A native PS3 emulator for Android is available on the Play Store
We're another step closer to getting PlayStation 3 games to run smoothly on an Android smartphone. A little-known developer has released aPS3e, a PS3 emulator that can natively run on Android, onto the Google Play Store. Independent developers have been creating ways to emulate our favorite nostalgic hits on PS3, but offering a direct way to do it on an Android device is a major step in the emulation world.
Before you dive in, it's worth noting that aPS3e suffers the same issues as other emulators, meaning it doesn't offer the same smooth experience as playing on your old PS3. Even the Play Store page warns that the app is "still under active development and may not work with all your favorite games." Early reports from users claim that the app is prone to crashing, still has several bugs, and doesn't offer reliable frame-rate performance. The app is geared towards higher-end Android devices with the latest processors and recommends around 12 GB of RAM for a decent gameplay experience. The app has built-in on-screen controls, but the website claims it has support for some Bluetooth controllers.
This latest app isn't the only way to emulate PS3 games on an Android device, but it's the first to be listed on the Play Store. There has been a lot of criticism that the developer pulled code from other PS3 emulation projects, but the project has since been made open-source on its Github page. Currently, aPS3e is available for free without ads, but there's a premium version for $5 that's meant to support the developer. The Android emulator has already landed more than 10,000 downloads.
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Android Authority
5 hours ago
- Android Authority
This decade-old LG phone sparked my love for photography — then it died
It was a balmy September evening in 2016, and my friends and I thought it the perfect evening for a night-time hike up Cape Town's popular Lion's Head. Placed right in the city's center, the panoramic views from the peak would no doubt be spectacular, and we had our bags packed full of liquid nourishment for when we reached the top. Two hours later, we got to the summit, and with the city's sprawling lights glimmering through the still air below us, I spied the perfect photo opportunity. So, I grabbed my little Joby tripod, mounted my phone to it, set the exposure to 15 seconds, its ISO to its lowest possible value, and waited. The resultant shot remains one of my favorites I've ever captured. That phone was the LG G4. Do you miss LG smartphones? 0 votes Yes. NaN % No. NaN % I'm no doubt looking back at this phone through rose-tinted glasses. After all, nostalgia is one hell of a drug. The best Android phones have come a long way since then, improving almost every facet. I could (probably) capture that same shot with modern devices without too much fuss. However, looking past its problems, the LG G4 was the phone that sparked my interest in photography. The smartphone that captured many memories, and my heart On the specs front, the G4 wasn't really anything special. Sure, it's 16MP sensor and 28mm lens, OIS system, and laser autofocus made it incredibly reliable and versatile. I remember snapping portraits, landscapes, macros, and street scenes without any issue. But the camera phone's real strength was its manual mode. The shot I mentioned in the intro was captured manually. In fact, I had a real contempt for the LG G4's automatic mode. It regularly selected the wrong settings and focused on the wrong subject. With manual mode, I could finely adjust focus, choose my exposure and ISO, getting me the shot I wanted. Looking back, I realize this phone helped me get to grips with DSLR photography years later. And it wasn't just this shot that stands out in my mind. Manual focus made it easy to capture the tiniest subjects, from bees to the flowers they visited, to bokeh of raindrops on a pane of glass. I'm no doubt looking back at this phone through rose-tinted glasses, but the LG G4 is the reason for my current love for photography. Beyond its software, part of my love for this phone lies in its smart ergonomic design. Yes, while it was pretty utilitarian with those customary 2016-era bezels, the 5.5-inch QHD screen was deep and vivid, making it the perfect viewfinder and canvas for my shots. While stylish, the phone's curved leather back also made the phone grippy and inspired confidence when framing a shot. It was never at risk of simply slipping out of my hand like my caseless Pixel 8 is prone to do. And, not to mention the other facets of this phone that I loved: the removable battery, its 3.5mm headphone jack with great bundled earbuds, its rear volume and power buttons, and its microSD card slot. The death of my G4 and start of LG's bigger problems But, just as we had to eventually make our way down the mountain, all good things come to an end. For the LG G4, this was for me at an airport just before a long flight home. Mere months after I started it up for the first time, the phone's tendency to overheat eventually morphed into a flat-out bootloop. Struggling to bring it back to life, I'd wait a few minutes, reboot it, desperately use it for a few moments until it overheated, then repeat the cycle. Thankfully, I printed out my boarding passes back then; otherwise, I'm unsure how I would've navigated that situation. My LG G4 issues started at an airport, just prior to a long flight home. I