Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      Trump tariffs could wreck South Africa’s vehicle manufacturing industry

      14 July 2025

      Legislative overhaul on the cards for South Africa’s ICT sector

      14 July 2025

      The 1940s visionary who imagined the Information Age

      14 July 2025

      Microsoft South Africa to get new MD as Lillian Barnard moves to regional role

      14 July 2025

      Zuckerberg used open source to scale AI – now the lock-in begins

      14 July 2025
    • World

      Grok 4 arrives with bold claims and fresh controversy

      10 July 2025

      Bitcoin pushes higher into record territory

      10 July 2025

      Cupertino vs Brussels: Apple challenges Big Tech crackdown

      7 July 2025

      Grammarly acquires e-mail start-up Superhuman

      1 July 2025

      Apple considers ditching its own AI in Siri overhaul

      1 July 2025
    • In-depth

      Siemens is battling Big Tech for AI supremacy in factories

      24 June 2025

      The algorithm will sing now: why musicians should be worried about AI

      20 June 2025

      Meta bets $72-billion on AI – and investors love it

      17 June 2025

      MultiChoice may unbundle SuperSport from DStv

      12 June 2025

      Grok promised bias-free chat. Then came the edits

      2 June 2025
    • TCS

      TCS+ | MVNX on the opportunities in South Africa’s booming MVNO market

      11 July 2025

      TCS | Connecting Saffas – Renier Lombard on The Lekker Network

      7 July 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E4: Takealot’s big Post Office jobs plan

      4 July 2025

      TCS | Tech, townships and tenacity: Spar’s plan to win with Spar2U

      3 July 2025

      TCS+ | First Distribution on the latest and greatest cloud technologies

      27 June 2025
    • Opinion

      In defence of equity alternatives for BEE

      30 June 2025

      E-commerce in ICT distribution: enabler or disruptor?

      30 June 2025

      South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

      17 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025

      Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

      13 June 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CambriLearn
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » Gadgets & Reviews » Moto Z review: brilliant execution, Lenovo

    Moto Z review: brilliant execution, Lenovo

    By Duncan McLeod25 October 2016
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp

    moto-z-640

    In a world where smartphones have become so similar – large, flat slabs of glass – Lenovo’s new flagship Moto Z smartphone is a standout. Its modular design not only immediately differentiates itself from its competitors, it’s brilliantly executed, too, making this one of the most exciting new handsets in years.

    It also marks a return to the South African market of the Motorola brand after Lenovo acquired Motorola Mobility from Google in 2014. Hello (again), Moto!

    The Moto Z is not the first modular smartphone. The G5 from Korea’s LG Electronics brought the concept to the mainstream in 2015. However, Lenovo’s implementation is slicker. Unlike the G5, snap-on components — known as Moto Mods — can be attached magnetically to the phone’s rear without having to cycle the power.

    And all the Moto Mods available at launch — from a 10x optical zoom camera developed by Hasselblad to a stereo speaker from JBL – are genuinely useful (although not particularly cheap).

    But let’s start with the phone itself. At just 5,2mm thick, the Moto Z is startlingly thin and, at 136g, lightweight, too.

    It’s almost unbelievable what Lenovo has managed to shoehorn into the phone’s slender frame — a zippy Snapdragon 820 processor, a generous 4GB of RAM and either 32GB or 64GB of flash storage (expandable by 256GB using a microSD card).

    The Moto Z ships with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, though Lenovo has said an update to 7.0 Nougat should be here before year-end

    The only sign that Lenovo had to cut any corners is the battery, which, at 2 600mAh, is a little lightweight, especially when it comes to powering the super-bright, 1 440×2 560-pixel, 5,5-inch display. The battery will get you through a day, but not with heavy use.

    The 13-megapixel primary camera produces extraordinarily good photos with its f/1,8 lens, even in relatively dimly lit situations. It supports laser autofocus, optical image stabilisation and has a dual-tone flash. It’ll shoot 4K video at 30fps and full-HD video at 60fps, and will shoot in high dynamic range, too. The secondary, front-facing camera, which has a 5MP sensor, has its own LED flash.

    The Moto Z's fingerprint sensor is lightning fast and accurate
    The Moto Z’s fingerprint sensor is lightning fast and accurate

    The Moto Z has all the components you’d expect in a high-end smartphone — GPS, Glonass, accelerometer, NFC, LTE, dual-band 802.11ac, and so on — and we won’t rehash all those specs here.

    However, two things worth noting are that the phone uses the new USB-C connector and — shock, horror! – it doesn’t have a 3,5mm analogue audio jack (oh, Apple, what have you started?). There is an adapter in the box, though, to connect wired headphones.

    Also in the box is a rear cover (it slots on comfortably like the Moto Mod accessories). Of course, there are many covers available separately, so you can personalise your phone to match your mood, or the season. There’s also a clear “bumper” that fits over the front of the phone, which provides rudimentary protection against knocks and drops. If you want better protection, you’ll need to buy it.

    The Moto Z ships with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, though Lenovo has said an update to 7.0 Nougat should be here before year-end. The company has kept Android quite close to the experience Google intended, with minimal overlays and — we’re pleased to see — almost no vendor bloatware. Our test device hadn’t been near one of the local operators, either, so there was no operator crapware loaded.

