aLLreLi Qi Fast wireless charger (review)

Charging your smartphone is a daily/nightly activity for almost all of you. While plugging in your device is not such a big deal and is a habit you’re used to, there are many Android devices that can charge wirelessly.

Phones such as the Nexus 6, Moto Z, Galaxy S6, S6+, Note 5, S7 and S7 edge are all examples of devices that can charge wirelessly with many others that aren’t listed. Some of the more recent Galaxy devices can even charge faster (1.4x) than over wireless since they are now compatible with QC 2.0 chargers.

If you have a phone that is compatible with wireless charging, and you haven’t grabbed a wireless charging pad, you’re doing it all wrong. Luckily in this review, I’ve got one that is compatible with all Qi enabled devices and looks pretty good at the same time, the aLLreLi Fast wireless charger.

Design and Usage

The Fast wireless charger from AllreLi is a looker. Its got a circular design, with a small disk surrounded by clear plastic that gives it a unique look over typical chargers. Inside of the disk are LED lights that illuminate as soon as you place a compatible device on it.

It first turns green followed by white when it starts charging your device. After a few seconds it turns off the light so it doesn’t disturb you if you keep it on your nightstand and prefer a dark room at night.

Wireless charging is one of the cooler features available on many Androids. It’s so much easier to use this method of charging over manual methods and is particularly nice when using your phone before bed. Typically with your room lights off, and tired eyes, it’s nice to be able to simply lean over and place your phone on the charging pad instead of looking for the little charging cable to plug in.

Having the LED lights illuminate to let you know the phone is charging is rather nice too. I’ve been using my aLLreLi charger with my Samsung Galaxy Note 7 over the past couple of weeks and love that it chargers it at faster speeds.

There’s a soft rubber ring in the center which offers extra grip so your devices don’t slide off. It’s a little detail that makes a big difference in preventing your phone from sliding off.

aLLreLi suggests removing your case before connecting it to the charger, as some cases slow down charging. However I never experienced any issues with leaving my case on, and still picked up the fast wireless charing speed.

Summary

Priced at just $18.99 at Amazon, the aLLreLi Qi Fast wireless charger offers incredible value when compared to OEM competitors like those from Samsung. With a clear design, it offers something that isn’t boring like other chargers. All around this is a great charger that looks good too. If you’re not charging wirelessly, you’re missing out.

Check out the aLLreLi Qi Fast wireless charger at Amazon today.

Chrooma Keyboard – Emoji: Enjoy using your mobile keyboard

Your phone’s keyboard, one of the most used pieces of software on your device, and the one you have thought the least about. Like many, I use my phone for my job, to communicate with friends and family, to plan social events, and to keep my schedule for both my work and social life in order. To do all of these things, I use my keyboard, yet I never thought about how the default keyboard could be improved.

As I began to use my phone more in my professional life, I began to notice a few areas the Google Keyboard was letting me down. A lot of my job requires researching variances and resolving system issues. To conduct much of this research, I walk around a building, pulling model numbers off of products and inserting them into my company’s website, which I pull up on my phone. To correctly input a model number, I often switch back and forth between the number pad and keyboard 5+ times, which is horribly time-consuming and tedious. The Chrooma Keyboard drastically changed this. Chrooma adds a lot of functionality, flexibility, and customization to the keyboard, an often overlooked but important part of your device.

Installing Chrooma Keyboard

Chrooma has made the installation process as pain and hassle free as possible. Once you have downloaded the app from the Google Play Store, open the app to begin the setup process. The app then walks you through the setup process step by step. First, you will select the keyboard you want to use as your default (Psst…its the Chrooma Keyboard), next, you will select your language, followed by enabling permissions, signing into Google, and finally, you will update Chroma’s text prediction with your previous SMS messages. That’s all there is to it!

Chrooma Keyboard’s set up process

My Experience

While there are two versions of the app, the free version and a “Pro” version, the functionality that the Chrooma keyboard provides in both is a breath of fresh air. The paid version of the app allows the user access to a couple more customizations and features but is by no means a necessity to have a good experience. The additions in both versions are all targeted at making your time with the keyboard more efficient and enjoyable. It starts with the little things like “Dynamic Preview” which gives you a better look at what you are typing while using swipe.

