Motorola Moto Z3 review – in pictures
It's getting 5G with a Moto Mod, but should you buy it today?
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The Moto Z3 is here, releasing on 16 August in the States (no word yet internationally), and it will support the 5G Moto Mod attachment. But that attachment won’t see the light of day until early 2019. Still, calling a smartphone the very first to be upgradeable to 5G isn’t a half-bad boast, and it’s something that might entice some buyers to take the plunge on a matter of faith. And what about the Moto Z3 itself? Well, it’s pretty similar to the earlier Moto Z models, with a super-slim, Moto Mod-accommodating build, but it’s gone for a slightly-less-than-flagship build this time around – and a price to match. Should you buy a smartphone on a promise, even if it’s an incredibly compelling one? Here’s what we think.
BUILT TO EXPAND
Wrapping my hands around this large phone, it feels quite a bit like the original Moto Z that I reviewed a couple years back. In fact, I remember that same immediate sensation of thinking that the handset feels unnervingly thin without a Mod attached. And at 6.75mm, this one’s thicker than the original! But that’s the whole point: if you’re buying a Moto Z3, you’re doing it because you have some level of interest in the Moto Mods. The 5G mod is still several months away, but in the meantime you can snap on a battery pack, a projector, a 10x zoom camera, and other odd little bits and pieces. Even just slapping on a backing plate – decorative or otherwise – helps make it feel a lot more complete in the hand.
A MOD-ERN HANDSET
Given my own past experience with Moto Mods, I don’t see anything out there that’s a must-have – an accessory that’s so essential and so much better served by being affixed to the back of your handset. Not enough to make these phones stand out above the competition, at least. But you might like the feel and convenience of a snap-on battery pack, or varying backing designs (as shown). Overall, the Z3 certainly has a flagship-level allure: it’s screen-heavy on the front, all glass and aluminum otherwise, and feels like a top-end device. Sadly, it’s one that’s lacking a 3.5mm headphone jack, although it comes with a USB-C convertor dongle.
FACE OR… FUMBLE
Like the earlier Moto Z3 Play, the Moto Z3 brings an interesting design tweak: a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. It’s plenty speedy once you have a finger on it, although admittedly, it’s a tough adjustment. Front and back-mounted sensors can seemingly accomodate a number of different hand approaches, while the Moto Z3 works with a very specific kind of grip. Even after days of usage, I still feel like I’m fumbling for it, although that will surely ease over time. Motorola also offers Face Unlock capabilities if you’re not into the fingerprint sensor, and while it’s less secure than a fingerprint and doesn’t have quite the iPhone X-level of sensor-aided capability, it still feels fast and reliable.
CAPABLE CAMERAS
The Moto Z3 has a dual-camera setup on the back, with a 12-megapixel (f/2.0) main sensor flanked by a 12MP monochrome sensor. Both have depth-sensing capabilities, and you can use them for portrait shots, black-and-white photos, and special effects shots that merge color and black-and-white elements. Every snap looks pretty nice: strong colouring, good detail, and and speedy autofocus via both phase detection and laser. I turned out nice shots on the street, at a baseball game, in my garden, and nearly everywhere else. Low-light performance sags a bit – you can definitely lose some detail and clarity as a result.
SCREEN SENSATION
The screen in question is big and bold, measuring 6in and taking up the bulk (79%) of the front. It’s an extra-tall 18:9 display, no notch in tow, and boasts strong contrast and inky blacks thanks to the AMOLED tech. That said, it’s a 1080p panel, so it doesn’t have quite the same level of crispness as the Quad HD-packing Samsung Galaxy S9. But we’re seeing a lot of makers opt for 1080p displays in their flagships, which has seemed a more common move of late. In any case, it looks great here. Netflix and YouTube streams look punchy and clean, and everyday usage doesn’t disappoint.
THE 5G MOD
The demo version of the Mod felt relatively lightweight, however, although it does add a bit of bulk to the Moto Z3 – and the little fin at the top (as seen below), which Motorola says is a functional move. It allows one of the antennas to peek out unobscured, with three others located elsewhere on the Mod. If Motorola and U.S. carrier Verizon’s 5G claims hold up, it could be a monumental leap in mobile connectivity, letting you stream 4K-quality content with ease, download an entire season of a TV show in a couple of minutes, and even stream live VR content without nausea-inducing latency issues. We’ll have to see how much the 5G Moto Mod costs, however – the US$480 price of the phone seems reasonable, but if the Mod is hugely expensive, then it’ll dilute the value proposition.
MOTO Z3 VERDICT
The Motorola Moto Z3 is much like the other Moto Z devices: if you like the idea of modular accessories, then it’s pretty compelling. If you don’t see the point of Moto Mods, then you’ve got a lot of other options – some of which are arugably more compelling. Things could change dramatically once the 5G Moto Mod comes out. If there aren’t a lot of phones with 5G support at the time, let alone 5G-capable phones below the flagship price point, then that capability could make the Z3 a must-have. But there are a lot of question marks, and it’s tough to recommend buying a phone today based on a nebulous accessory that’ll be out in six or more months.