was not amused. When I landed (and calling my lift was made complicated thanks to my ailing LG), I got to the drawing board and tried almost everything to revive it. Screwing it apart and separating the phone from its motherboard, I trained a hairdryer on the chipset, tossed it in the freezer, and even considered baking it in the oven. I chickened out of the latter, but there was little hope regardless. My LG G4 was dead and so was one of the most enjoyable and memorable smartphones I've ever used. To me, the G4's issues perfectly encapsulate the Korean brand's smartphone tenure. Its quirky devices were remarkably affable, filled with personality, and supported by capable, if not impressive, hardware and refined software. But look a little bit deeper and use them for an extended period, and their similarly quirky flaws will rise to the surface — dramatic highs and depressing lows. The bootloop problem persisted across several LG-branded and manufactured smartphones, including the G4's cousin, the V10, the Nexus 5X, the V20, and even the LG G5. All of these smartphones experienced similar hitches to one degree or another. While LG would go on to launch several newer phones that would skirt this issue, the damage was done. While LG hasn't been a smartphone company since 2011, it will finally turn off its update servers at the end of this month, rendering all its devices marooned on older Android versions. This was bound to happen at some point. After all, its most recent phones were launched five years ago now. It's still a sad eventuality. As for my LG G4, I haven't seen it in years. It's sitting in a box somewhere in my parents' home, functionally dead and likely to stay that way. However, my enjoyment of photography has grown to include other devices. My old but trusty Kodak KB10 film camera, my humble Nikon D3400, and even the Nokia 9 PureView that I've written about before continue building my love for capturing moments. I have the LG G4 to thank for that.
Forbes
7 hours ago
- Forbes
How To Tell If Your Phone Has A Virus – And What To Do
For many of us, our phone is an essential part of daily life, used for everything from social interaction to banking or working. That means that anything going wrong can be quite a headache. And if your Android phone or iPhone becomes infected with a virus, that can cause very big problems indeed. A virus is a type of malware that can replicate itself and spread through a system; a phone is generally infected when the user clicks on a dodgy link or ad, visits a risky website or downloads a malicious app. We look at the signs that your phone may be infected with a virus, and what to do if it is. A virus can impact the performance of your phone, but it can have more significant effects too, from stealing your personal data to, potentially, financial costs. There are a number of signs that your phone may have been infected with a virus, mostly related to the phone's performance. One common symptom is a fast-draining battery; others include overheating, an unexpected increase in data use or the appearance of unfamiliar apps or features. Meanwhile, apps may take longer to open, or close on their own, and the screen may freeze more often than usual. You may spot random messages being sent from your phone, or even fraudulent purchases. If your phone feels unusually hot to the touch or is running out of battery quickly, this may be a sign that you've got a virus. The reason is that unauthorized apps or processes are running in the background, using your phone's resources. One of the first things that hackers are likely to do is install malicious applications on your phone, aiming to access your files. These apps may look perfectly innocuous, but don't click on them: they may activate malware when you do. If your friends and family start saying they've been receiving strange messages from you, it's a sign that hackers are attempting to phish them by sending suspicious links. You may spot these messages yourself. If you suspect your phone has a virus, you should check your bank and credit card statement, in case unauthorized purchases have been made. Don't disregard what appear to be tiny purchases: criminals often put through purchases for tiny amounts to check that they can, before going ahead with larger amounts. If a virus is running unauthorized background processes, this may show up in the form of higher-than-usual data usage. If your data plan shows a spike in usage when you haven't been using your phone any more than usual, this could be a sign that it's been hacked. If you find that your phone has a virus, the first thing to do is to check using a virus scan, removing any that you find. Remove any apps that you didn't install yourself, along with any unfamiliar devices. You should also notify your friends and other contacts, in case they've received any messages from you containing dodgy links that could mean they get infected themselves. Change all passwords immediately to new, strong ones. It's possible for a virus to spread from your phone to your PC if you've connected the two devices via a network or USB — so you may need to check that out too. If all else fails, you could restore your phone to its factory settings — although this means losing everything stored on the device. Your first step should be to change your Apple or Android password to something strong and hard to guess. If you can't, you should be able to reset it through the company's support department. At