Moto Z2 Force officially announced with a new dual-camera setup, thinner design

Samsung phones have their beautiful Infinity Displays, LG phones have their impressive dual-camera setups, and Motorola smartphones have Moto Mods. This is a feature that Motorola, along with parent company Lenovo, has committed to for the past few years, and people seem to really like these unique accessories.

And what better way to showcase a new 360-degree camera Mod than with a brand new flagship smartphone? Today, at its #hellomotoworld event in New York, Motorola has taken the wraps off its latest flagship, the Moto Z2 Force. With a refined design, beefed-up specs, and a dual-camera setup, the Moto Z2 Force sits at the top of Motorola’s 2017 lineup.

Wondering what this phone is all about? Here are all the details!

Before we get started, a few things on the name. Last year, Motorola released the Moto Z Force, Moto Z, and Moto Z Play, but this year the company is doing something a bit different. Instead of releasing two top-tier Moto Z devices, we’re now just getting one. It’s just the Moto Z2 Force and the Moto Z2 Play now, which I think is much simpler to understand than last year’s lineup.

As far as design is concerned, the Moto Z2 Force bares a striking resemblance to other devices in the Moto Z lineup, and that’s for one main reason: compatibility with Moto Mods. Because the Z2 Force needs to be compatible with Motorola’s current lineup of Moto Mods, the company can’t stray too far from the design of the original Moto Z devices. And you know what? That’s okay. The Z2 Force introduces a few subtle aesthetic refinements that I think many people will appreciate.

For starters, the device now features a larger fingerprint sensor on the front below the display, similar to the one you’d find on the Z2 Play or Moto G5 lineup. That means you’ll also get to take advantage of fingerprint sensor gestures, allowing you to go back, home, or open the recent apps menu all from that one button. You can also swipe on the fingerprint sensor to navigate around the phone’s UI.

Around back the Moto Z2 Force features, most notably, an all-new dual camera setup and more rounded edges. Unfortunately the 3.5 mm headphone jack is still absent from the device.

On the front, the Z2 Force comes with a 5.5-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display, complete with Motorola’s ShatterShield display technology. Motorola says this screen is “guaranteed not to shatter”.

This new phone also comes with some impressive under-the-hood specs. Powering the device is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor backed by 4 GB in the U.S., while the rest of the world gets access to a 6 GB model. Additionally, the U.S. model comes with 64 GB of storage space, while the Chinese variant gets 128 GB of storage. No matter which option you choose though, you’ll have access to microSD card expansion up to 128 GB.

One of the biggest changes to the design this year is the phone’s thickness, or rather lack thereof. The Z2 Force is almost a full millimeter thinner than its predecessor, which was just 7 mm thick, meaning the company needed to include a much smaller battery in the phone this time around. The Z2 Force comes with a 2,730 mAh battery — a pretty big downgrade from last year’s 3,500 mAh cell. You might need to invest in one of those fancy TurboPower Moto Mods.

A couple points on this. I think most of us would rather choose a thicker phone with a bigger battery over a thinner phone with a smaller one, but, of course, we’ll have to see for ourselves when we get the phone in for review. However, it’s clear Motorola has its mind made up. The company’s Z2 Play took a pretty big decrease in battery size over 2016’s Moto Z Play. And while the Z2 Play might not last as long as its predecessor, we mentioned in our full review that it’s still a long-lasting smartphone.

Another notable change to the Moto Z2 Force, perhaps for the better this time, is its new dual-camera setup around back. This year, the device trades in a single 21 MP rear camera for a pair of 12 MP sensors, both of which feature 1.25µm pixels, an f/2.0 aperture, as well as phase-detection and laser-assisted autofocus. The second rear sensor is monochrome, so you’ll get to take advantage of native black-and-white photos, as well as selective focusing and multi-image processing. In addition, the device also comes with a 5 MP front-facing camera.

When it comes to software, the Moto Z2 Force will run Android 7.1.1 Nougat. Users can expect a near stock version of Android on the device, with only a handful of useful Moto features thrown in. Moto Display, Moto Voice, and Moto Actions are all present here.

Moto Z2 Force specifications

For a more detailed look at the Moto Z2 Force’s specs, check out the table below:

Moto Z2 Force pricing and availability

So when and where can you get your hands on this bad boy? For starters, the Z2 Force is coming to all major U.S. carriers, including Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and UScellular, as well as Best Buy and Motorola.com. Pre-orders begin tomorrow, July 26 in the U.S., with the phone officially launching August 10. Pricing will vary depending on where you purchase the device.

For a detailed rundown of the Moto Z2 Force’s pricing and availability, check out our dedicated post right here.

So now that the phone is official, what are your thoughts? Will the Z2 Force be your next big purchase? Be sure to let us know in the comments!