Moto Z3 Review: Proven Hardware Chasing A 5G Future

Though the Moto Z3 aims for flagship status, its performance numbers prove that it can’t quite run with the top dog 2018 Android devices. With that being said, the Snapdragon 835 is still a very potent processor, and as you might expect, its performance tracks respectably with that of its predecessor.

To start off, we’ll take a look at JetStream to get a feel for the Moto Z3’s JavaScript performance. This should give us a general feel for how the smartphone handles itself in everyday web browsing performance.

moto z3 jetstream 1

There are no surprises here, the Moto Z3 is keeping pace with its Snapdragon 835 peers, and slightly outperforms the Moto Z2 Force on the scoreboard.

Moving on to Geekbench, we get a feel for the single- and multi-core performance of the Snapdragon 835-powered smartphone using simulated workloads. 

moto z3 geekbench 1

Performance runs about mid-pack, which isn't too surprising. Understandably, the results are much of the same as we proceed through our benchmark testing suite. 

moto z3 pcmark work 20 android
Again, the Moto Z3 is in good company here, towing the line with the rest of the Snapdragon 835 crew. 

moto z3 3dmark icestorm unlimited

moto z3 3dmark icestorm fps

It's more of the same for the Moto Z3 with regards to the pair of 3DMark Ice Storm benchmarks. Performance largely matches the numbers put up by last year's Moto Z2 Force and is similar to other 2017-era flagship devices.



Brandon Hill

Brandon Hill

Brandon received his first PC, an IBM Aptiva 310, in 1994 and hasn’t looked back since. He cut his teeth on computer building/repair working at a mom and pop computer shop as a plucky teen in the mid 90s and went on to join AnandTech as the Senior News Editor in 1999. Brandon would later help to form DailyTech where he served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008 until 2014. Brandon is a tech geek at heart, and family members always know where to turn when they need free tech support. When he isn’t writing about the tech hardware or studying up on the latest in mobile gadgets, you’ll find him browsing forums that cater to his long-running passion: automobiles.

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