If you have been yearning to get your hands on the modular Moto Z Play but the phone’s asking price put you off, your time is now.
A little trip to Amazon reveals that the Moto Z Play is no longer selling at $449.99, instead, the giant retailer has now listed the phone for just $399.99. Not so long ago, we also came across another interesting deal on eBay where a refurbished Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge had been listed for $399.99. Well, this deal is still on, which makes it a tough one for an avid Android lover looking for a fresh start.
The Moto Z Play was launched as part of the Moto Z series, but the former is actually a slimmed-down version of the series, where the Moto Z and Moto Z Force are the flagships. Still, there are quite a number of similarities between the low-end variant and the high-end variants.
You get the same 5.5-inch screen size, but the resolution drops from QHD to Full HD. Under the hood, the Moto Z Play ships with a Snapdragon 625 processor that is paired with 3GB RAM and 32GB of storage. As for the flagship models, you get the high-end Snapdragon 820 SoC that is paired with a 4GB RAM and twice the amount of storage offered on the Z Play.
The camera on the back doesn’t carry all the bells and whistles you find on the likes of Moto Z and Moto Z Force, but the 16MP primary shooter and 5MP selfie snapper are still great at getting the job done. The primary camera has an f/2.0 aperture, phase detection, and laser autofocus, 2K video recording, as well as dual-tone LED flash. The front shooter also gets a LED flash, but the aperture is a bit smaller at f/2.2 and only manages 1080p video recording.
What makes the Moto Z Play a real beast is the 3510mAh battery that it comes with. This battery is charged via a USB-C port and also supports fast charging technology. The phone has a front-mounted fingerprint scanner and unlike the Moto Z and Z Force, there is a 3.5mm audio jack on this model. The phone runs on Android Marshmallow out of the box, but Android 7.0 Nougat is almost here. As at the time of this writing, you can grab this phone from Amazon for just $399.99.
The question is – will you go for the new Moto Z Play midrange phone or the refurbished Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge flagship? Just to give you some highlights, the Galaxy S7 Edge has the same 5.5-inch AMOLED screen, but it gets a higher screen resolution of 1440p. The processor under the hood is flagship – the Snapdragon 820 – and is paired with even better 4GB RAM and the same 32GB of storage. The back camera has a world-class 12MP DualPixel snapper with all the flagship features you can think while the front has a 5MP shooter.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge gets the nod once again when it comes to the battery capacity thanks to the huge 3600mAh unit it comes with. Like the Moto Z Play, you get support for fast charging technology, but there’s no USB-C, instead, the phone has the outgoing microUSB port. It also keeps the 3.5mm headphone jack and runs on Android Marshmallow out of the box, although an update to Android Nougat is already rolling out.
Both phones have unique designs to boast of. Where Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge comes with a beautiful curved screen with Edge software on board, the Moto Z Play has its modularity and the Moto Mods to brag about. However, be warned that the Galaxy S7 Edge variant being sold at $399.99 is locked to AT&T, unlike its counterpart which is unlocked and supports all GSM carriers, including AT&T and T-Mobile.
So, between these two – Moto Z Play (new) and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge (refurbished) – which do you prefer? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below.