Coming off the heels of reviewing a number of new Moto G fashions for 2023 in a row, you assume I’d be uninterested in Motorola telephones, and you would be proper to a degree. However, I used to be such a fan of the 2022 Moto G Stylus 5G that I needed to come again and overview the successor.The Moto G Stylus 5G (2023) is the newest in a sequence of mid-range Android telephones from Motorola, sitting on the greater finish of the worth spectrum, at the very least in comparison with the opposite fashions. The cellphone carries some good specs for a $400 smartphone, bringing a number of welcome upgrades in comparison with its predecessor, which I already preferred fairly a bit. The newer Snapdragon chipset additionally brings a efficiency that feels a bit above its worth level, which could make this among the finest non-flagship Motorola telephones cash should buy.For a cellphone with a built-in Stylus, this will not examine to the Galaxy S23 Ultra, however it’ll offer you loads of bang on your buck at one-third the worth. But is it best for you? Well, it is determined by what you are searching for. However, this cellphone looks like an important possibility for many individuals, even in opposition to different mid-range Android telephones from the likes of Samsung and Google.Today’s greatest Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G 2023 offersMoto G Stylus 5G (2023): Price & availability(Image credit score: Derrek Lee / Android Central)The Moto G Stylus 5G (2023) was introduced on May 30, 2023. The cellphone went on sale at Cricket Wireless on June 2 and might be obtainable on different carriers, together with AT&T, T-Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile, Google Fi Wireless, UScellular, Consumer Cellular, Optimum Mobile, Spectrum Mobile, Xfinity Mobile, Boost Infinite, and Boost Mobile. It’s at the moment obtainable to buy unlocked on Motorola.com and thru retailers like Amazon.There are two colorways, Cosmic Black and Rose Champagne. The machine retails for $399.99 and is available in two RAM/storage configurations that might be obtainable relying on the retailer or provider.Moto G Stylus 5G (2023): Design & show(Image credit score: Derrek Lee / Android Central)If you have been following Motorola’s 2023 smartphone lineup (or have learn any of my different Moto critiques from this yr), you will be accustomed to the design of the Moto G Stylus 5G (2023). Its design is almost an identical to different fashions within the Moto G lineup, in addition to the flagship Motorola Edge+ (2023). The again panel is plastic, however in contrast to its predecessor, the Stylus 5G (2023) ditches the shiny end for a extra matte, frosted appear and feel.While it positively looks like plastic, it additionally does not really feel low-cost, and it is very tender to the contact. The Cosmic Black coloration of my overview unit has a slight blue-ish tint relying on how the sunshine hits it, which is a pleasant contact. This is all contrasted by the shiny digital camera housing that protrudes ever-so-slightly from the chassis. The rear panel additionally curves into the body, which contributes to only how comfy the cellphone feels when holding it.(Image credit score: Derrek Lee / Android Central)At 202g, it is not the lightest cellphone, weighing barely greater than the Galaxy S23+, for instance. There’s positively a heft to it, however it’s not the heaviest cellphone both. Unfortunately, there isn’t any IP ranking, however Motorola offers it a water-repellant coating to assist shield it from gentle rain and spills, so you will wish to watch out when you reside in a wet metropolis as I do.Fortunately, there are many Moto G Stylus 5G (2023) circumstances that you may select from to guard your machine.(Image credit score: Derrek Lee / Android Central)On the entrance, the show is totally flat, with pretty minimal bezels, save for the marginally bigger chin on the backside. Compared to different telephones within the Moto G lineup, the Moto G Stylus 5G (2023) most likely has the smallest bezels, giving it a roughly 92.42% screen-to-body ratio, by Motorola’s calculations. Looking on the entrance of the cellphone, the bezels do not appear a lot worse than the Pixel 7a, a cellphone that prices a bit greater than the Stylus.These bezels flank a 6.6-inch LCD with a Full HD+ decision and 120Hz refresh charge. It does not get notably shiny, however I haven’t got a lot bother seeing content material outside. The dynamic refresh charge additionally makes scrolling by menus appear and feel very nice. And whilst you may not get the inkiest blacks from the panel, it nonetheless has nice coloration replica and a fairly sharp picture general. You can at all times regulate the settings for a extra saturated look, however I have never discovered it needed in any respect.