Introduction
Lenovotorola. Motonovo. Motorola. We should stop dwelling on what to call them as it really doesn't matter now. Since the Lenovo's acquisition of Motorola has been completed, Lenovo has developed a successor to the Moto X lineup which had a great three-generation run.
Sure, other aspects of Motorola's Moto X have been phased away, namely, Moto Maker. It allowed consumers to customize (aesthetically) their Moto X exactly how they wanted, but we haven't heard it mentioned for the Moto Z. It seems that Lenovo doesn't think Moto Maker is worth the trouble, anymore. Well, at least for now. Maybe the company will bring it back or launch it later closer to the holiday season.
The Moto Z is one of two devices part of the Moto Z lineup. The Moto Z Force is near-identical to the Moto Z, in fact, both Verizon models share the same XT1650 model number with a "-01" or "-02" to differentiate the two. The Z Force has a larger 3,500mAh battery, shatter proof display, and higher-resolution 21MP rear facing camera.
Sidenote: This review is based on the Moto Z Droid, which is the US version of the internationally available Moto Z. The phone is available exclusively on Verizon's network in the US. The carrier has successfully held onto its exclusive 'Droid' branding for about 7 years now which kicked off with the Motorola Droid, then the Droid RAZRs, and more recently the Droid Turbo 2, all of which were Verizon exclusives in the US. This is also the first time a "Droid" device shares the "Moto" branding as well. It looks like Verizon's terms with the Droid branding have changed seeing as there is no sign of "Verizon" branding on this phone.
Key features
- 5.5" AMOLED screen, QHD (1440x2560 / 535 ppi), Gorilla Glass,
- Water-resistant nano-coating (splash-proof but not submersible)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 - dual-core 2.15 GHz Kyro & dual-core 1.6 GHz Kyro w/ Adreno 530, 4GB of RAM
- 32 or 64GB of internal storage, microSD expandable up to 2TB
- Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with Moto Enhancements (Moto Voice, Moto Display, and Moto Actions)
- 13MP camera, f/1.8 aperture, 1.12-µm pixels, OIS, laser autofocus, dual-tone LED flash. 1080p video @ 30 or 60fps, 4K @ 30fps.
- 5MP front-facing camera with wide angle, front-facing LED flash
- Fingerprint sensor
- (U.S. Version) - CDMA: 850, 1900MHz, GSM/GRPS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900MHz), UTMS/HSPA+ (850, 900, 1700, 1900, 2100MHz), LTE Bands: 2, 3, 5, 7, 13
- 2,600 mAh battery, Moto 15W Turbo Charger USB
Cons
- Below-average battery life
- No USB transfer cable included (charger and its cable are one piece)
- No standard 3.5mm audio jack (an adapter from USB Type C is provided)
- Moto Mods aren't cheap
- Exclusive to Verizon in the US (for now)
As many Snapdragon 820 devices as there are on the market right now: Galaxy S7 (US), LG G5, HTC 10, Sony Xperia X Performance, and possibly one of the two upcoming Nexus devices, The Moto Z brings Motorola's own flare to the marriage of software and the Snapdragon 820 chip.
As for the Moto Z's camera, we are expecting major improvements as the Moto X lineup has been infamous for awful low-light performance when taking pictures. So we are curious to see if Lenovo's touch will help to deliver a camera experience better than "average".
The Moto Z is now available at Verizon for $624 or $26 per month when you opt to pay for the phone in installments over 24 months. While the Moto Z won't include any Moto Mods out of the box, Best Buy is currently offering the Moto Z at $200 off AND it includes the JBL Speaker Moto Mod. As for the rest of the world, there is no pricing or availability information for the Moto Z's worldwide launch.
Offical photos of Moto Z in Fine Gold and Lunar Grey
The Moto Z also brings another implementation of modular accessories which add functionalities to the phone by simply expanding. It's quite different than LG's execution of such modular accessories with LG's "Friends". We're excited to see how Moto Mods work with Motorola's Moto Mod platform.
Head over to the next page where we dig into the Moto Z's retail box and get a closer look at the device that will carry the 'Moto' name into the future.
Unboxing
The Moto Z Droid comes in a pretty standard box. For the first time since the Lenovo acquisition, we find the Lenovo label in the corner of the box's package. Sliding the paper sleeve of the box lets us open it and we are greeted by the phone itself. Under the phone are a few items: Documentation, SIM tray tool, 15W Turbo Charger, 3.5mm headphone jack to USB-C adapter, and a rubbery holder for your headphones.
Moto Z Droid box • Contents of the box
It's worth noting that the Turbo Charger included does not have a detachable cable. This means if you want to be able to plug the phone into your computer or power bank, you'll need to find another cable or a USB-C to microUSB adapter to use with older charging cords.
There's also a rubber 'thingy' which looks like it's used to wrap your own pair of earbuds so they don't get tangled in a bag, purse, or pocket.
The phone does come with a default "style shell" or back plate which is used to protect the back of the phone when you are otherwise not using a Moto Mod at that moment. Moto will sell more of these style shells in different colors for about $20 each for fabric or 'wooden' materials, genuine leather style shells will be $25.
Hardware and design
There's no tiptoeing around it, the Moto Z is amazingly thin and that's the first thing that strikes you when you see it. But we feel like Motorola did this on a technicality. The phone IS thin, there's no argument there. The dilemma is that the phone does not feel comfortable in the hand if you aren't carrying it with a style shell. Once the back plate is on, the camera lens no longer protrudes.
'Style shell' included with the Moto Z
This style shell in particular is made of a faux-wood and feels amazing in the hand. This 'wood' finish gives the phone a wonderful grip and the subtly curved edges blend perfectly into the cool-to-the-touch metal frame. The decision to use it really depends on the user's preference and whether or not they care about throwing this phone into a case.
The truth is, a protective case may completely defeat the purpose of quickly swappable style shells and Moto Mods.
Moto Z: from above • in the hand
If you decide to carry the phone around naked, you might want to consider at least using the style shell as they protect the backside of the phone from exposed surfaces that could wear away the camera or bottom of the frame that comes with regular contact with an erosive surface like a table.
