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Motorola’s Stylus lineup has represented the upper finish of the corporate’s midrange telephones for years. After LG’s departure, it was one of many solely different smartphones to hold a built-in stylus, other than Samsung’s premium S telephones just like the Galaxy S25 Extremely. So naturally, with the Moto G Stylus 2025, there is a little bit of stress to essentially entice clients away from a flagship telephone that prices greater than 3 times as a lot.
Fortuitously, I believe Motorola has nailed it. The Stylus 2025 improves on final yr’s mannequin in methods I did not suppose the corporate was prepared for, with specs that simply rival among the finest Android telephones. And whereas the $400 price ticket means you will not get all of the capabilities of a premium Android smartphone, the Moto G Stylus 2025 has nearly the whole lot you’d want with out all of the superfluous bells and whistles that find yourself costing you $1000 or extra.
Moto G Stylus 2025: Worth, availability, and specs
The Moto G Stylus 2025 was introduced on April 8 and went on sale in the US on April 17. The telephone retails for $399 when bought unlocked from Motorola and retailers like Amazon and Finest Purchase.
Shade choices embody Gibraltar Sea and Surf the Net, though availability could rely upon the service. Relying on the place you purchase it, you get 128GB or 256GB of storage, nevertheless it’ll include 8GB of RAM both method.
Class | Moto G Stylus 2025 |
|---|---|
OS | Android 15 (Whats up UX) |
Updates | 2 OS, 3 yr of bi-monthly safety updates |
Show | 6.7” Tremendous HD (2712 x 1220), OLED, 120Hz refresh price |
Chipset | Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 |
Storage | 128GB/256GB, expandable |
Reminiscence | 8GB LPDDR4X |
Rear Digicam 1 | 50MP vast, Sony – LYTIA 700C, f/1.8, OIS, 1μm (2μm with pixel binning) |
Rear Digicam 2 | 13MP ultrawide, f/2.2, 120° FOV, 1.12μm |
Entrance-facing Digicam | 32MP vast, f/2.2, 0.7μm (1.4μm with pixel binning) |
Audio | Twin stereo audio system, Dolby Atmos, 2 mics, FM radio |
Safety | Gorilla Glass 3, IP68, MIL-STD-810H |
Battery & Charging | 5,000mAh, 68W wired charging, 15W wi-fi charging |
Connectivity | 5G (sub-6), Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi 6E, NFC |
Safety | Fingerprint sensor, face unlock |
Dimensions | 162.15 x 74.78 x 8.29mm |
Weight | 191g |
Colours | Gibraltar Sea, Surf the Net |
Moto G Stylus 2025: What I like
I’ve beforehand famous how there are a whole lot of issues to love concerning the Moto G Stylus 2025, and after spending extra time with the telephone, all of that also rings true. The telephone has a splendidly easy but efficient design that mirrors a few of final yr’s flagships just like the Edge 50 Extremely. The digital camera housing has developed to a extra stove-like design, whereas the vegan leather-based encases the whole again properly. It is a gentle and really comfy telephone to carry.
It is a fairly large telephone, with a show at 6.7 inches, however the bezels are smaller than you’d anticipate for a telephone at this value level. The telephone can be a hair thinner than the Moto G Stylus 5G 2024, however the battery capability continues to be the identical, which is sweet.
Motorola did one thing I did not anticipate with the Stylus show, pushing it past what many midrange (and most flagships) provide by giving it a Tremendous HD decision. It is not a decision I’ve seen a lot on a smartphone, nevertheless it makes the OLED show seem extremely crisp.
It is shocking, given how Motorola is pushing the next decision than the bottom Galaxy S25, whereas rising brightness to three,000 nits. The result’s a pointy, vivid show that is nearly pretty much as good as the brand new Razr Extremely 2025, and albeit, I might like to see extra flagship telephones with this decision.
