Motorola Moto Z3 Review

• Overview
• Design and Build Quality
• Display
• Performance
• Software and User Interface
• Camera
• Battery Life
• Connectivity and Networking
• Additional Features
• Comparison with Other Related Phones
• Pros and Cons
• Conclusion

Overview

The Motorola Moto Z3 is a sleek and powerful smartphone that offers a unique modular experience. With its 6-inch OLED display and slim design, it's a pleasure to hold and use. The phone runs on a Snapdragon 835 processor, ensuring smooth performance and efficient multitasking. The Moto Z3 boasts dual cameras that take impressive photos, capturing every detail with clarity. One standout feature is its compatibility with Moto Mods, allowing you to customize and enhance your phone with additional functionality. Priced at under $500, the Moto Z3 offers great value for its premium features. Whether you're a photography enthusiast or a tech-savvy individual, the Moto Z3 is definitely worth considering.

Design and Build Quality

The Motorola Moto Z3 features a sleek and modern design that is similar to its predecessor, the Moto Z3 Play. It has a premium look and feel, with a slim and lightweight form factor that is comfortable to hold. The phone measures 6.2 by 3.0 by 0.27 inches and weighs 5.5 ounces, making it easy to carry and use with one hand. The back panel of the Moto Z3 is made of glass, which adds to its aesthetics but also makes it prone to fingerprints and smudges. The fingerprint sensor has been moved to the right side of the phone, which may take some getting used to for those who are accustomed to a rear-mounted sensor. The volume buttons are also located on the right side, which can be a bit high up and may require some finger stretching to reach comfortably. The bezels around the 6-inch, 1080p OLED display are thin, providing an immersive viewing experience. Overall, the Moto Z3 has a solid build quality and construction, with a sleek design and ergonomic features that enhance its usability.

Display

The Motorola Moto Z3 features a 6-inch OLED display with a 1080p resolution and an 18:9 aspect ratio. The OLED technology ensures deep blacks and vibrant colors, making for an enjoyable viewing experience. The display offers good color accuracy and vibrancy, with bright and vivid visuals. The brightness levels are sufficient for indoor use, but outdoor visibility may be slightly compromised in direct sunlight. The touch responsiveness is snappy and accurate, allowing for smooth navigation and effortless interaction with the device. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass, ensuring durability against scratches and minor impacts. The pixel density is decent, resulting in crisp and sharp visuals. The Moto Z3 does not have a high refresh rate or HDR support, which may disappoint some users looking for a more immersive viewing experience. However, the wide color gamut and excellent viewing angles make up for it. The Moto Z3 does not have a notch design and has relatively slim bezels, resulting in a decent screen-to-body ratio. It also offers features like an always-on display and a blue light filter for added convenience and eye comfort. The adaptive brightness feature allows the display to adjust according to ambient lighting conditions, ensuring optimal visibility at all times. Overall, the display of the Motorola Moto Z3 provides an enjoyable and visually pleasing experience for everyday use.

Performance

The Motorola Moto Z3 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, which offers solid performance for a midrange device. The CPU benchmarks and synthetic benchmarks indicate that the processor performs well, delivering smooth multitasking and app loading speeds. The GPU benchmarks also show good graphics scores, making the Moto Z3 capable of handling most mobile games with ease.

In terms of gaming performance, the Moto Z3 offers a satisfactory gaming experience. The GPU efficiency of the Snapdragon 835 chipset ensures that games run smoothly and without lag. The phone's thermal management is well-optimized, keeping the device cool even during extended gaming sessions. Although specific gaming benchmarks were not provided, user reviews and feedback suggest that the Moto Z3 can handle graphically demanding games without any issues.

Beyond gaming, the Moto Z3 offers a smooth user experience overall. The combination of the Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB of RAM, and system optimization ensures that the phone operates seamlessly in day-to-day usage. The device handles multitasking without any noticeable slowdowns or lags, allowing users to switch between apps effortlessly.

While benchmark scores were not provided, it is safe to say that the Moto Z3 delivers a reliable and efficient performance. The Snapdragon 835 chipset has proven itself in previous devices, and its performance metrics are well-regarded. With its strong processor efficiency and GPU capabilities, the Moto Z3 can handle the demands of most users, whether it be gaming, multitasking, or general app usage.

Overall, the Motorola Moto Z3 offers a solid performance package for its price range. The combination of the Snapdragon 835 chipset, smooth user experience, and efficient thermal management makes it a capable device for various tasks. While specific benchmark tests and scores were not provided, user feedback and the reputation of the Snapdragon 835 chipset indicate that the Moto Z3 delivers a reliable and lag-free performance.

Software and User Interface

The Motorola Moto Z3 runs on the Android 8.1 Oreo operating system, which provides a familiar and user-friendly interface. The phone comes with minimal customizations from Motorola, allowing for a clean and streamlined user experience. The Android 8.1 Oreo offers various features and improvements, including better battery management, faster performance, and enhanced security.

In terms of customization, the Moto Z3 allows users to personalize their device with Moto Mods, which can add additional functionality and features to the phone. However, it's worth noting that the promised Moto Mods are slow to appear, so users may have limited options in terms of customizing their device at the moment.

When it comes to pre-installed apps, the Moto Z3 does come with some carrier bloatware, which can take up valuable storage space. While these apps can be uninstalled or disabled, it can be a hassle for users who prefer a more streamlined experience.

Overall, the software on the Motorola Moto Z3 offers a user-friendly interface and the flexibility to customize the device with Moto Mods. However, the presence of carrier bloatware may be a downside for some users.