You may not want to put this phone in a case, though. The Moto Z feels like it can take quite a beating. If you've ever owned a Motorola Nexus 6 or any of the Moto X's that came since then, that's a couple of ways we can describe the feeling of holding this device in your hand. Think of the Moto Nexus 6, then picture it with a 5.5-inch screen, and flatten it out. Even the metal frame and the way it reflects light is quite reminiscent of the Nexus 6 and Moto X devices of the past few years.
Gone is the dimple on the back which had many fans and was even rumored to be a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner at one point. The introduction of Moto Mods is the major cause of decisions to introduce the fingerprint scanner on the front of the device as well as the decision to flatten out the ergonomically curved backside that has been around since the original (2013) Moto X.
Right side
The Moto Z's right side is home to three hardware keys. These are the only physical buttons since the phone uses on-screen navigation buttons. The placement of the buttons is quite new. They are pretty far up and may take some time getting used to. A nice touch is the ruffled-texture on the power button which lets you differentiate the keys by feel alone.
These keys are quite satisfying. No complaints here with the travel, clickiness, or sturdiness of the keys at all. They aren't too hard to press or too soft to accidentally fire off. The volume keys even have a nice bevel that goes around them - a great touch for attention to detail.
The backside (without the back place) doesn't look like it has a lot going on but there's actually more going on than meets the eye.
Let's start from the top: There are two glass "windows" on the top and bottom ends of the phone which are there to let signals pass through for various antennas and connectivity features like NFC and Bluetooth.
Back side
The rear camera is here too and it combines the dual-LED flash into the camera ring with the Verizon-Exclusive "Droid" branding just between the camera sensor and flash. This is very nice as it's the only clue that this is a Verizon device (as the Droid branding is exclusive to Verizon). There is otherwise no Verizon branding anywhere on the body of the phone itself, the logo appears in the boot animation with along with the Droid branding, but there are no traces of red.
The back metal plate also features a pin-striped pattern not really seen on devices before and it gives our 'Lunar Gray' review unit a professional and formal appearance. This metal backing is really hard to keep clean, though. It shows fingerprints like nobody's business and we think Lenovo should have gone for a different colored Moto 'batwing' to let it stand out more. But Lenovo feels you'll be carrying it around with the included snap-on style shell which has a better contrasting batwing.
Upper-backside of the Moto Z Droid
The lower backside of the phone has a bunch of pogo pings, connectors and magnets which allows the handset to expand its functionalities by simply snapping on a Moto Mod (more on these Moto Mods later).
Moto Mod dock pins
The left side is empty, there are no buttons or trays. Moving onto the top and bottom edges of the phone, the top houses a noise-cancelling mic and the nanoSIM/microSD card tray while the bottom only has a single USB-C cable. Remember, there's no 3.5mm headphone jack anywhere, but there is an adapter included if you want to pop in your more expensive, noise-cancelling headphones during a long flight.
Left side • Bottom • Top
microSD/nanoSIM card tray
Finally, we arrive to the front of the phone. It has the same motion sensors around the display like the Moto X had which wakes up Moto Display to check your missed notifications. More on that in the UI section.
Then there's the beautiful 5.5 inch QHD AMOLED screen, two microphones at the bottom (there are a total of four around the phone for improved listening of a Moto Voice command).
Front side
The earpiece over the screen doubles as the loudspeaker and this is the only speaker on the phone.
Then last, but not least, there's a 5MP selfie camera with a corresponding LED flash on the opposite side of the earpiece. Remember, there's no LED notification since the phone uses the entire screen to display your notifications via Moto Display.
Here are a few shots of the Moto Z next to another 5.5 inch competitor, the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge. The phone is significantly thinner than the Galaxy S7 edge, but the Moto Z is also taller and wider than the S7, despite having a smaller battery.
Moto Z & Galaxy S7: front • back • top
Display
The Moto Z Droid has a 5.5 inch quad-HD (2560x1440px) AMOLED display. This is a departure from the 2015 Moto X's LCD display in favor of an AMOLED panel. The AMOLED panel has the benefit of displaying darker blacks, more vivid colors, better outdoor legibility and it is also more power efficient in showing dark content. In many cases the screen is able to leave the black pixels powered off, such as when Moto Display is showing you notifications or the time.
In our color rendition tests, the Moto Z has shown an average deltaE of 5.3 and max deltaE or 11.7. Colors are well represented and look pleasant to the eye with the default "Vivid" display setting. There is also a "Standard" setting which displays more accurate colors, though not as accurate as we've seen other phones reach.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | ||
| 0.00 | 371 | ∞ | |
| 0.00 | 506 | ∞ | |
| 0.00 | 392 | ∞ | |
| 0.00 | 610 | ∞ | |
| 0.00 | 352 | ∞ | |
| 0.00 | 433 | ∞ | |
| 0.43 | 590 | 1382 | |
| - | 439 | ∞ | |
| - | 620 | - | |
| 0.00 | 424 | ∞ | |
| 0.00 | 602 | ∞ | |
With the "Standard" setting, colors are significantly more accurate with the exception of whites, which are cooler than they should be. The average deltaE is 2.9 now but the Max deltaE is at 8.1.
Display settings
This display panel features a brightness overdrive mode only available with 'Adaptive brightness' enabled and it brings it from the regular max brightness of 370 nits all the way to 506. While this isn't the brightest screen we've seen, it's pretty good and you shouldn't have any trouble seeing the display in direct sunlight.
This is such a great quality display, there isn't even any color shifting at normal viewing angles. The colors don't start shifting until you're looking at the device from about 80 degrees from the center. With the exception of some of its color tuning, Moto Z sports a really nice screen.
Connectivity
The Moto Z features a USB-C port which also doubles as the 3.5mm headphone jack (via an adapter) since there is no integrated headphone jack (because of this, there is no FM Radio chip either).
Other connectivity options include: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac (5GHz), Bluetooth 4.1 LE, NFC, A-GPS, Wi-Fi Direct, and of course, the Moto Mod dock connector which allows for endless expansion of display signal, power, or addition of new sensors such as temperature.
The U.S. Moto Z will be compatible with CDMA (on Verizon): 850, 1900MHz, GSM/GRPS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900MHz), UTMS/HSPA+ (850, 900, 1700, 1900, 2100MHz), and LTE Bands: 2, 3, 5, 7, 13.
The Moto Z also has Android Pay pre-loaded as the default mobile payment service. Android Pay works with NFC and works at all tap-to-pay terminals.
