Picture Perfect: The New Moto Z Play and Hasselblad True Zoom

With Moto Mods, we’ve entered the next era of mobile technology. When you can transform your smartphone into exactly what you need it to be, the possibilities are endless.

Our Moto Mods family already includes the JBL SoundBoost speaker so you can take the party with you, the Insta-Share Projector so you can share content as you want, and power packs from Incipio so you’re never without battery when you need it most.

But that was just the beginning.

We know mobile photography is important to all consumers. Moments captured on-the-go are some of our most precious memories. That’s why we’re taking the smartphone camera experience to the next level with the Hasselblad True Zoom Moto Mod. Our collaboration with legendary photography brand Hasselblad makes advanced imaging experiences like 10x optical zoom and shooting RAW a reality on mobile.

We’re also introducing a new member to the Moto Z family - Moto Z Play. It comes with our longest-lasting battery ever and is designed for Moto Mods, giving you even more choice to find a phone that best fits your needs, with the technology that matters most to you.

Moto Z Play: Ultimate Battery, Unlimited Possibilities

Featuring a thin, lightweight design with a solid aluminum frame and elegant glass back, Moto Z Play packs up to 50 hours of battery life¹ with Moto’s longest-lasting battery ever, allowing you to play for days without stopping to recharge. Burn through your 50 hours? No problem - power up fast with TurboPower charging: up to 9 hours in just 15 minutes.²

Moto Z Play also offers an ultra-smooth 2.0 GHz octa-core processor, a stunning 5.5” 1080p HD Super AMOLED display and 3GB RAM of memory so you can play games, stream video and multitask without missing a beat. Shoot beautifully sharp photos - day or night - with a 16MP laser autofocus camera, and go from selfies to groupies instantly with the wide-angle, front-facing camera with LED flash.

Moto Z Play will be available globally beginning in September; find it in Europe for about 499€⁴. In the US it will be available on Motorola.com and Verizon as Moto Z Play Droid Edition for $408 ($17/month) on September 8. Moto Z and Moto Z Play will be available in the US in GSM unlocked versions beginning in October. Moto Z will be available unlocked for $699.99 and Moto Z Play will be available unlocked for $449.99.

Moto Mods: Hasselblad True Zoom

Hasselblad and Moto have teamed up to design an imaging experience that completely transforms mobile photography. Since 1941, Hasselblad has been at the forefront of the imaging industry. Around the world, the name Hasselblad is synonymous with the finest camera equipment ever made. Some of the most iconic images in history have been taken with Hasselblad cameras, from the first images on the moon to The Beatles famous Abbey Road Cover. This year, Hasselblad is bringing their unique, iconic design and imaging experience to the mobile space.

Add advanced imaging capabilities to your phone in a snap! You can create and share like never before. Featuring 10x Optical Zoom and a Xenon flash, you just focus on getting the shot - lighting and distance will never stand in the way of capturing the perfect image.

Expect even more control and flexibility with the ability to shoot in RAW format. Plus, physical shutter and zoom controls, guaranteeing a great handling experience. Added bonus? You’ll also get free access to Hasselblad’s Phocus software for streamlined editing control and the highest quality output.

Last, but not least, share your beautiful results with family and friends while still in the moment with automatic backup and unlimited free storage at original quality for two years with Google Photos.³

The Hasselblad True Zoom will be available globally starting in September. In Europe, it will retail for about 299€⁴. In the US it will be available for pre-sale on September 8 and available on September 15 for $249.99 USD at Verizon and $299 at Motorola.com. For more information about Hasselblad, please visit the website.

Images can be found here (you agree to our license terms when downloading images or video).

¹Applies to U.S. + Europe; 45 hours in rest of world and 35 hours in China. All battery life claims are approximate and based on a mixed use profile (which includes both usage and standby time) under optimal network conditions. Actual battery performance will vary and depends on many factors including signal strength, network configuration, age of batter, operating temperature, features selected, device settings, and voice, data and other application usage patterns. 

²Battery must be substantially depleted; charging rate slows as charging processes. Charger sold separately in some markets. 

³Promotional offer must be redeemed by March 31, 2017. Two-year period begins when the first photo or video is backed up to Google Photos from an eligible device. This offer is limited to a single Google account, as identified by a unique ID, can only be redeemed once per Google account ID, and cannot be combined with other offers, and is not transferable. User must select original upload size in settings to take advantage of this offer. Offer available only in countries where the Google Photos service is available. Use of Google Photos is subject to the Google Photos Terms of Service available at http://www.google.com/policies/terms, the Google Privacy Policy available http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/.

