Motorola Moto Z Play vs Samsung Galaxy S7
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Motorola Moto Z Play and the Samsung Galaxy S7, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| Motorola Moto Z Play | Samsung Galaxy S7 |
|---|
| Price | $53 | $53 |
| Our rating | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Battery | 3,510 mAh | 3,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 15W | 15W |
| RAM (max) | 3 GB | 4 GB |
| Storage (max) | 32 GB | 256 GB |
| Screen size | 5.5 in | 5.1 in |
| Main camera | 16 MP | 12 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 165 g | 152 g |
| Released | Sep 2016 | Mar 2016 |
Summary: Motorola Moto Z Play is ahead on battery, screen size, main camera. Samsung Galaxy S7 is ahead on ram (max), storage (max), weight (lower is lighter).
★ Which should you buy? Motorola Moto Z Play and Samsung Galaxy S7 are evenly matched — either is a safe buy.
Researched with AI assistance by infozme.com from manufacturer and retailer sources — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| Motorola Moto Z Play | Samsung Galaxy S7 |
|---|
| Type | Super AMOLED | Super AMOLED |
| Size | 5.5 inches, 82.6 cm2 (~69.1% screen-to-body ratio) | 5.1 inches, 71.1 cm2 (~70.7% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 1080 x 1920 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~403 ppi density) | 1440 x 2560 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~577 ppi density) |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Corning Gorilla Glass 4 |
| Features | — | Always-on display |
Platform
| Motorola Moto Z Play | Samsung Galaxy S7 |
|---|
| OS | Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow), upgradable to Android 8.0 (Oreo) | Android 6.0 Marshmallow, upgradable to Android 8.0 Oreo, TouchWiz UI (later Samsung Experience) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm MSM8953 Snapdragon 625 (14 nm) | Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 820 (US/China) or Exynos 8890 Octa (EMEA) |
| CPU | Octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 | Quad-core (2x2.15 GHz Kryo & 2x1.6 GHz Kryo) - Snapdragon 820; Octa-core (4x2.3 GHz Mongoose & 4x1.6 GHz Cortex-A53) - Exynos 8890 |
| GPU | Adreno 506 | Adreno 530 - Snapdragon 820; Mali-T880 MP12 - Exynos 8890 |
Memory
| Motorola Moto Z Play | Samsung Galaxy S7 |
|---|
| Card slot | microSDXC (dedicated slot) | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) - dual SIM model only; microSD, up to 256 GB (dedicated slot) - single SIM model |
| Internal | 32GB 3GB RAM (eMMC 5.1) | 32GB 4GB RAM, 64GB 4GB RAM |
Main Camera
| Motorola Moto Z Play | Samsung Galaxy S7 |
|---|
| Modules | 16 MP, f/2.0, 1.3µm, PDAF | — |
| Features | Laser AF, Dual-LED dual-tone flash, panorama | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, 720p@120fps | 4K@30fps, 1080p@60fps, 720p@240fps, HDR, dual-video rec. |
| Single | — | 12 MP, f/1.7, 26mm (wide), 1/2.5", 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS |
Selfie Camera
| Motorola Moto Z Play | Samsung Galaxy S7 |
|---|
| Modules | 5 MP, f/2.2, 1/4.0", 1.4µm | — |
| Features | LED flash | Dual video call, Auto-HDR |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 1440p@30fps |
| Single | — | 5 MP, f/1.7, 22mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.34µm |
Battery
| Motorola Moto Z Play | Samsung Galaxy S7 |
|---|
| Type | Li-Ion | Li-Ion 3000 mAh, non-removable |
| Capacity | 3510 mAh, non-removable | — |
| Charging | 15W wired (TurboPower) | 15W wired, QC2; Fast wireless charging (Qi/PMA) |
Body
| Motorola Moto Z Play | Samsung Galaxy S7 |
|---|
| Dimensions | 156.4 x 76.4 x 7 mm (6.16 x 3.01 x 0.28 in) | 142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9 mm (5.61 x 2.74 x 0.31 in) |
| Weight | 165 g (5.82 oz) | 152 g (5.36 oz) |
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 3), glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 4), glass back (Gorilla Glass 4), aluminum frame |
| SIM | Nano-SIM or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) | Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
| Features | Splash and dust resistant | — |
| Protection | — | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
Comms
| Motorola Moto Z Play | Samsung Galaxy S7 |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 4.0, A2DP, LE, aptX | 4.2, A2DP, LE, aptX |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS | GPS, GLONASS, BDS |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C, magnetic connector | microUSB 2.0, OTG |
Launch
| Motorola Moto Z Play | Samsung Galaxy S7 |
|---|
| Announced | 2016, August | February 2016 |
| Status | Discontinued | Available. Released 2016, March 11 |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Motorola Moto Z Play or Samsung Galaxy S7?
Motorola Moto Z Play — 3,510 mAh for the Motorola Moto Z Play versus 3,000 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S7.
Which has more RAM, Motorola Moto Z Play or Samsung Galaxy S7?
Samsung Galaxy S7 — 3 GB for the Motorola Moto Z Play versus 4 GB for the Samsung Galaxy S7.
Which is lighter, Motorola Moto Z Play or Samsung Galaxy S7?
Samsung Galaxy S7 — 165 g for the Motorola Moto Z Play versus 152 g for the Samsung Galaxy S7.
Which is newer, Motorola Moto Z Play or Samsung Galaxy S7?
Motorola Moto Z Play — Sep 2016 for the Motorola Moto Z Play versus Mar 2016 for the Samsung Galaxy S7.
Is the Motorola Moto Z Play or the Samsung Galaxy S7 rated higher?
We rate the Motorola Moto Z Play 8/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S7 8/10.
Best phone lists →
