Motorola has just unveiled the new flagship series phones, the Moto Z and Moto Z Force. These are power packed when you talk about the hardware, but do they stand good ahead the current leaders in the market? Let’s find out with the specification sheets pulled out. One thing that you notice among all these phones is the similarity in the processor – it is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor powering the flagships.
Before you start reading, we have not used the Moto Z but have used the other three phones. The comparison below is based on the specifications to give you an idea of what each device has packed.
Moto Z vs. Moto Z Force vs. LG G5 vs. Samsung Galaxy S7 vs. HTC 10
Display
Of all the flagships in this comparison, the Motorola Moto Z and Moto Z Force have the biggest display, with a 5.5-inch size and these are the AMOLED displays. While the Moto Z has Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection, the Moto Z Force has the ShatterShield display.
The Galaxy S7 has a 5.1-inch display, HTC 10 has a 5.2-inch display and the LG G5 has a 5.3-inch one, and all the three come with the Gorilla Glass 4 protection.
Dimensions and Weight
- Moto Z: 153.3 x 75.3 x 5.2 mm, 136 gm
- Moto Z Force: 155.9 x 75.8 x 7 mm, 163 gm
- Galaxy S7: 142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9 mm, 152 gm
- LG G5: 149.4 x 73.9 x 7.7 mm, 159 gm
- HTC 10: 145.9 x 71.9 x 9 mm, 161 gm
Processor, RAM and Storage
While all the phones have the same processor powering them as mentioned above, Samsung has an Exynos chipset variant on offer – Exynos 8890 Octa is the processor powering the phone in some regions.
Each of these phones has 4GB of RAM and the storage variants are 32GB and 64GB ones except the LG G5 that has only a 32GB variant available. Interestingly, each of the phones offers storage expansion with the MicroSD card slot provided.
Rear camera
This is one big difference in every device and camera is the area where one device excels over the other. Here are the specs of camera on each flagship.
- Moto Z: 13 MP, f/1.8, laser autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash
- Moto Z Force: 21 MP, f/1.8, laser autofocus, OIS, LED flash
- Samsung Galaxy S7: 12 MP, f/1.7, 26mm, phase detection autofocus, OIS, LED flash
- LG G5: 16 MP, f/1.8 + 8 MP (f/2.4), laser autofocus, OIS (3-axis), LED flash
- HTC 10: 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, OIS, laser autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash
The LG G5 has a unique and different dual-camera set up on the back where the second lens is for wider shots. The Galaxy S7 with its F/1.7 aperture can take in a higher light than the others. Each of the smartphone cameras can capture 4K videos and that is at 30 fps.
Front camera
Selfie cameras have been getting better with time, and the difference here is with not just the lens but also the other factors like the sensors used.
- Moto Z: 5 MP, f/2.2, 1080p video at 30fps
- Moto Z Force: 5 MP, f/2.2, 1080p video at 30fps
- Samsung Galaxy S7: 5 MP, f/1.7, 22mm, dual video call, Auto HDR
- LG G5: 8 MP, f/2.0, 1080p video at 30fps
- HTC 10: 5 MP, f/1.8, 23mm, OIS, autofocus, 1.34 µm pixel size, 1080p video, HDR
HTC has taken a step ahead of others with the inclusion of Optical image stabilization for the front camera so that steadier shots can be taken.
USB Connectivity
Only Samsung Galaxy S7 now has the MicroUSB 2.0 host while all the other phones have moved ahead to choose the USB Type-C connectivity. All of them are the Type-C 1.0 connectors.
Battery and Charging
- Moto Z has a 2600 mAh battery and it supports TurboPower fast charging
- Samsung Galaxy S7 has a 3000 mAh battery and it supports Quick Charge 2.0
- LG G5 has a 2800 mAh battery and it supports Quick Charge 3.0
- HTC 10 has a 3000 mAh battery and it supports fast charging
- Moto Z Force has a 3500 mAh battery and it supports TurboPower fast charging
Other similarities and differences
- All the smartphones have a fingerprint sensor included, where the Galaxy S7, Moto Z, Moto Z Force, and HTC 10 has it on the front while the LG G5 has the scanner on the back
- It is only the Galaxy S7 that has a glass body, while the other phones have a metal body with the metal backplate
- Moto Z and Moto Z force have a magnetic connector on the back and they allow for MotoMods accessories to be attached for extra functions. LG G5 has the removable battery from the bottom, which can be replaced with some modules.
- The Samsung Galaxy S7 is the only water resistant phone in the list, with an IP68 certification (dust proof and water resistant over 1.5 meter and 30 minutes)
- Only the Galaxy S7 has support for wireless charging, with support for Qi/PMA standards.
Specifications at a glance
- Samsung Galaxy S7 Specifications
- HTC 10 Specifications
- Moto Z Specifications
- Moto Z Force Specifications
- LG G5 Specifications
So, there are several differences between the phones and since they are flagships, each of them fares well on their own features.
Also note the Moto Z/Moto Z Force do not have headphone jacks but instead an adapter for the USB Type-C port. Supposedly this will result in higher quality audio, it also allows the smartphone to be thinner than 3.5mm.