Moto G Stylus 5G Review: The Best Mid-Range Phone With a Pen
If you want a built-in stylus, Samsung used to be the only real game in town. But their Ultra phones cost well over a thousand dollars. That is where Motorola steps in. The Moto G Stylus 5G brings that built-in pen experience down to a mid-range price tag without stripping away the features you actually care about.
I spent two full weeks carrying the Moto G Stylus 5G as my main device. It nails the screen, battery, and build quality. Still, it makes a few compromises you should know about before pulling out your wallet.
Key Specs Breakdown
| Feature | Specs |
| Display | 6.7-inch 120Hz AMOLED (1220 x 2712), Corning Gorilla Glass |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 (4nm) |
| RAM / Storage | 8GB RAM / 128GB or 256GB (Dedicated microSD slot) |
| Rear Cameras | 50MP Main (OIS) + 13MP Ultrawide / Macro |
| Front Camera | 32MP |
| Battery & Charging | 5,200 mAh, 68W Wired, 15W Wireless |
| Build & Extras | Vegan leather back, 3.5mm audio jack, IP68/IP69 rating |
Design and Build: Soft Leather and Water Protection
Motorola nailed the physical feel of this phone. The back features a soft silicone vegan leather finish that feels great in the hand. It grips easily and stays clean. You will not find fingerprint smudges here.
It is surprisingly tough, too. Moto packed an IP68/IP69 water resistance rating into this chassis. That means it can survive submersions and direct water jets without breaking a sweat.
Durability Breakdown:
[ Plastic Back Phones ] ----> Shows scratches and smudges easily
[ Moto G Stylus 5G ] -------> Vegan Leather + IP69 Water Jet Rating
The 6.7-inch 120Hz AMOLED display is gorgeous. Colors pop, contrast is deep, and outdoor visibility is top-tier. Media watching on this panel is pure joy, especially with the loud stereo speakers tuned by Dolby Atmos.
The Built-In Stylus: Smooth, But Basic
The main reason to buy this phone is right there in the bottom corner. Push the slot, and out pops the built-in stylus.
Screen-off note-taking works instantly. Pull the pen out, and a blank canvas appears right away. Hand-written notes feel responsive, and sketching feels natural enough for everyday scratchpad work.
- Quick Notes: Jot down shopping lists without unlocking your display.
- Precision Editing: Perfect for highlighting text, cropping photos, or signing PDFs.
- The Catch: It lacks Bluetooth shortcuts. You cannot use the button as a remote camera shutter like on Samsung’s S-Pen.
Camera Performance: Great Main Lens, Mixed Ultrawide
The primary 50MP Sony camera with OIS is a clear highlight. In daylight, shots turn out detailed and punchy. Dynamic range is solid, and optical stabilization keeps low-light photos surprisingly sharp.
Camera Setup:
[ 50MP Main (OIS) ] ===> Sharp photos, rich colors, great low-light performance
[ 13MP Ultrawide ] ===> Handy for landscapes, but soft around the edges
The 13MP ultrawide doubles as a macro lens. Close-up shots look decent if you have plenty of sunlight. But in dim rooms, macro photos get grainy fast.
Selfies from the 32MP front camera look clean. Skin tones look realistic, though portrait mode can occasionally miss stray hairs.
Performance and Battery: All-Day Power
Powering the device is the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chip. Daily tasks run smoothly. Swiping through social apps, streaming video, and split-screen multitasking happen without stutters.
Gaming performance is decent, but keep your expectations realistic. Casual games run at maximum speed. Heavy 3D titles will require moderate graphics settings to keep frame rates steady.
Battery Endurance vs Charging:
[ 5,200 mAh Battery ] ---> 1.5 to 2 days of mixed usage
[ Fast Charging ] ---> 68W Wired + 15W Wireless support
Battery life is stellar. The 5,200 mAh cell easily stretches past a full day of heavy use. When you finally drain it, 68W fast charging gets you back to full in around 45 minutes, and wireless charging is included.
Real-World Downsides
No phone is perfect. Here is where the Moto G Stylus 5G falls short:
- Short Update Window: Motorola still lags behind Google and Samsung on software support. You get fewer major OS upgrades.
- Warm Under Load: The back panel can get noticeably warm during long gaming sessions or fast charging.
- No Bluetooth Stylus Tricks: The pen is passive, so no wireless gesture controls.
The Final Verdict
The Moto G Stylus 5G delivers incredible value for under $500. You get a built-in pen, a bright AMOLED screen, excellent battery life, and rare features like a 3.5mm headphone jack and microSD expansion.
If you want an affordable note-taking phone that handles everyday tasks with ease, this phone earns a solid recommendation.