Motorola Moto G Stylus Review

• Overview
• Design and Build Quality
• Display
• Performance
• Software and User Interface
• Camera
• Battery Life
• Connectivity and Networking
• Additional Features
• Comparison with Other Related Phones
• Pros and Cons
• Conclusion

Overview

The Motorola Moto G Stylus is a versatile smartphone that combines style, functionality, and affordability. With its sleek design and aluminum frame, it exudes a premium feel. The standout feature of this device is its built-in stylus, which allows for precise and effortless note-taking, doodling, and editing. The large 6.4-inch IPS LCD display provides vibrant visuals, while the Snapdragon 665 chipset ensures smooth performance. The triple camera setup captures stunning photos and videos, with the 48 MP main lens taking center stage. With a generous 128GB of internal storage and expandable memory, you'll never run out of space for your files. Priced at an attractive $94.42, the Moto G Stylus offers incredible value for the features it offers. It's available in the captivating Mystic Indigo color.

Design and Build Quality

The Motorola Moto G Stylus boasts an elegant and sleek design with a premium look and feel. Its physical appearance is characterized by a large 6.4-inch IPS LCD display, which covers approximately 83.7% of the front, providing an immersive viewing experience. The device has a form factor that is comfortable to hold, thanks to its dimensions of 158.6 x 75.8 x 9.2 mm (6.24 x 2.98 x 0.36 in) and a weight of 192g (6.77 oz). The use of a glass front and a plastic back, along with an aluminum frame, gives the Moto G Stylus a sturdy build quality and durability. Additionally, the device features a water-repellent coating, adding an extra layer of protection against accidental spills or light rain. The back panel showcases a sleek and minimalistic design with a fingerprint sensor embedded within the Motorola logo. The textured finish on the back provides a comfortable grip while holding the phone, enhancing its ergonomics. The placement of buttons and controls is well-thought-out, ensuring easy accessibility and one-handed usability. The bezels surrounding the display are relatively thin, contributing to a larger screen-to-body ratio and a more immersive visual experience. Overall, the design and build of the Motorola Moto G Stylus demonstrates a combination of aesthetics, robustness, and user-friendly features, making it an attractive and reliable choice for users seeking a stylish and functional smartphone with a built-in stylus.

Display

The Motorola Moto G Stylus features a 6.4-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1080 x 2300 pixels and a pixel density of approximately 399 ppi. The screen is large and provides a decent amount of real estate for enjoying multimedia content and navigating through apps. It has an aspect ratio that offers an immersive viewing experience and a screen-to-body ratio of around 83.7%, which means minimal bezels and a more expansive display area.

The LCD technology used in the Moto G Stylus delivers accurate colors and good vibrancy, making images and videos look vibrant and lifelike. While it may not offer the deep blacks and infinite contrast ratio of OLED displays, the LCD panel on this device still provides an enjoyable visual experience.

In terms of brightness levels, the display offers adequate brightness for indoor use. However, outdoor visibility might be slightly compromised under bright sunlight. The screen's touch responsiveness is smooth and snappy, ensuring a seamless user experience.

To protect the display from scratches and minor impacts, the Moto G Stylus utilizes a durable glass front. Although it doesn't specify the use of Gorilla Glass, the device is equipped with a water-repellent coating, which adds an extra layer of protection against accidental spills and splashes.

The Moto G Stylus does not have a high refresh rate or support HDR content. It also lacks wide color gamut technology, which means it may not display colors as vividly as some premium devices. However, for its price range, the display offers a satisfactory viewing experience with decent viewing angles and an anti-reflective coating that helps reduce glare.

Additionally, the Moto G Stylus does not feature a notch design, allowing for an uninterrupted display. The bezels surrounding the screen are relatively slim, contributing to a modern and sleek aesthetic. There is no mention of an always-on display feature, but the device is likely to have adaptive brightness and screen calibration options for optimal viewing in different lighting conditions.

Overall, the display of the Motorola Moto G Stylus offers a decent size, accurate colors, and a satisfactory level of brightness. While it may not provide the latest display technologies found in higher-end devices, it still delivers a good visual experience within its price range.

Performance

The Motorola Moto G Stylus is equipped with a Qualcomm SDM665 Snapdragon 665 chipset, which provides a decent level of performance for everyday tasks. It features an octa-core CPU with four Kryo 260 Gold cores clocked at 2.0 GHz and four Kryo 260 Silver cores clocked at 1.8 GHz. This combination ensures smooth multitasking and app loading speeds, allowing users to navigate through various applications without experiencing significant lags or delays.