the same time, turn on two factor authentication if it isn't already enabled. Next, you should access your account to check that your personal or security information is correct, and change any incorrect information back. Next, you should remove any unauthorized devices from your account via Settings. Check for any you don't recognize and remove them. It's a good idea to contact your email provider and mobile network provider to make sure you're actually in control of every email address and phone number associated with the device. Check your financial accounts for activities that you don't recognize, and query any that you find. And check through your emails for notifications of login attempts on other accounts such as social media or Gmail. If your phone has a virus, there's a fair chance that you've unwittingly been spamming your contacts with dodgy links that, if clicked, will spread the malware to them too. It's a good idea, therefore, to alert them to the danger. It should be possible to remove a virus from your phone and keep access to your data — though if all else fails, you may need to restore your phone to its factory settings, in which case you'll probably lose your data. The basic moves are the same, whether you're using an iPhone or an Android phone — run an antivirus scan, clear cache and browsing history and uninstall suspicious apps — but the process for doing this is a bit different depending on the type of phone. Below are the basic steps to follow in each case. Step 1: Restart Your iPhone This should allow you to back up your data in case you need to carry out a factory reset — though it almost certainly won't actually remove the virus in itself. Step 2: Run A Virus Scan While iPhones don't have a built-in virus scanner, you can run a third-party package that should be able to identify and remove any viruses. Step 3: Install Software Updates Software updates can patch security vulnerabilities, and in some cases remove the virus itself. To check for an iOS update. Go to Open Settings, General, then Software Update and pick Update Now. Step 4: Delete Suspicious Apps The virus may well have arrived via a dodgy app, so you should uninstall any that you don't remember installing. Step 5: Clear Browsing History Clearing browser history removes cached data and cookies, and can eliminate any browser-based threats. Step 6: Revert To An Earlier Version Or Restore Factory Settings If you can restore your iPhone from a backup created before the infection, you should be able to eliminate any viruses. Restoring factory settings, though, is a last resort, as it deletes all your personal data, apps, photos and settings. Step 1: Run An Antivirus Scan Running a good antivirus app should not only help you detect a virus, it should remove it too. Step 2: Clear Your Cache And Cookies Clearing your browser's cache and cookies can help remove hidden malicious files or data that the malware might be using. This may sign you out of your active accounts, so you'll need to sign back in again afterwards. Step: 3 Reboot Your Phone In Safe Mode Rebooting your phone in safe mode will disable third-party apps, preventing malware from running via those apps while you're trying to remove it. Step 4: Factory Reset This is very much a move of last resort, but a factory reset will get rid of any malware from your device. However, unless you've been able to back up your data first, it will also remove all the apps and files on your phone. The first line of defense against a virus is, where applicable, to have a strong password and to use two-factor authentication. Only ever download apps from a trusted source, and never click on a link you're uncertain about. Clear your cache regularly, and keep your operating system and apps fully updated so that you're receiving any security updates. And be selective about the permissions you give to apps, so that they don't have any more data than they need. Bottom Line Whether you have an iPhone or an Android phone, finding out that you have a virus can be a worrying discovery. It's a common problem — but one that can usually be fixed fairly easily, while there are a number of steps you can take to keep you better protected in future. What Is The Difference Between A Virus And Malware? The term malware refers to a broad range of malicious software, covering spyware, adware and ransomware, for example, as well as viruses themselves. A virus, specifically, is a piece of malware that can replicate itself by inserting its code into other programs. Viruses are activated by opening an infected file and can be spread via infected websites, emails, shared storage and flash drives. Hackers use viruses to gain control of devices, steal data and carry out financial fraud. Can iPhones Get Viruses? Thanks to Apple's security and privacy features, iPhones are famously secure, but that doesn't mean they can't be hacked. Criminals can exploit flaws in new or outdated versions of the operating system, or can trick users through phishing attempts. While viruses are rare, they do occur, so it's important to be aware of the signs. How Do You Run A Virus Scan? Whatever your type of phone, you can download and install a third-party security app. To run a scan, simply open the app and look for a 'scan now' or similar command. Then, simply follow the on-screen instructions, which should be completely straightforward. If the app detects anything untoward, it will prompt you to remove it with a click or two.
