Moto Z2 Force Review: ShatterShield Display, Functional Moto Mods

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Moto Z2 Force: At First Glance

In 2016, Motorola began its journey into the adventures of modular designed smartphones by introducing the Moto Z series. Continuing the trend, in 2017 Motorola has populated the series with more releases, one of which is the Moto Z2 Force.

Just like the other releases of the series, the selling point of the Moto Z2 Force is the Moto Mods. You can transform the Moto Z2 Force into a more functional device via Moto Mods but at an extra cost.

Meanwhile, in October 2021 when we updated this article, the Moto Z2 Force itself cost $180. With all that been said, let us find out how the Moto Z2 Force fares among other 2017 flagship smartphones.

Moto Z2 Force: Design, Dimension & Weight

The Moto Z2 Force is similar to the Moto Z2 Play design-wise. However, Moto Z2 Force features more powerful hardware specifications.

The Moto Z2 Force has a unibody aluminum chassis that feels solid in the hands. For color options, it is available in just super black and fine gold colors.

The front view comprises the 5.5-inch display just like its predecessor – Moto Z2 Play. Thankfully, the phone’s screen size falls within the preferred range – research reveals that most users prefer a  phone between 5 to 5.5-inch.

The display is made of a Motorola technology known as Shattershield. This implies that the Moto Z2 Force’s display is made of several layers of plastic that are strong enough to prevent it from breaking – that is, if it falls.

As a matter of fact, Motorola assures Moto Z2 Force users of a 4 years guarantee against the cracked screens.  

Overall, the Moto Z2 Force is very durable and resilient, thanks to the combination of its metallic body and shatter shield screen. Impressively, the Moto Z2 Force passed the Tomsguide.com durability test.

The test involves dropping phones from 4 feet and 6 feet in height unto concrete and wood. It also involves submerging the sample phones in water.

Consequently, the Moto Z2 Force survived the wood and concrete drop tests without a cracked screen, thanks to its shatter shield technology. However, that does not translate to scratch-free as the screen got a lot of scratches and dents.

Thankfully, you can prevent these scratches by using screen protectors.

Another sign of impact from the test was some noticeable scratches on the aluminum frame. The resilience of the Moto Z2 Force in the durability test is very commendable considering that it topped the performance chart amongst competitors.

Unfortunately, the Moto Z2 Force is not water-resistant – although it has a water-repellant nanocoating, the most it offers is splash resistance. Hence, the Moto Z2 Force did not fare as well as the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S8 in the water test.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is waterproof hence it didn’t go off when submerged in water. On the other hand, the Moto Z2 Force went off after been submerged but came back on after it dried off.

Moving on, the Moto Z2 Force’s display has thick top and bottom bezels. Hence, it does not look as modern as the other flagships of 2017 like the Samsung Note 8.

The top bezel houses the earpiece at its center, to the left of the earpiece, there you will find the front camera. Meanwhile, at the left side of the earpiece sits the proximity sensor and the front camera flash.

On the other hand, the bottom bezel houses the oval-shaped fingerprint reader with a Moto branding above it. Also, there is a microphone flanking the left side of the fingerprint reader.

Moving on to the back view, the aluminum back panel features a bulging circular camera. Below the camera, there is a glossy Motorola logo.

Further down the back panel, you will find the 16 gold-coated pin ports for connecting the Moto Mods. The Moto Mods are magnetic components that you can attach to the back of the phone.

Thankfully, like the previous editions of the series, the Moto Z2 Force is also compatible with new and existing Mods. Different Moto Mods are available at an extra cost.

For instance, there is a speaker Mod known as JBL SoundBoost 2, it currently sells for about $36 on Amazon.com. It produces an excellent sound quality with 10-hour battery life.

Moreover, the JBL SoundBoost 2  is splash-resistant and has a built-in kickstand. In addition to the speaker Mod, there are several others like the projector, battery, gamepad, etc.

Moving on to the sides and edges of the Moto Z2 Force, the top houses the SIM card and MicroSD card slot. Meanwhile, the bottom houses a USB Type-C charging port.

Furthermore, the left side of the phone is bare. However, the right side houses the volume rocker and a power button.

Pressing the power button turns the screen on or off while pressing and holding the button switches the phone on or off.

When it comes to the dimension, the Moto Z2 Force measures 155.8 x 76.0 x 6.0 mm ( H x W x D ). Impressively, the Moto Z2 Force is thinner than most smartphones and it is easy to hold.

However, the thinness of the phone only applies when you use the phone as it is. As soon as you attach a Moto Mod, it gets thicker.

For the weight, the  Moto Z2 Force weighs 143 g.

Like most Motorola smartphones, the Moto Z2 Force’s weight falls within the weight range preferred by most smartphone users. Research shows that most users prefer phones between 140 g to 170 g. 