The telephone is powered by a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3, coupled with 8GB of RAM. I might’ve cherished to see a extra highly effective chip, perhaps one thing within the 7 collection, however after utilizing the telephone over the previous few weeks, I can fortunately report that the telephone performs fairly effectively. The software program is snappy, apps open rapidly, and video games play fairly effectively.
Chances are you’ll expertise some dropped frames when you’re taking part in one thing graphically heavy like Honkai: Star Rail on the very best settings, however the telephone is greater than able to easy gameplay on excessive settings.
The Moto G Stylus 2025 runs Android 15 out of the field. It is not a lot completely different from Android 14, and Motorola’s Whats up UX is a largely inoffensive tackle Android. There’s not a lot built-in customization, a minimum of on the degrees you will discover on OnePlus telephones, for instance, however I do not see this as a draw back, particularly if you wish to preserve issues easy. In spite of everything, it is a $400 telephone, so anybody shopping for this almost certainly is not an influence consumer.
I respect the noticeable lack of bloatware. Other than a random gaming folder that you may simply disable and the Look display that is turned off by default, Motorola has achieved an incredible job minimizing pointless software program on its midrange and funds telephones.
I additionally respect that Motorola is enhancing its software program replace promise, even by slightly. The telephone is ready to obtain two OS upgrades and three years of bi-weekly software program updates. Final yr’s Moto G Stylus 5G 2024 has been receiving updates fairly persistently, and the Moto G Stylus 2023 acquired Android 14 earlier than the Razr Plus 2023 did, so I am hoping Motorola can preserve this up.
There may be some AI right here, however do not anticipate a Pixel 9a right here. Motorola’s Moto AI options are largely reserved for higher-end telephones, however there are nonetheless some goodies right here price declaring. Circle to Search is certainly one of my favourite options, and it is nice to see it on this telephone.
Along with the same old Google Pictures AI enhancing capabilities, Motorola additionally included a brand new Sketch to Picture characteristic that generates pictures in several kinds primarily based on what you draw. It is a neat characteristic and works pretty equally to Samsung’s characteristic of the identical title, though not as absolutely featured. Nonetheless, it is a enjoyable characteristic to indicate off and probably a good way to maintain a toddler occupied if needed.
One other method Motorola applies AI is to the digital camera expertise. The corporate upgraded the Moto G Stylus 2025 to a 50MP Sony LYTIA 700C sensor, and whereas final yr’s telephone took fairly respectable photographs, I’ve not been disillusioned with the photograph high quality from this digital camera both. For probably the most half, pictures are crisp and vibrant, significantly in good lighting.
You may get some fairly good natural-looking bokeh from pictures, and the macro pictures from the ultrawide digital camera are additionally surprisingly good for these of you who prefer to take close-up pictures of nature.
Picture 1 of 10
In comparison with final yr’s mannequin, the Stylus 2025 does not try to brighten shadows almost as a lot. Then again, pictures from the Stylus 2024 can typically seem a bit synthetic and have flatter colours.
The place the AI is available in is with Motion Shot, which may seize very high-speed pictures of shifting topics to scale back blur and make sure the topic is in focus. You may see from the pictures under how the Stylus 2025 does a a lot better job of capturing operating water or a practice in movement, though it could come on the expense of some dynamic vary.
Principally, it is a good characteristic to have when you personal pets or have youngsters.
Battery life is fairly nice, which is par for the course for Motorola’s G collection. I might simply get a day of use from the Stylus 2025, and you will probably get the identical or extra, relying in your use.
Motorola additionally managed to get 68W charging on a $400 telephone, which feels too good to be true for North America, nevertheless it actually is unbelievable. From 1%, the telephone will attain 50% in 20 minutes and 100% in 39 minutes. Somebody inform Samsung.
Moto G Stylus 2025: What I do not like
Like final yr’s mannequin, the Moto G Stylus 2025 makes use of an in-display fingerprint sensor. Frankly, it is not dangerous, nevertheless it’s not my favourite both. It takes a second to register, and it is positioned uncomfortably low on the show. This is identical concern I had with the Stylus 5G 2024, so it is annoying to see right here, too.
