We were first introduced to the Moto G Stylus in 2020 as part of Motorola’s refreshed mid-range lineup. While it’s otherwise a fairly forgettable budget phone, the inclusion of a stylus — along with excellent battery life and near-stock Android — made for a very compelling package compared to similar devices in the US. Unsurprisingly, a new model is on the way for 2022, with some new leaked specs and software info providing some exciting — and disappointing — facts about the company’s successor.
According to a report from the folks at XDA Developers, the 2022 Moto G Stylus is set to be a relatively modest yet capable budget phone. It’ll feature an expansive 6.78-inch LCD display with a 2460x1080p resolution and, as we learned previously, a 90Hz refresh rate. It’s similar to last year’s model, except this time with a slightly taller aspect ratio (roughly 20.5:9) and a higher refresh rate.
As for what’s inside, the phone is reportedly powered by a MediaTek Helio G85 CPU, a similar SoC to the Snapdragon 678 that was equipped in last year’s model. It should include up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, though if that’s not enough space for you, the ever-reliable microSD slot is still here.
In terms of cameras, a 50MP Samsung ISOCELL S5KJN1 main sensor, an 8MP ISOCELL S5K4H7 ultra-wide, and a 2MP GalaxyCore GC02M1 depth sensor make up the rear-facing setup. Meanwhile, a 16MP fixed-focus lens, the OV16A1Q, will address all of your selfie needs. It’s also set to sport a 5,000 mAh battery with 10W charging, a fingerprint sensor embedded in the power button, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
That all sounds pretty good, but you might want to hold onto your cash a little while longer. The original report mentions that the phone will launch with Android 11 and will only get a single major update — to Android 12, of course — followed up with bi-monthly security updates for two years. Motorola’s support for non-flagship smartphones is notoriously bad (and to think the company was good at this stuff at one point). Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be getting any better anytime soon.
Launching a phone in 2022 with Android 11 is bad enough, but the fact that the only promised update is to software that’s already rolling out to other phones makes it even worse. Then again, last year’s Moto G Stylus was also launched with Android 10, so you could say this is just par for the course.
If you don’t care about major updates, though, the device should be launching sometime soon — after all, Motorola typically announces these devices in January.
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