Motorola launched one of the most interesting smartphones last year – the Moto Z Play – which featured Moto Mod accessories ranging from projectors to optical zoom lens.

This year the company has launched a new model, the Moto Z2 Play, which can take advantage of the same modular accessories.

Motorola has also made the smartphone slightly thinner which makes it a little nicer to hold and the back is now metal instead of glass so it’s less slippery.

The smartphone is powered by a mid-range Snapdragon 626 octa-core processor but has 4GB RAM which is good enough for handling resource-hungry apps and multitasking.

The phone had no problems running games such as Banner Saga, Layton’s Mystery Journey and Pokemon Go, and it didn’t overheat in the process. It has 64GB of internal storage which is more than enough memory for installing apps and storing photos and videos.

We also like the front fingerprint sensor which is not only fast and accurate but supports “gestures”. You can, for instance, swipe left to right to access recently opened apps or right to left to go back to the previous screen.

Upgrade it

As mentioned earlier, the Moto Z2 Play supports Moto Mods which are optional modular add-ons that clip on to the back of the phone.

There are a number of mods, including a JBL speaker, mini projector, battery pack and zoom lens by Hasselblad.

This means you will have to spend more money but Motorola has said that the Moto Mods will be supported by future models so it’s worthwhile if you plan to stick with the brand.

The Moto Z2 Play sports a 12-megapixel camera with a large f/1.7 aperture that allows it to shoot better in low-light conditions.

Sometimes the photos turned up a little overexposed or underexposed but it’s not too bad and can be easily fixed with an app.

Sadly it lacks OIS (optical image stabilisation) so you will need steady hands with this smartphone.

The Z2 Play comes with a 3,000mAh battery which is slightly smaller that its predecessor’s but Motorola has kept the operating system bare – it has not tweaked the OS or installed any apps that could impact battery life.

So even with the smaller battery it had no issues lasting an entire day.

Conclusion

What’s attractive about the Moto Z2 Play is that Motorola has kept everything minimal, from the design to the operating system, while offering enough features, not too bad for a mid-range smartphone.

Overall, the Moto Z2 Play is a fun device to get, especially if you are willing to pay for the Moto Mods which allow you to expand the features of the phone.

Pros: Long battery life; sleek design; fast and accurate fingerprint sensor; supports Moto Mods

Cons: Camera lacks optical image stabilisation; no Gallery app.

MOTO Z2 Play

(Motorola)

Android smartphone

NETWORK: 4G

OPERATING SYSTEM: Android 7.1.1 Nougat

DISPLAY: 5.5in (1,080 x 1,920 pixels)

CAMERA: 12-megapixel rear camera with f/1.7 aperture, 5-megapixel front camera

PROCESSOR: Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 octa-core 2.2GHz

CONNECTIVITY: USB Type-C, Bluetooth 4.2, WiFi

MEMORY: 64GB (expandable via microSD)

BATTERY: 3,000mAh

DIMENSIONS (W x D x H): 76.2 x 6 x 156.2mm

WEIGHT: 145g

RATING: Four stars