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Digital Trends
23-05-2025
- Digital Trends
Moto G Stylus (2025) review: this phone is a $400 note-taker's dream
Moto G Stylus (2025) MSRP $399.99 Score Details 'There really are no other phones that offer this range of features, plus a built-in stylus, at this price point.' Pros Striking design and color science Bright, vibrant, high-refresh AMOLED display Fantastic battery with wireless charging Durable build with IP68 and MIL-810H ratings Stylus housing is rock solid Excellent value Cons Only 2 years of OS updates Stylus lacks pressure sensitivity and reliable palm rejection Moto AI features feel half baked 'Why you can trust Digital Trends – We have a 20-year history of testing, reviewing, and rating products, services and apps to help you make a sound buying decision. Find out more about how we test and score products.' At $400, the Moto G Stylus isn't pretending to be a flagship. But the signature stylus inserted inside its frame is the kind of trick usually reserved for premium devices like the excellent Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Recommended Videos This makes the Moto G Stylus one of the only phones in its class that caters to note-takers, casual doodlers like myself, and anyone who likes having a little extra control in their hands. I will admit, I'm not a stylus super-fan. I often have to remind myself to use one when a phone supports it. Having said that, the Moto G Stylus is not a one-trick pony, as Motorola has packed a lot of impressive features into an affordable device. I'm pretty impressed by what phones like these mean for the increasingly competitive mid-range category in 2025. Moto G Stylus (2025) specs Moto G Stylus 2025 Size 162.15×74.78×8.29mm (6.38×2.94x.32 inches) Weight 191g (6.73 ounces) Display 6.7″ AMOLED, Super HD (2712 x 1220), 120Hz , 20:9, 446ppi Processor and RAM Snapdragon® 6 Gen 3, 8 GB LPDDR4X Storage 256GB uMCP, 1TB microSD expandable Operating System Android™ 15 Connectivity 5G, Fingerprint reader, NFC, GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, USB-C, 3.5mm, Bluetooth 5.3, Dual SIM (1 Nano SIM + eSIM) Cameras Rear: 50MP (f/1.8, OIS), 13MP Ultrawide (120° FOV) Macro Vision, f/2.2) Front: 32MP (f/2.2) Durability IP68, MIL-STD-810H2 Battery and Charging 5000mAh, 68W TurboPower™5, 15W Wireless Charging Colors PANTONE Gibraltar Sea, PANTONE Surf the Web Price $399.99 Moto G Stylus (2025): Design The first thing I noticed about the Moto G Stylus was the attractive Pantone Surf the Web Blue color, a striking and vibrant colorway that stands out. Having recently reviewed the Moto G 2025, I was already familiar with the faux-leather backing, and I still like it, both visually and to the touch. It does a great job of uniting Motorola's brand signature across its mid-range fleet. I particularly love the two-tone finish on the plastic frame: a frosted band flanked by reflective coating on either side that sells a convincing glass-like look at first glance. The stylus has an embedded housing at the bottom of the device, and it has never popped out while docked inside my pocket. The spring ejection mechanism feels every bit as premium as the Galaxy S25 Ultra's S Pen. Despite its svelte form, the phone carries IP68 dust-and-water resistance, a first for the Stylus family, and military-grade MIL-810H shock and heat tolerance. Honestly, though, I never got 'rugged phone' vibes from the Moto G Stylus 2025. And yes, the wired headphone port is alive and well along the bottom edge for those still clinging on to analog audio, as is a micro-SD card slot for expanded storage. In some ways, that makes this device a bit of a throwback to a bygone era in Android smartphones. Moto G Stylus (2025): Display The 6.7-inch AMOLED Super HD panel refreshes at up to 120 Hz, though out of the box, the phone is set to an Auto refresh setting that adjusts dynamically depending on the content on the screen. Thankfully, I was able to lock it to 120 Hz, and my eyes were happier for it. Bright sunlight isn't much of a problem, thanks to a 3000-nit peak that rocks. Colors are vibrant, if not a bit overly punchy, which can easily be tamed in settings if it bugs you. I'm here for it, though. