Last updated on November 10th, 2020 at 12:07 am
“You need a Moto Z.”
— Casey Palmer to basically everyone he talks to, gushing over how awesome his phone is.
In the beginning, I wondered what was so cool about a phone without a headphone jack.
When Apple announced the iPhone 7 in September, people lost their minds—what’s the point of having a device with access to millions of songs if you can’t listen to them? Buy wireless earbuds, they said. Change up the charging port with a dongle, they said.  It took a feature everyone knew so well and did away with it—for a number of good reasons, mind you (waterproofing and Bluetooth redundancy to name a couple), but for all the negative hoopla they got about it, people failed to note two things:
- We must embrace better methods to make better phones, and
- That Apple didn’t do it first.
My Smartphone’s Cooler Than YOUR Smartphone.
Released three months before the iPhone 7, I admittedly hadn’t even heard of the Lenovo Moto Z before TELUS passed it my way for a review, but I’d soon learn the error of my ways!
An ultra-thin smartphone with a slick Quad HD display, a speedy Qualcomm® Snapdragonâ„¢ 820 processor, and TurboPowerâ„¢ Charging giving you up to 8 hours of battery life in 15 minutes, the Moto Z’s a bloody powerful device with a neat little trick up its sleeve—it can become more than just a phone!
And with that thinking in mind, we’ve gotta talk about Moto Modsâ„¢!
Moto Mods™—They’re Changing the Way We Smartphone!
Moto Mods™ have the Moto Z combine with peripherals to transform it into a number of gadgets! For now, you can turn it into a speaker, projector, or fully-featured camera, but more importantly, Moto Mods™ represent a shift in thinking, challenging what we expect from our smartphones in the future! Motorola Mobility’s actively exploring what else they can add to the Moto Mods™ line, continuing to extend the usefulness of its phones well beyond the features they have when originally purchased.
And even better, they’re easy to use! Moto Modsâ„¢ slap onto the back of the phone with magnets—really strong magnets—doing away with tangly wires and cumbersome plugs for a 16-pin connector that makes them work instantly. No Bluetooth, no Wi-Fi—you can connect a Moto Modâ„¢ to the back of a Moto Z and seconds later become the life of the party! Or choose a different one and you’re ready for the big meeting, showing off your video on a 70″ screen. You can even make yourself the next Ansel Adams and use a 10x optical zoom to shoot things that you’d never normally capture with a standard smartphone camera!
There’s a lot that Moto Mods™ open you up to—let me tell you about a few I got my hands on and how they helped me make the most of the way I smartphone!
The Incipio offGRIDâ„¢ Power Pack || Extra Power to Get You Through Your Day!
One of the simplest Moto Modsâ„¢ is a battery pack you clip to the back of your phone, giving it a 2220 mAh boost for up to 20 more hours of power as soon as they’re connected!
The Incipio offGRID PowerPack Moto Mod for the new #MotoZ and #MotoZPlay keeps your phone charged longer so you can do more. pic.twitter.com/oZxuwLQDWZ
— Motorola Canada (@MotorolaCA) September 27, 2016
To give you an idea of how beneficial that is, this phone just couldn’t cut it with its standard 2600 mAh battery. I keep immensely active on my phone every day, and coupled with the flashy features the Moto Z boasts, I can burn through that in a matter of hours.
But the Incipio offGRID™ is my bae, essentially doubling the Moto Z’s capacity without making it too bulky—for someone who usually carries an extra battery pack, you don’t know how good this feels!
The JBL Soundboost Speaker || Because Standard Smartphone Speakers do NOT a Party Make!
I mean, no matter how powerful those speakers might be, they’re also awfully inconvenient. I mean, how many of us need speakers every day? Smartphones’ built-in speakers have grown mighty enough to meet most of our needs, but they may fail to do the trick if there’s a party with your name on it and no outlet in sight!
Good thing the JBL Soundboost Speaker has a battery of its own, offering up 10 hours of play for whatever music floats your boat! With a kickstand built in to keep your speaker elevated, it ensures that your music’s filling the room instead of just bouncing off the ceiling!
Y’all ain’t ready.
The Hasselblad True Zoom Camera || The Best Camera is the One You Have With You… But it’s EVEN BETTER When You Have a Real LENS to Work With!
While the Incipio offGRIDâ„¢ is the Moto Modâ„¢ I use most, the Hasselblad True Zoom is by far my favourite, adding a 10x optical zoom, Xenon flash, and RAW format photos to a smartphone whose camera’s already pretty stellar!