(Image credit score: Derrek Lee / Android Central)One of my favourite show options discovered on nearly each latest Motorola cellphone is the height show, which is one thing like an interactive screensaver that permits you to view and handle notifications. Instead of getting to instantly get up and unlock the cellphone, you possibly can merely faucet and maintain an icon to view the notification and slide it over to carry out numerous interactions. This makes it simple to only delete all of the spam emails I get or reply to a fast message on Instagram.Moto G Stylus 5G (2023): Hardware & specs(Image credit score: Derrek Lee / Android Central)As far as specs go, the Moto G Stylus 5G (2023) is a step up from its predecessor, due to the brand new Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset. The SoC was launched within the latter half of 2022 and offers a 40% increase in CPU efficiency and a 35% enchancment in graphics rendering. The Snapdragon 695 earlier than it was no slouch and continues to be powering loads of telephones at present, however the further horsepower is kind of noticeable.As far as on a regular basis use, utilizing the Stylus 5G nearly looks like utilizing a flagship cellphone. There’s little or no in the best way of stuttering, and I haven’t seen any evident issues when opening or juggling between apps. The cellphone powers by nearly every little thing I throw at it, which is little doubt aided by the 6GB of onboard storage.Swipe to scroll horizontallyCategoryMoto G Stylus 5G (2023)OSAndroid 13 (My UX)Display6.6” FHD+ (2400 x 1080), LCD, 120Hz refresh charge (LTPS)ChipsetSnapdragon 6 Gen 1Storage128GB (carriers), 256GB, expandableMemory4GB (carriers), 6GBWater ResistanceWater-repellentBattery & Charging5,000mAh, 20W wired chargingConnectivity5G (sub-6), Bluetooth 5.1, Wi-Fi (2.4GHz & 5GHz)NFC✔SafetyFingerprint sensor, face unlockDimensions162.83x 73.77 x 9.19mmWeight202gColorsCosmic Black, Rose ChampagneEnjoying Honkai: Star Rail, the cellphone defaults to medium settings, which performs simply fantastic. However, you possibly can simply bump that to excessive settings at 60fps and nonetheless come out with a fairly easy gameplay expertise. Only pushing it to the very best settings did I discover some wonkiness, however solely then would you keep in mind that this isn’t a cellphone that will simply compete with the very best gaming telephones available on the market, and that’s fantastic. For a $400 cellphone, the Stylus 5G performs higher than I might count on.Another space the place the cellphone exceeds expectations is audio. Motorola outfits the Stylus 5G with twin stereo audio system, that are very loud and really good. The cellphone helps Dolby Atmos, which might be tuned to your liking, and spatial audio for a extra immersive expertise, though I’ve by no means actually been a fan of the latter, so I hold it off more often than not.(Image credit score: Derrek Lee / Android Central)Battery life can be incredible, which is typical for a lot of Moto G telephones, and Motorola says it ought to last as long as two days on a single cost. On my use, I get roughly a day to a day and a half, which is kind of good. And charging, whereas not incredible, tops out at 20W, which is greater than most Moto G fashions. It’s nonetheless lower than the 25W you’d discover on some mid-range Samsung telephones just like the Galaxy A54, and charging takes longer than I would love. Filling up from 1% to full takes nearer to 2 hours, so nonetheless not ultimate.Moto G Stylus 5G (2023): Software & stylus(Image credit score: Derrek Lee / Android Central)The Moto G Stylus 5G (2023) runs Android 13 with My UX on prime. It’s largely just like the expertise you will discover on a Pixel smartphone, and whereas the Pixel-like UI is not my favourite, the standard Motorola touches assist to enhance the expertise. That means my favourite gestures are right here: chopping twice for the flashlight, twisting twice for the digital camera, and double-tapping the again to entry nearly any app or perform you need.Customization choices aren’t precisely intensive, however there are sufficient for the common person to make the cellphone their very own. Motorola does have its personal set of widgets that I discover fairly helpful, together with the Adapt widget, which lets customers view the date, time, climate, and user-selected choices like battery life and air high quality.