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Next week, Motorola will be holding an event in New York where the company is expected to (finally) announce its 2017 flagship with the Moto Z2 Force. In 2016, we saw two flagships from the company with the Moto Z and Z Force, but it seems that the standard Moto Z has been removed in favor of the Moto Z2 Play.
This move isn’t all that surprising, but nonetheless, we are left with the Moto Z2 Force as the standalone flagship for Motorola and Lenovo in 2017. To celebrate the upcoming launch, we wanted to take a look at everything that has been leaked and what we expect to see from the device.
It all started somewhere
Rumors for the Moto Z2 Force didn’t really pick up any steam until April when a batch of renders made an appearance courtesy of @OnLeaks and Android Authority. These renders confirmed Motorola’s commitment to the modularity aspect of Moto Mods while giving us a look at a slightly slimmer design than the original Z Force.
The next day, we saw Evan Blass confirm the device’s name, while also stating the Z2 Force would not be a Verizon exclusive. This is important as the original Moto Z lineup was available either from Motorola directly, or through Verizon with the Z Droid/Z Force Droid. Blass specifically mentioned that T-Mobile would be carrying the device, leading to speculation that we would also see it through the likes of AT&T and Sprint.
Design
Moving onto the design of the Moto Z2 Force, we see a mostly similar device as to what was found with the original Z Force, save for a few tweaks. The unsightly camera bump is back, which can be eliminated by using one of the Moto Mod Style Covers (including the new wireless charging Mod).
Also returning is the glass front with the metal frame and back panel, but we are also likely to see the return of Motorola’s ShatterShield display technology which was first introduced with the Droid Turbo 2. However, there were some complaints with the display on the Z Force as it felt more like plastic than glass, and Motorola aims to address these issues with the Z2 Force.
The ShatterShield technology is important as Motorola claims the display offers five layers of protection while guaranteeing that the display will never shatter. This is a huge addition and one that we would love to see made available on more devices, but it’s unlikely that will ever happen.
Return of the Moto Mods
As expected, Motorola is going all-in with modularity through its various Moto Mods, and we can see the iconic pin arrangement on the rear of the device. This allows you to quickly and easily attach or detach any Moto Mods that you want to use throughout the day, even if it’s just to change up the style a bit.
Alongside the Moto Z2 Play, the company introduced a new lineup of Moto Mods, which include the aforementioned wireless charging Style Cover. We also saw the new JBL SoundBoost 2 which hopes to turn any party on its heels (for the better), along with a new portable battery cover, and Moto GamePad.
Moto GamePad Moto Mod
For those gamers out there, the GamePad is probably the most exciting option, as this Moto Mod adds 2 control sticks, a d-pad, and 4 action buttons. This creates a traditional gaming experience using your smartphone, which is great news for those who have been looking for an all-in-one solution to gaming on the go. (Without picking up a Nintendo Switch for yourself.)
The DSLR Moto Mod concept
When the Z2 Force is announced, we are expecting to see even more Moto Mods introduced, as Motorola has already announced a few Moto Mod concepts. These include a 360-degree camera Mod, a DSLR camera lens Mod, an Action Mod for GoPro-like filming, and more.
New cameras
With the original Z Force, Motorola packed a single 21MP sensor into the device, which provided some decent shots, although the camera wasn’t on par with other options on the market. However, according to the various renders that have been leaked, it seems that Motorola will be joining the wave of dual-lens cameras that have been slowly been taking over new devices.
Through the various leaks that we’ve seen, we aren’t exactly sure what the secondary camera sensor will come in at, but a recent leak on AnTuTu shows a 12MP rear sensor, along with a 5MP front-facing camera. We’ll have to wait for the official announcement to learn what this camera is truly capable of, but I’m keeping my hopes high that Motorola knocks this one out of the park.
Fingerprint Scanner/Home Button
With the Moto Z and Z Force, Motorola introduced a home button/fingerprint scanner combination on the front of the device. Admittedly, it felt a bit out of place as it wasn’t like the OnePlus 3/3T where you could activate the capacitive buttons for navigation.
Regardless, Motorola feels confident with this design so much to the point that the home button/fingerprint scanner combo made a return with the Moto Z2 Play. Luckily, there was a redesign, so the scanner is a bit more recessed, versus feeling like an actual button and we are expecting to see this on the Z2 Force.
What about the specs?
When it comes to specs for the Z2 Force, the device is expected to largely provide the same footprint as its predecessor. It seems that Motorola won’t be joining the bezel-less club, which may drive some folks away from the device and towards the likes of the Galaxy S8 and LG G6.
We’ve already touched on what the display will be made from, as it won’t feature Gorilla Glass, instead, it will take advantage of Motorola’s ShatterShield display technology. The display will measure in at 5.5-inches and will feature a Quad-HD resolution of 2560 x 1440, lining up with the same display found on the original Z Force.
As you would expect, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC will be at the helm for the Z2 Force, while being coupled with at least 4GB of RAM and 6GB of RAM. The AnTuTu Benchmark results for the Z2 Force also shared that the device will have an option for 128GB of storage, although it’s unlikely this will be the base model configuration. We’re hoping that Motorola follows the trend continued by the likes of LG and Samsung by providing a microSD card slot for expanding your storage.
Moto Z2 Force Specs:
- 5.5-inch QHD Display
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC
- 6GB RAM
- 128GB Storage
- 5MP Front Camera
- 12MP Rear Camera (expecting 2 camera sensors)
- Fingerprint Scanner
- USB Type-C
- 3.5mm Headphone Jack
- 156.32 x 76.36 x 5.99(8.5 w/camera bump) mm
Odds & Ends
As you can see in the roundup of expected specs for the Z2 Force, the device will see the return of the 3.5mm headphone jack. Motorola decided that it would be cute with the original Moto Z lineup and remove the 3.5mm headphone jack, but it seems that they don’t care anymore about providing the thinnest device and wants to give the users what they want. This is great news for those who haven’t transitioned to Bluetooth headphones, and don’t want to have to worry about carrying a dongle with them all of the time.
Announcement & Pricing
Well, we’ve already touched on it a few times earlier in this roundup, but Motorola will be holding an event named #HelloMotoWorld on July 25th, where the Z2 Force is expected to be unveiled. We are also expecting to see even more Moto Mods, and there’s a chance we could see the Moto X4 mentioned.
As for pricing, we’re still not too sure what to expect from the Moto Z2 Force. However, if you base pricing off of the original Z Force, we can deduce that pricing will be around $700. Hopefully, we see some great deals from carriers as we have seen with the likes of the Galaxy S8 and LG G6, but we’ll have to wait until July 25th to learn more.
What do you think?
Here’s where we want to hear from you! Let us know what you think about the Moto Z2 Force and if you’re interested to see Motorola and Lenovo’s 2017 flagship once it’s unveiled on July 25th.
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