Chrooma Keyboard’s dynamic preview

In addition to dynamic preview changing the way you see what you are typing, Chrooma can predict what you type and then correct small mistakes you make. The auto correction is able to learn, and after spending two weeks with Chrooma’s auto correction, it has gotten even better at correcting my typing. In the few instances where the auto correct did not catch on to a word I want it to remember, I was able to add the word to the keyboard’s dictionary manually.

While the auto correct and Dynamic Preview are nice, the “Action Row” is one of the most useful features found on the Chrooma Keyboard. The Action Row is an additional row added to your keyboard that you can customize to your liking. Unlike the rest of the keyboard, this row is not static. The Action Row can slide back and forth between different custom rows you have set up allowing you to add even more functionality to your keyboard. The Action Row has had the largest impact on my daily use, especially at work since it has eliminated my need to constantly change back and forth between the number pad and my keyboard.

Chrooma Keyboard Action Row

While some will be sold on the functionality alone, the developers who made Chrooma know people want customization. The customization starts with the action row but goes well beyond that. You can adjust the size and alignment of the keys, allowing for better one handed typing. You can also change the theme to a color adaptive theme that will change color every time you send a message or an AMOLED theme that should save you battery since many of the pixels covered by the keyboard will be off. Maybe the pure black of AMOLED keyboard is not your thing, well pick the color you want, apply a gradient and font, and you have another custom keyboard built for you. By tweaking the functionality and the look of your keyboard, you can make the Chrooma Keyboard what you want and what you need it to be.

Conclusion

The Chrooma keyboard is a great addition that anyone can use. After the first week of using the keyboard, I decided to invest in the app because of how much of an impact it had in my everyday life. For $2.49, you can unlock all the little of nuances of the app that add the little extra touch of customization and functionality, but again I reiterate, it is not necessary to have a good experience.

I started this review hesitant about trying a new keyboard, but I can honestly say I would recommend this app to everyone. The Chrooma Keyboard took the standard keyboard that many people use daily without much consideration and made it highly functional and reliable. I personally have experienced how this keyboard can be customized to do a job, and now, I use it daily at work. The Chrooma keyboard is definitely worth your time and effort to download.

GekoGrip xM3 modular magnetic dashboard & windshield car mount (review)

Using your smartphone while driving is one of the least intelligent things you can do in your day. It’s been proven that driving distracted leads to accidents which is why it was banned by the vast majority of states in the US.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a car accident is 23 times more likely to happen when a driver is texting. NHTSA found that 30 percent of all car crashes in the United States result from drivers who admit to texting right before the accident. NHTSA studies also found texting while driving is more dangerous than driving with a blood alcohol level of .08 – the percentage almost every state uses to determine intoxication. 

If you want to use a smartphone in your car while driving, just get a car mount. They aren’t pricey and cost far less than a ticket, let alone an accident.

I’ve been using the GekoGrip xM3 series modular magnetic dashboard & windshield car mount and think it’s worth getting if you haven’t gone hands free yet.

Design and Build

The GekoGrip xM3 series modular magnetic dashboard & windshield car mount is the third mobile accessory I’ve used from GekoGrip. I reviewed and used the vent mount and CD mount in the past and thought both of those were great investments.

With GekoGrip you get high quality builds on its products. There are hundreds of mounts that cost less than $10, but I’ve usually found those to be poor performers over time. The dashboard and windshield mount from GekoGrip is its finest example of mounts.

It uses a suction cup to mount onto a flat part of your dashboard or windshield. On top of the suction cup is a small arm with an adjustable triangular shaped magnet. The suction cup is nice because you can remove it and reattach it multiple times without fear of losing stickiness. It’s built to withstand high temperatures in the sun too.

Included in the box are two metal pieces – one can be used to put in between your smartphone and a phone case, and the other is a disk that can stick to the back of your device if you go caseless.

Using a magnet to hold your smartphone (or GPS) is the easiest way to go hands free. There are several mounts where you need to clip them into place, and adding an extra step like that usually turns out to be a pain for most people. With a magnet, you simply hold your phone up to the mount and it sticks.

I used two heavier phones to test this mount – the iPhone 6S Plus (192g) and the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 (169g). The mount rated to hold 300g, which is more than enough for some of the heaviest phones on the market. I tested the mount thoroughly with my bouncy off road suspension and terrible Southern California roads, and never experienced a single issue with the phone falling off the mount.

The mount also features a fully rotatable head which allows for positioning of your phone however you prefer.

