon Wireless is charging $408 for the Moto Z2 Play, or $17 per month on a payment plan. It comes in gray or gold. Moto Mods, such as the battery pack, projector, and speakers, cost extra. Motorola will sell an unlocked version of the phone with more color and storage options later this summer. For now, the Moto Z2 Play is only available from Verizon.
Motorola Debuts New Round of Moto Mods to Accompany the Moto Z2 Play
Motorola today provided details about a handful of new modular attachments for the Moto Z2 Play and other Moto Mod-compatible handsets. The Moto GamePad snaps onto the back of Moto's phones and provides dual control sticks, a d-pad, and four action buttons. The GamePad includes its own built-in 1,035mAh battery and costs $80. The JBL SoundBoost 2 is a new attachable speaker that provides 10 hours of playtime. The SoundBoost 2 is water-repellant, comes in red, black, or blue, includes a kickstand, and has an improved shape for better hand fit. It costs $80. The TurboPower Pack is a snap-on battery mod for quickly recharging Moto handsets on the go. Motorola says it can add an extra day of battery life when kept in place one time, or can provide a rapid recharge at 15W when users need to power up in a hurry. It costs $80. Last, the Moto Style Shell with Wireless Charging combines a shell case and battery in one Mod. It costs $40. Motorola said all the new Moto Mods will be available when the Moto Z2 Play launches later this summer. The new Mods will be backward compatible with all Moto Mod handsets, including the Moto Z, Z Force Droid, Z Play, and Z Play Droid.
Motorola Moto Z2 Play Is Thinner, Lighter Than the Original
Motorola today announced the Moto Z2 Play, a second take on the company's popular mid-range flagship. Like the original, the Z2 Play has a 5.5-inch full HD display and supports Moto Mods. At 5.9mm thick, the phone is a full millimeter thinner than its predecessor. In order to achieve this, Motorola cut the battery capacity from 3,510mAh to 3,000mAh. Despite the significant drop in capacity, Motorola claims total battery life is unaffected. Thanks to TurboPower, just 15 minutes of charging stuffs 8 hours of life into the battery. Another significant change is found in the fingerprint sensor, which now doubles as a trackpad for on-screen navigation. In terms of specs, the Moto Z2 Play is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 processor with an Adreno 506 GPU, 3 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of storage. The 12-megapixel camera now relies on phase-detect and laser-assisted autofocus with dual focus pixels and an f/1.7 lens for better low-light performance. The front camera has a wide-angle 5-megapixel sensor with front-facing flash and f/2.2 lens. The phone relies on USB-C but still packs a 3.5mm headphone jack. It runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat with Moto Display and Moto Voice. Verizon Wireless will be the only carrier to sell the Moto Z2 Play in gray or gold later this summer. The phone will cost $499. Motorola will offer the Moto Z2 Play directly to consumers through its Moto Maker web site with the option to improve RAM to 4 GB and storage to 64 GB. Motorola will sell the Moto Z2 Play in gray, gold, blue, and black.
