It has been a while since Motorola phones graced the Kenyan stores. The company has been going through a transition from being bought by Google and later being sold to Lenovo. This new owner already has a presence in Kenya; it was therefore a matter of time before they brought back the Motorola brand. In the early hours of Tuesday, Lenovo through its subsidiary Motorola Mobility launched the Moto Z; a super slim flagship phone with modular technology in the name of ‘moto mods’ that attach on its rear to add functionality and open a world of possibilities.
Moto Z is an aluminium phone that has stainless steel frame outline cramped into one of the thinnest bodies on a phone so far, 5.19mm to be precise. Despite the super slim dimensions, Moto Z comes with cutting edge features which includes a 5.5 inch Quad HD AMOLED screen which shares the same resolution and display technology as the Samsung Galaxy S7. Powering the beautiful screen is the Snapdragon 820 coupled with 4GB RAM and a choice of between 32GB and 64GB internal storage. In case you need more space, a micro SD card slot that can hold up to 2TB of space is at your disposal. Perhaps the only demerit with the specs sheet so far is it’s lowly 2600 mAH battery, a far car from the 3000+ mAH other flagships are launching with nowadays. Fortunately, the phone has fast charging technology on-board. On a sad note, Moto Z does not come with a 3.5 mm head phone jack, users have to use the USB Type-C port to listen to audio or go completely wireless with Bluetooth earphones. Only wired earphones are bundled in the box.
In the camera department, the Moto Z comes with 13MP camera with laser autofocus and optical image stabilisation (OIS) for stable photos and video shooting. On the front is a 5MP wide angle lens camera that comes with a flash for better low light selfies.
Unlike the Apple iPhone 7 and the Samsung Galaxy S7, Moto Z does not offer immersion waterproofing; however, it will survive splashes, rain, and spills thanks to a water repellent coating on its entire body. A fingerprint sensor is here as well now that biometric security is becoming standard on flagships nowadays.
Now on to the really fun part, the moto mods; these are hardware attachments that snap on to the back of the Moto Z via magnets. Motorola made the process as hassle free as possible, a simple magnet attachment instantly integrates the phone with the features of the add-on. Various moto mods were launched, each comes with its unique bundle of possibilities. These mods include:
Hassleblad True Zoom
- Has 10 times optical zoom
- Xenon flash which traditionally has better object illuminating than LED flash
- RAW format photo capture support
- Has a physical shutter button as well as zoom controls
- Comes with Hassleblad’s Phocus software for editing photos
- Has automatic and unlimited free storage for 2 years courtesy of Google Photos
JBL Sound Boost
- Has stereo speakers
- A kickstand
- A built-in battery that Motorola claims can add 10 hours of music playback
- Has a speakerphone for answering calls
- Costs Kshs. 15,000
Insta-Share Projector
- Projects up to 70 degrees on a flat surface
- Has a kickstand to adjust angle of projection
- Has a built-in battery that offers one extra hour of projection time.
- Costs Kshs. 26,000
There are some moto mods that are available in other countries but are yet to be launched locally such as the Incipio Offgrid Power Pack mod which adds a 2200 mAH battery to the 2600 mAH of the Moto Z making a total of 4800 mAH effectively overcoming the main demerit of the phone. As far as price goes, the phone is selling a Kshs. 69,999.