It’s one of the slimmest mounts you can get that mounts to your dash or windshield. I prefer this mount to the vent and CD mount because it doesn’t obstruct my vent and radio controls. I also prefer to keep my phone in the lower left hand side of my windshield which is in more inline with the road. And if you mount it correctly, it doesn’t take up much more space than what the pillar already occupies.

Summary

The GekoGrip xM3 modular magnetic dashboard & windshield car mount is priced at $24.95 at Amazon with free Prime shipping. It isn’t the cheapest mount you can buy, but the case of “you get what you pay for” certainly applies to this product as it is one of the best you can get.

Keep in mind, not all states allow for use of windshield mounts as they might obstruct your field of vision. Check your state laws before you use a windshield mount.

While it may not be designed for home use, I actually enjoy using a second one I grabbed on my desk which does have a glossy finish.

Remember driving while distracted can be avoided. It’s not a smart thing to do and has been shown to be more dangerous than driving drunk. It’s just not worth it. GekoGrip’s windshield and dash mount is a great investment for those of you who don’t already have a phone mount.

GekoGrip Modular magnetic air vent car mount (review)

GekoGrip xM3 Series Modular Magnetic CD slot car mount for smartphones (review)

 

ELEGIANT Wireless speaker and portable power bank: Unbeatable value for just $15 (review)

Every now and then I come across mobile accessories that are compelling because of their low prices. As a writer who focuses on tech I appreciate quality products and brand names as much as anyone. If I had my way, all I would write about is the best of the best but that isn’t practical for most of you readers. Especially in today’s world of disposable gadgets. Sometimes it just doesn’t make sense to invest so heavily into mobile accessories.

I’ve come across the ELEGIANT rugged wireless speaker and portable power bank combo, and what’s crazy is it costs just $14.99 at Amazon. No discount code required. It even comes with free Prime Shipping.

It’s a ridiculously low priced mobile accessory. So is it worth it?

Let’s get into the review.

Build

The ELEGIANT wireless speaker is made from metal with a silicone cover. It’s solid out of the box, and in no way does it feel like a toy. The silicone offers durability on the exterior, and the speaker is rated with an IPX54 rating for resistance to water splashing.

On one of the short ends is where you find the controls – power, volume up/down, fast forward/rewind track, play/pause and answer/end phone call. On that same side is where you can pair the speaker using the built-in NFC chip. Or you can simply long press the power button when turning it on to put it into pairing mode.

On the other short end is where the microUSB input slot is for charging the speaker as well as a full size USB out port for charging mobile devices and accessories. On top of those ports is a silicone flap that helps keep moisture out.

There is also a little slot for attaching the included carabiner so you can hook the speaker onto a back pack while you’re outdoors.

As you can see in the image just above, there are four available colors to suit your personal preference. Black, red, green and blue all are made of the same silicone material and all cost the same.

The build is solid, but it’s not the highest quality mobile speaker you can get your hands on. If you’re really rough, I can see the silicone flap that covers the charging port being ripped off with a little effort. However, if you take care of your stuff, this build is good enough to last.

Does it sound good?

Surprisingly, the speaker does sound pretty good. No it doesn’t sound like a UE Boom II or Bose Soundlink II wireless speaker, but it does get really loud without being tinny or muddled. I was actually impressed by how much sound this little speaker pumped out. It’s not full of bass, but it is clear and would likely be plenty of speaker for most. I can easily imagine bringing the ELEGIANT wireless speaker with me when I am hanging out at the park or beach.

Does it suck?

At $14.99 it’s easy to think “you get what you pay for”. So you ask, “does it suck?” The answer is Hell No. For $14.99 you get a heck of a value with this wireless speaker and battery combo from ELEGIANT.

I am not a fan of bringing my $200 wireless speakers where sand and saltwater can damage the internals. I’m also not keen on leaving my expensive accessories lying around at public venues where I am not always paying attention. I don’t usually lose things, but if I lost a $200 wireless speaker, I would be pretty bummed out.

I’ve read feedback on Amazon where some people had poor Bluetooth connections. I never experienced that issue, so maybe that has to do with inconsistent build quality. I frequently used the ELEGIANT speaker in my office, and walked out of the room with my connected smartphone in my pocket. No stutter, no lag – a strong wireless signal. And when I took it to the dog park, I easily got 30 feet of distance between the speaker and myself while maintaining a strong signal.