(Image credit score: Derrek Lee / Android Central)And whereas I’ve already talked in regards to the gaming efficiency, the cellphone additionally comes with a complete gaming menu, the place you possibly can entry sure options or flip the expertise to your liking. It’s simple to faucet the floating icon to regulate brightness, flip up the quantity, file gameplay, or regulate gaming efficiency.In reality, when switching to high-performance mode, I discover that taking part in Honkai: Star Rail really turns into a lot smoother even when taking part in on the very best settings. This does trigger the cellphone to get a bit heat, and the battery will certainly drain quicker, so I do not advocate prolonged gameplay periods on this mode.(Image credit score: Derrek Lee / Android Central)The software program extends to the built-in stylus pen, which, in all honesty, is as fundamental because it will get. It’s a passive pen, so you will not discover any of the fancier options you would possibly count on with one thing just like the Samsung S Pen, however pulling the pen out with the cellphone unlocked will open a menu of choices for interacting with the pen. That consists of options like a GIF maker, a handwriting calculator, a screenshot editor, and Moto Note.You may set the stylus to robotically open Google Keep or Moto Notes when the cellphone is locked and the pen is faraway from the housing. But, given the character of the stylus, the note-taking expertise is fairly fundamental. Still, it is a good characteristic to have, and never one many smartphones possess outdoors Samsung’s premium and really costly Ultra fashions.Unfortunately, nearly as good because the Stylus 5G (2023) is, Motorola’s poor software program help extends to this cellphone with one OS improve and three years of bi-monthly safety patches.Moto G Stylus 5G (2023): Cameras(Image credit score: Derrek Lee / Android Central)When it involves the cameras, the setup has been modified fairly a bit from its predecessor. While the 50MP main digital camera continues to be right here, Motorola has eliminated optical picture stabilization, which is a fairly odd selection. That mentioned, it does not appear to have affected picture high quality in any vital method, and the cellphone is able to capturing very respectable images.Swipe to scroll horizontallyCamerasSpecsRear Camera 150MP wide-angle, f/1.88, 2.0μm, Quad-Pixel Rear Camera 28MP ultrawide/macro/depth, f/2.2, 1.12μmSelfie Camera16MP, f/2.45, 1.0μmDaylight pictures are shiny, colourful, and detailed, with loads of distinction and sufficient dynamic vary with out going overboard. Images lose element when you begin to zoom in, however it’s not horrible. At night time, pictures additionally endure barely, even with Night Mode turned on, because the cellphone loses out on some element. Still, pictures aren’t precisely horrible when using the first digital camera sensor, and general I’m happy with what this cellphone is able to capturing.Image 1 of 8(Image credit score: Derrek Lee / Android Central)(Image credit score: Derrek Lee / Android Central)(Image credit score: Derrek Lee / Android Central)(Image credit score: Derrek Lee / Android Central)(Image credit score: Derrek Lee / Android Central)(Image credit score: Derrek Lee / Android Central)(Image credit score: Derrek Lee / Android Central)(Image credit score: Derrek Lee / Android Central)When you get to the 8MP ultrawide sensor, issues begin to break down somewhat. During the day, ultrawide photographs are adequate, though whatever the lighting situations, images taken when the ultrawide digital camera are inclined to lean towards cooler temperatures. At night time, nevertheless, pictures are very noisy and unsightly, and the digital camera simply is not nice.Image 1 of 4(Image credit score: Derrek Lee / Android Central)(Image credit score: Derrek Lee / Android Central)(Image credit score: Derrek Lee / Android Central)(Image credit score: Derrek Lee / Android Central)Interestingly, Motorola manages to make the most of the ultrawide digital camera because the macro and depth sensors, versus together with separate digital camera modules to attain the