Unfortunately, the charging cable is a part of the charger as a single unit and cannot be separated. Likewise, the Moto Z does not come with any type of cable that you can connect to a computer to transfer files back and forth. You'll have to buy your own transfer cable.
Battery life
You could say we were expecting this, but a 2,600 mAh battery in a phone of this caliber is simply not enough and the battery test results are a clear reflection of that. Yeah, the Moto Z is the thinnest smartphone on the market, but you need to decide if design matters to you over battery life.
The Moto Z has a 2,600mAh battery. A size not fit for phone with a top of the line CPU, 5.5 inch quad-HD screen, and Moto enhancements which offer value added features thanks to: contextual motion and language sensors; In other words, too many things that may be detrimental to battery life, especially for a phone with this size battery.
Thankfully there's a 15 watt Turbo Charger included in the box, which brings the Moto Z up to 52% from a dead battery in 30 minutes.
Our tests have yielded the Moto Z Droid with a score of 53h. The video-playback test scored 9:51h, and the web browsing test scored a much lower 6:13h while the talk time scored a just-as-bad 10:43h, though, that's still not as low as the iPhone 6S's talk time of 9:41h.
By comparison, last year's Moto X Pure Edition (a.k.a. Moto X Style) scored a rating of 63h in our battery tests.
Otherwise, the phone doesn't feel like it's as bad as the results might show. Surely if you're a more avid user of your smartphone and you constantly use various social media apps or play Pokemon Go a lot, you'll probably have a bad time with the battery endurance.
On the flip side, if you are a leaner smartphone user, you'll learn to live with the Turbo Charger, which charges the phone quite fast. The thing is, you would probably have to carry it with you as the phone normally won't last a full day. In fact, we feel many users might not be happy about the battery life in the Moto Z.
Otherwise, you can get a Moto Mod battery add on. Our tests with the Tumi 2,200mAh battery added a total of 60% to the life of the Moto Z when we docked it to the totally depleted Moto Z. The Moto Mod battery lasted 1:32h to completely deplete itself and charge the Moto Z.
Here's a breakdown of how the battery pack yielded power for the Moto Z:
- 30 minutes of charging brought the Moto Z to 21% from 0%
- 1 hour of charging brought the Moto Z to 41% (with 35% left on the battery)
- 1 hour and 32 minutes later, the battery Moto Mod was depleted and added 60% to the Moto Z
The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritties. You can also check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
User interface
The Moto Z is not unlike the Moto X devices in the past. They run near-vanilla Android while adding Moto's value-added features like Moto Voice (touchless commands), Moto Actions, and Moto Display. We'll cover these Moto Actions at the bottom of the page.
The User Interface features many elements from the Original Moto X. Even though the Moto Z finds itself in a brand new body, Lenovo didn't think it should change up the software that Moto was known for. Even since the original Moto X, the Moto Z takes after the well-optimized software experience and intuitive features of the Moto X models before it.
None of the Moto X devices have ever included a fingerprint scanner, even though the original intention of the dimple was to make it one. The Moto Z introduces the fingerprint scanner to these device models and it can be found on the chin on the phone. We are not great fans of its square shape but we appreciate fingerprint scanners positioned on the front more than we do with the ones on the back. Of course, a rear-mounted scanner must have been out of the question because it would be in the way of the Moto Mod interface.
Fingerprint: Prompt • Setup screens
Remember when we mentioned the power and volume keys felt a bit too high? Well, Lenovo implemented a new feature so that you don't have to reach up to put the phone to sleep, so this helps to soften the initial unfamiliar feeling. Touching your finger to the fingerprint sensor while the screen is off will wake the phone and bypass the lock screen. Likewise, if you hold a finger (any finger) for about half a second on the fingerprint scanner when the phone is awake, it will put the phone to sleep. So you could virtually never need to press the power key.
Otherwise, the lock screen looks much like it does on a Nexus device. Swiping up will either unlock the phone or ask you for your pattern, pin, or password. A swipe from the right to the left will open the camera and a swipe from the left will prompt for Google-voice command.
Lock screen • Home screen 1 • Home screen 2 • Launcher menu • Launcher settings
The launcher is much like Google Now launcher (which you can alternatively install) but is quite minimal and doesn't offer too many options nor themes. If you find yourself bored of the launcher or wish to use icon packs and themes, you may install another launcher that fits your needs.
Vertically-scrolling app drawer
The App drawer scrolls vertically and there is a search bar at the top to help you find that one game you haven't played in a while amongst your vast collection of apps. There are no folders found in the app drawer (this seems to be becoming the standard with major flagships who's UIs are heavily skinned like TouchWiz).
Notification shade • Quick toggles • Settings app
One pull-down of the notification bar will show you any pending notifications and a "CLEAR" button to dismiss them all. One more swipe down from the notification bar will peel lower the notifications further and show you the quick toggles for various connectivity options as well as a brightness slider.
There's also a shortcut to the Settings App in the upper right corner. The only setting that is exclusive to the Moto Z is the "Moto Mods" option which lets you change the options for whatever Moto Mod is attached to the phone.
Moto Enhancements
The name of these value-added features that the Moto Z can perform have been renamed since the release of the first Moto X in 2013. Active Display, and Touchless Controls from that era have since been rebranded as "Moto Enhancements" which can be all seen in the "Moto" app.
This Moto app shows us all the options available for the Moto Z including [Moto] Display, Actions, and Voice. These settings offer a few convenient actions, gestures, or voice commands to help you operate your phone quicker and more intuitively.
Moto app intro screens
One of the best Moto features that other companies still haven't been able to compete with is Moto Display. It's a notification status screen that will light up showing only the time and any missed notifications even when the screen is off. These notifications can then be pressed to preview the notification, swipe up to unlock and view the notification, or swipe down to dismiss it.
In comparison, Nexus phones have their 'Ambient display', which us a similar concept but it doesn't work as consistently and we find that it is more susceptible to activating in a pocket.
Moto app: Homescreen • Actions • Moto Display settings
Moto voice allows you to set up a custom voice command so your phone can wake up without needing to touch it. The app guides you through the process. It intelligently makes a beep noise and listens back for it to ensure that the room you are has the correct acoustics needed to record your wake-up phrase. We find that making a pillow fort in a quiet room works best, as even the quietest rooms won't be deemed acceptable by the app if the echo is too much.