I leave the ELEGIANT rugged speaker in my laptop bag, and it’s nice to have as a portable power bank in case I need to draw a little extra power to get through the day. It’s nice not to have to carry a speaker and a portable battery since both are included in the ELEGIANT combo speaker. It has an internal battery rated at 3600mAh which has enough time to get up to 10 hours of playback, although I frequently got eight hours. 3600mAh is enough power to recharge a Galaxy S7 edge to almost full, or any iPhone to 100% from 0.

I do know that ELEGIANT is selling these quickly at this price and stock is limited. At $14.99 with free Prime Shipping these would make great stocking stuffers or White Elephant gift exchanges. The features and sound quality are well worth every penny and more.

Check out the ELEGIANT wireless speaker/portable battery combo at Amazon by following this link.

Buyer’s Guide: Bluetooth Speakers

SmartOmi Convertible wireless/wired earbuds: You can enjoy the best of both worlds with these hybrids (review)

The debate over wireless headphones has never been hotter with Apple removing the 3.5mm audio jack from its most recent smartphone. Sure others like Lenovo/Moto beat Apple to the punch, but no other manufacturer makes a bigger impact on the future development of smartphones than Apple. Some companies chose to stick with the 3.5mm audio jack like LG and Samsung. The lack of unification of basic connections like is not friendly to the consumer. We don’t know what the future holds, and removing the audio jack makes our trusty headphones obsolete.

Rather than picking sides, a very smart decision was made by a third party accessory maker, SmartOmi, to make earbuds that offer a wired and a wireless connection.

I’ve been using the hybrid wireless/wired headphones from SmartOmi and wonder why others aren’t doing the same.

Design

True wireless earbuds are just making their introduction to the market with options such as the Samsung Gear IconX and the Apple Earpods which cost over $170.

SmartOmi’s hybrid earbuds are bullet style with a single cord that connects between the two titanium canisters. The earbuds are similar to what we’ve seen from popular manufacturers such as Jaybirds and Beats audio where they connect to your smartphone over a single Bluetooth connection. However where these earbuds differ, is the ability to connect to a 3.5mm audio cable through the microUSB port. That way you can choose to use the 3.5mm audio jack on your mobile device, or use a wireless connection over Bluetooth. This is great for people who forget to charge their accessories since you can use the wired connection to power the earbuds.

MicroUSB port used for charging and the 3.5mm audio cable.

The titanium casing on both earbuds provides for a lightweight experience, and when paired with the proper silicone tip and flange offers a superior level of comfort. Included in the box are small, medium, and large ear silicone ear tips with two sizes of ear flanges.

The part that fits into your ear canal, isn’t as small as some that I’ve used before and might be uncomfortable for those with small ears. Those who have regular or large ears should have no issue with the fit.

At the end of each earbud are powerful magnets that stick to each other which makes a full loop so you can store them on your neck when not in use. Or you can stick them to metal objects like your refrigerator so you don’t misplace them when you get home.

The controls are placed inline between the two earbuds with a microphone for taking phone calls or using Ok Google or Siri. You can perform the standard functions from the earbuds where you can turn the volume up/down, fast forward/rewind a track, play/pause, and answer and end a phone call.

The SmartOmi hybrid earbuds are a high-quality build that make a whole lot of sense.

Usage

Sound quality always comes first when it comes to audio products. Build quality can be the best, but if the sound doesn’t match then there’s no point in spending your money. Overall, SmartOmi’s hybrids are calibrated to please everyone. They are rather powerful and offer a balanced and warm signature. What’s extremely nice is the earbuds sound the same whether using a wired or wireless connection. Highs are tight and crisp, mids are warm, and the lows offer a wide spectrum from deep to punchy depending on the music.

Consistency is very important between connection types and no one wants Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde earbuds based on how you decide to use your hybrids.

Comfort and fit come easy with these hybrid earbuds. I didn’t need to swap the ear tips or flanges to get the right fit on the first try. The fit is tight without being uncomfortable and can be worn for several hours without fatigue. I regularly got four to five hours of playback with the volume at 60-70% of the max. With a tight seal, there is no need to crank these earbuds up to loud levels which is better for your eardrums and hearing. The tight seal also offers the best playback as it is easier to hear a wider range of the sound spectrum.

Call quality is actually very good on the SmartOmi earbuds. That is probably helped by the strong EDR Bluetooth connection that I never experienced issues with. When you combine the build, fit and sound performance in combination with the ability to connect wired or wirelessly, the SmartOmi earbuds make a whole lot of sense.