identical feat. It’s a call that probably saves on the fee that will most likely be related to including these further sensors, so I applaud Motorola for lastly ridding itself of them.When utilized as a macro sensor, pictures are adequate through the day, higher than what I discover on most macro sensors, which normally sit at simply 2MP. That additionally goes for portrait photographs, and the cellphone does an honest job separating topics from the background.Unfortunately, my expertise with selfies hasn’t been all that nice, because the cellphone tends to attempt to easy my pores and skin, which would not be an enormous drawback if the makes an attempt have been at the very least even and never random easy blotches throughout my face. If you possibly can, I’d keep away from the selfie digital camera in any respect prices.Fortunately, video recording is fairly first rate, and the cellphone permits as much as 4K at 60fps or FHD at 60fps. Slo-mo can be obtainable in Full HD at 120fps, which is a pleasant characteristic to mess around with.Moto G Stylus 5G (2023): Competition(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)I really feel like the very best cellphone to match the Moto G Stylus 5G (2023) is the Galaxy A54 5G, as I might contemplate each telephones to primarily sit on the prime of their respective OEMs’ mid-range portfolio, notably within the United States. The A54 5G is a incredible cellphone from Samsung with a design that matches the flagship Galaxy S23. It additionally has an important set of cameras, an IP ranking, and spectacular software program help.However, you would be paying a bit extra for the A54 except yow will discover a superb low cost on the cellphone. You’ll additionally miss out on the built-in stylus pen, and gaming efficiency is, sadly, a letdown.If you actually need one thing with a stylus, you might go together with the non-5G Moto G Stylus (2023), which can be a step down in efficiency, however it has an identical design, first rate cameras, and nice battery life. It’s additionally fairly a bit cheaper, that means you will have further for equipment.Then there’s the TCL Stylus 5G, which launched in mid-2022. As you possibly can inform by the title, this cellphone sports activities a built-in stylus pen. It’s cheaper, has all-day battery life, an honest digital camera setup, and nice software program. However, the cellphone can be a step city when it comes to energy, and the show is a disappointing 60Hz. Additionally, stylus enter is surprisingly missing on this cellphone, and a few app compatibility points marred the cellphone’s launch.Moto G Stylus 5G (2023): Should you purchase it?(Image credit score: Derrek Lee / Android Central)You should purchase this if…You need an inexpensive Android cellphoneYou just like the comfort of a built-in stylus penYou need a cellphone that may deal with video games like Honkai: Star Rail pretty effectivelyYou shouldn’t purchase this if…You need a number of Android OS upgradesYou prefer to take selfiesYou need a cellphone with good zoom capabilitiesAfter being fairly impressed by final yr’s Moto G Stylus 5G (2022), I wasn’t certain how or if Motorola would prime its greatest mid-range smartphone. Thankfully, a mixture of excellent design and a much-improved Snapdragon chipset has made this among the finest low-cost Android telephones cash should buy.Sure, you will not get the image high quality of a Pixel cellphone or the software program help of a Galaxy, however Motorola brings so much to the desk with efficiency and audio that might rival even some higher-end units. Not to say the novelty of a built-in pen, irrespective of how fundamental it’s, nonetheless makes this a compelling selection, even when it means you miss out on these Pixel-exclusive options.For a cellphone on the upper finish of Motorola’s midrange, the Moto G Stylus 5G (2023) continues to be cheaper than a lot of the competitors, and it punches above its weight class. I might don’t have any drawback recommending this cellphone to anybody.
While there are many choices for inexpensive midrange Android telephones, there are only a few which have inbuilt stylus pens. The new Moto G Stylus 5G (2023) takes one and pairs it with the spectacular new Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, bringing nice efficiency whereas nonetheless offering greater than a day’s value of battery life.
Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G 2023: Price Comparison