MOTOROLA is at it again with modular smartphones. It just announced the Moto Z2 Play (click for complete specs) in the Philippines, where the device will compete in the premium midrange segment against the likes of the Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017), the Vivo V5 Plus, and the OPPO F3 Plus, to name a few.

The Z2 Play is a promising sequel that looks prettier at the expense of a higher-capacity battery (3,000mAh compared with last year’s 3,510mAh cell), and should feel slightly faster, thanks to its upgraded internals.

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The new Play also comes with a different rear-facing camera, sporting a 12-megapixel sensor behind an f/1.7 aperture lens, which should perform particularly well in low light. The original Play, in comparison, paired a 16-megapixel sensor with an inferior f/2.0 lens.

More importantly, the Z2 Play still supports all the Moto Mods accessories from the previous year. It will play nicely with Mods that will be coming in the next few months, arguably the most exciting of which is a snap-on game controller with physical buttons and analog sticks for $80 (about P4,000). Nice of Moto to show Moto Mods owners some love, as opposed to what LG did when it effectively killed off the modular G5 and its Friends.

The Moto Z2 Play supports all the Moto Mods accessories from the previous year and will play nicely with Mods that will be coming in the next few months, the most exciting of which is a snap-on game controller with physical buttons and analog sticks.

The Moto Z2 Play also sticks to a full-resolution panel, stretched over 5.5 inches, which isn’t a bad thing. Ideally, though, we would have preferred to see tinier bezels around the display this time around. No dice this year, as the smartphone is about as chunky as it gets among 5.5-inchers, dimensions-wise.

Thankfully, Moto more than makes up for it by making the frame as thin as possible at 6mm thick, making the device easier to hold and use one-handed. You’ll have no trouble slipping it into a jeans pocket as well.

Moto Z2 Play official product video

The Z2 Play will be running Android 7.1.1 Nougat on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 626 processor, which is coupled with 4GB of RAM and Adreno 506 graphics. That means the device should feel fast enough, and web pages, apps, and games load quickly for the most part. Heavier tasks can still slow it down, of course.

The Moto Z2 Play is already available in stores for P24,999 (approximately $490). Not the price tag we had in mind, but it’s not that expensive either considering all the upgrades you can purchase and snap onto the phone to make it more functional.

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