Moto Z just announced. Anyone excited ??

[kaerflog]

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Moto-Z-vs-Moto-Z-Force-comparison-see-all-the-differences_id82007

I had the Moto X Pure for a bit last year and I was a big fan. Slim bezels and great sounding front speakers were my main likes.
Was looking toward to this year line-up until I saw some of the leaks. It was announced and much to my disliking, more bezels for the latest version.
I know, I know. Whats the deal with a little more bezels. To me, phone these days runs pretty much the same so the #1 thing for me is aesthetics and that means minimal BEZELS.
This year Moto Z fucked it by going the HTC route. WTH did you have to add a Moto logo on top of the square button and therefore adding more bezels.
Motomods are very interesting. Let see how the public will react.

 

[tsupersonic]

It's not bad. I wish they would make it thicker and accommodate a higher capacity battery, 5.2mm is stupid thin. I guess that's what the Force is all about. And why are we going backwards with initial carrier exclusivity? Just release the damn phone on all carriers and an unlocked version. I miss when Motorola ran Motorola...

Sent from my Nexus 6P

 

[quikah]

moto mods is the most interesting bit:

http://www.motorola.com/us/moto-mods

 

[poofyhairguy]

Three Points:

1. It looks like pre-Moto Lenovo phones and not like Moto phones, which is a bad thing. It looks cheap.

2. I don't like how they are segmenting the the flagship line into the Z and the Z Force. I get doing that for a phablet offering, but the Z Force isn't a phablet.

3. Even if 1 and 2 weren't an issue Lenovo's commitment to updates are. They are pretty much dead to me they way they abandoned some models of their 2014 flagship before it was even two years old. I will never recommend a Moto phone again.

 

[WelshBloke]

No one bothered by the lack of 3.5mm audio jack?

 

[Oyeve]

No one bothered by the lack of 3.5mm audio jack?

Yeah but they will toss in a usb to headphone adapter for free, unlike ahole apple who will charge 30 bucks for it. BT headphones will never sound as good as wired unless you drop several hundred bucks in a BT set with discrete amplification.

 

[midwestfisherman]

Now that Moto is owned by Lenovo, I just can't get excited about them!

 

[WelshBloke]

Yeah but they will toss in a usb to headphone adapter for free, unlike ahole apple who will charge 30 bucks for it.

USB-C does analogue output as well as digital yes?

If so then that's not too bad, but if not a DAC in a free bundled adapter is going to be pretty shitty.

 

[linkgoron]

I don't really get these months ahead launches, getting hyped for a phone months ahead makes no sense in a market with such strong competition (I'm looking at you Sony).

Anyway, I really like smaller phones, but the Force actually looked interesting until I saw that they're supposed to be Verizon exclusive until "Fall".

http://www.androidcentral.com/moto-z-and-moto-z-force-will-be-verizon-exclusives-through-fall
http://www.droid-life.com/2016/06/0...ve-exclusively-verizon-august-elsewhere-fall/

Moto Z and Moto Z Force Arrive Exclusively to Verizon This Summer, Elsewhere in the Fall

meh.
Also, according to Droid life

the Moto Z Force, with its shatterproof display, is a Verizon exclusive completely.

Even if they're wrong (i.e. the Force is not a complete Verizon exclusive) - by September/October we will see the Note 6, OP3 (next week), Xperia XP (very late June-mid July), HTC 10 mini (crossing my fingers) and maybe a new nexus or two. I'm not sure how exciting it will look vs those phones.

 

[desura]

Nope, not at all.

Removing the headphone jack is an annoyingly elitist move. As the rest, it is a slab of glass that runs snapdragon and android.

All I want is something a little smaller than the original X with a 3 day battery life.

 

[sweenish]

The aesthetics don't appeal to me in the least, the baked in battery is paltry, Moto's customer service is in the toilet, updates are in the toilet, and the small bezels are gone (especially on the bottom). Add the Verizon-exclusive window, and what is there to like?


Motorola is dead.

 

[Insomniator]

My only reaction is WTF is with that bezel. 5.5" phone is big enough already... those are laughable.

I thought I'd care more about the lack of a 3.5MM but you know what, I haven't used mine in maybe a year? Bluetooth earbuds for the gym, Bluetooth speakers for home/travel/partying. If they include an adapter for free for the... one time ever i forget to charge my earbuds then its all good.

The less wires the better. Those bezels tho lol.

 

[GTRagnarok]

These phones are incredi...bly unappealing to me.

 

[mrochester]

It's Android. I don't think anyone anywhere can get excited about Android. Android has got to be the most dull and predictable operating system ever known, even worse than Windows. Let's see some software innovation please!

 

[Red Storm]

What an ugly phone, not only are the bezels mismatched but the bottom one is HUGE.

 

[poofyhairguy]

It's Android. I don't think anyone anywhere can get excited about Android. Android has got to be the most dull and predictable operating system ever known, even worse than Windows. Let's see some software innovation please!

