14 DAY TRIAL // Motorola unveiled its flagship during Tech World 2016 in June, and the device's powerful features have managed to capture the market's attention. Motorola has dubbed the Moto Z the world's thinnest premium smartphone, and a recent durability test posted on YouTube has challenged the handset's premium build.
Moto Z underwent a durability test, with YouTube user JerryRigEverything having tested the phone's metal build and glass display against scratches and bending. The user compared the Moto Z's thinness of 5.2mm with the Galaxy S7 edge's 7.9mm and iPhone 6's 6.9mm.
The first test was the scratch test, and the Moto Z's Gorilla Glass 4 coating managed to keep the screen safe, and scratches were only visible in the level 6 out of 9. The user stated that most scratches are visible on phones at level 6. This would mean that users don't have to worry about keys or coins scratching the glass display of the handset.
Gorilla Glass 4 coating also covers the camera lens on the front, but not even the front-facing flash, which is made of plastic, encountered any major issues during the scratch test. Still, the earpiece has a wide open gaping hole that could fill up with small particles of dust and dirt.
The Moto Z successfully passed bend and flame tests
The fingerprint scanner is not made out of glass or sapphire like on iPhones or the HTC 10, which means that it didn't go so well during the scratch test. However, after undergoing heavy scratching, the fingerprint scanner still managed to function about 75% of times during the test.
The phone's sides are made of metal, as are the side button. The top and end bottom on the back of the Moto Z have a glass panel while the rear camera is made of glass and doesn't scratch easily. The camera hump on the back is quite prominent, but it gets covered up with the MotoMods when attached to the handset.
During the flame test, the display held up for up to 50 seconds before reacting to the heat. By comparison, in a similar test, the Galaxy S7 lasted for up to 15 seconds before the pixels turned permanently white.
Moto Z did well during the bend test too, and no major issues were reported after the smartphone was bent backwards and inwards.
