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Moto Z Play: It keeps going, and going and going...

The Moto Z phone has a giant battery, works with Motorola's Moto Mod accessories, and hey -- it's got a headphone jack too!

Lynn La
Lynn La covers mobile reviews and news. She previously wrote for The Sacramento Bee, Macworld and The Global Post.
Scott Stein Editor at Large
I started with CNET reviewing laptops in 2009. Now I explore wearable tech, VR/AR, tablets, gaming and future/emerging trends in our changing world. Other obsessions include magic, immersive theater, puzzles, board games, cooking, improv and the New York Jets. My background includes an MFA in theater which I apply to thinking about immersive experiences of the future.
Expertise VR and AR, gaming, metaverse technologies, wearable tech, tablets Credentials
  • Nearly 20 years writing about tech, and over a decade reviewing wearable tech, VR, and AR products and apps
Lynn La
Scott Stein
moto-z-play-9339-001.jpg
1 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET

Meet the Moto Z Play

The Motorola Moto Z Play is an affordable Android phone that features a long-lasting battery that lasts and lasts. It also works with Motorola's line of quirky accessories that attach to its back and add a bit more functionality.

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2 of 22 Sarah Tew/CNET

The device features a 5.5-inch display with a 1,080-pixel resolution and a Snapdragon 625 processor inside.

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3 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET

The Z Play is Motorola's third phone in its Z series, following the original Moto Z (middle) and the Z Force (right).

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4 of 22 Sarah Tew/CNET

Moto Z Play

On the back is a 16-pin magnetic Moto Mod connector that's used to attach accessories.

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5 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET

A closer look at the row of magnetic pins.

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6 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET

Motorola's newest Mod, a point-and-shoot camera accessory with a 10x optical zoom, is called the Hasselblad True Zoom.

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7 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET

Another Mod can be a simple decorative back cover.

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8 of 22 Sarah Tew/CNET

Another look at the snazzy wood-grain back.

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9 of 22 Sarah Tew/CNET

Moto Z Play

There are many snap-on backs you could add just for style.

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10 of 22 Sarah Tew/CNET

Another is a JBL audio speaker with a kickstand, so you can pump out tunes.

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11 of 22 Sarah Tew/CNET

There is also an image projector made by Motorola that can project videos and other media content against a flat surface.

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12 of 22 Sarah Tew/CNET

Moto Z Play

Battery packs (second and third from the left) lengthen the battery time of your Moto phone.

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13 of 22 Sarah Tew/CNET

Moto Z Play

Unlike the other Moto Zs, the Z Play retains its headphone jack.

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14 of 22 Sarah Tew/CNET

That means you can listen to music through your wired headphones while charging your handset.

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15 of 22 Sarah Tew/CNET

A look at the other Moto Zs, that don't feature the jack.

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16 of 22 Sarah Tew/CNET

The most outstanding thing about the Z Play is its battery life. It lasted 23 hours, 3 minutes during our lab tests for continuous video playback on Airplane mode and with mild usage it lasted four (!) whole days without a charge.

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17 of 22 Sarah Tew/CNET

Moto Z Play

To accommodate its beefy battery, the device is quite hefty, at 0.28 inch (or 6.99 mm) thick.

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18 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET

On the back is a 16-megapixel camera.


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19 of 22 Sarah Tew/CNET

The Moto Z Play is the only Z phone that lacks optical image stabilization too, so your photos might look blurrier if you have an unsteady hand.

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20 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET

Below the display is a fingerprint sensor that can be easily mistaken for a functioning home button.

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21 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET

The handset also features Android 6.0 Marshmallow, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage with the option to expand via a microSD card.

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22 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET

As the midrange Moto, the Z Play (left) is cheaper too. In the US, it costs $408 on Verizon. Motorola will release a global unlocked version that'll be compatible with GSM networks for $450 (or £347 and AU$590 converted).

For more information about the Motorola Moto Z Play, check out our full review.

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