Summary

I review quite a few headphones, but this is the first earbud style that I’ve reviewed that offers a wireless and wired connection. The ability to connect both ways seems like common sense, yet almost no manufacturer offers this feature. It’s a simple feature that I appreciate especially because I forget to charge my headphones. Nothing kills intensity worse than music dropping out in the middle of a run or weight lifting session.

Regularly priced at $59.99, I would recommend the hybrids as a great mid-range priced set of earbuds based on sound quality and build alone. I love earbuds that offer a balanced sound, rather than those that are unbalanced with emphasis on bass. Too much bass muddles out the mids and I never enjoy my music in that fashion.

Throw in the ability to connect any way you choose, with or without battery power, and these SmartOmi earbuds are a great buy if you love your music. Right now SmartOmi is offering these hybrid earbuds at a discount at $53.99 at Amazon with the discount code 5LKXFFPE.

Motorola Moto Z Play Droid review: An exceptional phone value that gets even better with MotoMods

As the least expensive model in its Z line of smartphones, the Moto Z Play Droid is a fantastic solution for mid-range needs. Designed with MotoMod support, it can quickly become much more capable than it already is.

The Moto Z Play Droid is exclusive to Verizon, but it’s also available in an unlocked capacity, too. Aside from the software experience, and Droid branding on the rear camera, the two are virtually indistinguishable from one another.

Taking the phone out of the box you realize that this generation of Motorola is unlike anything else in the company’s history. Like the Moto Z Droid and Moto Z Force Droid this phone is svelte and sexy. On the surface it exudes premium craftsmanship and begs to be looked at from all angles.

It didn’t take us long to realize that there’s no Verizon branding on the phone. While it’s certainly prominent on the box and in the apps, it’s not on the surface of the handset. If you know Verizon’s history, then you know this is something remarkable.

There is a “Droid” branding under the camera, but that’s really it. Otherwise, it’s a simple stylized “M” on the rear and a Moto on the front above the display. We’re not sure if this was Motorola’s doing or if Verizon loosened its grip a bit, but we’ll take it.

Hardware & Design

The Moto Z Play Droid is a heavy device; it’s more dense than we expected it to be and is quite noticeable coming from other handsets. It might not be so much in the two-hand stuff, but more of the pocket and one-hand experience. At times, this one feels solid. On the other hand, we found this to be a plus. There’s premium design at play here, and the Moto Z Play Droid looks to be among the more expensive end of phones.

Looking it over, there’s so much here that intimidates us. It has been a very long time since Motorola delivered a phone that we were afraid to leave the house with over fear of ruining it. One drop and we’re afraid it would be scuffed, scraped, or worse, shattered. We want to show it off so badly but, at the same time, we want to protect with some sort of case. As much as we like to insure ourselves with cases, we enjoy looking at the details on the rear.

The Z Play is built from metal and glass, including its 2.5D curved glass display. Even the rear is wrapped in glass, something that varies from its siblings in the Z Droid and Z Force Droid. Everything fits tightly together, signaling attention to detail and time.

The Moto Z Play Droid offers up a 1080p HD display, which is considerably different from what you’ll get in other high-end models. At 5.5-inches it still looks great on both images and text.

Colors are quite accurate, particularly indoors and in medium light settings. Get outside, though, and you may find yourself cranking up the brightness. This doesn’t so much affect accuracy, but it could come into play with your battery life.

Moving the phone around in various angles and distances we found the Z Play Droid to be a generally good experience. The glass does give some reflection of light sources, but it’s nothing that will cause you to squint.

All things considered, we’re just fine with what Motorola delivers here, especially as it helps drive the cost down. Sure, a higher display image is always nice, but so is money in the pocket. And, if you’re not pushing for the latest in heavy gaming, you shouldn’t care about not getting a Quad HD/2K display.

The copper-colored contacts look entirely out of place yet oh-so-perfect with the Z Play Droid’s aesthetics and the rear camera feels like a droid eye watching over things.

Our review unit has black/gray colors but there’s a white gold offering available, too. and gold metal accents, but a black/gray version is also available.

Holding and using the Moto Z Play Droid with one hand is comfortable, even with our smaller hands. At 5.5-inches, the display does have a little thicker bezel than some of its competitors, but we’ve seen worse. We found that while the bezel wasn’t that much of an issue over time, we would have really liked to see the curved glass taper into a near seamless edge. With that said, there is quite a bit of space on top and bottom of the screen.