Setting up Moto Voice
Driving options are found in the Moto Voice menu
Also, the option to silence the Moto Z during meetings has been moved to the "Flip for Do Not Disturb" menu, under 'Automatic Rules'. Yeah, they're buried pretty deep in there.
Silencing options have been baked into Android
There are a total of 7 Moto Actions, though only 6 of them require you to perform an action. The classic Moto X actions are still here like waving over the display to peek at time and notifications, chop twice for flashlight, and twist twice to launch the camera.
There are other general actions as well (below) like: Attentive Display (keeps your screen on as you are looking at it), Flip for Do Not Disturb (turn the phone on its face to enter Do Not Disturb Mode and change settings for automatically entering DnD mode), Pick up to stop ringing (self-explanatory), and Swipe to shrink screen (shrinks the screen to make it easier to reach with one hand).
Various Moto Actions
More Moto Actions
Moto Mods
The Moto Z launches alongside a new line of expandable accessories which offer a new type of expandability to the Moto Z lineup. These examples include things like: expandable battery packs, a loud speaker for music, and even display mirroring (cue the Moto Mod Insta-Share projector).
Various locations where Moto Mod battery life is shown
When Moto Mods are "docked", the phone vibrates and makes a sound to confirm a successful coupling. If you are using the Moto Mod for the first time, you'll be greeted with the corresponding welcome screens.
The docking is quite straightforward as the Moto Mod is attached via quite strong magnets to the phone so placing it wrong is out of the question.
Swiping down to the quick toggles is also a great way to check the battery status of your Moto Mod. All the Moto Mods we tested had their own batteries. The JBL SoundBoost Speaker and Moto Insta-Share Projector both have their own integrated batteries.
The Moto widget in the home screen will also display your Moto Mod's battery status. One more thing, if you have a Moto Mod docked on the Moto Z and you plug the phone to charge, the Moto Mod itself will not be charged until your phone's integrated battery reaches 75%.
Moto Mods
Conveniently, both the JBL speaker and Insta-Share Projector have their own USB-C connector ports so you can charge them independently from the phone.
The Tumi battery pack, strangely, does not have its own USB-C slot. So the only way to charge it is by docking it to the phone before putting your Moto Z to charge at night.
All the Moto Mods about to be mentioned have their own battery indicators. A button on the flat-side of the Mod can be pressed to show an LED which will represent an estimated reading of the power remaining.
Tumi Power Pack
Tumi Power Pack Moto Mod
One Moto Mod that will likely be popular among Moto Z owners is a battery pack that you can (quite, literally) piggy-back onto your phone and transfer juice to your smartphone when it is running low. The one we got to play with is a Tumi battery add-on which contains a 2,200mAh battery. This add-on will revive the Moto Z up to 60% from 0%.
Intro screen for Power Pack • Power Pack options • Efficiency mode explained
There is also a Kate Spade branded battery pack which brings wireless charging connectivity to the Moto Z's charging routine. The Tumi battery pack is also available in a wireless-enabled version. Perhaps the battery pack itself can be charged independently without relying on the phone's dock to start charging.
The non-wireless charging version of either battery shells will set you back $60 while the wireless-enabled versions will burn a $90 hole in your wallet. You'll likely find deals for the Moto Z which might toss in a free Moto Mod like a battery pack or JBL speaker.
JBL SoundBoost Speaker
JBL Speaker Moto Mod
JBL has developed a speaker for use with the Moto Z's Moto Mod dock. There is no setup or pairing required. All you need to do is slap the speaker onto the back of the Moto Z and start playing your music or video clip. There is also a kick stand if you don't wish to put your phone face-down on a flat surface (as this commonly causes small bits of dirt to scratch the glass).
JBL SoundBoost Speaker when docked
The speaker Mod contains its own battery which JBL says will last for up to 10 hours of music playback before the Moto Z's battery kicks in.
Unlike the battery pack mentioned above, the SoundBoost speaker has its own USB-C port for easy charging.
Moto Insta-Share Projector
The Moto Insta-Share Projector is one of the best Moto Mods available. It's a mini Projector that can be viewed up to 70-inches (diagonally). This Moto Mod mirrors whatever can be viewed on the phone's display and anything goes - from a photo album to a YouTube video.
Insta-Share Projector welcome screens
Rather than huddle around the phone's screen, you can use this projector to throw your phone's display onto a wall. We ran the projector for several YouTube videos and only found the phone to become moderately warm thanks to that fan that gives the projector ample air flow to prevent overheating.
Insta-Share options
This projector will set you back $300. Pretty steep for an accessory which only works with the Moto Z and that outputs a 480p (854 x 480px to be exact) resolution image. It's also worth mentioning the battery found in the projector is 1,100mAh and will run for 1 hour before depleting the phone's battery but you can plug the projector to power independently from the Moto Z.
Moto Insta-Share Projector
As for audio with the projector, you're pretty much limited to three options: USB-C out (via the 3.5mm adapter), internal speaker, or an external Bluetooth speaker. Unfortunately, it's not possible to simultaneously use both the JBL SoundBoost speaker and the Insta-Share Projector.
Synthetic Benchmarks
The Moto Z features Motorola's 'Mobile Computing System' which joins a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 CPU and Adreno 520 Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 (dual-core 2.15 GHz Kyro & dual-core 1.6 GHz Kyro) with a Natural Language Processor and Contextual Computing Processor. There is also a healthy 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM.
Likewise, the Snapdragon 820 is quite the improvement over the CPU found in the Moto Z's predecessor: the Moto X Pure Edition (A.K.A. Moto X Style), which sported a 6-core Snapdragon 808 CPU.
The Snapdragon 820 is found in several flagship phones this year like the LG G5, Samsung Galaxy S7 (U.S. models), and HTC 10. All of these phones will perform similarly with some phones perhaps outperforming others with different speeds of RAM or internal storage speeds for reading and writing.
We've also tossed in a couple of phones that use alternative-CPUs like the Samsung Galaxy S7 (Exynos 8890) and the Huawei P9 (HiSilicon Kirin 955).
Starting off with single-core power test, the iPhone remains at the top in these tests. It's no wonder the iPhone 6S only has a dual-core CPU, that's likely all it needs to power through its super-optimized software. Behind the iPhone are three Snapdragon 820 CPU powered phones. The Moto Z Droid tied with the Snapdragon Galaxy S7 edge, yielding the same score.
