At first look, Motorola’s Moto G Stylus 5G has every little thing you need from a sub-$500 telephone. At $500 (which roughly converts to £320, AU$560) it has higher-end options usually discovered on dearer telephones, together with a 6.8-inch display screen with a 120Hz refresh fee and a 50-megapixel digital camera with optical picture stabilization. You additionally get a built-in stylus, a characteristic that Samsung is now solely offering for its luxe $1,200 Galaxy S22 Ultra. The telephone has nice battery life as well. It all sounds nice for the cash, however there are some essential particulars to remember when you go together with this telephone.Motorola sells the Stylus 5G unlocked with a roomy 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. It additionally features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chip, which is usually extra highly effective than the MediaTek one included within the $300 4G-only Moto G Stylus from earlier this 12 months. Its 5G assist contains sub-6 and C-band frequencies. A Verizon model can even assist millimeter wave 5G.
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Moto G Stylus 5G Review: A Good $500 Phone That Could…
6:25
LikeOptical picture stabilizationDolby Atmos and a headphone jackBuilt-in stylus with software program options
Don’t LikeOnly one promised software program improveVideo high quality is not nearly as good because the photographsTall display screen could also be awkward
All this makes the telephone match proper in with midrange rivals such because the $450 Galaxy A53 and final 12 months’s $449 Pixel 5A with 5G. But in contrast to Samsung and Google, which each decide to years of software program updates, Motorola solely guarantees one main software program replace to its G line of telephones. This signifies that whereas the Stylus 5G is delivery proper now with Android 12 and can ultimately get Android 13, you will solely obtain three years of safety updates as an alternative of any further characteristic upgrades.Motorola says this could possibly be a perk, providing stability and consistency with its menus and interface. But even when you purchase a less expensive telephone, you should not need to sacrifice updates since you most likely need it to final so long as potential.This makes the Moto G Stylus 5G value contemplating if you wish to maintain onto the telephone for 2 or three years, but it surely’s a harder promote if you need a telephone that’ll be viable for longer. It has most of the finest Android 12 options, together with the choice to customise menus to your favourite coloration, and a long-lasting battery. And if a stylus is essential to you on prime of that, this telephone could possibly be the most effective choose for you.The Moto G Stylus 5G has just a few completely different apps optimized for the stylus.
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Tall telephone with an enormous batteryThe Moto G Stylus 5G is a tall and skinny telephone, making it simple to carry and even textual content with one hand. I’m usually a fan of telephones with screens longer than 6.5 inches as a result of it is simpler to observe movies and skim. But the form of the telephone leaves its prime half uncovered, which might make it simpler for a thief to grab when you’re not paying consideration.I can alleviate this through the use of the stylus and the telephone’s handwriting recognition keyboard as an alternative, which will get me a greater grip on the physique. Yet that comes on the expense of pace and accuracy in comparison with contact typing and autocorrect. Putting the telephone in a case paired with a PopSocket, or one thing related, may additionally assist with that security concern.Otherwise the display screen is nice for watching and studying content material, particularly because it offers the choice to spice up the refresh fee as much as 120Hz. Motorola additionally offers choices for utilizing a dynamic refresh fee relying on the way you’re utilizing the telephone or a 60Hz choice, each of which eat much less energy on the battery.The Moto G Stylus 5G has a 5,000-mAh battery.
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Yet with a beefy 5,000-mAh battery inside, the telephone simply made it by way of just a few full days of heavy utilization with 120Hz on always. I watch a whole lot of YouTube, play video games, take video calls, seize photographs and movies and even on my longest day it nonetheless had 30 to 50% capability after I was able to go to mattress. I averaged simply over 3 hours of display screen time every day however with much less intensive utilization patterns I’m certain the telephone may simply final properly right into a second day.
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While all that further energy is nice, it is value noting that the Stylus 5G does cost extra slowly than rival telephones. You get an influence adapter — one thing that is disappearing from most telephone packing containers recently — but it surely’s a 10W charger with a USB-A to USB-C cable. Motorola mentioned that you need to use a unique energy adapter with the telephone, however the most pace it may cost is 15W. By comparability the Galaxy A53 additionally has a 5,000-mAh battery and might cost at as much as 25W, however it’s good to purchase an influence adapter individually. When I ran the Stylus 5G all the way down to 0%, it took roughly 2.5 hours to cost it as much as 95% utilizing the included charger.Shockingly, there is a headphone jack included, one thing that is virtually nonexistent for telephones on this worth vary. Motorola contains Dolby Atmos, which could be utilized to particular headphones and audio system that you simply join.The stylus contained in the Moto G Stylus 5G.
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Stylus options are good, however lack affectThe Moto G Stylus 5G features a stylus, however the most effective factor about it’s its devoted slot within the telephone. When you take away the stylus, you will see a menu of shortcuts together with an choice to take a screenshot to annotate, take a be aware or open a coloring ebook app. Motorola can be launching a Live Message characteristic, which helps you to create an animated drawing and ship it out by way of a favourite messaging app. I used to be simply in a position to make these, and ship them to mates the way in which I’d ship a GIF. My mates discovered the animations amusing however this is not one thing I’d do every single day.The stylus is neat, but it surely’s onerous for me to think about utilizing it frequently. If it’s good to signal a digital doc, it is now simple to get that executed with a service like DocuSign, Microsoft Office or Google Docs. Unless you completely want a stylus, you would be higher off contemplating the sub-$500 telephones that do not embrace one. The Moto G Stylus 5G has a 50-megapixel important digital camera, an 8-megapixel ultrawide digital camera and a 2-megapixel depth sensor digital camera.
