Motorola Moto Z vs. Motorola Moto Z Play

Phone Comparison, Reviews and Tests

In depth comparison and review of Motorola Moto Z and Motorola Moto Z Play. Compare sizes, cameras, batteries, memory, and other important specifications and features to easily choose the right phone for you. Our goal is to help you uncover differences between the products and find the phone that will best fit your needs.

Phone Specifications Comparison

Motorola Moto Z vs. Motorola Moto Z Play Comparison Chart
DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Motorola Moto Z Motorola Moto Z Play
Product Type Smartphone Smartphone
Form Factor Touch Touch
Height 153.3 mm 156.4 mm Motorola Moto Z Play has greater height than Motorola Moto Z.
Width 75.3 mm 76.4 mm Motorola Moto Z Play has greater width than Motorola Moto Z.
Depth 5.19 mm 6.99 mm Motorola Moto Z is narrower than Motorola Moto Z.
Weight 136 g 161 g Motorola Moto Z is lighter than Motorola Moto Z.
Body Colour White, gold | White, fine gold | Black | Grey, black White | Black | Black/silver | White/fine gold
Protection Splashproof Splashproof
Waterproof (Water-resistant) - -
SAR Value - 0.396 W/kg
Connector Type USB Type-C - 24 pin USB-C
Moto Mods
USB Type-C - 24 pin USB-C
Moto Mods
Headset jack - mini-phone 3.5mm
SIM Card Type (Size) Nano SIM Nano SIM
SIM Card Qty Dual-SIM Dual-SIM
DISPLAY Motorola Moto Z Motorola Moto Z Play
Display Type OLED display OLED display
Display Technology AMOLED AMOLED
Screen Size (Display Size) 5.5" 5.5" Both phones have the same screen size.
Screen Resolution (Display Resolution) 2560 x 1440 pixels 1920 x 1080 pixels Motorola Moto Z has better screen resolution than Motorola Moto Z Play.
Display Format QHD Full HD
Pixel Density 535 ppi 403 ppi Motorola Moto Z has better pixel density than Motorola Moto Z Play.
Display Protection (Screen Protector) Corning Gorilla Glass (scratch resistant glass) -
PROCESSOR Motorola Moto Z Motorola Moto Z Play
Processor Type (CPU) Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 Qualcomm Snapdragon 625
Clock Speed 1.8 GHz 2 GHz Motorola Moto Z Play has higher clock speed than Motorola Moto Z.
Processor Core Qty Quad-core 8-core Motorola Moto Z Play has higher processor core quantity than Motorola Moto Z.
64-bit Architecture - Yes Motorola Moto Z Play has 64-bit architecture.
Graphics System (GPU) Qualcomm ADRENO 530 Qualcomm ADRENO 506
MEMORY Motorola Moto Z Motorola Moto Z Play
RAM 4 GB 3 GB Motorola Moto Z has more RAM than Motorola Moto Z Play.
Internal Memory Size (Storage Capacity) 32 GB 32 GB Both phones have the same internal memory capacity.
Supported Flash Memory Cards (Expandable Memory) microSDHC, microSDXC - up to 2 TB microSDHC, microSDXC - up to 2 TB
CAMERA Motorola Moto Z Motorola Moto Z Play
MAIN CAMERA
Number of Main Cameras 1 1
Sensor Resolution 13 Megapixel 16 Megapixel Motorola Moto Z Play has better camera resolution than Motorola Moto Z.
Lens Aperture F/1.8 F/2.0 Motorola Moto Z has better lens aperture than Motorola Moto Z.
Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) - Motorola Moto Z has optical stabilisation.
Focus Adjustment Automatic Automatic
Laser Auto Focus Yes Yes
Digital Zoom 8x 4x Motorola Moto Z has better digital zoom than Motorola Moto Z Play.
HDR Mode Auto HDR mode Auto HDR mode
Camera Modes Burst mode, Panorama, Pro mode, night mode, Best Shot Panorama