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass 3, and I can confirm that my coddled review unit has a few light scuffs after three weeks that are only noticeable in direct sunlight. Either I took it particularly easy on this review unit or the glass protection did its job respectfully. Moto G Stylus (2025): Performance The Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 paired with 8 GB of RAM is fine enough for day-to-day stuff. Swapping between apps or launching the camera can cause a stutter here and there, but I never hit a true deal-breaker unless I tried to do too much too soon after a device restart. The phone seems to require a solid five minutes to work out all the boot-up kinks, which can trip up impatient users like me. Genshin Impact still takes its sweet time to load all of the shaders, but once in, it runs smoothly even when manually set to High graphics mode with only occasional slowdowns during big, bursty battles. Even after long gaming sessions, the back was only moderately warm and not concerning. Performance is certainly not blemish-free, but it's comfortably within my realm of acceptability for a device of this calibur. Geekbench 6 CPU (single) CPU (Multi) GPU Moto G Stylus (2025) 946 2539 2113 Pixel 9a 1746 4320 7662 Nothing Phone 3a 1061 3247 Moto G Stylus (2025): Software Android 15 with Motorola's MyUX tweaks is near-stock, save for Motorola's signature font that I don't love due to its tight kerning. Thankfully, there are several alternative fonts to switch to in customization settings. Motorola's signature gesture shortcuts, like double-twist for the camera and chop-chop for the flashlight, remain some of my favorite secrets hiding in plain sight on Motorola's phones. The Moto app adds deeper customization options than what can be found in a pure stock build. The biggest catch, however, is limited software support covering two years of OS updates and three years of security patches. Even Samsung's A16 offers six-year coverage at half the cost, and Google's Pixel 9a stretches to seven for $100 more. Mid-range is all about trade-offs, but you have to decide whether the stylus is worth sacrificing four more years of updates. Moto G Stylus (2025): Moto AI Motorola wants its mid-ranger to keep pace with the premium AI features found on more expensive devices, and Moto AI offers some of the more table-stakes AI features with mixed results. Magic Eraser can indeed remove objects from photos in the camera roll, but portions of the image can look as though they were bathed in acid. I wanted to enjoy Sketch-to-Image with its promise to turn doodles into fully realized art, but the results rarely match my sketches very closely. Moto AI seems to prefer wholesale re-imaginings in place of true collaboration. Processing happens in the cloud, so turnaround is inconsistent, though within reasonable bounds. Overall, I was less than impressed with Moto AI's output on the Moto G Stylus 2025. Moto G Stylus (2025): Stylus experience As I said earlier, I am not a stylus super-fan. Having cleared the air on that, I can share that I'm pretty impressed by how much the passive stylus here gets right, especially when compared to the three times more expensive Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Latency feels competitive with Samsung's S Pen, and I never felt slowed down while jotting notes freehand. Ejecting the stylus from a locked display launches a blank Moto Note most of the time, though I did encounter instances where I still had to tap the power button to kick things off. Popping the stylus out while the screen is on produces an on-screen shortcut bar similar in function to Samsung's Air Command. The fat nub on the tip of the stylus feels smooth and glassy with almost zero drag. Now, that being said, it's not perfect: there's no pressure sensitivity, making this far from ideal for anything beyond casual art, and palm rejection was often an iffy affair, forcing me to hover my writing hand awkwardly at times. For the basics, like scribbling quick ideas the moment they hit, the stylus definitely comes in handy. Moto G Stylus (2025): Cameras The 50MP main camera is improved over last year's model (one I didn't test), and I'm genuinely satisfied with its output in good light. Colors are pushed a bit further than what I'm used to from my daily driver, the Pixel 9 Pro, but the eye-popping look pairs beautifully with the AMOLED display. Outdoor shots keep cloud detail while preserving the information-dense landscape below. Night shots were always a mixed bag and rarely matched the quality that I'm used to from the Pixel 9a. Macro mode let me creep up on a stupid ant on our countertop, and the wood fibers on our backyard fence are captured with respectable detail intact. The wide-angle lens handled sunset playground shots of my kids with surprising poise. I was concerned that their quick movements in a low-light environment would result in smearing faces, but thankfully wasn't the case at all. The selfie camera is fine in a pinch, though things look crunchy on a larger monitor. Portrait mode did a reasonable job of simulating bokeh while I stood on a bridge in Petaluma, with only minor edge-detection misses. Is this the best mid-range camera? No, the Pixel 9a still takes that cake, but Motorola is closer than ever. Moto G Stylus (2025): Battery life and charging The phone is so slim and narrow that it's hard to believe a 5,000 mAh battery