Moto Z3 Play Review: The free battery is the best thing about this phone

The game Moto Z2 Play from last year ($ 365 at Amazon.com) was a really nice phone with incredible battery life. It was really good. I'm sorry I can not say the same thing about this year's Moto Z3 Play, which seems to have lost some of its charm – and certainly its headphone jack – despite having really useful features.

I still love the Z3 Play as a midprice phone. He does the work, but without much personality. The promise of Moto Mods, these magnetic modules designed to enhance and personalize the experience of your phone, has dropped significantly. The majority of Mods are now batteries and cases.

Yet, the external Mod battery that comes in the Z3 Play box greatly extends the life of the phone. This is one of the main reasons to get the Z3 Play, even if it does not feel good in the hand and leaves you wondering why the phone is not just a bigger battery to start.

And at its current price, the Moto Z3 Play has no chance against the OnePlus 6 much faster, much more streamlined ($ 529 at OnePlus) or even the LG G6's Last year ($ 500 at Amazon.com) . But it has a more friendly version of the Android operating system, so do not update it yet completely. If the cost falls well below that of OnePlus 6, the value of Z3 Play will instantly become much more attractive.

See prices and a full comparison of the specifications below.

Moto Z3 Play price and where to buy it

The Z3 Play costs $ 499 at full retail price, which includes a 2,220mAh Moto Mod battery in the box. Amazon Prime Members in the United States can hang the Moto Z3 game for $ 450. The Z3 Play sells at 372 and 655 in the UK and Australia, respectively.

You can buy the Z3 Play at Sprint and US Cellular, or unlocked for any operator at Amazon (Prime Exclusive Program), Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Target, Fry's and B & H Photo.

What's good about the Moto Z3 Play

Battery life : When you insert the Moto Mod battery pack of 2 220 mAh into the box , the phone will easily last days of mixed use. You can set the pack to keep the phone at a constant load of 80% or 100%. Go for 80 percent – it'll last longer.

Fingerprint reader on the right edge of the phone : The unlock button that seems tailor-made for your right thumb looks like a power button, but it does not have it. is not. At first I had the impression of letting go to unlock the phone, but the movement soon became completely natural. I like that the unlocking target is in your line of sight, and you do not have to fumble on your back to find the drive.

One-Button Navigation Without Button : Now a standard Moto feature, this opt-in setting will convert the three navigation buttons to the Android screen into a single slider that you can use to come home. and call your recent tabs and your Google Assistant. It's a bit like Android P but smoother, and it worked very well.

Split Screen Mode : Another feature of Motorola software that is not exclusive to the Z3 Play, you can open two applications at once on the screen. Samsung phones have it too, and I've come to really appreciate being able to copy information from one screen and then paste it into another.