Android Authority
7 hours ago
- Android Authority
The Moto G Stylus (2025) is finally a budget Motorola phone for power users
Moto G Stylus (2025) The Moto G Stylus (2025) feels like Motorola pulled together almost everything that's worked about its best budget phones and put it into one device. It charges quickly, performs well, and comes with a built-in stylus that's way easier than drawing with a fingertip. I'm begging for longer update support, but otherwise, this is a great cheap Android phone. Motorola's budget lineup has been through some tricky evolutions over the years. It's added and removed options on both ends, from one-off experiments with the ultra-cheap Moto G Pure, to the Moto G Stylus and Moto G Power continually trading places as the top option. Sometimes, it means there's a cheap Motorola device for everyone, but it often leaves me confused about which one to recommend. Not anymore. The $400 Moto G Stylus (2025) is the easiest cheap Motorola phone to recommend, and here's why. All dressed up in blue Ryan Haines / Android Authority Along with Motorola's uncertainty over how to space its budget Android phones, it's undergone several design swings over the years. When I started reviewing phones, Motorola was all about vibrant colors with centrally placed camera bumps. I loved almost all of them because they made otherwise cheap phones look and feel more exciting. Then, it seemed like Motorola was content to roll out gray rectangle after gray rectangle, complete with corner-mounted cameras that looked like most other budget-minded Android phones. That mentality seeped out into the mid-range and flagship Edge launches, too, which had me worried about what the future of my favorite Moto designs would look like. Recently, though, Motorola has rediscovered its fun roots. It's jumped headfirst back into vibrant Pantone colors across all price points, from the top-end Razr Ultra down to the most affordable, and outright bad Moto G (2025). For the 2025 iteration of the Moto G Stylus (there's only one model this year, so no LTE-only confusion), that means a duo of beautiful blue shades, Gibraltar Sea and Surf The Web, both with vegan leather back panels. I'm glad Motorola sent me Surf The Web, as it's a bit more of a royal blue than the Gibraltar Sea's navy blue, but I'd take either one over the muted grays and pale purples that Samsung likes to roll out at this price point. Motorola's partnership with Pantone is making cheap phones fun again. It's not just the change in color preferences that's swept Motorola's recent lineups, though — I think its Moto G designs look better than ever, too. Yes, they're all at least somewhat inspired by the new Motorola Edge blueprints in the same way that Samsung's Galaxy A series pulls right from the Galaxy S25 trio, but I think it works out a bit better in Motorola's favor. Where Samsung's cheap phones tend to look pretty generic with their simple camera cutouts, the Moto G Stylus could fall anywhere in Motorola's range, from being the cheap phone it is to tricking you into thinking it's a flagship Edge device. Outside of the general plastic-ness of the Moto G Stylus, the slow, steady improvement in build quality would almost make you think it's an Edge device, too. In the past, some of Motorola's budget offerings have had issues with some flex to the back panels, but I haven't noticed any of that here. The plastic frame is also rigid enough for me to continue using the phone without a case, though I might imagine that combining a MIL-STD 810H rating against drops and IP68 certification for water and dust adds to some of my budget peace of mind. Of course, I can't pretend that Motorola's build quality matches that of its Galaxy A series rivals, as the actual choice of materials really doesn't. Although Motorola upgraded its durability ratings this time, the Moto G Stylus (2025) is still mostly plastic with just a Gorilla Glass 3 display, while the Galaxy A36 5G puts Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus Plus on both the front and back. While I think I could probably let this one slip out of my hands once or twice, I'd feel better about slightly tougher glass on most surfaces. And then, there's the Moto G Stylus's signature feature — its stylus. These days, it's pretty much your only option if you want a phone with a built-in stylus but can't stump up the cash for Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra. Honestly, the level of functionality between the two isn't much different. Now that Samsung has eliminated Air Actions and the ability to use the S Pen as a remote camera shutter, it's not much more than a tapping and drawing option, despite costing three times as much. On top of that, Motorola's stylus controls are, well, easier. When