Motorola Moto Z3 Play review: Plans | Pricing | Specs

Motorola updated moto mod capable phone combines the modular approach the company has championed with a thin design and just a little more processing power.

It's been a while since we saw a moto mod capable phone down under, with the successor to the Moto Z2 Play, the Moto Z2 Force never officially available here. Motorola has swiftly made its 2018 mod-ready phone, the Motorola Moto Z3 Play available in Australia for outright sale.

Design

• Thin and light
• Moto mod compatibility adds large camera bump
• Lacks headphone jack

• Read more on the Motorola Moto Z3 Play design

  
  Motorola's Z-series phones stand out for their compatibility with the wide range of "moto mod" add-on modules that clip onto the rear of every Z-series phone.

  That gives them a lot of flexibility, as well as a reason to stick with the brand, given that you can't use moto mods with any other phone, but it also limits what Motorola can do with each generation of mod-capable phone. They've all got to be compatible with the basic mod shape.

  That means, like the Moto Z2 Play before it, that while the Moto Z3 Play is very thin and light for a flagship phone, it also has a very large camera bump on the rear.

  One change with this year's Moto Z3 Play is the removal of the headphone jack, meaning you'll have to opt for either a USB-C or Bluetooth set of headphones for your personal listening use.

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Camera

• Dual lens camera
• Cinemagraph mode for video effects

• Read more on the Motorola Moto Z3 Play camera

  
  The typical style for a flagship handset in 2018 is a dual camera array, and given that Motorola already offers that in their mid-range G-series handsets, it would be odd indeed if it were missing from the Motorola Moto Z3 Play.

  Motorola packs in a 12MP f/1.7 primary sensor paired with a 5MP depth sensor at the rear, along with a front-facing 8MP f/2.0 selfie camera.

  One neat trick that Motorola packs into its camera software is what it calls "Cinemagraph" mode. Plenty of phones have packed in a mix of still shot and a small video capture – what Apple calls "Live photos" on its iPhones, for example – but Motorola's take allows you capture up to 10 seconds of video and freeze sections of it for unique effects.

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Performance

• Snapdragon 636, not 845
• Expandable memory
• Mods give a lot of flexibility – at a price

• Read more on the Motorola Moto Z3 Play performance

  
  The majority of flagship phones in 2018 feature Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 processor at their heart, but that's not the route that Motorola's opted for.

  Instead, to keep the price moderate, it uses the Snapdragon 636, paired with 4GB of RAM. The Snapdragon 636 isn't a top-flight performer, but for the majority of users it's a perfectly adequate processor.

  The model sold in Australia comes with 64GB of onboard storage, but that can be boosted with the addition of microSD storage up to 2TB if you so desire. There's no water resistance – it seems it's really not a process that Motorola fusses with all that much – but you can of course turn the Motorola Moto Z3 Play into all sorts of other devices.

  We've rounded up most of the available moto mods here, and given the moto mod gamepad its own review here. Motorola has big plans for its moto mod capability in the future, including a possible 5G Moto Mod down the track.

  Moto mods are a neat idea and certainly a unique selling point, although you do have to temper that against the fact that they only work with Motorola's Z-series phones, and you do have to pay extra for each and every one of them.

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Battery life

• 3,000mAh battery
• Wireless charging available – via a moto mod

• Read more on the Motorola Moto Z3 Play battery life

  
  The thin nature of the Motorola Moto Z3 Play limits what Motorola can put into its phone, with only a 3,000mAh battery pack natively onboard. It's compatible with Motorola's Turbo charging standard, as long as you're using the supplied charger. You can of course boost battery capacity with a battery pack moto mod, although that will add weight and heft to the phone.

  There's no native onboard wireless charging functionality, although the protruding nature of the camera bump with no mod attached would make that hard to balance. Again, you can add it with wireless charging shell moto mod.

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Early Verdict

• A decent upgrade if you already own moto mods

• Read our early Motorola Moto Z3 Play verdict

  
  Motorola's Z-series phones are its flagships, and the moto mods remain the best reason to buy one. If you've already got a Moto Z or Moto Z2 Play with an array of mods, the Moto Z3 Play should represent a solid upgrade path.

  At its asking price, the Motorola Moto Z3 Play appears to be fine value, but we're still in the process of running it through our full review process. Stay tuned to find out our final verdict.

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Pricing and availability

Motorola Moto Z3 Play

Motorola's modular handset

The Motorola Moto Z3 combines power with the flexibility of Motorola's unique moto mods.

Buy Now

• The Motorola Moto Z3 Play sells in Australia outright for $799.