 This is the Moto Z and this is the Moto Z Force. They're two new Android smartphones coming to Verizon this month as the latest droids. One of them is crazy thin, the other one is shatterproof. Neither phone has a headphone jack. They've got the same design though, metal and glass, they look really nice and they're fast. They have all the latest specs you'd want. There are some differences, but the most important thing, the coolest thing, is what they share in common. These snap-on accessories called Moto Mods that make these phones more than they are out of the box. We're seeing more and more of this modular idea lately from LG's G5 and eventually Google's Project Aura. But the Moto Z is here now, so it's a big test of whether there's something behind this whole idea or if it's just a stupid gimmick. The Moto Z is the thinnest premium smartphone ever made according to Lenovo. It's the sort of thing that you do notice as soon as you pick it up. The Moto Z Force is thicker and heavier because it's got a big battery inside and a screen that won't crack or break no matter how many times you drop it. But let's start with the two big new things. First is that missing headphone jack. So you've got two choices, use wireless Bluetooth headphones or attach this long adapter to any wired headphones you've already got. And it gets pretty annoying to be honest. I wish the thicker Moto Z Force had the headphone jack at least, but it doesn't. But then we get to the Moto Mods. On the back of each phone are strong magnets and these little connectors that talk to the various add-ons. You can buy simple style covers to change the look of your phone, but the real draw, so says Lenovo, are these other ones. There's a speaker that attaches to the back and puts out louder, better sound than any smartphone could ever hope to do. There's a projector that can turn any wall into a Netflix movie screen. And you can also buy a battery pack to recharge on the go. No matter which Moto Z phone you buy, Moto Mods work the same way. And they're guaranteed to work on future Moto Z phones as well. They're fun and different from your everyday smartphone accessory. They're going to blow some minds when you show people how they work. But the question is, are they worth the added cost on top of the phone itself? And right now, not really. But this approach to a modular phone feels right. Whether it's one of the style covers or the much larger speaker, Moto Mods snap on and never feel like they're going to come loose. The JBL speaker and projector charge when attached to the Moto Z and plugged into a charger, of course. And you can also juice them up separately from the phone because each has its own USB-C jack. You'll see battery indicators for the Z itself and any attached Moto Mods on screen, so you'll know when something's getting low on power. But I don't know why you would need these. Style covers, sure. They're only $15 and give the Moto Z a more personalized feel with different textures and colors. And they look nicer than a case would. JBL's Sound Boost speaker, though? That's $80, which is what you'd pay for a decent Bluetooth speaker that works with a lot of devices, not just a single phone. And the projector. Let's talk about that projector. It's $300. That's half the price of these phones. It is easy to use. There's a focus dial, power button, and that's about it. And the picture's big. It'll stretch up to 70 inches. But it's only 480p and looks kind of washed out. I think that price ultimately is going to rule this out for just about everybody. It's just too expensive. The battery cases are a bit more useful day-to-day. But they won't charge up either phone to 100%. And they're not cheap. They range in price from $60 to $80. And the thing is, both of these phones charge really fast with the included charger. So I'm not sure why you would need this. Maybe if you'll be away from an outlet all day long, then I can see it. Otherwise, you're probably better off passing. So more Moto mods are coming, but these first few are less than essential. But the phones themselves are pretty awesome. Just look at these specs. 5.5-inch screens, Snapdragon 820 processors, 4 gigs of RAM, plenty of storage, plus microSD. But for sound, there is just one speaker in the earpiece. It sounds pretty lousy, and it's a big downgrade from last year's Moto X. The Moto Z Force has Gorilla Glass 4 on top, just like any other smartphone these days. But the Force has version 2 of Moto's ShatterShield technology. There are five layers with adorable plastic hardcoat on top. It'll scratch way easier than glass, but if it gets too bad, you can have Verizon replace it. What it won't do is break or shatter, no matter how many drops you put it through. This is guaranteed for four years, which is going to be longer than you're going to have this phone to begin with. Then there's the camera. Moto Z is the 13-megapixel camera. The Force has 21 megapixels. Both have bright f1.8 lenses with optical image stabilization and laser autofocus. And the Force attacks on phase-detected autofocus as well. Neither really seem like the obvious choice to me, though. The Force does capture more detail, of course. Both get you good results, but they're really no better than any other 2016 Android flagship. The last key difference comes with the battery. The Moto Z has a 2600 mAh battery, and the Force has a much larger 3500 mAh battery. The plain old Moto Z already lasts through a standard day for me, and charges fast enough to where I never really miss the Force's bigger battery. Now this being a droid, Verizon shoves a bunch of terrible apps onto the Moto Z. But you can turn most of them off, and what you're left with is super-fast performance, with Motorola's popular improvements to Android on top. This is still the best notifications experience around, and Moto Voice is always there listening for your spoken commands and questions. But right now is not a great time to buy a smartphone. You've got the Galaxy Note 7 coming, new Nexus phones, a new iPhone. There's nothing wrong with the Moto Z or the Moto Z Force. They're fast and fun to use, but they're really no better than the Galaxy S7 that came out several months ago. These aren't really the game-changing modular phones that some of us hope for. They show the concept has potential, but for now, the Moto Z is a great Android phone with some fun but overpriced attachments.
 This is the Moto Z and this is the Moto Z Force.
 They're two new Android smartphones coming to Verizon this month as the latest droids.
 One of them is crazy thin, the other one is shatterproof.
 Neither phone has a headphone jack.