you slip the stylus from its housing at the bottom right corner, it automatically opens a menu with Moto Note, Screenshot, Free-form Crop, and Sketch to Image buttons. The Moto G Stylus also supports a Handwriting Calculator, which is a clever idea that I've tried once or twice, but I don't do enough math to justify its presence, nor is my handwriting good enough for the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset to differentiate my 7s from my 2s every time. Also, while comparing a $400 Android phone to a $1,300 one in most respects is unfair, I have to give Motorola credit for creating the much more comfortable design here. Samsung's massive, flat-topped (and bottomed) frame has never been very comfortable to me, whether it had slightly rounded sides or not, yet the Moto G Stylus puts just the right level of roundness around all four sides. It never feels like it's digging into the palm of my hand, which makes using its 6.7-inch AMOLED much more enjoyable. Give me a rounded Moto phone with a stylus over Samsung's sharp edges any day. The display itself is just plain good, too. Motorola stuck with just-okay LCDs for a while not that long ago, so to see it upgrade year after year to the point where it peaks at nearly 1,000 nits brighter than the Galaxy A36 5G and has a slightly higher resolution (444 pixels per inch instead of 385) makes it feel like Motorola has just a little bit more to give to the budget segment right now. Motorola has also more than rectified the awful viewing angles that plagued the Moto G Power a few years ago, making it so that I can comfortably keep an eye on the Moto G Stylus whether I'm working around the kitchen or trying to keep up with NWSL and MLS matches simultaneously. I am, unfortunately for the Moto G Stylus, reviewing a couple of tablets at the same time right now, so it's been tough to pick a 6.7-inch display as my primary streaming companion, but I've been pleased with it as a way to check highlights while running benchmarks on other devices or waste time in Pokémon Go and Stardew Valley, both of which I've picked back up after a long, long time away. I also appreciate that this phone still has a headphone jack opposite its stylus on the bottom edge, showing that yes, Samsung, you can have both without losing a 5,000mAh battery. Ryan Haines / Android Authority The last note I have on the Moto G Stylus (2025) design concerns its packaging. In the last few years, Motorola has adopted naturally colored, plastic-free packaging for its Moto G devices and some of its Edge devices, and I expected that to continue this time around. Instead, my review unit arrived in a white box with some slightly shiny text on it, which feels like Motorola going back on a few of its eco-minded goals. I guess packaging doesn't matter too much in the grand scheme of things, but I liked giving Motorola a green thumbs up for its efforts in the past, and now I can't tell if I can still do so. Would the real Moto G 'Power' please stand up? Ryan Haines / Android Authority Of course, building a good-looking budget phone is only half the battle — I've praised plenty of cheap designs over the years only to turn around and report that they're little more than pretty faces. However, what earns the Moto G Stylus points in my book is that it reaches a little bit higher. It combines solid internals with its eye-catching design and ultimately has more of a claim to the Moto G Power name than the Power itself. Specifically, the Moto G Stylus packs a more efficient Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset (built with a 4nm process) instead of the Moto G Power's Dimensity 6300 chipset (built with a 6nm process). The Stylus also doubles the Power's base storage with 256GB instead of 128, though both phones allow for expansion via microSD cards and offer matching 8GB of RAM. As always, the spec sheet only tells part of the story, so it's time to run the Moto G Stylus through our usual set of benchmarks and pick out a few choice rivals. The Moto G Stylus makes good use of its Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset, but its real strength lies in TurboPower charging. So, I stacked up a little bit of everything. I picked out the Moto G Power (2025) to figure out which Motorola phone had the best claim to power, as well as Samsung's Galaxy A26 5G and A36 5G, the latter of which also uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset. Then, for good measure, I added Nothing's Phone 3a Pro, which is a little more expensive but steps up to the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset for a little more punch. Across the board, the results were… unsurprising, almost to the point of being boring. The Phone 3a Pro set the tone in both single-core and