The Moto Z3 was hyped as a high-end device available at mid-range prices; hence, being suitable for those in search of uniting features at reasonable means. Below is a précis on the design of Moto Z3, its performance and features, and what makes it special.   

Design and Build  

Motorola Moto Z3 follows in the footsteps of the minimalist sleek design concept befitting the Z series. The front and the back have been made of glass, and the aluminum frame gives sturdiness to the phone, thereby giving it a premium touch. Quite slender, Moto Z3 has only 6.8 mm of thickness, quite slender when modern smartphones are considered. Thin as it is, the Moto Z3 has solid construction; thanks to the glass back, it comes in naturally easier when it comes to reaching smudges and scratches, so casing is recommended. It is also light and weighs about 156g, hence great to be used for quite a considerable amount of time. Behind, it features a signature 16-pin connector that allows attaching Moto Mods and a slightly raised dual camera setup. In fact, it is just perfect for users who consume much media on their device’s screen. The aspect ratio is 18:9, which was at its prime upon release but kept the screen wide in an easy size to hold onto. Performance The Moto Z3 comes with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chipset inside. Okay, so that’s a flagship processor from 2017, which by the time 2018 rolled out, was already replaced by the much faster Snapdragon 845. Still, however, the 835 should be plenty powerful to run most apps just fine. It’s an octa-core chipset clocked as high as 2.35 GHz, coupled with 4 GB of RAM. It makes it quite snappy and fluid, in respect to performance, for multitasking, everyday activities like browsing on social media, and streaming video content. It does quite decently on its own with gaming and graphically intensive uses, though it will have the more graphically demanding titles break out a bit of a sweat at the highest settings. For the average and above-average user, the job gets done good enough with little to no lag and stuttering in general use. The device comes with 64GB inbuilt storage, which is expandable via a microSD card, hence offering enormous space for applications, media, and games.   

Software 

 The Moto Z3 shipped with Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box and has since seen an update to Android 9.0 Pie. And save for a few Moto-specific enhancements, such as Moto Actions which is basically gesture-based controls and Moto Display showing notifications when the screen is off, there’s nothing in the way of heavy skins or bloatware to be found on this near stock Android instalment. That guarantees an interface that’s going to be neat and fluid, at least – a big plus for the fans of no-nonsense Android. But where the real value of Moto’s additions lies, is in software, like stuff such as quickly turning the flashlight on with a shake of the phone or launching the camera with a twist of the wrist, in bringing conveniences in without muddling the clean Android interface.  

 Modular Capabilities: 

Moto Mods One of the things common with the Z-series phones so far is Moto Mods compatibility. Snap On accessories attached to the back of a phone for the sake of utilizing a number of functions. This runs the gamut from a power pack sporting a battery that gives some more juice all the way to a 360-degree camera for video to project onto a large surface and even a speaker for enhanced audio. Probably the most groundbreaking Mod has been that 5G Moto Mod, which made Moto Z3 one of the first 5G-capable smartphones to hit the market. Since the time it came out, this has been pretty revolutionary and, in a way, has future-proofed this device in a fast-moving mobile network environment. Further adding to that, these mods turn the Moto Z3 into arguably the most versatile smartphone out there. It is able to bring forward some functionalities for which other smartphones need additional accessories. Camera The back houses the Moto Z3’s dual camera setup, comprising a 12MP primary sensor and another 12MP dedicated mono sensor. The main shoots with an aperture of f/2.0, graced with PDAF and Laser Autofocus for sharp and focused images. A secondary mono sensor aids in adding depth and detail in portrait shots. The Moto Z3 camera isn’t actually bad, under optimal conditions-it’s fully capable of capturing highly detailed, vivid shots that manage to properly represent color. Portrait mode is good, though sometimes inconsistent, and shooting in low light can get a bit messy with the introduction of noise and loss of fine details. It’s an 8MP shooter with a f/2.0 aperture upfront, and, yeah, it does take some good selfies in well-lit conditions. The camera app has all sorts of modes and options – Portrait mode, Beauty mode, and manual controls galore to please the more serious shooter. 

Battery Life 

The Moto Z3 gets a rather modest 3000mAh battery if compared to today’s standards, but it’s enough for a full day at moderate conditions. The Snapdragon 835 chipset is efficient, and the device managed its power consumption quite well. With a moderate usage pattern, including web browsing and some social media and video streaming, the phone should easily last a full day. It also supports Turcopole fast charging, whereby users get a few hours after some minutes of charging. This makes the device good for those who are always on the go and might want that quick power during the day.  

Connectivity and Other Features Connectivity-wise, 

the Moto Z3 comes with 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, and NFC. There’s a USB Type-C for power and data, but no 3.5mm headphone jack-this won’t augur well with many. It has a fingerprint sensor mounted on the side, sitting on the power button on one of its sides. This is fast and reliable for quick access to the device. 

Verdict 

 The Motorola Moto Z3 couple’s modular functionality with decent performance and a clean software experience. The Snapdragon 835 might’ve been getting a bit old by the time this came out, but it keeps up with most activities just fine. Meanwhile, Moto Mods add some welcome versatility to what would otherwise be a rather cookie-cutter Android device. The sweetener, though, is that it can add new features to it via Moto Mods-even going as far as offering one that upgrades it to 5G. If your needs also include getting a more powerful phone or one with a higher-resolution camera, then options in this price category might be more promising. That said, Moto Z3 is still one of the finer and somewhat different options available in the market for those who love modular design and personalization.