Priced at $400, the Moto G Stylus 2025 makes no claims of being a flagship device. However, the integrated signature stylus nestled within its frame is a feature typically reserved for premium handsets like the esteemed Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. This distinction positions the Moto G Stylus as one of the few phones in its price bracket catering to dedicated note-takers, casual doodlers, and anyone who appreciates enhanced precision and control.
While not everyone is a die-hard stylus enthusiast, often needing a reminder to utilize it even when available, the Moto G Stylus 2025 proves it’s more than a one-trick pony. Motorola has skillfully packed an array of impressive features into this affordable package. The advancements seen in phones like this signify an exciting evolution in the increasingly competitive mid-range smartphone market for 2025.
Moto G Stylus (2025) Specifications
| Feature | Moto G Stylus 2025 |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 162.15 × 74.78 × 8.29mm (6.38 × 2.94 x .32 inches) |
| Weight | 191g (6.73 ounces) |
| Display | 6.7″ AMOLED, Super HD (2712 x 1220), 120Hz, 20:9, 446ppi |
| Processor and RAM | Snapdragon® 6 Gen 3, 8 GB LPDDR4X |
| Storage | 256GB uMCP, 1TB microSD expandable |
| Operating System | Android™ 15 |
| Connectivity | 5G, Fingerprint reader, NFC, GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, USB-C, 3.5mm, Bluetooth 5.3, Dual SIM (1 Nano SIM + eSIM) |
| Cameras | Rear: 50MP (f/1.8, OIS), 13MP Ultrawide (120° FOV) Macro Vision, f/2.2) Front: 32MP (f/2.2) |
| Durability | IP68, MIL-STD-810H2 |
| Battery and Charging | 5000mAh, 68W TurboPower™5, 15W Wireless Charging |
| Colors | PANTONE Gibraltar Sea, PANTONE Surf the Web |
| Price | $399.99 |
Moto G Stylus (2025): Design Aesthetics
The initial impression of the Moto G Stylus is its captivating Pantone Surf the Web Blue color, a bold and vibrant hue that truly makes the device stand out. Familiar with the faux-leather backing from the recently reviewed Moto G 2025, this tactile and visual element remains appealing, effectively unifying Motorola’s brand identity across its mid-range offerings.
Rear view of the Moto G Stylus 2025 in Pantone Surf the Web Blue showing camera module and faux-leather back
A particularly notable design choice is the two-tone finish on the plastic frame: a frosted central band bordered by reflective coatings on either side, creating a convincing glass-like appearance at first glance. The stylus is securely housed at the bottom of the device and has never accidentally dislodged while carried in a pocket. The spring-loaded ejection mechanism feels remarkably premium, comparable to the S Pen on the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Bottom edge of the Moto G Stylus 2025 showcasing the stylus slot, USB-C port, and speaker grille
Despite its slim profile, the phone boasts IP68 dust and water resistance—a first for the Stylus family—alongside military-grade MIL-810H shock and heat tolerance. Interestingly, the Moto G Stylus 2025 doesn’t exude a “rugged phone” aesthetic. For those who appreciate legacy features, the wired headphone port is present along the bottom edge, as is a microSD card slot for storage expansion, making this device somewhat of a nostalgic nod to an earlier era of Android smartphones.
Moto G Stylus (2025): Display Quality
The 6.7-inch AMOLED Super HD panel features a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. Out of the box, the phone defaults to an Auto refresh setting, dynamically adjusting based on screen content. Fortunately, locking it to a consistent 120Hz is possible, providing a smoother visual experience.
Moto G Stylus 2025 display shown outdoors, illustrating its brightness and color vibrancy
Viewing in bright sunlight poses little challenge, thanks to an impressive 3000-nit peak brightness. Colors are vibrant, perhaps a touch overly saturated for some, but this can be easily adjusted in the settings if preferred. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass 3. After three weeks of use, the review unit acquired a few light scuffs, noticeable only in direct sunlight, suggesting the glass protection performed adequately.