GeekBench 3 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Apple iPhone 6s Plus
2527 - OnePlus 3
2383 - HTC 10
2368 - Lenovo Moto Z Droid
2345 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
2345 - Sony Xperia X Performance
2273 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
2151 - Huawei P9
1819 - Huawei Nexus 6P
1363
When it comes to multi-core power, the Exynos-powered Galaxy S7 remains at the top, followed by Huawei's own silicon (Kirin 955 CPU) found in the P9. The Snapdragon 820-powered handsets come after both Huawei and Samsung's CPU offerings.
GeekBench 3 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
6600 - Huawei P9
6558 - Lenovo Moto Z Droid
5566 - OnePlus 3
5520 - Sony Xperia X Performance
5460 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
5420 - HTC 10
5257 - Huawei Nexus 6P
4539 - Apple iPhone 6s Plus
4413 - Moto X Pure Edition
3433
Basemark II 2.0 adds RAM and storage tests on top of CPU ones to give a better indication of overall performance. The Moto Z Droid posts excellent numbers, comfortably ahead of the other Snapdragon 820 contenders.
Basemark OS 2.0
Higher is better
- Lenovo Moto Z Droid
2690 - OnePlus 3
2365 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
2352 - Apple iPhone 6s Plus
2261 - Sony Xperia X Performance
2179 - Huawei P9
2068 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
2050 - Huawei Nexus 6P
2040 - HTC 10
1839
The Moto Z Droid is well ahead of other Snapdragon 820 competitors when it comes to Antutu 6. However, the HTC 10 is well ahead and the Moto Z itself. The alternative CPUs find themselves at the bottom of this list of benchmarks.
AnTuTu 6
Higher is better
- HTC 10
154031 - Lenovo Moto Z Droid
151619 - OnePlus 3
141764 - Apple iPhone 6s Plus
137420 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
132849 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
129229 - Sony Xperia X Performance
116217 - Huawei P9
98069 - Huawei Nexus 6P
89345
Next up with graphics, the Moto Z carries the Adreno 530 for hardware-intensive rendering, as do the other Snapdragon 820 phones of the bunch. The offscreen test ensures an even playing field for devices that might differ in screen resolution. The Moto Z Droid performed right at the top and scored the same as the Snapdragon variant of the Galaxy S7 edge.
The other Snapdragon contenders did just as well with a marginal difference. The Exynos-powered S7 edge is right behind the Snapdragon 820 pack. Qualcomm's CPU setup shines here in the gaming and graphic-intensive department.
Keep in mind that onscreen tests will yield different results. The Xperia X Performance, OnePlus 3, and iPhone 6S Plus all have significantly fewer pixels that need to be pushed around. These devices, in turn, will perform better than the QHD offerings.
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- Lenovo Moto Z Droid
32 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
32 - HTC 10
31 - OnePlus 3
31 - Sony Xperia X Performance
30 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
29 - Apple iPhone 6s Plus
27.9 - Huawei Nexus 6P
17 - Huawei P9
10 - Moto X Pure Edition
10
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Sony Xperia X Performance
31 - OnePlus 3
30 - Apple iPhone 6s Plus
27.9 - Lenovo Moto Z Droid
18 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
16 - HTC 10
15 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
15 - Huawei P9
11 - Huawei Nexus 6P
11 - Moto X Pure Edition
5.6
GFX 3.1 Car scene (offscreen)
Higher is better
- Lenovo Moto Z Droid
19 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
18 - HTC 10
18 - OnePlus 3
18 - Sony Xperia X Performance
17 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
15 - Huawei P9
6.5
GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 3
18 - Sony Xperia X Performance
18 - Lenovo Moto Z Droid
12 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
10 - HTC 10
9.9 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
7.8 - Huawei P9
7.1
Basemark X
Higher is better
- Lenovo Moto Z Droid
36322 - OnePlus 3
32715 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
32160 - HTC 10
28882 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
28480 - Sony Xperia X Performance
28450 - Huawei Nexus 6P
22825 - Huawei P9
16942 - Moto X Pure Edition
14598
Basemark ES 3.1 measures the phone's OpenGL graphic performance. The results are a mixed bag. The iPhone 6S Plus leads the pack with the Exynos-powered S7 edge behind a large gap. The Moto Z comes in right after the Exynos S7 edge. The X Performance, OnePlus 3, and Snapdragon-powered S7 edge all scored lower despite having a similar CPU setup.
Basemark ES 3.1 / Metal
Higher is better
- Apple iPhone 6s Plus
916 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
733 - Lenovo Moto Z Droid
648 - OnePlus 3
625 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
624 - Sony Xperia X Performance
551 - Huawei Nexus 6P
504 - Huawei P9
341
The older Basemark X performance test yielded top-of-the-chart results for the Moto Z Droid. The Exynos powered S7 edge also is just behind, then the rest of the Snapdragon 820 devices come after, and the Kirin 955-powered Huawei P9 came in dead last.
Remember that Basemark tests take into account other aspects of performance like storage and RAM speeds. This helped in favor of the Moto Z Droid.
Basemark X (medium)
Higher is better
- Lenovo Moto Z Droid
42493 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
40998 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
36554 - HTC 10
30680 - Huawei P9
29583
The Moto Z runs a bit warm when performing high-activity tasks like playing a hardware intensive game or updating a bunch of apps at once. But it gets the hottest when playing a GPS-intensive game that also uses the camera like Pokemon Go. The Snapdragon 820 is a great and crazy fast CPU, don't get us wrong. We love the performance on the Moto Z Droid and it performed exceptionally well and we saw no visible lag anywhere even in high-performance games like RipTide2.
Unfortunately, the super thin design of the phone obviously has not allowed for a serious heat dissipation system to be put in place and it can get uncomfortably warm at times.
SMS
The Moto Z Droid that we are reviewing is A Verizon device. Naturally, there are Verizon apps that the carrier might like us to use rather than a default app. More specifically, this is the SMS app developed for Verizon customers. Although the app is rich with features, bells and whistles, the SMS app in question is far too complicated for the average Joe.
