Top 10: Alternatives To The Moto Z & Moto Z Force

The Moto Z is seen as the successor to last year’s Moto X Style, even though Moto is saying that Moto X isn’t going away. The Moto Z is a pretty interesting device, given how thin it is, the fact that there is no 3.5mm headphone jack and it’s modular. At Lenovo Tech World, the company announced the Moto Z and Moto Z Force, both of which will be exclusive to Verizon as DROID Editions – the Moto Z will later be available unlocked. The Moto Z hasn’t been priced just yet, but it’ll likely be pretty pricey. Which leads us to wondering, what alternatives are available for the Moto Z or Moto Z Force? Let’s have a look.

10. Moto X Pure Edition/Moto X Style

Last year, Motorola – before they were shortened to Moto under Lenovo – announced the Moto X Pure Edition here in the US. While the rest of the world knows it as the Moto X Style. This smartphone featured top-of-the-line specs for the time. With a 5.7-inch 2560×1440 resolution LCD display, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 808 processor, 3GB of RAM and 16GB of storage (options for 32GB and 64GB also available) with a micro SD card slot included. You can check out our review of the Moto X Pure Edition here.

9. LG G5

The LG G5 launched earlier this year, and has relatively the same specs as the Moto Z. We’re looking at a 5.3-inch 2560×1440 resolution IPS display, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage which is paired with a micro SD card slot. The LG G5 is modular like the Moto Z and Moto Z Force, however, there aren’t as many modules available as Lenovo has made for the Moto Z and Moto Z Force. Our full review of the LG G5 is available here.

8. OnePlus 2

Now the OnePlus 2 may not be everyone’s favorite smartphone. Seeing as it is missing a few key features like Quick Charge 2.0 and NFC. But for the price, it’s still a great alternative to the Moto Z and Moto Z Force. The OnePlus 2 does feature a 5.5-inch Full HD display, powered by the Snapdragon 810 processor, paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The OnePlus 2 is powered by a non-removable 3300mAh battery as well.

7. HTC 10

HTC has also kept their specs pretty similar to the Moto Z. We’re looking at the same Snapdragon 820 processor here, with 4GB of RAM. But where things differ is with the display and battery. The HTC 10 has a 5.2-inch Quad HD display, along with a somewhat larger 3000mAh battery – although it is smaller than the Moto Z Force’s battery. The HTC 10 does also feature 32GB of storage, but there’s no modular features here on the HTC 10. So you aren’t able to slap a battery pack or a different back onto the HTC 10.

6. Xiaomi Mi 5

This is a great alternative for those outside of the US, as the Xiaomi Mi 5 does support the bands used by wireless carriers in Europe. The Xiaomi Mi 5 is Xiaomi’s latest flagship, which also sports the Snapdragon 820 processor that powers the Moto Z family. It does have a somewhat smaller display, making it a great choice for those that are looking for something a bit smaller and more compact. It does feature slightly less RAM than the Moto Z family, coming in at 3GB of RAM. But the Pro model does feature 4GB of RAM – along with 128GB of internal storage.

Buy the Xiaomi Mi 5 (32GB)

Buy the Xiaomi Mi 5 (64GB)

5. Huawei P9 & Huawei P9 Plus

Huawei announced their P9 and P9 Plus flagships earlier this year, and it was one of the first smartphones in 2016 to feature dual cameras on the back. The module was developed by Leica, and gives you one camera that is RGB and another that is just black and white or monochrome. These two devices sport 5.2 and 5.5-inch 1080p displays, powered by the Kirin 955 processor and is paired with 4GB of RAM. The Huawei P9 features a 3000mAh battery, with the larger Huawei P9 Plus featuring a 3400mAh battery inside.

Buy the Huawei P9

Buy the Huawei P9 Plus

4. Google Nexus 6P

While the Nexus 6P doesn’t quite have the same specs as the Moto Z family, it is still a fairly respectable device. We’re looking at a 5.7-inch QHD AMOLED display here. And it’s powered by the Snapdragon 810 processor with 3GB of RAM. It also has 32GB, 64GB or 128GB of storage. Unfortunately, there is no micro SD card slot available for expanding your storage. Remember that the Nexus 6P is currently the only Daydream enabled smartphone.

Buy the Google Nexus 6P (32GB)

Buy the Google Nexus 6P (64GB)

Buy the Google Nexus 6P (128GB)

3. Motorola DROID Maxx 2

The DROID Maxx 2 is another Verizon-exclusive device from Motorola. However, unlike the Moto Z, it sports a huge battery. We’re looking at a 3630mAh battery here – that’s even larger than the Moto Z Force battery. The DROID Maxx 2 also sports a 5.5-inch 1080p display and runs on the Snapdragon 615 processor. The DROID Maxx 2 isn’t a high-end smartphone, really, but it does sport some amazing battery life.

Buy the Motorola DROID Maxx 2

2. Samsung Galaxy S7/Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

The obvious alternative to the Moto Z and Moto Z Force is definitely the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. Again, the specs are mostly the same here. Sporting a QHD display, either 5.2-inch or 5.5-inch in size, respectively. They both sport the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor (or Samsung’s own Exynos 8890 in other countries) along with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. They both also sport micro SD card slots for expanding storage. Samsung has also included larger batteries here with a 3,000mAh and 3600mAh battery in each model, respectively.

Buy the Samsung Galaxy S7

Buy the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

1. Motorola DROID Turbo 2/Motorola Moto X Force

Last year, Motorola and Verizon debuted the DROID Turbo 2 (also known as the Moto X Force, outside of the US). It was the company’s first smartphone with a shatterproof display, using ShatterShield. The DROID Turbo 2 does feature a 5.4-inch QHD AMOLED display, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, 3GB of RAM and either 32GB or 64GB of storage. All of this is powered by a 3760mAh battery that is non-removable.