Android phones 2016

The new Moto G and Moto Z smartphones: Same size brandish but very dissimilar features

Motorola'southward new line of lower-cease and flagship phones all offering v.5-in. screens, but their other features vary widely.

moto z droid edition front and back
Motorola

Until recently, information technology was easy to tell lower-cost smartphones from their premium brethren without even turning them on or handling them. All you lot had to do was look at the size. A five-in. display? Obviously lower-cost. A 6-in. display? Okay, now you're talking flagship.

One time that was settled, you could pretty much figure that that the other specs would follow accommodate, including the type of processor, the phone's build (plastic vs. metal), its display quality (Hd vs. AMOLED), etc.

Motorola was one of the principal architects of this: For example, last yr's version of its well-made only relatively lower-stop Moto K had a 5-in. brandish and started at a very reasonable cost of $180. On the upper end of the characteristic-set range, the Moto X Pure came with an impressive 5.vii-in. Quad HD display and ran about $400.

Now, withal, things take inverse. Motorola has just introduced its fourth-gen line of Moto G phones, along with a new line of Moto Z premium devices -- and they're yet size. It seems that Motorola has decided that a five.v-in. screen is the best compromise between smaller, less expensive phones and the larger (excuse the expression) phablets.

Not that the phones are all that similar in other aspects. The new Moto G and Moto 1000 Plus have been improved as far as processor, camera and other features are concerned; they are also (especially the Moto 1000 Plus) comparatively more expensive, which may not be that much of an advantage. And the new Moto Z, which is replacing the popular but well-worn Moto 10, is something new altogether.

Moto Grand and Moto One thousand Plus

There is really non a lot of deviation betwixt the quaternary-gen Moto G and Moto Thousand Plus. Both are equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor (a decent but not terribly speedy octo-core chip), a respectable 1080 Full HD display, a 3000mAh bombardment and a 5MP front-facing camera. The Moto Yard Plus has a somewhat improve back-facing camera (16MP vs. the Moto G'south 13MP) and while both are available with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, the Moto G tops out at 32GB while the Moto 1000 Plus goes up to 64GB and 4GB of RAM.

Both offer the familiar replaceable plastic backing -- which doesn't experience at all cheap and is, in fact, rather comfortable -- roofing the SIM and SD-bill of fare slots.

And while the size of the display has gone up from concluding twelvemonth's model, the price has every bit well: The Moto One thousand starts at $200 and the Yard Plus starts at $250.

Moto Z and Moto Z Force

Meanwhile, the upcoming Moto Z and Moto Z Force are 2 slim, slick-looking premium smartphones with a difference: Magnetic backs that tin accept a variety of attachable modules called Moto Mods. These initially include a redundancy battery, a projector and a speaker.

img 20160714 104900

The Moto Z accepts magnetically-attached modules to enhance the phone'due south functionality, such as its Insta-Share Projector.

Motorola is not the kickoff manufacturer this year to attempt to come with a modular telephone. The LG G5, which we reviewed back in April, offers replaceable batteries and other features that slide out from the bottom of the telephone. I have to say that, on first look, Motorola'southward method -- but snapping the module magnetically onto the dorsum of the phone -- seems more elegant and simpler than LG's.

Both the Moto Z and Moto Z Force are built with a faster Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, a v.5-in. Quad HD AMOLED brandish, upward to 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM. They are equipped with USB-C ports (for fast charging); while the Moto Z has a 13MP rear-facing camera, the Moto Z Forcefulness has a 21MP photographic camera with a number of additional enhancements. The Moto Z Force also has a display that is guaranteed by Motorola not to crack or shatter.

Interestingly, while the Moto Yard line comes unlocked, the Moto Z and Moto Z Forcefulness will simply be bachelor (for now) at Verizon Wireless.

Of grade, y'all can't really gauge a phone by its specs, or even past start impressions -- simply how it works in the long run. Nosotros are in the procedure of trying out both sets of phones, and will report on how they do in about a week.

Barbara Krasnoff is a freelance author and editor who has spent more years as a tech announcer than she cares to admit. Samples of her work can be institute at clippings.me; she's as well on Twitter as @BarbaraKrasnoff.

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