Moto Z2 Play goes official along with new Moto Mods

After months of leaks, the Moto Z2 Play has finally gone official. The new phone brings changes to the design, internals, camera and also the battery. There will also be a few new Moto Mods to go with it.

Moto Z2 Play

The Moto Z2 Play looks similar to the outgoing model at first glance but there there are quite a few minor tweaks, such as the redesigned fingerprint sensor on the front and an antenna band that runs along the entire edge of the back side. Crucially, the phone is also thinner by about 1mm compared to its predecessor. The frame of the phone is the same dimensions, however, and that is to ensure it is still compatible with last year's Moto Mods. The phone is protected against minor spills by a water-resistant nano coating.

The Moto Z2 Play has a 5.5-inch 1080p IPS LCD. On the inside is an upgraded Snapdragon 626 and a choice of 3GB or 4GB RAM. Depending upon which you choose, you will get 32GB or 64GB storage, respectively, and there is also microSD support for expanding that.

There's also dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, A-GPS/GLONASS, NFC, and USB-C. And yes, the 3.5mm headphone jack from the previous model is still here.

On the back is a 12 megapixel camera with dual pixel phase detection autofocus and f/1.7 aperture, that can also do 4K video. This is likely the same camera that is used on the Moto G5 Plus. On the front is a 5 megapixel shooter with f/2.2 aperture and wide-angle lens.

The Moto Z2 Play is compatible with all of last year's Moto Mods, including the Hasselblad True Zoom, JBL SoundBoost, Mophie Juice Pack, and Incipio Offgrid, but there are also some new ones this time.

Moto GamePad

Among them is Moto GamePad, which turns your phone into a handheld gaming console, complete with dual analog joysticks and D-pad controls. It also has a 1,035mAh battery built-in.

Moto TurboPower Pack

The other one is the Moto TurboPower pack. It has a 3,490mAh battery and can fast-charge your phone.

JBL SoundBoost 2

Then there is the JBL SoundBoost 2, which puts powerful 2x3W stereo speakers on the back of your phone with a built-in kickstand, and also has an extra 1,000mAh battery inside. It is also splashproof.

Moto Style Shell with Wireless Charging

Lastly, there is the Moto Style Shell with Wireless Charging, which as the name suggests, is a back cover for the phone that also adds wireless charging support for Qi and PMA charging pads. It comes in four patterns.

Motorola seems to be hoping you would pick one of these up, especially the TurboPower pack because the phone itself now has a 3,000mAh battery, considerably smaller than the 3510mAh on the outgoing model, which was known for its battery life. We will have to see how this affects the battery life in our testing but we won't be holding our breath for any miracles.

The Moto Z2 Play will be available in Brazil starting today for R$ 1,999 and globally later this month. In the US, it will be available exclusively from Verizon in July and on Motorola.com later this year.

The Moto Mods will be available globally this summer, starting with Moto Style Shell for $39.99, and the Moto GamePad, Moto TurboPower Pack, and JBL SoundBoost 2 for $79.99 each.