Moto Z2 Force

For the amount of use they see each day, phones certainly could do with being a tad more sturdy and durable, and if you’re the sort who’s prone to dropping your phone often, Moto’s Z2 Force is just what the doctor (or service centre) ordered. Clad in Series 7000 aluminum on the rear and a ShatterShield crack-proof display in the front, the Z2 Force took several ‘accidental’ falls, even on hard flooring, and a few knicks and dents were all that it had to show for all that (mis)adventure.

Under the hood, the Z2 force is no pushover either, with flagship internals like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip, 6GB of memory and a 5.5-inch QuadHD Super AMOLED display which, coupled with Moto’s near stock version of Android 8 Oreo, means that the Z2 Force is as snappy as they come. Another Moto hallmark are the software addons such as the ability to use the fingerprint sensor gestures for on-screen navigation, or Moto Display which allows you to quickly respond to notifications without unlocking your phone.

As with other smartphones in the Moto Z series, the Z2 Force also supports Moto Mods, a range of modular accessories which snap on to the rear of the phone to give it extra camera zoom or carry-everywhere projector capabilities, among others. At launch, the bundle includes the TurboPower Mod, which boosts the day-long 2730mAh battery to a capacious 6220mAh or about two full days’ worth of heavy use. Of course, the downside of the Mods modularity is that the overall design remains similar, even if the phone is slimmer and lighter than previous models and the Z2 Force feels dated with its thick borders above and below the screen.

Moto’s camera department has been rather mediocre in the past, and so the Z2 Force really surprised with its strong showing in my camera tests. Images were rich in detail, colours were natural and most low-light shots displayed an admirable amount of control on image noise.  In all, the Z2 Force is a capable smartphone and ticks off most of the boxes you’d expect at this price, and the sheer peace of mind the shatter-proof screen affords makes it a phone worth taking very seriously.