hides inside, yet I'm thrilled it does because the Moto G Stylus 2025 is an excellent battery performer. I looped a 4K YouTube video at max brightness for ten solid hours before it finally ran out of juice and powered itself off. In daily use, the phone routinely crossed a day and a half, sometimes flirting with two full days on a single charge. The Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 balances performance and power consumption well, and it shows. Though you won't find it in the box, the phone is capable of an impressive 68W of wired charging speed with the Motorola TurboPower 68W Charger. Midrange devices like this often easily sacrifice wireless charging to get the price down, but Motorola has included 15W wireless charging support that came in incredibly handy during my long car rides to my daughter's swim meets. It's not the fastest charge, but it still beats my much more expensive Pixel 9 Pro's 12W wireless charging speed on standard Qi charging pads. Moto G Stylus (2025): Verdict It has never been more exciting for midrange devices. Instead of being a category full of let-downs, companies are finally identifying a few key features that can truly set a handset apart. Motorola continues to deliver on its color science, along with its faux vegan leather that gives the lineup a recognizable signature that doesn't feel cheap or gaudy. Not only that, but Motorola is doubling down on critical pillars like battery life, premium display quality, respectable cameras, and solid performance. The biggest standout is the included stylus that, while not as cutting-edge as Samsung's, is a practical everyday tool for almost every pen fan except maybe hardcore artists. Color me impressed by the Moto G Stylus 2025. There really are no other phones that offer all of this, plus a built-in stylus, at this price point.
Phone Arena
05-05-2025
- Phone Arena
Moto G Stylus (2025) vs (2024): Worth the upgrade over last year's model?
Motorola's affordable stylus-powered phone has returned for 2025, but is the upgrade everyone was hoping for? With a new display, faster stylus, upgraded chipset and quicker charging, it's clear Motorola wants this year's version to feel like a real step forward. Still, there is one major drawback with the new model — battery the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) remains a solid pick with one of the best battery scores we've seen in this price range, and it was the first in the series to make the leap to OLED. The question is: do you upgrade to the new model or do you stick to the older one? Well, you might want to consider upgrading this year, despite some obvious drawbacks. Thankfully, the price still remains $399 for 256 GB of storage and 8 GB RAM, so no unpleasant surprises there. The latest Moto G Stylus model is finally here. You can order one at the official store. At the time of writing, there are no available discounts, but you can get a price cut by trading in an eligible device. Buy at Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2025) vs Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) differences explained: The overall rating of the Moto G Stylus (2024) is slightly higher because of its much better battery life, which is a crucial aspect to take into account. That said, the Moto G Stylus (2025) has a lot of small improvements that make it a better phone in other areas, like its performance, charging speed and the improved stylus. Table of Contents: Design and Display Performance and Software Camera Battery Audio Specs Conclusion Also read: The Moto G Stylus is easier to handle thanks to its smaller body. | Image by PhoneArena The design language for both phones is nearly identical — both feature Motorola's signature synthetic leather backs, which feel nice in the hand and help reduce fingerprints. The 2025 version keeps the same basic size and shape but improves durability with MIL-STD-810H and IP68 certifications. Equally comfortable to hold. | Image by PhoneArena The G Stylus (2025) is exactly the same size as its predecessor, so it would feel familiar for anyone who is upgrading to the new phones come in stylish color options — Gibraltar Sea and Surf the Web for the new Stylus, while the older model came in Caramel Latte and Scarlet Wave. The Moto G Stylus has an even brighter and sharper display than its predecessor. | Image by PhoneArena The most visible difference lies is in the display. The 2025 G Stylus steps things up with a sharper 2712 x 1220 AMOLED panel and an impressive 1692-nit peak brightness — great for outdoor use. On the other hand, the 2024 model reached around 1221 nits during our tests. However, both phones are perfectly usable in bright conditions, so while the higher brightness levels are nice on paper, they aren't a game-changer. The new model comes with two promised years of OS