In conclusion, the phone has a lot going for it design-wise. However, I do not like few things about its design like the protruding rear camera and the absence of an earphone jack.

On a brighter note, it is very solid and will survive rugged conditions.

Therefore, I will rate the Moto Z2 Force a nine in this design and dimension review section.

Moto Z2 Force: Display Features

The Moto Z2 Force has a 5.5-inch POLED display. The smartphone’s display featured POLED (a variation of OLED) with a flexible plastic substrate.

One known advantage of LED displays over LCD types is that LED displays are thinner and lighter. Another benefit is that LED displays deliver excellent display qualities and saves battery consumption.

Another feature we consider when determining the overall rating of a phone’s display is the display’s resolution. The resolution determines the quality of the video.

The Moto Z2 Force boasts of a 2K display resolution also known as QHD (Quad High Definition). This is not the best resolution out there considering that these days some phones have 4K resolutions. 

However, the display is decently sharp and colorful thanks to the 534 PPI pixel density. It is worthy of note that the average pixel density for smartphones is 300 PPI and the Moto Z2 Force surpasses that.

When it comes to color reproduction, the display produced 199.7% (the higher the better) of the sRGB color gamut. This is impressive, as it surpasses the LG G6‘s score of 134%.

For color accuracy, the Moto Z2 Force made a Delta E score of 1.06 (a number closest to 0 is better, while 0 is perfect). This is a good Delta E score as it surpasses the LG G6’s score of 1.1.

Furthermore, the Moto Z2 Force is not the brightest – it only has average screen brightness of 331 nits. However, it was fairly easy to read the screen even in direct sunlight.

If you want a larger screen for watching movies or making presentations from your phone, the projector Moto Mod will come in handy. It projects a 70-Inch image but the projection has only 50 lumens of brightness.

This implies that you will need a dim-lit room for proper visibility. The projector Moto Mod currently sells for about $88.99 on eBay.

Finally, the Moto Z2 Force’s display is not the best you will get around. However, the quality is decent.

Additionally, as I mentioned in the previous section, the display is shatter-proof due to its ShatterShield technology. Hence, you can be confident about picking your phone up without a cracked screen when it drops.

Finally, I will rate the Moto Z2 Force a seven in this display review section.

Moto Z2 Force: Camera Features

It is no news that most users want more powerful cameras on their phones. With this in mind, it is important to scrutinize the quality of a phone’s camera before you buy it. 

To rate the quality of the cameras of the Moto Z2 Force, I will review the camera’s megapixel, pixel size, and ƒ.stop number. The ƒ.stop number determines the camera’s aperture.

The smaller the ƒ.stop number, the better the picture quality of a camera.

The Moto Z2 Force features a rear dual camera. Both cameras are 12 megapixels and they both have aperture sizes of ƒ/2.0.

The dual cameras work together to produce better image quality compared to single camera lenses. However, the dual-camera of the Moto Z2 Force does not support optical zoom like that of the OnePlus 5.

The cameras produce clear and bright pictures even in poor lighting conditions. Also, the cameras support interesting photo effects like black and white, and depth of field.

Meanwhile, the 5-megapixel front camera has an aperture size of ƒ/2.2. The front camera features an LED flash that takes better-lit pictures in dim lighting conditions.

When it comes to video recording, the Moto Z2 Force’s rear camera is capable of recording 4K resolution videos at 30fps. Also, you can record 1080p resolution videos at 30, 60, or 120fps, and finally, 720p resolution videos at 240fps.

Unfortunately, the Z2 Force’s camera is not all perfect, it is quite slow compared to the likes of the Samsung S8. It takes a while to fire up the camera app, take a shot, and prepare for the next shot.

On a brighter note, to get a better camera functionality, you can attach a camera Moto Mod. As soon as the Moto Z2 Force detects the camera Mod, the camera app displays features like simultaneous display and spherical view.   

The 360 camera Moto Mod is a 19MP ultra-wide-angle camera that can capture all around you including yourself, amazing right? However, this interesting functionality comes at an extra price of about $29 currently on eBay.

Additionally, the camera Moto Mod captures FHD and 4K resolution videos along with 3D sounds.

Finally, all things considered, I will rate the Moto Z2 Force a seven in this camera review section.

Moto Z2 Force: Battery Life and Talk Time

It is universal knowledge that a phone’s battery is one of the key features to consider when we decide what phone to buy. After all, the longer the battery on your phone lasts, the more you can do stuff with the phone.

The Moto Z2 Force has a 2,730 mAh non-removable battery. Motorola has advertised it to deliver up to 22 hours of 3G battery talk time.