multi-core CPU performance, while the Moto G Stylus and Galaxy A36 5G were neck and neck in second place. The Stylus and both Galaxy devices then jumped past Nothing's first Pro-grade budget phone (a contradiction if ever I've written one) in the more comprehensive PCMark Work test, as did the weaker Moto G Power. Switching over to the graphics side, the 20-run Wild Life stress test put the Phone 3a Pro right back on top of the pile, with the rest of the competitors shaking out in descending order by price. The Moto G Stylus (2025) came up just short of the Galaxy A36 5G but stayed just above the Galaxy A26 5G, all of which easily breezed past the Moto G Power (2025). Ryan Haines / Android Authority I'd say the Moto G Stylus's day-to-day performance mirrors its benchmarking results, too — good and reliable, even if not at the top of the pile. It's spent most of its time with me as a backup device, coming out mostly when I'd put down the Razr Ultra or Galaxy S25 Edge for an hour or two while reviewing them. Through that, though, it's responded to almost everything I've asked, tackling social media scrolling and mindlessly listening to YouTube playlists through my wired Marshall headphones, simply because I had to use the headphone jack eventually. It has, of course, also come with me as my default Pokémon Go machine, giving me a chance to explore a game I haven't played since the end of college. Even with the heavy mix of GPS tracking and near-constant graphics usage between the frequent gyms and Pokestops here in the city, the Stylus has taken to my adventures pretty well, only slowing down once or twice on an 80-degree day that would have put a hurting on just about any phone. Ryan Haines / Android Authority One thing you might have expected just a little bit of in a productivity-minded device, though, is an AI feature or two. After all, Motorola just rolled out a new suite of Moto AI improvements to its recent Razr launch, much of which is headed for the Edge lineup, too. Unfortunately, that seems to be where it's staying for now, as the Moto G Stylus only gets Sketch to Image with its stylus and Circle to Search, which has become as common as Google Lens. Oh, and if you're after a cheap phone that you can keep for a while, you might not be thrilled to hear that the Moto G Stylus is only in line for two Android updates and a third year of security patches. Samsung's Galaxy A36 5G will get six years of support at the same price point, and the slightly more expensive Pixel 9a adds a seventh year to the mix. On the bright side, Motorola has cleaned up the bloatware in Hello UX, paring down the Moto G Stylus to a gaming folder and Glance widget by default. You'll have to uninstall 1Weather, which is annoyingly still here, but it's easy enough to do. And then, there's the battery life — the other piece of Motorola's affordable productivity puzzle. Like most cheap Motorola phones, the Moto G Stylus packs a hearty 5,000mAh cell, and I've had no problems putting it through more than a day's worth of work. Interestingly, our controlled battery drain test would make you think it falls far behind Nothing's Phone 3a and 3a Pro, but I think the actual performance is about even. I've called on it for a slightly different mix of responsibilities in generally hotter weather, but I haven't faced much battery anxiety. Even if I had, the Moto G Stylus (2025) claims some of the best charging at this price point. In fact, it charges faster than any Galaxy device or Pixel, no matter how much you spend. Motorola packed its top budget offering with blistering 68W wired TurboPower charging and 15W wireless charging for good measure. In my experience, the wired capabilities (with a compatible charger) can get you back on your feet in just a shade under an hour — the same time it takes to fill Nothing's Phone 3a with a USB PD PPS charger. I did have a little trouble reaching peak speeds before I realized Motorola's TurboPower block only seems to trust the phone's included USB-C cable, which has identifiable pink tips, for the full 68W rate. I'm not sure why that is, but it's something to keep in mind. Sometimes, two cameras are all you need Ryan Haines / Android Authority With Motorola's budget phones pulling increasingly from its flagship Edge lineup, it only makes sense that the Moto G Stylus's camera bump looks familiar. To my eye, it's about the same size as the one on the Edge (2025), and it has a similar orientation of three sensors. There's just one problem, though: The Moto G Stylus (2025) only has two rear cameras. So, that third sensor that sits below the flash is just kind of, well, there for appearances. The good news, at least, is that Motorola chose two pretty solid sensors for its stylus-toting budget phone. The 50MP