Now for you purists out there, let me be straight—we don’t yet have smartphone tech to outdo a real camera. My SLR is faster, sharper and shoots photos with more vibrant colour, but it’s a camera—that’s what it’s supposed to do. For a great shot on the go, the Hasselblad True Zoom proves a trusty ally—here’re a few sample photos if you want to see for yourself!
The Lenovo Moto Z—A First Step in the Future of Smartphones
I’m not here to convince you why the Moto Z’s an amazing piece of hardware—it’s something you’ll need to experience for yourself. Even without a 3.5″ headphone jack or a Micro USB port, it’s the device I turn to most! It looks good, sounds good, and takes great pictures—what more could a blogger ask for?
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a Quad HD screen to covet.
Good luck to all who enter, and until the next, I remain,
–case p.
Disclaimer: To help type this post to its appropriate levels of awesome, TELUS provided both a Lenovo Moto Z and a Lenovo Moto Z Play for review, giveaway, or whatever else worked! Opinions are my own, and I use the Moto Z all the time. Bonne chance!
106 replies on “TELUS | The Lenovo Moto Z Review”
I’d add an instant, floating in mid air, invisibly supported keyboard. Like a phantom full-sized keyboard that pops out when I need it, and pops back into wherever when I don’t. Surely that’s not too much to ask ? :0
To be honest, they already have my wish covered with the strap on speaker. I hate trying to play music on a phone without headphones, but I also don’t like to share my headphones. It’s a conundrum.
I would combine it with my oven! 🙂 Cooking with the push on my phone! 😀
I am not sure what I would add. I haven’t really thought about it.
I would connect it to my appliances so I could turn them on without leaving the recliner!
I would combine it with my heat , turn up the heat without getting out of bed in the morning and being chilly 🙂
I would add a teleporter so I could travel quickly 🙂 I don’t drive lol
some sort of coffee magic, maybe I could push a button and have a coffee delivered lol
The ability to turn the microwave on for dinner.
I would hook it up to my coffee maker. I could get out of bed with hot coffee made.
I would combine it with my wheelchair and create a speeding app. LOL
My smartphone should also be a single cup coffee maker!
I would like to have a mood detector. When I am sad my ringtone would be a happy tune and when I am anxious the music and display would calm me down.
I would combine a smartphone with a wristwatch
I think it would be very useful for me if my smartphone has an air purifier built it as well!
I would connect it to my car, so that I could start it during the frosty winter mornings
I would combine it with a bottle opener!
I would add a leash that retracts for my dogs or how about an umbrella that pops out when it rains or all gadgets as in Inspector Gadget, all attached to my phone 🙂
I would combine my phone with a personal chef 🙂
I’d like to be able to switch my slow cooker on and off via my phone. 🙂
I would combine it with a money maker so I could make whatever money I needed.
I would Combine the smartphone with a robot that can run errands like groceries etc…
Yeah I am all about the speaker with the battery life of its own. It’s like a party on the go and would make this guy Mike I know really happy.
It would make my boy happy.
I would combine it with a remote for appliances in my house as well as the thermostat. It would be nice to preheat the house and oven so they are up to temperature when I get home! ????
I would love that amazing camera mod!
I’d combine with a wine tap. Wine on demand!
would combine a smartphone and a car keyless entry
I would combine this Lenovo Moto Z with bluetooth headphones 🙂 For those windy days when walking the pups.
Turn the tap on to start my bath.
I would like to be warm this winter – I’d love to be able to turn up the furnace before I get home and start the car before I get in it!
I would like a small but large capacity storage module other than a micro sd card. This way I can load my music without using the storage space on my phone. I listen to a wide variety of music and have not been able to carry it all.
I would add a smartphone hand warmer to keep my digits warm during winter. Thanks so much for the awesome review & giveaway! I have just the guy in mind that needs a boost into the new age of modular phones! Happy holidays!
I would add more storage or have it be able to control various appliances in my house. I have been drooling over the Moto Z for a couple of months now.
I cant think of anything??!! They seem to cover all my needs 🙂
I would add my walking cane and use it for a pointer or something cool
Swiss Army Knife. I’d be unstoppable…
To be honest with you I think they have already covered everything I could think of to add, what a great phone!
Not sure, the phone does everything, even sings & dances as they say!
I can’t think of anything else.
I would add a bottle opener
I would love to have an emergency window cutter attached!
I would combine with a printer.
I would combine my phone with a popcorn maker so I could have a snack whenever I wished.
I would combine a utility knife blade with my cell phone.
I would add a photo printer to my smartphone.
a multi-screwdriver, because my PINK is always missing because my husband and boys are always using it, as I keep it handy. This way, it would be on my phone, and on ME all the time! haha
I would add a photo printer so I can take pictures and then print them!