Message+ SMS app
More Message+ screencaps
This SMS app in question is called Message+ and it offers customers an SMS platform that is cloud-enabled through Verizon's own servers which allow you to send and receive SMS and MMS messages remotely via a desktop or over Wi-Fi. Texting over Wi-Fi isn't a novelty nowadays with more carriers supporting Wi-Fi calling. But, the Message+ app does have the ability to allow Verizon customers to sync and restore their SMS inbox as well as send and receive SMS through Verizon's web portal. Pretty cool.
Google's SMS 'Messenger' is pre-installed
Alternatively, Google's Messenger app for SMS/MMS is pre-installed in the Moto Z. If customers don't care for the Message+ app, at least Messenger could work out of the box. But most people won't see it because there's already a shortcut on the Home screen dock for Message+.
Telephony
Stock Dialer
The dialer looks much like the vanilla-Android's stock dialer. Along the top of the dialer are four menus that you can scroll through: Dialer, Speed Dial (favorites), Recents, and Contacts. You can tap the mic at the corner of the screen and say the name of the contact you'd like to call, this will even work if the phone is not connected to a data network, in cases where you run out of data so you've had to disable the data connection.
In-call screen
Various dialer settings
Options in the dialer include import/export (as the dialer is also partially made up of the phone app), which accounts to show contacts from, and more phone settings include various voicemail settings, and video calling function (only usable between Verizon devices).
Pre-installed Apps
Our Moto Z unit is a Verizon unit. So we already expect to see a significant amount of bloatware pre-installed on the unit. Here's a breakdown of the bloatware found on the Moto Z.
Pre-installed apps
Verizon Apps:
- Caller Name ID
- Cloud
- Device Help
- Message+
- My Verizon Mobile
- Voice Mail
- VZ Navigator (paid turn-by-turn GPS navigation... why?)
- VZ Protect
Non-Google Apps:
- Amazon Kindle
- Audible
- IMDb
- NFL Mobile
- Slacker Radio
If you think that's already a lot of bloatware, you're wrong. When we first updated all the Play Store apps that were already in the phone (which included bloatware apps), we found new bloatware populating our app drawer without a single install prompt.
Pre-installed apps, plus auto-installed apps
These are the apps that were automatically installed (in this order) once the Moto Z's setup was completed and all Play Store apps were updated:
- Go90 - Verizon's app full of sponsored video clips that don't count as against data cap
- Walgreens - Nationwide pharmacy app
- CVS - Another nationwide pharmacy app
- eBay - Self-explanatory
- Genies and Gems - a forgettable game
These apps were installed automatically whilst updating apps, once the phone had been setup. But the difference between these self-installed apps and the ones that we already found in the phone, these auto-installed apps can be uninstalled and other ones can only be disabled (but still take up precious storage space). These apps probably shouldn't have installed themselves in the first place. Not cool.
Gallery
The Moto Z relies on stock Google apps for viewing photos, video playback, and the music player. The Gallery in question is part of Google's Photos service. If you are familiar with Google Photos, then you'll be quite familiar with the interface.
Camera roll views can be changed with pinch-to-zoom
The stock offering also offers many basic editing features to help you crop, rotate, and adjust basic levels. There's also an "auto enhance" feature which automatically adjusts the photo the way Google's software thinks it should look.
Various photo editing tools
Video playback is just as simple as the photo viewer. There is also an "edit" button but it only allows you to crop the video's length. Unfortunately, the stock video player doesn't come close to 3rd party video players that you can find on the Play Store with features like additional format and subtitle support.
Video playback: tools • options • editor
Google Play Music
The Moto Z uses Google Play music as the stock music player which offers a free music streaming service (think YouTube, but for music and ad-supported). These days, it's more common to either subscribe to a music service or stream music from a free service. The days of loading 20GB of music to a microSD card are slowly being left behind in the past.
Album art: Now Playing • notification • lockscreen
Google Music: home • settings • equalizer
When using Google Music, you'll be shown a YouTube icon which will take you to that song's music video on YouTube (if it has one). Besides the "Now Playing" screen, album art can be seen in the notification shade (along with music controls) and the lock screen also features the album art in a full-screen version.
Audio is loud and clear
The Motorola Moto Z Droid delivered excellently clean output when used with an active external amplifier, getting top marks across the board. Its volume was nicely high too so a great start for a phone with no headphone jack.
Degradation caused by headphones is about a very contained hike in stereo crosstalk. Output remains very clear and pretty loud so top marks for the Moto Z here.
And now here go the results so you can do your comparison.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| Motorola Moto Z Droid | +0.02, -0.05 | -93.6 | 93.6 | 0.0046 | 0.0097 | -93.9 |
| Motorola Moto Z Droid (headphones) | +0.03, -0.04 | -93.7 | 93.6 | 0.018 | 0.019 | -75.4 |
| Huawei P9 Plus | +0.04, -0.01 | -97.4 | 98.9 | 0.0040 | 0.010 | -96.9 |
| Huawei P9 Plus (headphones) | +0.03, -0.38 | -95.8 | 95.9 | 0.0055 | 0.190 | -63.7 |
| Sony Xperia X Performance | +0.01, -0.04 | -95.2 | 90.0 | 0.0038 | 0.011 | -95.1 |
| Sony Xperia X Performance (headphones) | +0.23, -0.17 | -93.2 | 89.3 | 0.0078 | 0.174 | -64.9 |
| LG G5 | +0.01, -0.04 | -92.6 | 92.6 | 0.0051 | 0.0096 | -93.3 |
| LG G5 (headphones) | +0.05, -0.01 | -92.2 | 92.3 | 0.0029 | 0.037 | -50.7 |
| Xiaomi Mi 5 | +0.01, -0.03 | -95.3 | 95.1 | 0.0034 | 0.0065 | -95.1 |
| Xiaomi Mi 5 (headphones) | +0.01, -0.03 | -95.2 | 95.1 | 0.0027 | 0.013 | -71.5 |
| Samsung Galaxy S7 | +0.01, -0.04 | -92.5 | 92.6 | 0.0027 | 0.0078 | -92.7 |
| Samsung Galaxy S7 (headphones) | +0.05, -0.05 | -91.9 | 92.1 | 0.0044 | 0.063 | -73.4 |
| +0.03, -0.04 | -93.5 | 93.5 | 0.0016 | 0.0075 | -73.2 | |
| +0.10, -0.06 | -93.8 | 93.9 | 0.0030 | 0.101 | -68.2 |
Motorola Moto Z Droid frequency response
You can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process here.
