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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways
- The Moto G Stylus is presently connected merchantability for $400
- It is the champion of Motorola's 2025 bid sporting a Super HD show and the astir almighty chipset of the bunch
- You'll hardly ever usage its namesake feature, the stylus.
They accidental bully things travel successful threes, and aft surviving with the Moto G Stylus, I'm starting to judge it. I've reviewed each 3 of Motorola's mid-range smartphone lineup: the basal exemplary Moto G, the Moto G Power, and now, the Moto G Stylus, which is the champion of the 3 successful my opinion.
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As the sanction suggests, it comes with a stylus, but there's a batch much to the telephone than the accessory, and it each starts with the screen. Let's instrumentality a look.
Multimedia master
It's the aforesaid size arsenic the base Moto G, measuring 6.7 inches, but swaps retired the LCD with an AMOLED Super HD display. The prime is stunning and feels similar thing that should beryllium connected a much almighty phone. Colors are truthful vibrant that they astir leap out. Plus, it runs astatine a refresh complaint of 120Hz, cleanable for mobile games oregon watching enactment movies connected Netflix.
Visual media isn't the lone beneficiary of the other speed, however. Scrolling done web pages is noticeably smooth, and navigating the UI successful wide contributes to an enjoyable experience.
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I should besides constituent retired that the device's brightness peaks astatine 3,000 nits. To enactment this into perspective, the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which is the latest high-end iPhone model, tin lone scope 2,000 nits. That's agleam capable to support wide visibility nether the prima - astatine slightest it would if it weren't for the glass. The Moto G Stylus has a glossy screen, truthful reflections tin marque it hard to spot the show clearly.
All these show specs enactment wonderfully with the 2 Dolby Atmos speakers. Together, they let the smartphone to relation arsenic a mini-movie theater. Audio output is large and crisp. All the 2025 Moto G models are marketed arsenic idiosyncratic cinemas, but the Stylus exemplary does it best.
Powered by AI
As its sanction suggests, the phone's stylus is 1 of its standout features. It's located astatine the bottommost wrong its ain slot, and pushing the pen releases it from its lock. Once the stylus is removed, a broadside paper appears connected the telephone with entree to features that enactment the accessory, including Moto Note, Free-form crop, and Sketch to Image. I was funny to spot if the stylus provided a amended acquisition than utilizing my ain fingers, but for me, it didn't.
I had much trouble drafting consecutive lines with the pen. Lines would swivel backmost and distant a little. With my scale finger, inputs were overmuch cleaner. I'm harping connected the accuracy due to the fact that it affects definite features.
Sketch to Image is simply a generative AI instrumentality that turns rudimentary sketches into afloat colored pictures. To trial it, I drew 2 small Gundam robots: 1 with the stylus and 1 utilizing my finger. The screenshots beneath showcase the quality successful accuracy. The telephone took much liberties with the stylus sketch, portion it stuck much intimately to the archetypal doodle successful the digit sketch.
High-def camera
Regarding its design, the Moto G Stylus is simply a spot smaller than the Moto G Power, measuring 162.15 x 74.78 x 8.29mm. It sports a faux leather backmost surrounded by a creaseless metallic frame. Each of the models comes successful vibrant colors. My reappraisal portion was successful "Surf the Web," which is akin to periwinkle blue. It is, by far, my favourite colour from Motorola's 2025 series. It's lovely.
Around the backmost is simply a 50MP Sony LYTIA 700C sensor, adjacent to a 13MP ultrawide-angle lens, a 3-in-1 airy sensor, and a flash bulb. Photo prime is excellent. Below is an unaltered representation I took with the mobile device.
As you tin spot successful the representation above, the camera strategy importantly boosts representation saturation. That vessel of poke was not that colorful erstwhile I bought it. The different 2 Motorola models had the aforesaid habit. Photos look great, but arsenic I stated successful my Moto G review, I similar cameras with a nuanced colour balance.
While its camera strategy is akin to the others, the Moto G Stylus delivers the champion show acknowledgment to the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset. I instantly felt the quality successful show erstwhile I booted "Honkai Star Rail", a mobile crippled that the different 2 models struggled to run. This telephone had zero issues, with nary dip successful graphic fidelity.
Regarding artillery longevity, the Moto G Stylus lasted conscionable nether 17 hours connected a azygous complaint during testing. This means the exemplary has the worst artillery beingness of the 3 phones, some of which lasted respective days. Still, 17 hours is simply a coagulated complaint time, particularly if you're utilized to an iPhone.
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ZDNET's buying advice
The Moto G Stylus is connected merchantability for $400 astatine Motorola's website, making it the astir costly exemplary of the 2025 trio. Two colour options are available: the aforementioned Surf The Web, and Gibraltar Sea, a darker shadiness of blue. This telephone is large for radical who privation a midrange instrumentality but are consenting to wage a small other for a premium experience. I've tested each 3 and tin accidental that this is easy my favourite of Motorola's 2025 series.
This nonfiction was primitively published connected May 1, 2025, and was updated connected July 1, 2025.
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