Motorola has announced a second Moto Z device in the form of the Moto Z2 Force. It joins the Moto Z2 Play as the tougher and more premium device and with it marks the last of the Z devices being announced this year.

That means there will be no "standard" Moto Z replacement. At least that's what Motorola has said for now. With that in mind, we have compared the Moto Z2 Force to its predecessor, the Moto Z Force, as well as last year's Moto Z. Here is how the three devices stack up against each other. 

Motorola Moto Z2 Force vs Moto Z vs Moto Z Force: Design

  • Moto Z2 Force is lightest, Moto Z is slimmest
  • All three have Moto Mod compatibility 
  • USB Type-C on all three, no headphone jack on any

The Motorola Moto Z2 Force has a unibody built from 7000 series aluminium, claimed to be 80 per cent stronger than the Moto Z. It measures 155.8 x 76 x 5.99mm and hits the scales at 143g.

The Moto Z is a little smaller, slimmer and lighter, measuring 153.3 x 75.3 x 5.19mm and weighing 136g, while the original Moto Z Force is around the same size as the new model but heavier at 155.9 x 75.8 x 6.99mm and 163g.

All three models offer compatibility with Moto Mods, which are additional accessories that can be attached to the back of the devices via the pins at the bottom to enhance certain features, such as battery or camera. None of the phones offer an IP rating for waterproofing, though they are water repellant.

The three devices all offer a circular raised camera housing on the rear too, but the Moto Z2 Force introduces two lenses into this housing while the Moto Z and Moto Z Force both only have one.

The Moto Z2 Force also has a new pill-shaped fingerprint sensor on the front, while the Moto Z and Moto Z Force both have square-shaped fingerprint sensors. None of the three models being compared here have a 3.5mm headphone jack and all three are charged via USB Type-C.

Motorola Moto Z2 Force vs Moto Z vs Moto Z Force: Display

  • All three have 5.5-inch, Quad HD, AMOLED displays
  • Moto Z2 Force and Moto Z Force hace ShatterShield display protection
  • Moto Z2 Force has next-gen ShatterShield

The Moto Z2 Force, Moto Z and the Moto Z Force all offer a 5.5-inch AMOLED display, with a Quad HD resolution. That means 2560 x 1440 pixels, resulting in pixel densities of 534ppi.

That's sharp, meaning all three devices should handle content well, offering that typical AMOLED pop for nice vibrant colours. They should also all deliver a similar experience as there are no extras like Mobile HDR or a different aspect ratio, even on the new Moto Z2 Force, as we've seen on other flagships.

The Moto Z is topped with Gorilla Glass, which is pretty common, but the Moto Z2 Force and Moto Z Force, as their name suggests, are extra-protected with Moto's ShatterShield display.

This is designed to be incredibly tough, so you don't break your phone when you drop it and the Moto Z2 Force has the next-generation of the ShatterShield protection so it should be handle drops even better than its predecessor.

Motorola Moto Z2 Force vs Moto Z vs Moto Z Force: Cameras

  • 5MP front snappers on all three
  • Dual-rear camera on Moto Z2 Force, one RGB sensor and one B&W
  • Moto Z Force has higher resolution single sensor than Moto Z

The Motorola Moto Z2 Force has dual-rear cameras, as we briefly mentioned previously. Arranged in a horizontal format, they are 12-megapixel f/1.7 sensors within the circular camera housing, one of which is a coloured sensor, the other a monochrome sensor.

The front facing snapper on the Moto Z2 Force has yet to be detailed, but it is thought to be 5-megapixels with an aperture of f/2.2 and a dual-LED flash. The Moto Z and the Moto Z Force both offer a 5-megapixel front camera with flash for selfies, so that's pretty much the same if the Z2 Force information is accurate.

In terms of rear snappers, both the Moto Z and Z Force have singular cameras rather than dual. The Moto Z settles for a 13-megapixel rear camera, with optical image stabilisation and laser autofocus.

The Moto Z Force on the other hand, swings in with a 21-megapixel sensor, again offering OIS and laser autofocus, but also adding phase detection autofocus to the mix too.  

Motorola Moto Z2 Force vs Moto Z vs Moto Z Force: Hardware

  • Moto Z2 Force more powerful hardware
  • Moto Z Force has largest battery
  • All thee have 32GB or 64GB storage and microSD

The Motorola Moto Z2 Force features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 platform, supported by either 4GB of RAM or 6GB of RAM, depending on the region.

Internal storage model options are 32GB or 64GB, both with microSD support, and there is a 2750mAh battery running the show.

The Moto Z and Moto Z Force are both powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processors, coupled with 4GB of RAM. They are both offered in 32GB and 64GB internal storage options and both models have microSD for storage expansion. 

The Moto Z has a 2600mAh battery, while the Moto Z Force has a larger 3500mAh battery. All three devices offer TurboPower charging.

Motorola Moto Z2 Force vs Moto Z vs Moto Z Force: Software

  • Familiar experience
  • Moto Z2 Force has a new addition called Moto Key

Motorola tends to keep bloatware to a minimum with its devices so the software experience is close to vanilla Android with a couple of pre-installed Moto apps. 

These three devices will therefore offer a very similar interface and experience, though the Moto Z2 Force offers a new addition to the Moto app called Moto Key, which is a security and password manager that debuts on the device. Aside from that and perhaps a couple of features here and there, the software on the Moto Z2 Force, Moto Z Force and Moto Z will be familiar across the board.

Motorola Moto Z2 Force vs Moto Z vs Moto Z Force: Conclusion

The Motorola Moto Z2 Force offers a tougher build compared to the Moto Z and Moto Z Force, as well as more powerful hardware and dual-cameras. It has the same size and resolution display as the other two models, though it does move to next generation ShatterShield for better screen protection. 

Despite a battery decrease on the Moto Z Force, the Moto Z2 Force offers a number of improvements, especially when compared to the Moto Z. Pricing for the UK has yet to be announced but it is at least thought to be coming, unlike the Moto Z Force.