Moto G Stylus (2025): Performance Insights
The Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor, paired with 8GB of RAM, delivers satisfactory performance for everyday tasks. Occasional stutters might occur when swapping between apps or launching the camera, but these were not deal-breakers unless attempting too much immediately after a device restart. The phone appears to need about five minutes to fully settle after booting up, which might test the patience of some users.
Moto G Stylus 2025 resting on a wooden table, screen off, highlighting its sleek design
Graphically demanding games like Genshin Impact take some time to load shaders but run smoothly once loaded, even when manually set to High graphics mode, with only sporadic slowdowns during intense battle sequences. Even after extended gaming sessions, the back of the phone remained only moderately warm. While performance isn’t flawless, it’s well within acceptable limits for a device in this category.
| Geekbench 6 | CPU (Single-Core) | CPU (Multi-Core) | GPU (OpenCL) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moto G Stylus (2025) | 946 | 2539 | 2113 |
| Pixel 9a | 1746 | 4320 | 7662 |
| Nothing Phone 3a | 1061 | 3247 |
Moto G Stylus (2025): Software Experience
Running Android 15 with Motorola’s MyUX customizations, the software experience is close to stock Android, aside from Motorola’s signature font, which some may find has tight kerning. Thankfully, several alternative fonts are available in the customization settings.
Notification shade and quick settings panel on the Moto G Stylus 2025 screen
Motorola’s distinctive gesture shortcuts, such as a double-twist to launch the camera and a chop-chop motion for the flashlight, continue to be highly practical features. The Moto app provides deeper customization options than those found in a pure stock Android build.
Moto G Stylus 2025 displaying gesture control settings within the Moto app
However, a significant drawback is the limited software support, covering only two years of OS updates and three years of security patches. In comparison, Samsung’s A16 offers six-year coverage at half the cost, and Google’s Pixel 9a provides seven years for $100 more. The mid-range market is about trade-offs, and potential buyers must decide if the stylus functionality is worth sacrificing extended software update longevity.
Moto G Stylus (2025): Moto AI Capabilities
Motorola aims for its mid-range device to compete with the premium AI features found on more expensive phones, and Moto AI offers some standard AI functionalities, albeit with mixed results. The Magic Eraser tool can remove objects from photos, but affected areas can sometimes appear distorted or unnaturally altered.
Before image showing a photo with an unwanted object prior to using Moto AI Object Eraser
After image demonstrating the result of Moto AI Object Eraser, with the object removed and some background alteration
The Sketch-to-Image feature, which promises to transform doodles into fully realized artwork, often produces results that deviate significantly from the original sketches. Moto AI seems to favor complete re-interpretations rather than collaborative refinement.
Original simple sketch drawn by the user as input for Moto AI Sketch-to-Image feature
First AI-generated image from the sketch, showing a significant reinterpretation by Moto AI
Second AI-generated image variation based on the user's sketch, displaying another artistic style
Third AI image generation from the sketch, showcasing a different interpretation of the original doodle
Fourth AI-generated artwork from the user's sketch, illustrating another distinct output from Moto AI
Processing for these AI features occurs in the cloud, leading to inconsistent turnaround times, though generally within reasonable limits. Overall, the Moto AI output on the Moto G Stylus 2025 was found to be less than impressive.
Moto G Stylus (2025): The Stylus Experience
As previously stated, personal preference leans away from heavy stylus use. That said, the passive stylus included here performs impressively well, especially when considering its capabilities relative to the much more expensive Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. Latency feels competitive with Samsung’s S Pen, and note-taking freehand never felt sluggish.
Close-up shot of the Moto G Stylus 2025's stylus tip, highlighting its design
Ejecting the stylus while the display is locked usually launches a blank Moto Note, though occasionally, the power button still needed to be pressed to activate the screen. Removing the stylus while the screen is active brings up an on-screen shortcut bar, functionally similar to Samsung’s Air Command. The stylus features a relatively broad tip that glides smoothly across the screen with minimal drag.
Moto G Stylus 2025 screen displaying the stylus shortcut menu with various actions like Moto Note and GIF maker
However, the experience isn’t perfect: there’s no pressure sensitivity, making it unsuitable for anything beyond casual artwork. Palm rejection was often inconsistent, sometimes requiring an awkward hovering hand posture while writing. For basic tasks like quickly jotting down ideas, the stylus is undeniably handy.
