Motorola Moto z3 Play
QWERTY Keyboard Mod for Moto Z Phones Cancelled
Owners of the Motorola Moto Z series phones won't get the keyboard Mod they were promised earlier this year. The Livermorium Slider Keyboard Moto Mod, an attachment that would have given the Moto Z family a physical QWERTY keyboard for typing, has been cancelled. The Indiegogo campaign was fully funded, but the company behind the keyboard cited several reasons for scrapping the Mod including engineering challenges, low volume of Moto Z phones in the market, and, more importantly, the inability to scale production affordably. The company says those who backed the campaign will receive a full refund via PayPal.
Motorola Moto Z3 Play Certified to Run On Verizon's Network
Verizon Wireless today added the Motorola Moto Z3 Play to its list of certified devices. This means the Z3 Play was tested by Verizon in its labs and passed Verizon's network performance requirements. Verizon itself does not sell the Moto Z3 Play, but you can buy the phone unlocked and bring it to a Verizon store for activation. The Z3 Play is available from Motorola.com, Best Buy, B&H Photo, and Amazon starting today. The phone adopts a 6-inch 2:1 screen, and is made form a slim metal-and-glass chassis. It is compatible with Motorola's Moto Mods accessories and includes either a speaker or battery. The phone costs $499. The Moto Z3 Play will be sold by Sprint and U.S. Cellular later this summer.
Motorola Makes the Moto Z3 Play Available for Preorder
Motorola today kicked off general preorders for the Moto Z3 Play phone. People can now pre-purchase the Z3 Play from Motorola.com, Best Buy, B&H Photo, and Amazon. The phone adopts a 6-inch 2:1 screen, and is made form a slim metal-and-glass chassis. It is compatible with Motorola's Moto Mods accessories and includes either a speaker or battery. The phone sells for $499. The phone will be sold directly by Sprint and U.S. Cellular later this summer.
Amazon Adds Moto Z3 Play and G6 Play with Alexa to Prime Exclusive Lineup
Amazon today made the Motorola Moto Z3 Play and Moto G6 Play, both with Alexa on board, available through its Prime Exclusives program. Phones sold through the Prime Exclusive program have a single sign-in for all Amazon services, such as Amazon Video and Amazon Music. The phones include a number of Amazon apps preinstalled. The Moto Z3 Play (pictured) has a 6-inch screen and is compatible with Motorola's Moto Mods accessories. It features a 12-megapixel main camera with a 5-megapixel secondary camera, and an 8-megapixel selfie camera. The Z3 Play ships with the Moto Power Pack Mod, and Amazon is offering a free Moto Smart Speaker with Amazon Alexa for hands-free access to the Alexa assistant. Amazon is selling the Z3 Play for $450 (a $50 discount). The Moto G6 Play is a mid-range phone with a 5.7-inch screen, 13-megapixel main camera and 5-megapixel front camera. Amazon is selling the Moto G6 Play for $190 (a $10 discount). Both phones run Android 8 Oreo and are compatible with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Preorders start today, and the phones will ship June 29.
Hands On with the Moto Z3 Play
Motorola's third-generation Z3 Play is a capable mid-range device that checks off most features needed on a modern phone. It packs a 6-inch 2:1 screen, a metal-and-glass design, all-day battery life, advanced cameras, and of course compatibility with Motorola's existing Moto Mods accessories. If you're looking to update your Moto Z device, the Z3 Play makes a play for your wallet. Here are Phone Scoop's first impressions.
Motorola's Affordable Moto Z3 Play Seeks to Challenge Premium Phones
Motorola today announced the Moto Z3 Play, its third-generation Mod-compatible mid-range phone. The Z3 Play carries over the general size and shape of previous Z-branded phones in order to maintain backward compatibility with the Moto Mod snap-on accessories. The Z3 Play has a 6000 series aluminum frame with Gorilla Glass on both the front and back. The phone boasts a 6.01-inch AMOLED screen with a 2:1 aspect ratio and full HD+ resolution that fills much of the face with no notch. Motorola moved the fingerprint reader from the chin to the right edge of the phone in order to make room for the screen. The Z3 Play is powered by a Snapdragon 636 processor with 4 GB of memory and 32 GB or 64 GB of storage. Motorola opted for a dual-camera array on the rear with a dual-LED flash. The main camera has a 12-megapixel sensor at f/1.7 and it is accompanied by a 5-megapixel depth-sensing camera. This system supports features such as portrait/bokeh, spot color, cinemagraphs, cut-out mode, panorama, time-lapse, slow-motion, face filters, and a card/QR code reader. The front camera has a semi-wide-angle, 8-megapixel sensor at f/2 with screen-based flash and portrait shooting. Motorola says it has upgraded the phone's audio powers with a 24-bit DAC, 7-core DSP, and four mics for better far-field voice recognition. The phone packs a 3,000mAh battery with support for Motorola's TurboCharge rapid charging. Other features include splash resistance, USB-C, Bluetooth 5 with aptX HD, face unlock, dual-band wifi, and support for microSD memory cards. The phone runs Android 8 Oreo and will be updated to Android P later this year. It includes Motorola's gestures, Moto Actions, Moto Display, and a new swipe-based navigation tool at the bottom of the display. The phone will be sold unlocked from Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Fry’s, B&H Photo, and Amazon.com, and via Sprint and U.S. Cellular. Preorders start June 21 and it should reach stores June 29. The phone will be sold in two bundles: Moto Z3 Play with the Motorola battery mod or Moto Z3 Play with the Motorola stereo speaker mod. The bundles cost $499.