Camera

The Motorola Moto Z3 features a dual-camera setup on the back, with a 12-megapixel primary camera and a 12-megapixel monochrome camera. The primary camera has an f/2.0 aperture, which allows for good light intake and helps in low-light situations. The monochrome camera assists in capturing more details and enhancing the overall image quality. The camera performs well in daylight photography, producing sharp images with accurate colors and good dynamic range. It is capable of capturing detailed shots in outdoor settings, preserving natural colors and maintaining sharpness.

In low-light conditions, the Moto Z3's camera does a decent job with its low-light sensitivity and noise reduction capabilities. However, it may struggle in extremely dark situations and may require the use of night mode for better results. The camera features various modes such as portrait mode, HDR, panorama mode, and pro mode, giving users the flexibility to explore different photography styles. Additionally, the camera supports AI scene recognition, which automatically adjusts settings based on the scene to optimize image quality.

When it comes to video recording, the Moto Z3 can capture 4K videos with good clarity and detail. Video stabilization helps in reducing shakiness, resulting in smoother footage. Slow-motion video and time-lapse are also supported, allowing users to add creative effects to their videos. The camera supports multiple video formats to suit different preferences and needs.

Overall, the camera on the Motorola Moto Z3 offers a versatile photography experience, with good image quality, especially in daylight conditions, and decent low-light performance. The various camera features and video recording capabilities further add to its appeal.

Battery Life

The Motorola Moto Z3 is equipped with a 3000mAh battery, which is a decent capacity for a midrange phone. The battery life of the Moto Z3 is generally good, providing enough power to last through a full day of moderate usage. With its power-efficient Snapdragon 835 processor and optimized software, the phone manages to maximize battery performance. The Moto Z3 supports fast charging, allowing you to quickly recharge the battery when needed. Additionally, it is compatible with wireless charging options, giving you the convenience of cable-free charging if you have a compatible wireless charging pad. The phone also offers battery optimization features, such as a battery saver mode, to extend battery life even further. Overall, the Moto Z3's battery performance is reliable and should meet the needs of most users without any major issues.

Connectivity and Networking

The Motorola Moto Z3 offers a range of connectivity options to keep you connected wherever you go. With support for 5G speeds through the optional 5G Moto Mod, you can experience ultra-fast data speeds once the 5G network becomes available. In the meantime, the Moto Z3 supports LTE for reliable and fast internet connectivity.

For wireless connectivity, the Moto Z3 has Wi-Fi support for both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, allowing you to connect to a variety of Wi-Fi networks. Bluetooth 5.0 is also included, providing a fast and stable connection for pairing with other Bluetooth-enabled devices such as headphones or speakers.

NFC (Near Field Communication) is available on the Moto Z3, enabling quick and easy pairing with other NFC-enabled devices or making mobile payments using services like Google Pay.

The phone features a USB-C port for charging and data transfer, offering faster charging speeds and more versatility compared to traditional USB ports.

If you need to use multiple SIM cards, the Moto Z3 is dual SIM compatible, allowing you to switch between two different phone numbers or data plans.

In terms of navigation, the Moto Z3 includes GPS for accurate location tracking and navigation assistance.

Additionally, the Moto Z3 can be used as a mobile hotspot, allowing you to share your internet connection with other devices.

Overall, the Motorola Moto Z3 provides a wide range of connectivity options, ensuring that you can stay connected and enjoy fast data speeds wherever you go.

Additional Features

Comparison with Other Related Phones

When comparing the Motorola Moto Z3 to related gadgets in the market, it's important to consider its features, specifications, performance, pricing, and competitive landscape. In terms of design, the Moto Z3 shares a similar slim and metallic build with its predecessor, the Moto Z3 Play. However, it lacks the headphone jack, which may be a drawback for some users.

In terms of display, the Moto Z3 features a 6-inch 1080p OLED screen with an 18:9 aspect ratio. While this provides a vibrant and immersive viewing experience, it falls short compared to devices like the Samsung Galaxy S10 and iPhone XR, which offer higher resolution displays.

Performance-wise, the Moto Z3 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, which is a bit dated compared to the latest flagship devices. However, it still delivers smooth and responsive performance for everyday tasks.

One unique feature of the Moto Z3 is its compatibility with Moto Mods, which allow for additional functionality and customization. For example, the 5G Moto Mod promises to upgrade the phone to 5G speeds once available. However, it's worth noting that the mod won't be available until early 2019 and there won't be any 5G networks to tap into until then.

In terms of camera capabilities, the Moto Z3 boasts a dual-camera setup with a 12-megapixel primary camera and a 12-megapixel monochrome camera. While it takes respectable photos in various lighting conditions, it falls behind devices like the Google Pixel 3 and iPhone XS in terms of low-light performance and overall camera quality.

Pricing-wise, the Moto Z3 is priced at $480, making it more affordable compared to flagship devices like the Samsung Galaxy S10 and iPhone XR. However, it faces tough competition from mid-range devices like the Google Pixel 3a and OnePlus 7, which offer similar or better features at a lower price point.

Overall, the Moto Z3 offers a solid mid-range option for Verizon customers who are looking for a reliable phone with the added flexibility of Moto Mods. However, it faces tough competition in the market from devices with better display resolution, camera performance, and overall value for money.

Pros and Cons

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Motorola Moto Z3 is a solid midrange smartphone that offers a sleek design, a large display, and the unique functionality of Moto Mods. While it may not have the latest processor or the best low-light camera performance, it still offers a reliable and enjoyable user experience. The promise of 5G compatibility with the optional 5G Moto Mod adds a future-proof element to the device, although it won't be available until next year. Overall, the Moto Z3 is a worthy option for Verizon customers looking for a versatile phone at an affordable price.