Ever wanted to get that Note 10 but you just couldn’t afford the pricing for that beauty? Fear not as Motorola recently just released their Moto G Stylus to solve all your sketching needs.
One key feature of the Moto G Stylus is its level of precision that makes navigating the phone more efficient. Interacting with its built-in stylus pen makes the whole experience worth the cost for a budget stylus-phone.
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Although the Moto G Stylus serves as an alternative from Samsung’s Note series, Make no mistake that this is a budget phone. So we cannot compare its build in-specs to be the same as the Note 10. However, this shouldn’t affect your usage experience if you’re focused mainly on its stylus feature.
List of specifications
| Dimension | 158.6 x 75.8 x 9.2 mm (6.24 x 2.98 x 0.36 in) |
| Weight | 192 g (6.77 oz) |
| Display | Type IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colours
1080 x 2300 pixels (~399 PPI density) |
| Storage options | 128GB 4GB RAM, with MEMORY Card space in a dedicated slot |
| Software | Android 10 |
| Rear Camera | 48 MP, f/1.7, 26mm (wide), 1/2.0″, 0.8µm, PDAF, Laser AF
16 MP, f/2.2, 117˚ (ultrawide), dedicated video camera (1080p) 2 MP, f/2.2, (macro) |
| Front Camera | 16 MP, f/2.0, (wide), 1/3.06″, 1.0µm |
| Battery | Non-removable Li-Po 4000 mAh battery (Charging 10W) |
| Other Features | Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity |
Pros
- Good introduction to stylus smartphone
- Strong battery life
- Simple interface
Cons
- No NFC feature
- No palm rejection (careful where you rest your hand)
Design and Layout
To start off, the sleek design of the Moto G Stylus has a size of 6.24 by 2.98 by 0.36 inches with a mini camera infused on the top left side of the phone. Although the front mini camera is visible, it is barely noticeable as we will mostly be staring at the screen in awe.
At the bottom, you’ll find a good old-fashioned headphone jack, a USB-C charging port, the speaker and the stylus pen. A 2-in-1 SIM and micro-SD slot can be found on the left side, while the volume and power button can be found on the right.
Coming to the back, the Moto G Stylus has a triple camera stacked together on the top left corner. A time-of-flight sensor (ToF) sits on the very top while a LED flash is placed by its side. A nice little Motorola logo takes the center stage on the phone’s back surface with a fingerprint sensor hidden beneath the “M”.
When it comes to durability, you will find that its plastic back provides buoyancy support and is more likely to survive a drop compared to the glassy side from the front. Of course, for maximum protection, a phone case is recommended to avoid any damages or scratches from these unfortunate scenarios.
Display
The Moto G Stylus’s screen is fully displayed by a 6.4 inch LCD with a 19:9 aspect ratio. This enables its camera to easily capture a moving image while displaying a graphic resolution of 2,300 by 1,080 with 399 pixels per inch
To capture moving images with such precision, Motorola fully utilises this feature when they add in the “Cinemagraph” mode. Allowing users to keep a portion of their filmed videos in motion while freeze-framing certain parts of a shot.
Colour displays are contrasted slightly cooler with a crisp and bright display by default, making it easy to see under direct sunlight. But you can adjust the brightness to suit your preference in case the colour saturation is straining your eyes too much.
Battery Life
One of the best things about the Moto G Stylus is its battery life. This long-lasting smartphone has a beefy battery that holds up to 4000 mAH. It has no issue to run heavy apps and can last for one full day on a single full charge.
When the time comes for the Moto G Stylus to be recharged, it’s adapter charges the phone at a speedy 10W. A much better output compared to the usual 5W chargers that most smartphones have these days. It is upgradable to a 15W charging adapter if you’re willing to spend a few bucks on it just to speed up the charge duration.
Software and Performance
The Moto G Stylus comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset and 4GB of RAM. It’s storage clocks in at 128GB, of which 112GB is available right off the bat. If you’re looking to upgrade your storage size, The Moto G Stylus does have a microSD slot that supports up to 512GB of additional storage space.
The processor looks decent with the Adreno 610 set as your GPU and an Octa-core processor installed as the CPU. You have nothing to worry about when it comes to lagging, even after opening 10 browsing tabs on Google Chrome.
In case you’re into gaming, it’s GPU chip is strong enough to run gameplays with solid graphical displays such as Fortnite, PUBG, Mobile Legends and many more. There were barely any skipped frames or lag for most games we played (provided your internet has a steady connection). You can be assured that the Moto G Stylus functions just as well as any other smartphones made for gaming.
Camera Performance
Even though the phone has an ultra-wide camera lens built-in, it does not take ultra wide-angle shots. Rather, the camera lens is designed to take photos in a standardized horizontal mode as you hold your phone in any position. This means you can maintain a consistent photo shot regardless of whether you hold your phone vertically or horizontally.
For all your video making needs, it definitely holds up to its value with a triple camera lens. Showing a 4K resolution display at 30 fps and 1080 p at 120 fps from the primary lens, a 1080 p at 30 fps with the ultra-wide lens from the second camera and 720 p at 30 fps with the macro lens on the third camera.
Competition
The market for stylus smartphones was mostly dominated by Samsung with their “Note” series. Taking up the majority of the market share, it was difficult for most brands to compete with them in this niche category back then.
However, as Motorola comes in with an alternative solution for providing affordable smartphones, anyone can buy a stylus phone without having to fork out a big budget. Thanks to their introduction of the Moto G Stylus, consumers now have more options available when it comes to choosing a stylus smartphone.
In case if you’re not into the stylus feature but still want to get the same phone specs for a much lower price, we can recommend the Moto G Power. Designed with a weaker camera spec and minus the stylus pen, the Moto G Power is made for the general public that wishes to get the same specs with an entry price to Motorola’s smartphones.
Bottom Line
The Moto G Stylus is an amazing budget phone for anyone wishing to get that “Note 10” feel. For a smartphone under $300, it offers solid processing power, a bright screen display, and strong battery life.
If you’re the type of person to jot down important notes during meetings or classes but always forget to bring out that mini-notebook of yours, equipping yourself with a stylus smartphone might just be a godsend to your inconvenient situation. And if you’re an artist always on the lookout for things to sketch, having such a powerful sketching device in your inventory certainly has its merit.
Overall, the Moto G Stylus is a welcome entry model for anyone wishing to start a stylus lifestyle.
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