As for the layout of the phone, the volume button and power buttons are on the right side with a clean edge trimming the left side. Up top is where you locate the microSD and SIM card; the bottom offers up the USB Type-C charger and 3.5mm headphone jack. We’re at that point now where discussing a headphone jack’s presence is noting. Indeed, the Moto Z Play Droid has one whereas its brethren do not.

There are a couple of protruding spots on the phone, namely the camera, earpiece, and fingerprint reader. Each sticks out to varying degrees and can be easily identified in low lighting. Speaking of the fingerprint reader, we would have liked to see it pull double duty as the home button.

Travel and feedback was excellent across the board; there’s no mistaking whether you pressed the volume buttons or power. The latter, for its part, has a ribbed or ridged texture which helps it to stick out from the other.

In the Box

In addition to the phone itself, the box also comes with a wall charger (USB Type-C), a MotoMod protective shell for the rear, and a tool to remove the microSD and Nano-SIM cards. There’s also a small booklet but there are no headphones. Speaking of which, a quick glance at the bottom shows us that Motorola did leave the 3.5mm port in this model.

The protective rear shell snaps into place via magnets and fits snugly against the phone. In fact, you’d be forgiven if you thought that it was part of the handset itself. The wood grain design has the same realistic appearance that is found in other, previous Motorola phones built in the Moto Maker tool.

Camera

On paper, the Z Play Droid falls in the middle of the Z Droid and Z Force Droid. Specifically, this one comes with a 16-megapixel camera with an aperture of f/2.0, and features such as laser-assisted autofocus and phase-detection autofocus. There’s also a dual-LED flash on the back to brighten up your shots.

The Z Play Droid employs the same camera app that other Z models do; it’s the same that’s found in the Moto G 4 series, too. In other words, it’s simple to use and features a decent set of tools which are easily accessible.

Although there’s no hard button to access the camera, users can twist their wrist to activate the app. Moreover, it can also be opened from the lock screen, too.

Once in the app, users find three controls on the left hand side of the screen: Flash, HDR, and a timer. On the right we locate the shutter, modes, and toggle for front-facing camera. Both HDR and flash can be set to HDR, something we appreciated for both well-lit outdoor shots as well as those in darker environments.

Getting into the modes, the Z Play includes options for automatic, manual, panoramic, slow-motion, and video. Manual, as one might expect, lets users tailor the settings for focus, ISO, shutter speed, brightness, and white balance.

If you just like to open the app and snap a picture, you’ll enjoy the default settings. Slide your finger up and down the display to zoom in and out, tap to focus, and snap.

By and large, the pictures we took with the Z Play Droid were in focus and color accurate. Exposure was generally good, though it does pick up grain in lower light conditions. The flash is really good for capturing inanimate subjects in dark settings but it tends to wash out the color on people. Focus was quick and burst shot pictures came out nicely.

The front-facing camera is 5-megapixels and features a software enhancement called self beautification. It’s a nice touch for those of you who love to take selfies as it removes wrinkles and spots. As far quality goes, the pictures were more than adequate for social media. The 85-degree wide-angle lens lets you loop in a few extra people for group shots.

Software

Powering on the phone and checking the app tray we find that there’s no mistaking this for anything but a Verizon model. There’s Verizon branding everywhere; it’s almost as if it was designed to offset the lack of physical branding on the device.

There are nearly one half dozen apps with Verizon branding pre-loaded including VZ Navigator, VZ Protect, My Verizon, Message+, and Cloud. You’ll also find a couple of others here, too: Android Pay, Caller Name ID, Amazon Kindle, IMDb, NFL Mobile, and Slacker Radio.

If you are a current or previous Verizon user, this will not feel all that different. But, if you’re coming from an unlocked phone or stock Android experience, this is going to feel saturated in red.

After spending time away from Motorola phones, it was refreshing to be return to the software experience. Specifically, we were happy to find a largely untouched version of Android (6.0.1 Marshmallow) with only minor additions. And when we say additions, it’s subtle stuff that really enhances things.

Who doesn’t love picking their phone up and seeing the screen wake up? Moreover, we appreciate being able to twist our wrist to launch the camera, double chop to kick on the flashlight, or simply wave their hand over the display to wake it? To us, it’s just the right amount of OEM customization.

Aside from the heavy Verizon influence, we love the software that comes out of the box. And, even though we have our preferences to install, we can certainly make do with the default suite.