⁴Price may vary by country. Check local websites.

Redesigning Smartphones with a Snap: Behind the Scenes with Moto Z and Moto Mods

For a while now, smartphone innovation has been pretty stagnant. We’ve seen a small change here or a slight modification there. As much as we love our smartphones the way they are, it’s certainly time for a shake-up in the industry.

Over the past two years, Motorola has been working on a way to transform the smartphone experience. Last month, we revealed this new technology with the introduction of Moto Z with Moto Mods.

So what went into making this new technology? Read on to learn more about the engineering behind this latest innovation.

The All-New Moto Z: Reinventing the Smartphone from the Ground Up

At first, the challenge of creating the Moto Z seemed daunting: build an all-new smartphone that was thinner and lighter than any we’ve ever made. And most importantly, we had to do this without sacrificing battery life, durability, and of course, not bulking-up once a Moto Mod was attached.

Challenge accepted.

We had to completely rethink the inside of the smartphone to make sure it was as thin and light as possible. We quickly realized, however, that between the size and processor, overheating would be a potential issue. So, we developed a liquid cooling system — a “heat pipe solution” if you will — to optimize thermal evenness by distributing heat over a broader surface, thus enabling the processor to run faster and longer without overheating.

Because space within an ultra-thin phone like the Moto Z is at a premium, we also revolutionized the device’s system of four 4G LTE internal antennas, reorganizing internal components while also redesigning the antennas and positioning them in a way that would avoid interfering with the phone’s signal while a Moto Mod was attached.

Picking the right battery for the Moto Z was crucial. The biggest challenge here was creating a battery that would fit within a 5.2mm space while balancing energy density and battery rate of charging. That said, our engineers have not only created a high density battery that maintains minimum turbocharging, but also one that is only 3.3mm thin. In addition to that, we also made sure other components on the phone were not only paper-thin but energy efficient, such as the Moto Z’s AMOLED display: .8mm thinner than most LCD displays and 10% more battery efficient.

We then moved on to the housing — aware that “bendgate” would be a potential issue with such a thin device, we utilized a unique, aircraft-grade stainless steel casing that’s actually 85 percent stronger than our competitors, while keeping the device as light as possible. The backplate is also made from the same, magnetic-grade steel, which not only provides the magnets in the Moto Mods a place to attach simply and efficiently, but also gives the device a sleek and modern look.

Innovation through Collaboration

Up until now, your smartphone experience has been limited by your phone’s hardware and software capabilities. When it came to developing Moto Mods, we set out to remove those barriers by creating a phone that changes as your needs change, and does so in a truly seamless way. For example, we wanted to make sure the process for swapping out Moto Mods was as fluid and natural as possible. Our solution: very strong magnets and an automatic connection process that doesn’t require additional steps or rebooting.

We also knew that partnering with other companies with the expertise and know-how was an essential part of making Moto Z and Moto Mods a true innovation. By collaborating with fellow tech innovators, like JBL and Incipio, and high-end designers at kate spade new york and TUMI, we had an unique opportunity to learn quite a bit about each other’s offerings to the overall device. Once they began integrating with our teams, the entire look and feel of Moto Mods evolved into something new and exciting that neither team could have developed on their own.

After the initial Moto Mods ideas were in development, our engineers set their sights on creating a platform for others to bring their ideas to life.

Moto Mods Developer Program: Opening our Sandbox to New Ideas

Moto Mods open a world of possibilities. They break down the innate barriers that come with smartphone hardware and software. We believe they are the next leap in mobile innovation.

We’re excited to be at the forefront of this new frontier, but we know we can’t do it alone. We need to provide tools that enable others’ ideas to be prototyped and brought to market as well. With open architecture and access to the right resources, our new Moto Mods Development Program provides a platform for innovation in the mobile space.

To lower the technical bar of entry, we’re sharing the same hardware and software development kit we use internally at Motorola, allowing everyone from small developers to established enterprises the opportunity to create the next generation of Moto Mods. We’re calling it the Moto Mods Development Kit (MDK for short), and it will be available to people around the world to contribute to the ecosystem and redefine the future of mobile. As a result, consumers will have access to completely new experiences through their smartphone.

The MDK is now available in the U.S. Check out developer.motorola.com for more info about the program.