upgrades vs just one on the 2024 version. | Image by PhoneArena The 2025 model runs on the newer Snapdragon 6 Gen 3, offering better performance — albeit mostly when it comes to the GPU — when compared to the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chip inside the 2024 G Stylus. Both phones come with 8 GB RAM with 256 GB of storage, expandable via microSD. The 2025 model also supports AI features like Circle to Search and Sketch to Image via its upgraded stylus, which is much more responsive this important change is software support: Motorola promises 2 years of OS updates for the 2025 G Stylus, whereas the 2024 model only gets one. Even though the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 is two generations newer, it is not that much faster as far as CPU performance goes. While we didn't see much of a difference when comparing the CPU performance, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 showed its prowess in the GPU department. There's an approximately 27-28% improvement in graphical performance, which comes in handy when using photo and video editting apps. You get two cameras on both. | Image by PhoneArena The cameras are mostly the same on paper — 50 MP main, 13 MP ultrawide, and 32 MP front — but the 2025 G Stylus adds a new Sony LYTIA 700C sensor for the main camera. This results in better low-light performance and more consistent HDR compared to the 2024 model. The new model also does better when it comes to processing, producing more a vibrant and color-accurate image compared to its predecessor. The ultrawide and selfie camera performance on the new G Stylus was surprisingly worse during our lab tests, but the differences are not visible in everyday use. The G Stylus (2025) main camera is visibly sharper. Motorola has also done a much better job with this year's version when it comes to color reproduction and the post-processing part. The image from the older G Stylus looks unnatural because of the blue tint that's present in the shadow of the building. In contrast, the colors of the 2025 G Stylus' camera are more true to life. It also seems like the photo taken with the new model is slightly sharper. The ultra-wide camera on the Moto G Stylus (2025) captures more detail in the shadows, resulting in a more balanced exposure overall. The G Stylus (2024)'s selfie camera adds a noticeable blue tint to photos and produces more muted colors than what's seen in real life. Stay tuned for video samples. The new Moto G Stylus comes with much faster charging, and worse battery life. | Image by PhoneArena Here's where the 2024 model still shines. Its less powerful chip and dimmer display resulted in excellent battery scores across our tests and it lasted for about two days on a single charge. We can't say the same about the G Stylus (2025), though, which could hardly carry us through a single day. The battery on the new Stylus dropped especially quickly while I was watching YouTube, which I do a lot the 2025 model claws back some usability thanks to its 68W wired charging, which fills up the battery in under 45 minutes. Both models support 15W wireless charging. As you can see from our battery life tests as well, the Moto G Stylus has been downgraded severely. Last year we gave the 2024 model an estimated battery life of 8 hours and 25 minutes, which was one of the best scores we saw in this price segment. With the Moto G Stylus (2025), however, the number has dropped to a mere 5 hours and 17 minutes. The most staggering difference is in the Video streaming test, where — for some reason — the new G Stylus lasted about 8 hours less than its predecessor. Both phones feature stereo speakers, and the 3.5mm headphone jack that came with the 2024 model is still alive and well on the Moto G Stylus (2025). The new generation has clearer and louder speakers, although at the cost of a more rich sound profile. In contrast, the older generation sounds more rich, but has lower volume. Haptics are basic on both, but the Moto G Stylus (2025) didn't make me want to switch vibration off immediately like it's predecessor did. You might want to consider the new G Stylus. | Image by PhoneArena There's lots to love about the new Moto G Stylus. It's upgraded and more responsive stylus and longer software support are enough to make you consider upgrading. Of course, I we can't deny that it is disappointing to see the battery life get downgraded so much, when last year's model did so well in our tests. But Motorola has included more than double the charging speed (although with no charger in the box), which kind of helps with that issue. If you are considering upgrading from the Moto G Stylus (2024) to the Moto G Stylus (2025), you probably won't be disappointed. The benefits outweigh the one downgrade, as long as you keep a watchful eye of that battery percentage.