primary sensor is the same stacked LYTIA 700C that Motorola used on its Edge (2025), and it has popped up on other great camera phones. It delivers some pretty solid results in good lighting. I appreciate that Motorola didn't simply slap a cheap 50MP sensor on there and call it a day, as the shared sensor means the budget and flagship devices should process images pretty similarly. Motorola's second shooter is a fairly standard 13MP ultrawide sensor with a 120-degree field of view. This one doesn't match the sensor on the Edge, though, as you'll see in a moment, it seems to process its images better than the Razr Ultra did at launch. There's no weird darkening effect in the sky, nor do I feel like the colors are quite as overblown — they're punchy, just within more reasonable limits. Anyway, let's get to some samples. 35mm Portrait Mode 2x Zoom The first row of shots gives you a pretty good idea of how the Moto G Stylus handles a sunny day. There are punchy colors from left to right, whether the subject is up close, like the set of rainbow balloons, or a little further away, like the dry-docked boat on the right side. Thankfully, it doesn't seem like Motorola is relying on bright colors to cover over worse details, either. It's easy to pick out individual droplets of rain on the balloons, and you can easily pick out different people walking around the background of Baltimore's Little Italy Festival. I'm also pleased with the portrait mode detection on the colorful sign I spotted in Washington, DC. Yes, it has pretty well-defined edges, but the Moto G Stylus also blurred the tiny hole in the middle of the sign, a nice touch that other budget phones often miss. 2x Zoom 2x Zoom This second row offers a similar look at the Moto G Stylus's color recreation. It makes my brunch ahead of the Grand Slam Track event in Philadelphia look just about as good as it tasted — and it tasted pretty good. Spring is something like street fair season here in Baltimore, so when I found myself with a closed street and a great view of one of the city's older churches, I had to grab a snap or two. Despite not having a dedicated telephoto sensor, I'm pleased with the central crop from the 50MP primary sensor, and I don't notice any shift in color profile from 1x zoom. Ultrawide Macro Ultrawide Macro Shifting to the ultrawide sensor — and the software-based macro mode — it seems like Motorola has better control over a consistent color science than in years past. I've tested my fair share of Moto G devices that come with significant shifts from the primary sensor to the ultrawide, but I don't feel like that's the case here. The 13MP sensor still holds onto decent details from its larger pixels, and the punchier colors bring a little more life to my shots, especially in the flags in front of the Washington Monument. This time, the bright pinks of the hydrangea I captured in macro mode seem to bleed together just a bit. I know there aren't sharp edges within the flowers themselves, so the Moto G Stylus is adding some sharpening after the fact, and while it works for the water droplets, it emphasizes a few of the wrinkles in the flowers just a little bit too much. 1x Zoom 2x Zoom 4x Zoom 10x Zoom I've already mentioned the lack of a telephoto sensor, which might hint at how the Moto G Stylus handles longer focal lengths, which is to say that it doesn't, really. I think the phone is just fine up to about 4x zoom, as the US Capitol still looks sharp enough with okay details in the trees lining the National Mall. I'd feel fine posting that one to my Instagram story without zooming in, though I wouldn't say the same for the shot at 10x zoom. Yes, it's still identifiable as the US Capitol, but it feels like a lower-resolution rendering, and I can only pick out the yellow Penske truck in the foreground because I've seen the same one a thousand times around the city. Portrait Mode Wrapping us up, the Moto G Stylus (2025) has a 32MP punch-hole selfie camera at the top of its 6.7-inch display. It's perfectly fine for your basic selfie needs — I have no issues with the details in portrait or standard modes, though I'm not sure I love the shift in image processing. I think the standard selfie looks a little more color-accurate, putting a slightly darker shadow onto my shirt, while the portrait shot makes everything seem a little bit brighter. It's a slight shift, but one that I notice after having taken selfies on so many Android devices. At the very least, Motorola's portrait detection is spot-on. If you're eyeing the Moto G Stylus as a cheap video shooter, know that it tops out with 4K recording at 30fps from both the front and rear cameras, though it can also record 1080p footage at 60fps. I mostly stuck to 4K video while walking around the