Loudspeaker test
The Moto Z is not too different from previous Moto X models. The Moto X Style features dual, front-facing, stereo speakers. The only difference with the Moto Z is there is only one speaker, and it's also the earpiece for making calls.
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing |
Overall score | |
| 61.9 | 66.0 | 62.1 | Below Average | |
| 66.6 | 62.1 | 66.6 | Below Average | |
| 65.8 | 65.1 | 64.6 | Below Average | |
| 63.1 | 66.7 | 74.3 | Average | |
| 62.4 | 71.0 | 77.8 | Good | |
| 64.5 | 66.2 | 81.8 | Good | |
| 72.1 | 66.6 | 75.6 | Good | |
| 74.7 | 77.8 | 72.1 | Very Good |
While the loudspeaker isn't too loud with spoken word or video clips, Motorola made sure that it was loud enough for ringtones. The speaker in the Moto Z tends not to have such a strong low or mid-range, but the mid-to-high range for treble sounds is much louder and clearer (which is what a ringtone typically makes). The speaker makes just the right amount of compromise, while still making sure you don't miss any calls.
One step forward, two steps back
Hardware improvements can be seen on the camera with its f/1.8 aperture from last year's f/2.0, even though the resolution went down from last year's Moto X Style (Pure Edition in the US) from 21MP to 16MP on the Moto Z. Also, the camera went from phase-detection autofocus to laser-autofocus to help with low-light focusing with subjects in close range.
Pixel size hasn't changed since last year's Moto X at 1.12-µm and that could work against the Moto Z as other manufacturers have stopped pushing for higher pixel count and are, instead, focusing (no pun intended) on larger pixels that allow more light to enter the sensor. Here we're seeing less pixels but they are no bigger than before.
Camera interface
Remember how minimal and simple and the Moto X's camera UI was? Well, that's all changed for the most part. The camera UI has been revamped from the ground up. Lenovo took the style and feel of the Moto X's original camera UI and made a new UI based off of that. The result is a little disorienting, but not too bad.
There are many features in the camera including the native ability to scan barcodes and QR codes without needing to download 3rd party apps from the Play Store. There's also a Professional Mode which gives the user control over camera settings like shutter speed, manual focus, and ISO.
Camera tour and settings
When you first start the camera, you'll have the option to choose the "tap anywhere" to take a photo or to have a dedicated on-screen camera button (we go for the latter). It's worth noting the volume button can be used as a physical shutter key as well.
Standard viewfinder and controls
HDR, flash, and timer shortcuts can be found at the top (when in portrait) or left (when in landscape) and the shortcuts expand to show you more choices for that option.
The 8MP front-facing camera adds one extra control to this menu and that is for beauty mode. There are three options: auto, manual, or off. The manual option lets you move a slider like most other smartphones that offer a beauty mode which blends the skin tones to hide imperfections.
Selfie mode • Beauty mode options
To switch to another mode, you'll need to tap on the camera button next to the shutter button and choose the option. There is no longer a convenient shortcut to start recording video right away. You'll need to tap on this button and switch to the video mode.
Camera mode switcher
Professional mode looks like many others we've seen before: You're given all the controls in an overlay over the viewfinder. There's also a small arrow under all the controls which conveniently expands them all at once.
Professional Mode
The Moto Z's camera performance left a lot of room for improvement. While photos in well-lit environments look great with detail and color, we found that the camera tended to color shift sometimes, almost as if the camera was not sure how to set its white balance in auto mode.
Camera samples
Here are some comparison shots taken with the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, as well.
Comparison shots with Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
You'll notice the first bunch of sample photos above were taken at 16:9 aspect ratio. This is because the Moto Z defaults it to a cropped sensor mode, reducing the total resolution output from 16MP to 9.7MP. The average user might miss this and will then wonder why their photos are not appearing in 16MP.
Otherwise, the camera delivers great sharpness with the less occasional over-sharpening, resulting in washed out details. Color reproduction looks great, but only when faced with the best lighting scenarios as there were moments when the Moto Z was unsure of how to color-grade the scene.
At the first signs of the sun starting to set, the Moto Z struggled to keep up with the S7 edge. In the 7th sample photo with the carousel, you'll notice many moving objects start to blur. This is apparent in many other scenarios, more often that we'd hoped. The shutter speed is stretched longer in order to expose photos well, but the tradeoff is moving objects start to blur. By contrast, the S7 edge's carousel shot has significantly less motion blur.
In scenes with lower light, where the shutter speeds are significantly longer, the camera needs to be still in order to take a clearer photo. So, the viewfinder will display a message to "Hold camera steady". Thankfully, in all lighting situations, we didn't see any abnormal amount of noise in the images, skies look blue and colors stayed uniform.
Message telling us to hold camera steady
HDR performance might be a bit over the top and we like our HDR images looking natural, for the most part. The Moto Z over exaggerates the colors when bringing out the shadows. While the Galaxy S7 edge also exaggerates these colors, this isn't to the extent of the Moto Z.
HDR: off • on • off • on
S7 edge HDR: off • on • off • on
Low light performance on the Moto Z is just above average. The effort made by image post-processing in order to make up for low light really shows in the Moto Z. In some cases, colors become splotchy and resemble water color paints. Details are lost in low-light scenarios, which contributes to the "water color effect". Also, if you try to take photos of moving objects in this type of lighting, you might have a bad time.
Low-light shots
Otherwise, the S7 edge's low light comparison shots aren't too far apart from the Moto Z's. The Galaxy S7 edge tries to keep textures and details visible at the expense of more visible noise throughout.
Low-light shots with S7 edge for comparison
Taking a panorama photo works just as in many other devices: tap the shutter key and take a continuous pan of the scene in front of you. Strangely, the panorama mode didn't let us take a photo wider than about 100 degrees.
Panorama mode interface
Moto Z panorama photo
8MP front camera with selfie flash
The Moto Z carried on the front facing LED flash from last year's Moto X. The result is a selfie camera that performs rather well. This 8MP front facing camera makes up for any minor short-comings found with the rear-camera. The selfie camera exceeded our expectations.
In regular lighting, the camera shows plenty of detail and skin tones are on point. HDR brings an extra level of exposure and coloration, but its behavior is not quite predictable. Colors are a little oversaturated when using HDR (just like the rear camera).