A battery capacity of 2,730 mAh is relatively low compared to the predecessor – Moto Z Force which has a 3,500 mAh battery. However, this has not stopped this phone from delivering up to 10 hours 23 minutes of battery life (according to a test carried out by Tomsguide.com).

The test involved continuous surfing of the web over a 4G LTE network until the battery drains. The screen brightness was also set to 150 nits.

In comparison with the Samsung S8, the Moto Z2 Force was slightly lagging. Specifically, the Samsung Galaxy S8 lasted 10 hours 39 minutes in the same test.

In reference to the test result, the Samsung Galaxy S8 packs a 3,000 mAh battery.

Thankfully, the Moto Z2 Force ships with a  TurboPower Pack Mod for free. The TurboPower Pack is a 3000 mAh battery Mod that gives you more battery power.

Additionally, the Moto Z2 Plus supports Motorola Turbocharging via the 15W TurboPower charger bundled with the phone. This fast charging technology ensures that the Moto Z2 Force charges completely in less than an hour.

Regrettably, the Moto Z2 Force does not support wireless charging since it is made of aluminum and the fast charging technology works through glass. However, you can get your Moto Z2 Force to charge wirelessly by attaching a wireless charging Mod.

The Moto Style Shell is a Moto Mod with wireless charging capability. It currently sells for about $39.99 on eBay.

Finally, the battery performance of the Moto Z2 Force is commendable despite the thinness of the phone. Most impressively, if you need additional power, you can attach a battery Moto Mod.

Therefore, I will rate the Moto Z2 Force a nine in this battery review section.

Moto Z2 Force: Storage Options & Performance

The storage options on a phone are another important feature to consider before making a buying decision. More storage means more photos, videos, and more files.

Unfortunately, the Moto Z2 Force is limited to the internal storage of just 64 GB. This is disappointing because the operating system and pre-installed apps still occupy a substantial portion of the storage space.

Hence, leaving you less than 64 GB to store your videos, music, pictures, and applications. Thereby, making the storage space get filled up quicker than you would like it to.

Thankfully, the good news is that the Moto Z2 Force has a microSD card slot that can take up to 2 TB. To insert the microSD card, use an ejector tool on the card tray to eject it and put the card.

There are usually two options to use the microSD card – either as portable storage or as an internal storage extension.

Choosing the first option means that you can only store media files without the ability to install applications. This option gives you the flexibility of using your SD card on other devices as well.

However, the internal storage option allows you to install applications to the SD card. Choosing this option requires file-based encryption of the storage media hence, you won’t be able to use the SD card on other devices.

Also, choosing the internal storage option will format the SD card. Therefore, if you want to choose this option, ensure you move the contents to the phone’s internal storage before you proceed.

In conclusion, I will rate the Moto Z2 Force an eight in this storage review section.

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Moto Z2 Force: Security Features & Sensors

The Moto Z2 Force comes loaded with all the essential sensors. Firstly, it has a fingerprint sensor that allows you to securely unlock the phone with your fingerprint instead of using a PIN. 

Speaking of the fingerprint reader, it is fast and accurate. It also supports gestures that can serve in place of navigational controls.

Speaking of which, you can swipe left on the fingerprint reader to go back or swipe right to show all open apps. Also, you can make a long press to launch Google Assistant.

The phone also has the following sensors – accelerometer, gyroscope, ambient light, proximity, magnetometer, barometer, ultrasonic, and audio monitor. In the consequent paragraphs, I will discuss the importance of some of these sensors.

The accelerometer and gyroscope sensors determine the phone’s orientation and automatically rotate the screen.

Meanwhile, the proximity sensor detects when you are holding the phone near your face during a call and turns the display off. This is very important as it improves the battery life of the phone. 

Another important sensor in this phone is the ambient light sensor which determines the degree of light around the phone. Therefore, in response to that, it automatically dims the phone’s display which is beneficial to the eyes and reduces battery consumption. 

Additionally, the Moto Z2 Force also has a barometer sensor. The barometer sensor is useful for sending essential health information to health apps. 

In conclusion, I will rate the Moto Z2 Force an eight in this security features and sensors review section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The Moto Z2 Force is a solid phone indeed – its ShatterShield screen together with its aluminum body can literally take a lot of beating. In addition to its great build quality, the battery power is impressive and even more impressive with the free 3000 mAh TurboPower pack Mod.

The Moto Z2 Force is also very slim and comfortable in the hands. Moreover, its fingerprint sensor is intuitive, fast, and accurate.

So, what is there not to like about the Moto Z2 Force? I will say, I am not impressed by the chunky bezels dominating the screen. I also would have liked it better if it was completely waterproof.

Finally, if you don’t mind the extra cost of the Moto Mods, the Moto Z2 Force is a perfect idea for transforming your Moto Z2 Force phone into a more functional device.

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