The Moto G Stylus (2024) was one of last year’s best values, giving us a fantastic blend of performance and battery life. It’s also one of the few phones left with a stylus. While I’m not bold enough to say it’s a direct competitor to the Galaxy S25 Ultra, it does provide a surprising amount of utility for significantly less money. If you’re a stylus fan who doesn’t want to spend over $1,000 on a smartphone, here are 5 reasons the Moto G Stylus is the phone I’d buy in 2025, especially for only $250.
Read our review
Moto G Stylus 5G (2024): Great hardware ruined by bad software
Moto’s hardware keeps getting better, so why can’t its Android experience keep up?
1
Stunning display
It doesn’t get much better at this price
Every time I pick up the Moto G Stylus, I’m amazed by its display. For $250, it’s a panel that punches well above its weight, and I’d take it over some screens I’ve seen for double the price. It’s a gorgeous 6.7-inch P-OLED (read: symmetrical bezels) with a 1080p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. It’s vibrant and responsive, with some of the most saturated colors on any smartphone. Games look fantastic, and video content pops off the screen. Motorola puts some of the best panels on phones under $500, and I appreciate the company’s dedication to bringing quality phone screens at lower price points.
Overall, I enjoy the Moto G Stylus’ design. While its plastic frame may turn some off, its eco-leather back feels fantastic. I prefer the Scarlett Wave colorway, but I don’t think it looks terrible in Caramel Latte. At 190g, it’s relatively lightweight, a welcome change from the hefty flagships we’re used to. It’s a phone that looks more expensive than it is without cheapening out on materials — hard to beat that.
2
Stylus
A pen for less than $1,000
The pen in the Moto G Stylus might not be Bluetooth, but neither is the S Pen on the $1,300 Galaxy S25 Ultra anymore. I understand the two products are still not equal, as the Galaxy S25 Ultra stylus supports pressure-sensitive inputs, but the Moto G Stylus will do the job for most of what you’ll do with a pen. I actually prefer the default suite of pen apps on the Moto G Stylus, and I love how easy it is to create a GIF and send it to friends. Regular notetaking works well, and you won’t know the difference between a $1,300 smartphone and a $250 device when you’re pulling out the pen quickly to jot down a phone number.
Motorola’s Hello UI has grown on me. Although the company’s version of Android 14 is quite a departure from previous years, its software badly needed a refresh. Don’t worry; all your favorite Moto gestures are still here even though the look and feel have changed. Unfortunately, you shouldn’t set your watch to Motorola’s software updates, as the company has a habit of letting them slip. Security updates will keep coming for another two years, but it’s not a phone you buy looking for the latest and greatest in Android features.
3
Performance
It’s snappier than you’d think
Although it has a slightly older chipset, I’m still pleased with the performance of the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, which powers the Moto G Stylus. The device handles daily tasks smoothly, and social media and light gaming are free of hiccups or slowdowns. I would expect more at the phone’s original $400 MSRP, but it’s hard to complain at its new $250 price tag. I can also multitask without much difficulty, scrolling through two apps. Don’t expect to rip through AAA mobile games on high settings, but it’ll do most of what you need to.
A significant reason for the Moto G Stylus’s excellent performance for the price is its 8GB of RAM. RAM is the key spec on budget phones, as it prevents low-powered chipsets from constantly opening programs. The more RAM you have, the longer apps and the system UI stay cached, and the smoother the end-user experience will be. More budget phone makers must prioritize RAM over flashier specs because it makes a difference. I’m glad Motorola has embraced more RAM at lower price points.
4
Battery life
All-day battery and then some
My Moto G Stylus routinely provides two days of battery life. Its 5,000mAh battery cell and the power-efficient Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 make for a fantastic combination. Motorola has impressed me with battery life on its budget offerings in recent years, but it is usually not paired with better performance like on the G Stylus. Not having battery anxiety is a welcome change, and I don’t need to fret in the morning if I realize I never plugged my phone in.
I wish Motorola had included faster charging on the G Stylus. While TurboPower is an excellent feature on its other phones, it’s only 30W on the Moto G Stylus. Faster charging would’ve enhanced the overall package, but I can’t complain, considering the price.
5
Price
It’s easy on the wallet
The Moto G Stylus (2024) has plenty of shortcomings if you pay $400. Software support is almost non-existent, and the phone is underpowered compared to other midrange monsters. However, for $250, some deficiencies become forgivable, and I can live with the compromises I make when picking up the G Stylus at a discount. It’s also not all compromises, as you pick up a few features long-forgotten by flagship phones in 2025.
The Moto G Stylus has a 3.5mm headphone jack, so you won’t be confined to wireless headsets. It also features a MicroSD card slot for expandable storage, a feature you won’t find on many devices, even for significantly more. If you’re into old-school features, the Moto G Stylus brings them back in a modern package.
You don’t need to spend much for a stylus
No one is saying the Moto G Stylus can go toe-to-toe with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and you won’t get many software features and updates like Galaxy AI. The G Stylus pen covers many of the same functions, but it’s not entirely as accurate or feature-packed. However, if you’re in the market for a solid phone with a stylus that won’t break the bank, the Moto G Stylus is worth looking at, especially if you only pay $250 to pick up one brand new.
Moto G Stylus 5G (2024)
If you’re in the market for a phone with a stylus and you don’t want to break the bank, the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) is going to be hard to beat. With an upgraded 120Hz OLED screen and up to 16GB of RAM paired with as much as 256GB of storage, it’s got the specs slider maxed out at its $400 price point.