When it comes to gaming capabilities, the Moto G Stylus performs reasonably well. The Adreno 610 GPU delivers satisfactory graphics scores, enabling users to enjoy casual games and even some graphically demanding titles. While it may not be the best option for hardcore gamers, it still provides a decent gaming experience with acceptable frame rates and smooth gameplay.

In terms of benchmarks, the Moto G Stylus has undergone various tests to evaluate its performance. Synthetic benchmarks have shown that the Snapdragon 665 chipset performs adequately, achieving respectable scores in CPU benchmarks. This indicates that the processor is efficient in handling tasks and provides a smooth user experience.

The Moto G Stylus also benefits from system optimization and thermal management. The device is designed to handle tasks efficiently without overheating or experiencing thermal throttling. This ensures consistent performance even during extended gaming sessions or resource-intensive tasks.

While the Moto G Stylus may not be the most powerful device in its price range, it offers a reliable and lag-free performance for day-to-day usage. It strikes a good balance between power efficiency and performance, making it suitable for users who prioritize a smooth user experience over heavy gaming or demanding tasks. Overall, the Moto G Stylus provides a satisfactory performance, meeting the needs of the average user without breaking the bank.

Software and User Interface

The Motorola Moto G Stylus runs on the Android operating system, specifically Android 10, which is upgradable to Android 11. This ensures that users have access to the latest features and security updates. One of the notable aspects of the software on the Moto G Stylus is its user-friendliness. The interface is clean and intuitive, making it easy for users to navigate through the device. The operating system offers a range of customization options, allowing users to personalize their device to suit their preferences.

In terms of pre-installed apps, the Moto G Stylus comes with a selection of useful applications. These include Google apps such as Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Photos, which are essential for many users. Additionally, Motorola has kept bloatware to a minimum, ensuring that users have a clean and clutter-free experience. This allows users to have more control over the apps they choose to install and use on their device.

The software on the Moto G Stylus also includes features that enhance the user experience. For example, the device supports a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, allowing for convenient and secure unlocking. Additionally, the operating system supports features such as gesture navigation, which provides an alternative way of navigating through the device.

Overall, the software on the Motorola Moto G Stylus offers a user-friendly interface, customization options, and a selection of useful pre-installed apps. The clean and intuitive design, combined with the latest Android operating system, ensures a smooth and enjoyable user experience. Whether it's navigating through the device, personalizing settings, or accessing essential apps, the software on the Moto G Stylus provides a seamless and convenient experience for users.

Camera

The Motorola Moto G Stylus boasts an impressive camera setup, making it a great choice for photography enthusiasts. The main camera features a 48-megapixel lens with an aperture of f/1.7, allowing for excellent low-light performance and sharpness in images. The focal length of 26mm ensures a versatile range for capturing both wide-angle shots and close-ups with its dedicated 2-megapixel macro lens. Additionally, the device offers a 16-megapixel ultrawide lens that produces stunning panoramic shots with a 117˚ field of view.

The camera's image stabilization feature helps to reduce motion blur and shake, resulting in clearer and more stable photos and videos. Whether it's capturing vibrant and natural colors in daylight photography or ensuring optimal exposure and dynamic range in challenging lighting conditions, the Moto G Stylus excels in delivering impressive image quality.

For those who enjoy experimenting with different photography modes, the device offers various options such as portrait mode, HDR, panorama mode, and even a pro mode for manual control over camera settings. The AI scene recognition feature helps in identifying and optimizing settings for different scenarios, ensuring that each photo is captured with the best possible settings.

When it comes to video recording, the Moto G Stylus supports 4K video capture, allowing users to record high-resolution footage. The device also offers video stabilization, ensuring smoother and more professional-looking videos. Slow-motion video and time-lapse features are also available, adding creativity and versatility to the camera's capabilities.

Overall, the camera of the Motorola Moto G Stylus proves to be a standout feature, delivering exceptional image and video quality across a range of shooting conditions and modes.

Battery Life

The Motorola Moto G Stylus is equipped with a non-removable Li-Po 4000 mAh battery, which provides a decent amount of power to keep the device running throughout the day. This battery capacity is sufficient for most users, allowing them to use their phone for extended periods without constantly worrying about running out of juice. The device supports 10W wired charging, which is not the fastest in the market but still gets the job done. It doesn't offer wireless charging capabilities. In terms of battery performance, the Moto G Stylus offers good power efficiency, ensuring that the battery lasts longer. It also includes battery optimization features that help manage battery usage and minimize unnecessary drain. Standby time is also commendable, allowing users to leave their device idle for extended periods without significant battery drain. While it doesn't boast the fastest charging technology or the highest battery capacity, the Moto G Stylus provides a reliable and efficient battery experience for everyday use.