Do note, though, that of the 32GB of space that comes with the phone, you end up with a little over 18GB to use. If you plan to snap a bunch of pictures or load music, get yourself a microSD card. This goes double if you’re using the Hasselblad camera MotoMod or plan to capture 4K video.

Performance

The Moto Z Play Droid isn’t going to best any benchmarks but that matters little to us. We’re not pushing our phones to their limits and wager to guess that most of you aren’t either. With that said, the Snapdragon 625 processor (2GHz octa-core) and 3GB RAM do the trick for us.

We added a suite of applications and games to the phone over the last few weeks, all of which performed to our expectations. On paper the 625 CPU doesn’t sound as capable as an 810 or 820, but that’s hard to see in real-world scenarios. We know that there are, but the average user is not going to notice it.

We have no problem suggesting the Z Play Droid for middle-range and even moderately heavy users. If you don’t hold on to your phone for more much more than a year or so, or don’t care for bleeding-edge games, this is more than enough.

The fingerprint reader was easy to set up and has responded quickly in every situation we’ve employed it. Whether waking a phone up or authenticating a purchase, we found it to be accurate and fast.

What’s the best $400 phone you can buy?

We’d love to see Motorola put some sort of reader on the rear where the logo is, but that’s a quibble. To us, if you’re not pulling double duty with the reader acting as a home button, we say move it around back. Taken as a whole, this is one of the faster sensors we’ve spent time with. Not only that, there were fewer second and third touches than when compared to other devices.

As for speakers, there’s only one on the Moto Z Play Droid; it’s the same one for taking calls. Listening to music is decent as there’s plenty of sound. It could be more rich, but we don’t ever find ourselves breaking out a phone to take in a playlist.

Watching videos on YouTube or Netflix was pleasurable, but not overly robust. Again, we’re not the type to spend extended periods on our phone watching movies and expecting a theater experience. Throw in some headphones or pair to a speaker and now we’re talking.

Speakerphone was loud and clear, but music and video can get somewhat annoying in a single speaker setup. It could be worse, though; the loudspeaker could come from the side/bottom edge.

The phone comes with an internal, non-removable 3,510mAh battery. This is a really generous amount, especially when you see that it’s more than what the other Z models pack.

We’ve found that the battery lasts us well beyond two full days of use. Without fail, we’d unplug at 100% on Monday morning and get into bed on Tuesday night with juice left over. There’s such a wonderful feeling in knowing that you don’t have to get to a power supply before the day is out. But, even when you do, the Z Play Droid gets you up and running in no time.

Charging is super fast, for what it’s worth, thanks to the TurboPower cable. According to Motorola, spending 15 minutes on the charger will result in 10 hours of power. Seriously, plug your phone in at lunch and you’ve got another day’s worth of battery.

MotoMods

The whole notion of the MotoMods is an interesting one, but it’s also a gamble for prospective buyers. Just about every person we showed the phone and camera module to were immediately impressed but were quick to temper enthusiasm. “Yeah, what happens when Motorola stops using mods?” “Who is to say that Motorola doesn’t change their mind down the road?”

If you buy a Moto Z or Moto Z Droid series of phone, you’re buying into the added flexibility that comes with the modules. In theory, you’re also buying against the future when other, perhaps better MotoMods are made available.

On one hand, you’re buying the promise that your phone will be more flexible in the long run. On the other, investing in the MotoMods means you’ll be sticking with Motorola down the road. There’s nothing to suggest, at this point, that Motorola might scrap the design. But, if accessory makers aren’t seeing much traction or interest, they can very well pull out on a moment’s notice.

To us, it would be quite a PR mess for customers to purchase a number of MotoMods with the hopes they’ll work on the next generation (or two) of phones. At this stage we have to bank on the idea that Motorola and Lenovo are serious about the MotoMods.

As for the day-to-day usage of these, well, it’s pretty damn awesome. The magnets and hot-swappable design means you can snap on a killer speaker, extended battery, or better camera without rebooting. They stay in place quite well and don’t feel as if they are going to fall off on accident or with slight bumping. You have to put at least a moderate amount of effort to pull them apart from the phone.

Hasselblad True Zoom MotoMod

As part of our review kit, we also received one of the Hasselblad camera MotoMods to try out. Indeed, you can snap this guy on to the back of the phone as easily as the case and give your Motorola phone a 12-megapixel camera with a 10X optical zoom. Capable of taking RAW images, the camera also boasts a Xenon flash. The range of the flash is fantastic and beats anything you’ll get from a smartphone.