    Moto Z sans back cover
    Moto Z sans back cover

    Where Lenovo has added features to Android, many of them — like gestures — are genuinely useful. For example, picking up the phone and looking at, or swiping a hand over it, brings up the time as well as summary notifications. Holding down a notification icon, like e-mail, brings up more detail, allowing you to decide in an instant if you need to unlock your phone or not. It’s a great productivity enhancer.

    We also really liked the ability to flick our wrist twice to unlock the phone and bring up the camera app. The camera loads almost instantly — the fastest we’ve seen on any Android phone — meaning you’re less likely to miss that great action shot.

    The fingerprint sensor is also rapid and accurate. Unlocking the phone by touching the sensor, which is in the centre below the screen, works flawlessly and quickly almost without fail. One minor quibble is that the sensor detracts a little from the overall design of the phone. It looks a little out of place — almost something that was added as an afterthought without considering it in the design ethos.

    Enough about the device itself. Let’s have a look at those Moto Mods!

    Four Moto Mods are available in South Africa at launch. We’ve already mentioned the JBL SoundBoost speaker Mod. Snap it onto the back of the phone and it produces loud, high-quality sound. It houses its own 1 000mAh battery, so there’s no worry about it draining the phone’s battery, and it provides up to 10 hours of uninterrupted playback. There’s even a built-in kickstand to prop the phone up on a table or couch (or anywhere really). This is especially useful when watching video content.

    The 145g SoundBoost has two speakers, each with a 27mm diameter. They output 3W per speaker, with loudness of 80dBSPL at 0,5m. They cost R1 699.

    JBL's SoundBoost Moto Mod
    JBL’s SoundBoost Moto Mod

    Next up is the Moto Insta-Share Projector Mod, which turns the Moto Z into a mini projector. We didn’t have this Mod to review, but it fetches R4 699. It will no doubt appeal to the PowerPoint crowd.

    The third Mod, which is also likely to be the biggest seller, is the Incipio offGrid Power Pack Mod, which adds extra juice to the phone, ensuring you can end even the heaviest-use days with plenty of reserve left in the tank. The 79g, 2 220mAh battery doesn’t add significant heft to the phone, and doesn’t detract from its design.

    The Power Pack Mod automatically charges the Moto Z at the most efficient times to get up to 20% more battery life, Lenovo said. There’s also a wireless charging option, allowing you to charge the Moto Z and/or the Power Pack wirelessly. The Mod retails for a recommended R1 199.

    It’s the fourth and final Moto Mod that is likely to garner the most attention, though. The Hasselblad True Zoom Mod turns the Moto Z into a powerful digital camera by adding features such as a 10x optical zoom, allowing you to capture detailed photos from a distance without the usual smartphone problem of losing resolution. Focal length is 4,5-45mm (25-250mm 35mm equivalent).

    The 145g True Zoom Mod, which has a sensor resolution of 12 megapixels, a 1/2,3-inch, f3,5-6,5 BSI CMOS sensor and a xenon flash, can shoot in RAW (DNG format) and take 1080p video at 30fps. A wide range of manual settings is supported, from ISO 100 to 3 200 to white balance and exposure settings. It has two mics for stereo audio recording. Optical image stabilisation is standard for still images.

    Android Authority has a great video overview of the Hasselblad Moto Mod:

    For shutterbugs, the True Zoom Mod is going to prove very tempting. But at a recommended R4 299, it’s not cheap. The price seems just too steep for what it is, even with Hasselblad’s name attached to it.

    And, like all the Moto Mods, the worry for consumers must be how long they’ll be able to use these pricey extras before they’re rendered obsolete through a phone upgrade. Most people, especially at the high end of the market, upgrade their phone every two or three years.

    That said, even if you don’t buy any of the Moto Mods, the Moto Z is a brilliant Android smartphone — undoubtedly one of the very best we’ve seen. It’s lightning quick, it’s not bogged down with bloatware and the added software features are mostly very useful.

    If you’re in the market for a new, high-end Android smartphone, the Moto Z should be on your shortlist. – © 2016 NewsCentral Media

    • The Moto Z retails for a recommended R12 999


    Lenovo Lenovo Moto Z Moto Z Moto Z review Motorola Motorola Moto Z
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleOffice workers’ IT habits shifting
    Next Article Backspace: ‘The new MacBook Pro’

    Related Posts

    Perplexity in talks to integrate AI assistant into Samsung, Motorola phones

    17 April 2025

    iPhone lost ground to Android in 2024

    13 January 2025

    Who still uses pagers anyway?

    19 September 2024
    Company News

    Banking on LEO: Q-KON transforms financial services connectivity

    14 July 2025

    The future of business calling: Voys brings your landline to the cloud

    14 July 2025

    How digital twins and AI are shaping the future of security

    14 July 2025
    Opinion

    In defence of equity alternatives for BEE

    30 June 2025

    E-commerce in ICT distribution: enabler or disruptor?

    30 June 2025

    South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

    17 June 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.