Connectivity and Networking

The Motorola Moto G Stylus offers a range of connectivity options to keep you connected wherever you go. With network compatibility for GSM, CDMA, HSPA, EVDO, and LTE, you can expect reliable coverage and data speeds. The device supports Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, allowing you to connect to both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks for faster and more stable internet access. Bluetooth 5.0 is included, providing improved wireless connectivity and compatibility with a wide range of devices. Unfortunately, NFC is not available on this model, so you won't be able to use contactless payment methods. The Moto G Stylus features a USB Type-C 2.0 port for charging and data transfer, offering a convenient and reversible connection. It also supports GPS, GLONASS, BDS, and GALILEO for accurate navigation and location services. Additionally, the device can act as a mobile hotspot, allowing you to share your internet connection with other devices. Overall, the Motorola Moto G Stylus provides a solid range of connectivity options, ensuring you stay connected and have access to essential features and services.

Additional Features

Additional Features of Motorola Moto G Stylus:

- Water-repellent coating: The Moto G Stylus comes with a water-repellent coating, providing some degree of protection against water splashes and accidental spills. While it doesn't have an official IP rating for water resistance, this feature adds a layer of durability to the device.
- Stylus: As the name suggests, the Moto G Stylus comes with a built-in stylus for enhanced productivity and creativity. The stylus allows for precise drawing, note-taking, and editing on the device's 6.4-inch IPS LCD display.
- Multiple advanced sensors: Along with the standard accelerometer and gyroscope, the Moto G Stylus is equipped with additional sensors to enhance its functionality. These advanced sensors enable motion sensing, environmental sensing, and other features that contribute to a more immersive user experience.
- Expandable storage: The Moto G Stylus offers a dedicated microSD card slot, allowing you to expand the device's internal storage up to 128GB. This provides ample space to store your files, photos, videos, and apps without worrying about running out of storage.
- USB Type-C 2.0: The device features a USB Type-C 2.0 port, enabling fast data transfer and charging. This modern connectivity option ensures convenience and compatibility with various peripherals and accessories.

Please note that while the Moto G Stylus has standout features like water resistance and a built-in stylus, it does not support wireless charging.

Comparison with Other Related Phones

The Motorola Moto G Stylus is a mid-range smartphone that offers a unique feature with its included stylus. When comparing it to related gadgets in the market, it stands out as a budget-friendly option with some impressive specifications and features.

In terms of competition, the Moto G Stylus can be compared to devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Note series and the LG Stylo series. While these devices offer similar stylus functionality, they are typically positioned as higher-end options with a higher price tag.

In terms of specifications, the Moto G Stylus features a 6.4-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1080 x 2300 pixels. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset and comes with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The device also has a triple camera setup on the back, with a 48MP main camera, a 16MP ultrawide camera, and a 2MP macro camera. On the front, there is a 16MP selfie camera.

Compared to its competitors, the Moto G Stylus offers a more budget-friendly option with a lower price point. While it may not have all the high-end features and specifications of the Samsung Galaxy Note series, it still provides a good value for the price.

In terms of performance, the Moto G Stylus offers smooth and reliable performance for everyday tasks. The Snapdragon 665 chipset and 4GB of RAM provide enough power for multitasking and running most apps and games. However, it may not be as powerful as some of the higher-end devices on the market.

One unique feature of the Moto G Stylus is its water-repellent coating, which provides some protection against accidental spills or splashes. This feature is not commonly found in devices in this price range, giving the Moto G Stylus a competitive advantage.

Overall, the Motorola Moto G Stylus offers a compelling option for consumers looking for a budget-friendly smartphone with stylus functionality. While it may not have all the high-end features of its competitors, it provides good value for the price and unique features that set it apart in the market.

Pros and Cons

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Motorola Moto G Stylus offers a compelling package for potential buyers seeking a budget-friendly smartphone with a stylus. Its large 6.4-inch display and responsive stylus make it ideal for note-taking and creative tasks. The triple camera setup delivers impressive photography capabilities, while the 16 MP front camera captures clear selfies. The device runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset, ensuring smooth performance for everyday tasks. However, the phone's 10W wired charging and lack of NFC may disappoint some users. Overall, the Moto G Stylus provides excellent value for its price point and is a solid choice for anyone in need of a versatile and affordable smartphone with a stylus.