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Stable picturesThe greatest enchancment on the Moto G Stylus 5G over final 12 months’s model is with the inclusion of optical picture stabilization. This reduces hand shake whereas taking photographs, serving to forestall movement blur.The important 50-megapixel digital camera on the again of the telephone is accompanied by an 8-megapixel ultrawide and a 2-megapixel depth sensor digital camera. On the entrance is a 16-megapixel selfie digital camera.I took the telephone to a canine park, the place I wanted to maneuver shortly to get photographs of the puppies. I shot loads of nice canine photographs, together with of my pal’s canine Mel who acquired notably aggressive with a soccer toy.Photo taken on the Moto G Stylus 5G.
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Mel, the canine pictured right here, would not let some other canine close to this soccer. Photo taken on the Moto G Stylus 5G.
Mike Sorrentino/CNET
I additionally took the telephone to a Korean barbecue restaurant in addition to to a karaoke evening, the place I used the telephone’s Night mode to assist seize extra element in darker indoor settings. It captured the entire particulars of the meal, however on the theater the outcomes had been extra saturated. There’s a noticeable blur on objects that had been farther away.Night mode on the Moto G Stylus 5G.
Mike Sorrentino/CNET
Night mode on the Moto G Stylus 5G.
Mike Sorrentino/CNET
Photo taken on the Moto G Stylus 5G’s front-facing digital camera.
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The front-facing digital camera additionally captured a whole lot of element whereas I made faces on the digital camera.Video is not the telephone’s robust swimsuit. You can select between 30 and 60 frames per second, however in any other case it is restricted to 1080p for seize. Last 12 months’s Stylus 5G contains 4K video recording, so I used to be shocked that characteristic did not stick round. The footage I took on the canine park was OK, however wasn’t notably detailed even in good lighting. I would not count on to seize something greater than brief video clips that could possibly be shared with mates or household.Limited software program assist hurts an in any other case good phoneEven although the telephone’s stylus, good pictures, bigger display screen and better refresh fee all suggest it, it is onerous for me to disregard Motorola’s dedication to only one main Android replace.I used a Moto Z2 Play as my private telephone again in 2018. When it developed bugs, the slower software program updates meant I could not be assured these points could be resolved.Motorola pledges safety updates for 3 years, which is able to at the very least be sure that the Stylus 5G is not weak to most malicious threats. But Samsung pledged to assist Galaxy A telephones for 4 years whereas Google gave the Pixel 6 three years of software program updates and 5 years of safety updates. Motorola is woefully behind compared.Unless you crave the stylus and need a telephone for $500 or much less, I recommend ready just a few extra weeks till after Google I/O. It’s rumored Google will announce a less expensive Pixel 6A, presumably within the $450 to $500 worth vary. Motorola’s $400 Moto G 5G, sans stylus, can even launch within the coming weeks. Once these telephones are launched, we’ll have a greater total concept which is the most effective telephone on this worth vary.
Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) vs. Samsung Galaxy A53 5G, Google Pixel 5A with 5G, Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2021)
Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2022)
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
Google Pixel 5A with 5G
Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2021)
Display measurement, decision
6.8-inch LTPS LCD FHD Plus; 2,460 x1,080 pixels; 120Hz
6.5-inch AMOLED 2,400×1,080 pixels; 120Hz
6.34-inch OLED; 2,400×1,080 pixels; 60Hz
6.8-inch LCD FHD Plus; 2,400×1,080 pixels; 60Hz
Pixel density
TBD
405ppi
413ppi
386ppi
Dimensions (Inches)
6.65×2.98×0.37 in
6.28×2.94×0.32 in
6.1×2.9×0.3 in
6.67×3.05×0.39 in
Dimensions (Millimeters)
168.9×75.8×9.3 mm
159.6×74.8×8.1 mm
156.2×73.2×8.8 mm
169.54×77.48×9.35 mm
Weight (Ounces, Grams)
7.58 oz; 215 grams
6.67 oz; 189 grams
6.45 oz; 183 grams
7.67 oz; 217.5 grams
Mobile software program
Android 12
Android 12
Android 11
Android 11
Camera
50-megapixel (vast), 8-megapixel (ultrawide/macro), 2-megapixel (depth)
64-megapixel (vast), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide), 5-megapixel (macro), 5-megapixel (depth)
12-megapixel (vast), 16-megapixel (ultrawide)
48-megapixel (wide-angle), 5-megapixel (macro), 8-megapixel (ultra-wide angle), 2-megapixel (depth sensor)
Front-facing digital camera
16-megapixel
32-megapixel
8-megapixel
16-megapixel
Video seize
1,080p
4K
4K
4K
Processor
Snapdragon 695 5G
Exynos 1280
Snapdragon 765G
Snapdragon 480 5G
Storage
256GB
128GB
128GB
256GB
RAM
8GB
6GB
6GB
6GB
Expandable storage
Up to 1TB
Up to 1TB
None
Up to 1TB
Battery
5,000 mAh (10W wired charger included)
5,000 mAh (charger not included)
4,680 mAh (18W wired charger included)
5,000 mAh (10W wired charger included)
Fingerprint sensor
Side
In-display
Back
Back
Connector
USB-C
USB-C
USB-C
USB-C
Headphone jack
Yes
None
Yes
Yes
Special options
5G-enabled; OIS for important digital camera; NFC for Google Pay, Stylus
5G-enabled; IP67 score; helps 25W wired quick charging, Samsung Pay
5G-enabled, IP67 water score, Dual Sim
5G-enabled, Stylus,
Price off-contract (USD)
$500
$450
$449
$400
Price (GBP)
Converts to £320
£399
Converts to £345
Converts to £285
Price (AUD)
Converts to AU$560
AU$699
Converts to AU$620
Converts to AU$515
Moto G Stylus 5G: $500 Phone Gets Higher-End Features at a Midrange Price
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