Moto G Stylus (2025): Camera Performance
The 50MP main camera is an improvement over last year’s model and delivers genuinely satisfying results in good lighting conditions. Colors are rendered more vibrantly than what one might be accustomed to from a device like the Pixel 8 Pro, but this eye-catching look complements the AMOLED display beautifully.
Close-up view of the Moto G Stylus 2025's dual rear camera system and LED flash
Outdoor shots effectively retain cloud detail while preserving information in the landscape below. Night shots, however, produced mixed results and rarely matched the quality achievable with the Pixel 8a.
Outdoor daytime photo taken with Moto G Stylus 2025 main camera showing a building and sky
Photo sample from Moto G Stylus 2025 main camera capturing a landscape with trees and a path
Daylight image taken by Moto G Stylus 2025 showcasing vibrant colors of flowers and foliage
Architectural detail shot with the Moto G Stylus 2025 main camera under good lighting
Indoor shot with Moto G Stylus 2025 main camera, demonstrating its performance in less than ideal light
Well-lit outdoor scene captured by the Moto G Stylus 2025, showing good dynamic range
Macro mode allowed for impressively close shots, capturing details like an ant on a countertop or the wood fibers on a backyard fence with respectable clarity.
Wide-angle shot taken with the Moto G Stylus 2025, capturing a broad outdoor scene
Macro photo of an ant on a countertop taken with Moto G Stylus 2025, showing fine detail
Close-up macro shot of wood grain on a fence, captured by the Moto G Stylus 2025
The wide-angle lens performed surprisingly well when capturing sunset playground shots of active children. Concerns about motion blur in low light were unfounded, as faces remained clear.
Portrait mode photo taken with Moto G Stylus 2025, showing subject with bokeh background effect
The selfie camera is adequate for quick snaps, though images can appear somewhat pixelated or “crunchy” when viewed on a larger monitor. Portrait mode did a reasonable job simulating bokeh, with only minor edge-detection issues. While not the best mid-range camera system—that title likely still belongs to the Pixel 8a—Motorola is narrowing the gap.
Moto G Stylus (2025): Battery Life and Charging
The phone’s slim and narrow design belies the 5,000 mAh battery housed within, a welcome inclusion as the Moto G Stylus 2025 excels in battery performance. In a test looping a 4K YouTube video at maximum brightness, the phone lasted a solid ten hours before powering down.
Side profile of the Moto G Stylus 2025 illustrating its slimness despite a large battery
During daily use, the phone consistently lasted a day and a half, sometimes approaching two full days on a single charge. The Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 effectively balances performance and power consumption. Although not included in the box, the phone supports an impressive 68W wired charging speed with the Motorola TurboPower 68W Charger. While mid-range devices often omit wireless charging to reduce costs, Motorola has included 15W wireless charging support, which proved very useful during long car rides. This isn’t the fastest wireless charge, but it surpasses the 12W wireless charging speed of the more expensive Pixel 8 Pro on standard Qi charging pads.
Moto G Stylus (2025): Final Verdict
The mid-range smartphone segment has never been more exciting. Rather than being a category defined by compromises, companies are now focusing on key features that can genuinely differentiate a handset. Motorola continues to impress with its color science and the faux vegan leather finish, giving its lineup a recognizable signature that doesn’t feel cheap or ostentatious.
Moto G Stylus 2025 held in hand, showcasing its screen and overall ergonomics
Furthermore, Motorola is reinforcing critical aspects such as battery life, premium display quality, respectable cameras, and solid performance. The most significant standout feature is the included stylus. While not as advanced as Samsung’s S Pen, it serves as a practical everyday tool for most stylus users, with the possible exception of professional artists. The Moto G Stylus 2025 is an impressive offering. At this price point, there are genuinely no other phones that provide this comprehensive suite of features, including a built-in stylus, making it a strong recommendation for those seeking an affordable stylus-equipped smartphone.