Dream tech – Teleportation Device
Peace of mind Tech – GPS implant in my kids!
I’d love my phone being able to start up my car
Awww. c’mon! It has everything. That’s too much to ask of an old techno peasant such as me.
I like the touch sensor feature on some phones. Would love that on my phone.
I would add a printer, so I could print some of my thousands of photos of my kids instantly
I would love to start my car with my phone
I would add a measuring tape.
a really, really good speaker. thanks
I would combine the phone with a baby monitor!
I would combine this phone with my coffee maker…if it could bring me coffee, I would do the biggest sassy dance ever!
I would combine it with keyless entry for my house!
Id add a metal detector so I could treasure hunt !
i’d totally get the zoom camera! even looks cool
I would add a way to use the phone to unlock my home.
teleportation of course
Car starter would be great
car starter ! that would be awesome .. do they have that already ? lol
I would combine my phone with a remote control to warm up the car in the winter time.
If it had tools on it like a Leatherman I would be all set.
a toothpick ha ha
It would be great if it could do the dishes
I would like to be able to warm up my walker with it and de-ice wouldn’t that be cool I’ve always wanted one but to be honest cannot afford it. This would be an awesome gift to win. Thanks for the chance to win good luck everyone!!!
It would be nice if it would pick up the laundry and toss it in the hamper.
combine it with my stove, this way I could turn the stove down from any room in the house
I would combine it with a Swiss Army knife
I would like a phone that would only need charging one a week.
i’d combine the phone with a clapper or item tracking device, that way if i lost it, i could just clap and fit it!
It would be so helpful if I could combine a blacklight to my smartphone. I can be a germophobe sometimes and that blacklight would give me a peace of mind! – Jenn E
a full swiss army knife would be nice
I would have it start my car every morning for me!!
Funny but how about a screwdriver to fix all those little tiny screws in your electronics.
I would add a super amazing camera as I take all my pics with my phone anyway.
If I could combine my smartphone with another, it would be a microscope or telescope! 15 year old me/my inner science nerd would be so happy.
How about a vacuum so I can get a break? lol 🙂
I would combine with a lighter but that could be more dangerous than a Galaxy Note 7. Hahaha
I think it would be awesome to be able to get cash out of our phones haha I don’t have a clue what I’d add
I would love it if they could have a built in hand warmer, but wait Samsung already did that…hmm I guess I’ll have to go with a car starter!
I wish my phone never needed to be charged or it had a little solar panel on it so the sun would boost the battery. Sweet giveaway! Thank you.
I would like that app that could go to work for me! Many thanks.
A camera… a really good camera! I love taking photos on the go!
I’d definitely combine it with some kind of photo/document printer, for quick, on-the-go memories. (Or to print out tickets from those pesky places that won’t accept the email on your smartphone!)
I love this question lol.. I think Id combine it with a coffee machine. Then I could just get a coffee anywhere at anytime. thats the real dream.
not sure what I would add to it! It already does way more than I ever thought it could!
I can’t believe how much they already do when you really think about it! I can’t really think of anything realistic left. I know there is probably an app already that translates people speaking another language live and then translates you back to them. That would be so awesome for travelling.
I would combine it with my coffee maker.
If I could combine a smartphone with something else it would be an invention that wouldn’t allow it to work unless the car was in neutral or park. Would save a lot of lives.
Make me a coffee now that would be the bomb
Smart phones need to be equipped with a don’t text and talk if you’re being distracted monitor and it would hurt to have a breathalyzer either.
I would like my smartphone combined with a video doorbell smart-home security system so I could see who is at the door.
My truthful answer is I don’t know. I think I am the only person on the universe who does not have a phone. In fact, my husband let me use his one day because I was highway travelling. He called so I pulled over (cause you should)… and I didn’t even know how to answer it. LOL He figured that so called 4 times … then I answered. I just don’t want one but now I think it is time…. to get with the times. 🙂 😛
I think an evening “pause” from 6pm-8pm would be great. Just set it up, and receive no notifications or phone calls during that time. Just something to have to disconnect for a couple hours a day!!
I would like to zoom a photo, love movie night so if this can also use to feature a movie on the wall tha will,serve as a projector, that would be a bonus
I would combine my phone with a printer.
it would pretty cool to have a laser measure on it, in the future it would be awesome to have it 3d print stuff.
I think I need a 3D printer in my house like, yesterday.
A printer!
I would probably add a printer to my phone.
I would add a little microwave to heat up my lunch