First look at the new Moto Z2 Force, Moto Mods, and 360-degree camera [Video]

Greg Barbosa | Jul 26 2017 - 7:58 am PT

After Motorola’s official announcement event of the upcoming Moto Z2 Force, we got to go hands-on with the new device. Sporting a smaller battery, shatterproof guarantee, and new Moto Mods accessories, let’s dive into our first look…

The Mozo Z2 Force brings a very crisp experience with a 5.5-inch Quad HD AMOLED display. Featuring par for the course advanced water resistance, and a dual 12MP camera, the Moto Z2 Force ups the ante with a guaranteed shatterproof design. According to Moto, the Z2’s display and lens are guaranteed up to 4 years against shattering or cracking. This might come as a surprise to many, because in-hand the Z2 is noticeably thin and light without feeling like a cheap device.

New and Old Moto Mods alike

Of course, the new Z2 Force also sports the familiar Moto Mods accessory system. Allowing users to customize the device with different backplates and accessories as they see fit. Some of the more prominent Moto Mods on display at yesterday’s event included the new JBL SoundBoost 2 speaker, and the previous Hasselblad camera. The JBL SoundBoost 2 acts as a portable speaker packing a built-in kickstand, and splash-proof coating. The kickstand even comes in handy when detaching the SoundBoost from the phone, but we wouldn’t recommend pulling on it.

The Hasselblad camera, although not new, was still shown off at the event in conjunction with the device’s own camera. From an initial glance it really just looks like a camera with the display cut off, but it’s weight was noticeable in hand. After going through the initial configuration, Moto was happy to show off the Hasselblad 10X optical zoom. Using a DSLR-like zoom control the Moto Mod brings a more familiar experience to mobile photography. After reaching that 10x zoom limit, the Hasselblad will switch into a digital zoom mode. Something more akin to standard mobile photography zoom expectations.

Moto’s new turbopower pack was also at the event which is said to give an extra full day’s worth of battery life.

Another new addition to the Moto Mods lineup is the new Moto Gamepad. With support for multiple third-party games, Moto is clearly going after the mobile gamer market. The pad sports a design akin to the old Sony PSPs, and the controls feel just as solid. The only downside with the Gamepad here is the size of it. I don’t see anyone throwing this in their pocket for on-the-go-gaming.

360-degree Camera

Without a doubt the Moto Z2 event’s showstopper had to be the new 360-degree Camera. Priced at $299.99, it was easy to see this as a competitor to Andy Rubin’s upcoming Essential phone and it’s own 360-degree camera. Moto’s 360 camera will allow users to shoot, edit, share 360 video, images, and livestreams all directly from their Z2 device. Although, in initial testing we weren’t able to get the camera working with a YouTube livestream.

Once attached to the phone, launching the camera app will give users the option to switch between the built-in or 360-degree camera. Users can then swipe “around” in the 360-degree view to see exactly what the camera sees. Things get especially weird when you begin looking at yourself, or your fingers, through the camera. In our hands-on there was a bit of delay between the camera and the display.

The Moto Z2 Force will be available with all major US carriers August 10th, starting at $30 a month.

Be sure to keep your eyes peeled on 9to5Google for the upcoming, in-depth review.

Catch up on our previous and ongoing coverage of the new Moto Z2 Force below:

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