Moto Z2 Force vs OnePlus 5T: ShatterShield meets minimal bezels
Lenovo owned Motorola has launched the Moto Z2 Force in India for quite a competitive price of Rs 34,999. The aggressive pricing clearly indicates that Motorola has the OnePlus 5T – which starts at Rs 32,999 for the 6GB RAM variant – in their crosshairs.
Even though the Moto Z2 Force is quite late to the party in India (it was launched globally more than six months ago), it is quite a capable smartphone. It comes with top of the line internals, a unique shatter proof display, dual cameras, a sleek and svelte metal design and a near stock build of Android 8.0 Oreo.
Motorola’s first flagship handset in India in a long time faces tough competition from the OnePlus 5T which has a modern bezel-less design, dual cameras, flagship grade internals and an edge-to-edge 18:9 display.
HOW DOES THE MOTO Z2 FORCE STACK UP AGAINST THE MIGHTY ONEPLUS 5T? LET’S FIND OUT:
1
When it comes to design, both smartphones are as different as chalk as cheese. While both look sleek premium and classy, the OnePlus 5T has a modern bezel-less design while the Moto Z2 Force looks slightly dated with its substantial top and bottom bezels and run of the mill 16:9 display. Having said that, the Z2 Force feels incredibly premium thanks to its series 7000 aluminium construction. At just 6mm thick, it is incredibly sleek as well. There is very little to choose between the two smartphones in terms of build quality – both are built extremely well with no creaks and rattles to be found anywhere.
2
Both smartphones have their own set of pros and cons in the display department. Not only does the Moto Z2 Force’s display have a higher resolution (QuadHD vs FullHD on the 5T), it is also shatter proof – which means it will not shatter or crack from every day falls. The Z2 Force is one of the few smartphones under Rs 40,000 – barring the Nokia 8 – to come with a QuadHD display. As a result, text as well as multimedia content look razor sharp. However, the plastic ShatterShield display scratches and dents extremely easily making a plastic screenguard almost a necessity. The OnePlus 5T strikes back with an 18:9 panel. While the Z2 Force’s panel has a bog standard 16:9 aspect ratio, the OnePlus 5T’s 18:9 display flows from edge to edge. Both smartphones use AMOLED panels which ensure deeper blacks and vivid colours.
3
With similar internals (Snapdragon 835 + Adreno 540 GPU + 6GB of RAM), there is very little to choose between the OnePlus 5T and Moto Z2 Force when it comes to performance. Both smartphones tackle both day to day use and intensive workloads with aplomb. Gaming is a similar experience as well – both handle anything from casual titles like Subway Surfers and intensive games like Asphalt 8 without any prominent dropped frames or judders.
4
While the Moto Z2 Force runs on a near stock build of Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box, the OnePlus 5T runs on OnePlus’s own Oxygen OS based on Android 8.0 Oreo. Oxygen OS is a very light skin that is almost as streamlined and easy to use as stock Android. The Z2 Force comes with a few Motorola software additions such as as gestures like twist for opening the camera, an always on display which Motorola calls ‘Moto Display’, Moto Voice and a nifty Night Display mode. While android purists would prefer the Motorola’s software package, Oxygen OS offers slightly more customizability.
5
While the OnePlus 5T has better battery life out of the box than the Z2 Force, the latter has an ace up its sleeve. Motorola India is bundling a Moto TurboPowerPack Mod worth Rs 5,999 with every Moto Z2 Force. With the TurboPower Pack on, the Z2 Force becomes an endurance champion and delivers more than two days of battery life – even with moderate to intensive use.
6
While both the OnePlus 5T and Moto Z2 Force come with dual camera setups at the rear, the implementation varies greatly. The Z2 Force has a dual 12MP RGB+ Monochrome setup which not only captures images with depth of field effects but (theoretically) improves low light shots. The OnePlus 5T one the other hand has a 16MP regular sensor paired with a 20MP secondary sensor tuned specifically for low-light images. On the front, the OnePlus 5T has a 16MP sensor while the Moto Z2 Force has a 5MP sensor with a dual-LED flash.
7
The biggest problem with the OnePlus 5T is the fact that the secondary sensor does not really help in low-light. Images shot in low-light conditions have a considerable amount of noise and grain. The Z2 Force also struggles in low light. Low light performance – while not as bad as the OnePlus 5T – is far from flagship grade. In well lit conditions, both smartphones produce good images with adequate detail and minimal noise. While the 5T has better colour reproduction, the Z2 Force’s camera is extremely fast – with almost zero shutter lag.
8
All in all, both smartphones offer tremendous value for money. If you want a no-nonsense smartphone with superb performance, a modern bezel-less design and fluid software, the OnePlus 5T definitely makes for a great (and sensible) buy. However, the Z2 Force, thanks to Moto Mods, the genuinely nifty ShatterShield technology and its razor sharp QuadHD display, makes for an admittedly left-field yet more special buy.