 They've got the same design though, metal and glass, they look really nice and they're fast.
 They have all the latest specs you'd want.
 There are some differences, but the most important thing, the coolest thing, is what they share in common.
 These snap-on accessories called Moto Mods that make these phones more than they are out of the box.
 We're seeing more and more of this modular idea lately from LG's G5 and eventually Google's Project Aura.
 But the Moto Z is here now, so it's a big test of whether there's something behind this whole idea or if it's just a stupid gimmick.
 The Moto Z is the thinnest premium smartphone ever made according to Lenovo.
 It's the sort of thing that you do notice as soon as you pick it up.
 The Moto Z Force is thicker and heavier because it's got a big battery inside and a screen that won't crack or break no matter how many times you drop it.
 But let's start with the two big new things.
 First is that missing headphone jack.
 So you've got two choices, use wireless Bluetooth headphones or attach this long adapter to any wired headphones you've already got.
 And it gets pretty annoying to be honest.
 I wish the thicker Moto Z Force had the headphone jack at least, but it doesn't.
 But then we get to the Moto Mods.
 On the back of each phone are strong magnets and these little connectors that talk to the various add-ons.
 You can buy simple style covers to change the look of your phone, but the real draw, so says Lenovo, are these other ones.
 There's a speaker that attaches to the back and puts out louder, better sound than any smartphone could ever hope to do.
 There's a projector that can turn any wall into a Netflix movie screen.
 And you can also buy a battery pack to recharge on the go.
 No matter which Moto Z phone you buy, Moto Mods work the same way.
 And they're guaranteed to work on future Moto Z phones as well.
 They're fun and different from your everyday smartphone accessory.
 They're going to blow some minds when you show people how they work.
 But the question is, are they worth the added cost on top of the phone itself?
 And right now, not really.
 But this approach to a modular phone feels right.
 Whether it's one of the style covers or the much larger speaker, Moto Mods snap on and never feel like they're going to come loose.
 The JBL speaker and projector charge when attached to the Moto Z and plugged into a charger, of course.
 And you can also juice them up separately from the phone because each has its own USB-C jack.
 You'll see battery indicators for the Z itself and any attached Moto Mods on screen, so you'll know when something's getting low on power.
 But I don't know why you would need these.
 Style covers, sure. They're only $15 and give the Moto Z a more personalized feel with different textures and colors.
 And they look nicer than a case would.
 JBL's Sound Boost speaker, though? That's $80, which is what you'd pay for a decent Bluetooth speaker that works with a lot of devices, not just a single phone.
 And the projector. Let's talk about that projector.
 It's $300. That's half the price of these phones.
 It is easy to use. There's a focus dial, power button, and that's about it.
 And the picture's big. It'll stretch up to 70 inches. But it's only 480p and looks kind of washed out.
 I think that price ultimately is going to rule this out for just about everybody. It's just too expensive.
 The battery cases are a bit more useful day-to-day.
 But they won't charge up either phone to 100%.
 And they're not cheap. They range in price from $60 to $80.
 And the thing is, both of these phones charge really fast with the included charger.
 So I'm not sure why you would need this.
 Maybe if you'll be away from an outlet all day long, then I can see it. Otherwise, you're probably better off passing.
 So more Moto mods are coming, but these first few are less than essential.
 But the phones themselves are pretty awesome.
 Just look at these specs. 5.5-inch screens, Snapdragon 820 processors, 4 gigs of RAM, plenty of storage, plus microSD.
 But for sound, there is just one speaker in the earpiece.
 It sounds pretty lousy, and it's a big downgrade from last year's Moto X.
 The Moto Z Force has Gorilla Glass 4 on top, just like any other smartphone these days.
 But the Force has version 2 of Moto's ShatterShield technology.
 There are five layers with adorable plastic hardcoat on top.
 It'll scratch way easier than glass, but if it gets too bad, you can have Verizon replace it.
 What it won't do is break or shatter, no matter how many drops you put it through.
 This is guaranteed for four years, which is going to be longer than you're going to have this phone to begin with.
 Then there's the camera. Moto Z is the 13-megapixel camera. The Force has 21 megapixels.
 Both have bright f1.8 lenses with optical image stabilization and laser autofocus.
 And the Force attacks on phase-detected autofocus as well.
 Neither really seem like the obvious choice to me, though.
 The Force does capture more detail, of course.
 Both get you good results, but they're really no better than any other 2016 Android flagship.
 The last key difference comes with the battery.
 The Moto Z has a 2600 mAh battery, and the Force has a much larger 3500 mAh battery.
 The plain old Moto Z already lasts through a standard day for me,
 and charges fast enough to where I never really miss the Force's bigger battery.
 Now this being a droid, Verizon shoves a bunch of terrible apps onto the Moto Z.
 But you can turn most of them off, and what you're left with is super-fast performance,
 with Motorola's popular improvements to Android on top.
 This is still the best notifications experience around, and Moto Voice is always there
 listening for your spoken commands and questions.
 But right now is not a great time to buy a smartphone.
 You've got the Galaxy Note 7 coming, new Nexus phones, a new iPhone.
 There's nothing wrong with the Moto Z or the Moto Z Force.
 They're fast and fun to use, but they're really no better than the Galaxy S7 that came out several months ago.
 These aren't really the game-changing modular phones that some of us hope for.
 They show the concept has potential, but for now, the Moto Z is a great Android phone
 with some fun but overpriced attachments.