As you might expect, the camera can connect with both the Motorola Z Droid and Motorola Z Force Droid, too. Moreover, the other MotoMods launched in the last few weeks can be attached to the Moto Z Play Droid.

Once in place, the Hasselblad camera makes your phone about as thick as a point and shoot camera. Moreover, it weighs just as much, likely more. It’s a dense and bulky experience. Don’t look for it to slide into a pants pocket; its weird shape doesn’t make for a fun time to carry around.

The Hasselblad MotoMod completely covers the rear of the Moto Z Play Droid and other phones. Indeed, it even sits atop of the camera as it relies on its own hardware for picture taking and video recording. Additionally, it relies on the battery of your phone for power, too.

The Hasselblad has a curved grip on the right side which feels like a traditional camera. Further, the power, shutter, zoom dial, and other controls give it the look and touch of a well-designed point and shoot style camera. Pressing the power button wakes the Z Play Droid and launches the camera app. Alternately, you can still wake the camera up directly from the writ-twisting gesture or camera app.

If you have to go through Verizon for your phone needs, the Moto Z Play Droid is fantastic “every man” phone.

It would be nice if there were a way to put on a tripod mount somewhere in the module. Once connected to a phone, it begs to be put on a tripod. Start zooming in on a subject and you’ll see that, even at 10X, you’ll be shaky and unstable. This leads to pictures that aren’t focused or framed properly.

All of the pictures and videos captured by the phone and/or the True Zoom are stored on the handset. There is no external storage that comes with the Hasselblad MotoMod. Keep this in mind because once you get into RAW files or HD video, you’ll be chewing through space.

Once you’ve attached the MotoMod, Moto Z Play Droid loads a slightly different version of the Motorola camera app. Based largely on the default Moto camera experience, there are more shooting modes to choose from: sports, night portrait, backlight portrait, night landscape, landscape, and auto.

Strangely enough, the Hasselblad MotoMod doesn’t capture 4K video. The phone itself does, but the module doesn’t. It does, however, film 1080p HD video. Additionally, users don’t get a full manual setting for pictures. This means you’re not able to toggle ISO, exposure, shutter speed, or white balance when using the True Zoom. To say this was disheartening would be an understatement; we wanted full control over the enhance camera experience.

How are the photos? Generally speaking, they were not bad at all. Color and exposure are good, there’s not much grain, and we noticed very little light flare. Given this was centered around a brand name, and pricey $250+ camera experience we had high hopes. In the weeks we’ve spent with the module we’ve come away pleased with results.

As somewhat of a stress test, we relied strictly on the Motorola Moto Z Play Droid and the Hasselblad MotoMod for a recent press event. Coming away from it, we can’t say there were any particular instances where the camera should have done a better job for us. That is aside from not having any manual settings, of course. A macro mode would have been truly impressive. The timer worked nicely, capturing focused pictures and we definitely appreciated the optical zoom.

Conclusion

Given that the Moto Z Play Droid closely resembles both the Z Droid ($625) and Z Force Droid ($720), we have no issues in recommending it for most users. The specifications that most people care about are not all that different across the board and it’s $200 less than the counterparts. Hell, take that extra money and apply it toward a MotoMod on day one.

For about $400 you end up with one of the cooler looking phones on the market, plus it’s ready for modifications down the road. Assuming Lenovo and Motorola continue to support the ecosystem and other accessory makers climb aboard, the phone potentially increases in value over time.

Outside of the extra Verizon bloatware apps and services, the Moto Z Play Droid boasts one of our favorite builds of Android. Specifically, it’s like taking the default Android experience from Google and adding in just the right amount of gestures and functions. If you have to go through Verizon for your phone needs, the Moto Z Play Droid is fantastic “every man” phone.

If you can afford to, want the flexibility, or don’t have a carrier preference, opt for the non-Droid model direct from Motorola. It’s only $50 more and the unlocked nature means timelier updates and freedom to switch service providers.

With a variety of cool module accessories to choose from already, we’re optimistic that the MotoMod features are here to stay. And, thanks to its price, the Z Play Droid is the least expensive way to leverage that technology. On its own, the phone is a tremendous value, but it could get even better with time.

Editor’s Note: Excerpt of this post appeared in the initial unboxing and impressions post.