Selfie: • in regular lighting • HDR on • in low-light • with front flash
Selfies taken in low light look great among the other flagship offerings this year. The front facing LED flash is a great way to fill light where there is otherwise not enough of it.
Video
Appropriately, the Moto Z is capable of recording video in 1080p @ up to 60fps and 4K @ 30 fps. However, the mode that produces the smoothest looking video is 1080p @ 30fps since it's both optically and digitally stabilized. Videos recorded in 60fps or 4K will be shaky if you don't intend to use a tripod.
Videos at 60fps have the same bit rate as videos taken with 30fps. This is because the camera makes a compromise: in order to record in 60fps, the camera will capture images at a degraded quality. That's why the standard 30fps video looks much better and sharper than the 60fps clip.
When recording in 4K, the Moto Z found itself constantly hunting for focus. This problem was not apparent in either of the other two video modes.
The Moto Z also features an HDR toggle within the video mode. We accidentally set HDR mode to on when taking the 1080p@30fps clips and you can gather that it won't look good in all scenes. In this particular scene on 59th street, shadows were brought lower than they already were (as the scene was mostly out of the sun).
Audio recording is set to a standard 128kbps with stereo channels and a 48kHz sample rate. Video rates for 4K resolution are at about 50Mbps while 1080p videos are captured at about 17Mbps.
As always, we've got some samples for you to watch from YouTube below, or you can download them with the following links: 1080p @ 30fps HDR (~30MB) / 1080p @ 60fps (~30MB)/ 2160p (4K) @ 30fps (~90MB).
Final Remarks
The Moto Z is ultimately the successor of the Moto X and Motorola's legacy lives on through Lenovo. This is why the Moto Z is so important, it marks a new chapter in Motorola's portfolio. Even if the Moto brand phases out the "Motorola" name over the next few years, we are glad to see the brand left in good hands.
Although the Moto Z doesn't have as large a battery as the Moto Z Force, it makes up for usage time with its excellent standby time. Although fans of Motorola's Moto X may or may not be disappointed with the Moto Z, there is thankfully a second (thicker) choice with the Moto Z Force Droid. Even so, the Moto Z Force perhaps should have been the only Moto Z to come out. But then the company would not have been able to call the Moto Z the thinnest smartphone in the world.
Lenovo Moto Z Droid key test findings:
- While extremely thin, the design of the Moto Z is no longer as ergonomic as the Moto X was. Style shells make it easy to change up the look (if you wish). The design is also sturdy, yet minimalistic and 'to the point'.
- The switch to an AMOLED screen is a nice touch and it gets bright enough so you don't have to squint when viewing in direct sunlight.
- Moto Enhancements are excellent value-added features which barely impact battery life on standby. Moto Display and Moto Voice are a couple of our favorite features.
- Battery scores are below-average with an Endurance rating of 53h and the phone may not last you the full day if you use it often. It's as if it was meant to be used with a battery pack snapped on.
- Despite having near-stock Android, the Moto Z Droid Edition has a lot of carrier bloatware.
- The Snapdragon 820 CPU is a firm choice for a flagship of the year. Likewise, 4GB of RAM is a healthy amount so performance is bullet-proof. However, the phone does get quite hot under pressure.
- Moto Mods are a great implementation of modular smartphone accessories. Although costly, the plus side is your Moto Mod investments are future-proof as they will work with the Moto Z's successor(s) next year.
- Loudspeaker isn't the loudest with videos or music, but powerful mid-to-high ranges ensure you won't miss important phone calls.
- The 16MP camera's performance is excellent in the best lighting scenarios and color shifting happened in scenes of less than favorable lighting. Low-light performance leaves something to be desired.
- The front-facing 8MP selfie camera performs quite well, even better than we anticipated. The front-facing LED flash illuminates the subject well in these low-light scenarios.
- Videos filmed at 60fps or 4K have no digital (or, seemingly, optical) stabilization. Filming moving subjects in 4K results in frequent "focus hunting" (when the camera keeps trying to refocus unnecessarily). On the flip side, 1080p videos at 30fps are well stabilized, but sometimes underexposed.
Some worthy competitors to the Moto Z include the HTC 10, LG G5, Galaxy S7 edge, iPhone 6S Plus, Huawei P9, OnePlus 3, and of course, we can't forget the Moto Z Force Droid!
The first and most obvious alternative to the Moto Z would be the Moto Z Force. It has a shatterproof screen, larger 3,500mAh battery, and higher-resolution camera. Although we haven't fully tested the camera on the Moto Z Force yet, we can't expect it to be a huge improvement over the Moto Z. There's also a $94 premium over the Moto Z that might just be worth considering.
Motorola Moto Z Force
The next alternative is another 5.5 inch device, although, it's not a quad-HD display. The OnePlus 3 is a worthy competitor with the Same Snapdragon 820, a healthy 6GB of RAM, larger battery, great all-around camera, and much lower cost at $399. No Moto Mods, though.
OnePlus 3
The LG G5 is a great alternative as both smartphones have a Snapdragon 820 that make them tick. But the other reason is that the G5 also does modular accessories, and even though the concept was great, the execution could have been better. The Moto Z's software shines brighter than the G5's as a more consistent and familiar experience.
LG G5
The Galaxy S7 edge packs a beautiful, 5.5 inch, quad-HD, AMOLED screen into a more compact foot print. Although the Moto Z is really thin, the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, while not as thin, has a larger battery, comparable performance (regardless of region), excellent camera (not so excellent front facing camera), and Samsung's suite of bells, whistles, and apps. TouchWiz might be a sore spot for some, but the Snapdragon 820 (or Exynos 8890) ensures an otherwise heavily skinned UI will run smoothly.
Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
The iPhone 6S Plus is another 5.5 inch device with a great camera, great battery life, and predictable software experience. If you find yourself switching from an iPhone into Android territory, the Moto Z may be the right fit for you, but not if it involves the overwhelming carrier bloatware that iPhone users are strangers to.
Apple iPhone 6s Plus
The Moto Z has everything going for it. The performance numbers are in line with other top flagships of the year. And while battery life may not be where it should for 2016, it makes it up for with Moto Enhancements and Moto Mods, expanding a smartphone's abilities beyond the outer shell. The Moto Z does this with a thin and stylish, yet reserved looking device. There is no doubt that the Moto Z will carry Motorola's legacy in the hands of Lenovo.
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