Moreover, the sensor flashes a really vivid white if you use it, which is especially jarring, particularly when utilizing the telephone in darkish areas.
The digital camera additionally has a couple of quirks, which I hope Motorola can tweak or repair with future updates. The telephone does effectively in good lighting situations, and post-processing can typically properly improve pictures past what’s captured, nevertheless it does not appear to do too effectively in trickier lighting conditions. Because of this, some pictures can seem too darkish or heavy in distinction. Once more, it is about choice, however I want to see a minimum of some enhancements with the way it handles darker scenes.
It appears humorous that that is even a problem, given Motorola’s curious and seemingly pointless inclusion of a 3-in-1 mild sensor (that third “digital camera” on the again).
Moreover, whereas video could be fairly first rate and secure as much as 1080p at 60fps, issues will begin to crap out when you hit 4K30. The digital camera would usually crap out and utterly crash when making an attempt to file a 4K video, which is sort of a bummer.
Picture 1 of 3
On the software program entrance, it will have been good to see Motorola give the telephone extra Moto AI options, even when they’re cloud-based, though at $400, this is not actually one thing we must always anticipate from a tool at this value level.
Equally, with Motorola’s software program promise, which admittedly could possibly be higher. We have seen the corporate provide a mid-range G-series telephone 5 OS upgrades and 6 years of software program updates, and it will be good to see that degree of help on what could possibly be thought of the corporate’s “hero” Moto G telephone in North America.
Lastly, whereas its good to nonetheless have a stylus telephone aside from Samsung’s premium Galaxy S25 Extremely, it feels a bit laggy, even after Motorola alleged to enhance responsiveness by 4X.
I do like that Motorola lastly gave it some function by including the Sketch to Picture characteristic, however I am unable to assist however marvel if Motorola could be higher off together with an lively stylus like an S Pen for probably higher usability or simply taking away it altogether and giving us a much bigger battery or one thing.
Moto G Stylus 2025: Competitors
At this value level, the closest competitor for the Moto G Stylus 2025 could be the Samsung Galaxy A36. As a result of it is Samsung, you are getting a a lot better software program promise and a few enjoyable built-in AI options like Object Eraser. Nevertheless, charging pace continues to be slower, the display is not as sharp, there’s much less base RAM, and you aren’t getting expandable storage.
You might additionally spring for the Pixel 9a when you do not thoughts spending slightly extra. This manner, you may get a greater software program promise, extra shade choices, and tons of AI options. Nevertheless, it prices $100 extra, and you will miss out on the sooner charging speeds.
You might additionally go for the Nothing Cellphone 3a or Cellphone 3a Professional, each of that are equally priced and have spectacular specs. Nevertheless, they might even be exhausting to come up with as they’re solely obtainable by means of Nothing’s beta program, and service help is not as sturdy or dependable.
Moto G Stylus 2025: Must you purchase it?
You should purchase this if…
- You are out there for a great, reasonably priced telephone.
- You desire a telephone with a built-in stylus pen.
- You need good battery life and quick charging.
You should not purchase this if…
- You need all the most recent AI options from Google.
- You intend to maintain the telephone for greater than three years.
It is powerful to seek out causes to not suggest the Moto G Stylus 2025. Regardless of a few of its drawbacks, this is among the finest Android telephones beneath $400, and one you undoubtedly should not sleep on, even with dearer telephones just like the Pixel 9a looming over it.
The specs and efficiency make this an incredible telephone for the value, and the digital camera is surprisingly good, even when it wants a little bit of tweaking. And whereas the telephone is not excellent, not one of the negatives really feel like dealbreakers to me, even after a couple of weeks. Finally, the Moto G Stylus 2025 solidifies Motorola because the king of reasonably priced telephones in North America.
What $400 will get you
The Moto G Stylus 2025 is proof that you just needn’t spend a bunch of cash on a flagship when you may get an analogous expertise for half the value.