Lenovo actually announced a very innovative phone yesterday- the Phab2 Pro with Project Tango built in. I think it will be the next big thing in Android.

Also their bendable phones (that they aren't selling yet) look like what all of us will be carrying in say 2020:

http://mashable.com/2016/06/09/lenovo-flexible-bendable/

So there is a lot of exciting stuff in the Android market from Lenovo. Just nothing with a Moto logo on it.

 

[Red Storm]

Lenovo actually announced a very innovative phone yesterday- the Phab2 Pro with Project Tango built in. I think it will be the next big thing in Android.

Also their bendable phones (that they aren't selling yet) look like what all of us will be carrying in say 2020:

http://mashable.com/2016/06/09/lenovo-flexible-bendable/

So there is a lot of exciting stuff in the Android market from Lenovo. Just nothing with a Moto logo on it.

Yeah I do think Tango is going to be big, especially when it eventually combines with VR (the phone will auto map your surroundings giving you room-scale like the Vive). Right now it's still a little early though.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Yeah I do think Tango is going to be big, especially when it eventually combines with VR (the phone will auto map your surroundings giving you room-scale like the Vive). Right now it's still a little early though.

For sure all of this stuff is early, but it is nice to see that the Android market has a clear growth path for the future with flexible screens, Tango, VR, AI (Google Home) and Raspberry Pis. The 2018 Nexus is going to be amazing when all this stuff is completely hashed out.

There are so many Apple investors/journalists wringing their hands right now that the iPhone (and therefore iOS) has plateaued, and most suggestions I have seen for Apple to continue on a path of growth require them to jump into a totally different markets than iOS like making cars or TVs. Meanwhile Android is growing into the products of the future organically, like VR and AR, showing that we have only scratched the surface of what is possible with mobile.

 

[Compman55]

Now that Moto is owned by Lenovo, I just can't get excited about them!

+1

What they did with moto e by providing marshmallow to Europe and not USA, in addition to putting a phrase on the outer box stating they would support the device with updates, then backed out sours many including myself.

I bought a moto e for $24.99 brand new at walmart, and really like it for a cheap mp3 player. Im sure Motorola and Lenovo can make a great product but they lack the support needed to properly support the price tag they charge.

For $24.99, you can toss it when the OS outdates. For $499-$799 it is mandatory to see 2 concurrent OS updates to feel you are getting your money out of the device. Especially when the providers make you sign up for a 2 yr contract and it outdates before it is over.

 

[Roland00Address]

I am posting a link that includes a video that allows you to see the flexible displays in action with people handing them on the convention floor. These flexible displays are not going to be released soon and the final products may be nothing like this. Instead it was to demonstrate a prototype that operates in real world conditions to demonstrate what can be made in the future.

http://www.cnet.com/news/lenovo-shows-off-superflexible-phone-you-wear-like-a-watch/

Aka two proof of concepts devices.

 

[npaladin-2000]

Not liking where they went with it. Not that they aren't doing something interesting with the MotoMods, that looks to be the right way to do an accessory ecosystem for devices, make it universal to the range and have a good selection. LG screwed this up badly. But I loved my Nexus 6, and Moto has moved away from that sort of design. On the upside, ZTE seems to be moving towards it, so I'll probably grab an Axon 7 instead.

 

[luv2liv]

nothing exciting. interesting idea with the mods but im pretty sure a dedicated bt speaker is better than that add on speaker. the pico projector add on is gimmicky too. Hasselblad is supposedly gonna make an add on too. but people who really care about IQ bring their DSLR.

 

[cbrunny]

too big. sub 5 inches plz.

 

[dawheat]

Not liking where they went with it. Not that they aren't doing something interesting with the MotoMods, that looks to be the right way to do an accessory ecosystem for devices, make it universal to the range and have a good selection. LG screwed this up badly. But I loved my Nexus 6, and Moto has moved away from that sort of design. On the upside, ZTE seems to be moving towards it, so I'll probably grab an Axon 7 instead.

Agree - I think they're onto something with how to handle accessories:

- magnetic pins like the smart connector
- software automatically installed on the phone - literally plug and play, no user setup needed
- standard across multiple devices and for at least 2 years

Why this won't go anywhere with them is:

- they don't have the size to make it a viable standalone ecosystem for 3rd parties vs. Apple and Samsung
- Their new phones are unattractive (those bezels, square home button, Moto logo, asymentrical)
- They compromised on battery life when everyone else is going big. Accessories are no replacement for standard, dependable battery life. They should have gone a bit thicker and increased base battery life

 

[monkey333]

sure to get flamed for this, but I love my 2015 moto e, I use it more than my nexus 6. I'm interested in a sub 5 phone with a top notch cam. i was at least hoping for a souped up pure x, guess not.

back to samsung?