festivals in Baltimore, and I came away pretty impressed with the stabilization in my clips, though I'd have liked to see 4K at 60fps support for $400. You can check out full-resolution versions of all of my camera samples (and several dozen more) at this Google Drive link. Motorola Moto G Stylus (2025) review: The Moto G for most people Ryan Haines / Android Authority If there's one cheap Motorola phone worth recommending, it's this one — simple as that. Yes, the Moto G Power might offer a slightly more durable Gorilla Glass 5 display, but the Moto G Stylus (2025) checks all the other boxes on its way down. It's more powerful, charges faster, offers better color options (mostly because Surf The Web beats Leaf Green in my book), and comes with the same reliable IP68 certification, even if it skips the IP69 add-on. Oh, and it comes with a built-in stylus for added flexibility, which you can only get from the Galaxy S25 Ultra otherwise. That said, the Moto G Stylus (2025) still suffers from a couple of classic Motorola stumbles. There's still a bit of bloatware in the form of a gaming folder that you can turn off and 1Weather, which you should immediately uninstall — but at least it's less bloat than in previous generations. Right now, the bigger problem with recommending a budget-friendly Motorola device is that its software support is second to, well, everyone else. Two Android updates and a third year of security patches aren't enough when rivals like Samsung offer more than double that, and Google goes to seven years if you pick up a Pixel. The Moto G Stylus is Motorola's best budget phone in a long time... but it's taking on a new class of competitors. And when you put a fairly short expiration date on a $400 Android phone, it becomes much easier to look elsewhere for your next device. Sure, you could look at Motorola's in-house Moto G Power (2025) ($299.99 at Amazon), which has the same camera strengths, similar lightweight software, and nearly identical vegan leather finishes, but it has the same weaknesses, too. It's saddled with the same bloatware, the same short update commitment, and drops down to 30W wired charging instead of 68W. That's still pretty good compared to most options from Samsung and Google, but less exciting when you've tried true TurboPower. Outside of the Motorola umbrella, Samsung's budget-minded Galaxy A series probably makes the most sense. Its Galaxy A36 5G ($399.99 at Amazon) is nearly a perfect match for the Moto G Stylus, so long as you can live without the eponymous feature. The two phones share identical chipsets, matching batteries, and 6.7-inch AMOLED panels, while Samsung's option adds a third camera to the mix — a dedicated 5MP macro sensor. The Galaxy A36 5G does come out comfortably ahead of the Moto G Stylus in terms of durability, though, sandwiching Gorilla Glass Victus Plus on both sides of its plastic frame. If you live outside the US, you might also want to check out the Nothing Phone 3a ($379.99 at Amazon) or the Phone 3a Pro ($459.99 at Amazon). They're almost identical outside their camera bumps, meaning both have Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipsets, 6.77-inch displays, and the clever Glyph Interface on the back for notifications and timers. Nothing OS has also been one of our favorite Android skins since the start, bringing a dot-based matrix to most of its widgets while keeping a relatively light, Pixel-like interface. If you need slightly better zoom capability, though, you'll want to grab the Phone 3a Pro with its larger 50MP telephoto sensor. One last option worth considering is Google's Pixel 9a ($449 at Amazon), but you'll have to spend more. If you're willing to try it, you'll get the biggest battery available on a Pixel, Google's latest Tensor G4 chipset (the same one found on all of the flagship Pixels), and seven years of updates that include feature drops. You'll also get the widest variety of AI-powered features from Google's mid-ranger, which isn't something you'll find on many cheaper Android options. Moto G Stylus (2025) Built-in stylus • Vibrant OLED screen • Fast 68W charging MSRP: $399.99 Doing things in styl-us. The Motorola Moto G Stylus (2025) charges quickly, has decent performance, and comes with a built-in stylus that's way easier than drawing with a fingertip. See price at Amazon Positives Solid camera options Solid camera options Excellent wired charging Excellent wired charging Convenient built-in stylus Convenient built-in stylus Cleaned up bloatware Cleaned up bloatware Eye-catching blue finishes Eye-catching blue finishes Improved AMOLED panel Cons Underwhelming update commitment Underwhelming update commitment Cheaper plastic construction Cheaper plastic construction Battery life is decent but not great