Light Source Dual LED flash Dual LED flash
Video Resolutions 1920 x 1080 (1080p), 3840 x 2160 (4K) 1920 x 1080 (1080p), 1280 x 720 (720p), 3840 x 2160 (4K)
Camera Features (Functions) Zero Shutter Lag, Quick Capture, QR-code scanner, Colour Correlated Temperature (CCT) flash, Closed loop processing Phase Detect Auto-Focus (PDAF)
FRONT CAMERA
Number of Front Cameras 1 1
Sensor Resolution (Front) 5 Megapixel 5 Megapixel Both phones have the same front camera resolution.
Lens Type (Front) Wide-angle lens Wide-angle lens
Lens Aperture (Front) F/2.2 F/2.2 Both phones have the same front camera lens aperture.
Special Effects (Front) - Beauty effect
Camera Modes (Front) Night mode, Professional mode Night mode, Professional mode
Light Source (Front) LED flash LED flash
BATTERY AND CHARGING Motorola Moto Z Motorola Moto Z Play
Battery Capacity (Battery Size) 2600 mAh 3510 mAh Motorola Moto Z Play has larger battery capacity than Motorola Moto Z.
Wireless Charging Yes - Motorola Moto Z can be charged wirelessly.
Run Time Details Mixed usage: up to 30 hrs Mixed usage: up to 50 hrs
CELLULAR Motorola Moto Z Motorola Moto Z Play
Technology WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM CDMA2000 1X / GSM / WCDMA (UMTS)
Mobile Broadband Generation 4G 4G Both phones have the same mobile network generation.
Operating System Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow) Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow)
Navigation A-GPS A-GPS
COMMUNICATIONS Motorola Moto Z Motorola Moto Z Play
Data Transmission GPRS, EDGE, EV-DO, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+, LTE GPRS, EDGE, EV-DO, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+, LTE
2G Band 850 GSM, 900 GSM, 1800 GSM, 1900 GSM 850 GSM, 900 GSM, 1800 GSM, 1900 GSM, 800 CDMA2000 1X, 1900 CDMA2000 1X
4G LTE Band Band 1, Band 2, Band 3, Band 4, Band 5, Band 7, Band 8, Band 12, Band 17, Band 19, Band 20, Band 25, Band 28, Band 38, Band 40, Band 41 Band 2, Band 3, Band 4, Band 5, Band 7, Band 13
4G LTE Frequency FDD 2100, FDD 1900 PCS, FDD 1800+, FDD 1700 - 2110 AWS, FDD 850, FDD 2600, FDD 900, FDD 700a, FDD 700b, FDD 800 upper, FDD 800 DD, FDD 1900+, FDD 700 APT, TDD 2600, TDD 2300, TDD 2500 FDD 1900 PCS, FDD 1800+, FDD 1700 - 2110 AWS, FDD 850, FDD 2600, FDD 700c
Wireless Interface IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac IEEE 802.11ac/b/g/n
Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.1 Bluetooth 4.1
NFC Yes Yes Both phones have an NFC reader for mobile payments.
Messaging Services SMS, MMS SMS, MMS
FEATURES Motorola Moto Z Motorola Moto Z Play
Phone Functions Speakerphone, voice control, call timer, conference call, flight mode, voice dialing, vibrating alert Speakerphone, voice control, call timer, conference call, flight mode, voice dialing, vibrating alert
Sensors Accelerometer, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, magnetometer, gyro sensor, hall sensor Accelerometer, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, magnetometer, gyro sensor, hall sensor
Security Devices Fingerprint reader Fingerprint reader
Additional Phone Features MIMO technology, TurboPower technology, 4-Mics TurboPower technology
OTHERS Motorola Moto Z Motorola Moto Z Play
Included Accessories Power adapter, USB-C to 3.5 jack adapter Power adapter
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