5 Moto G Stylus 2025 Features That Are Easily Worth The $400 Price Tag

I was excited when I found out I was reviewing the new Motorola G Stylus 2025. Last year’s edition was one of my favorite smartphones of the year, and it was a fantastic value, selling for $275 for most of 2024. Thankfully, I’m impressed by the encore. Moto took one of my favorites and added some welcome improvements.

I usually disagree with Motorola’s launch prices for phones. They are typically better deals after a few months, with high initial MSRPs making the phones a tough recommendation from the start. However, Motorola has done enough with the G Stylus 2025 to make me think it’s worth it, even in the competitive midrange market. If you’re considering a Moto G Stylus 2025, here are the 5 best features that might sway your decision.

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5 A gorgeous Moto display

Even better than last year

Motorola always impresses me with the displays on its midrange devices. Last year’s Motorola Edge had a fantastic panel, as did the Moto G Stylus 2024. Both were saturated and vibrant, and I considered them the main selling points of both devices.

The company took things further for the Moto G Stylus 2025. It’s still a 6.7-inch OLED panel, but it looks even better to my eye this year, with deeper contrast and rich colors. Motorola made the display brighter, with a maximum brightness of 3,000 nits. The phone is easier to view outdoors, and it’s a pleasure to use both indoors and outdoors. Everyone I’ve shown the display to is shocked that it’s featured on a phone that costs only $400. It’s a 1080p panel refreshing at 120Hz, and it is as sharp and smooth as those specs suggest. All told, it’s hard to beat the Moto G Stylus display on a midrange device.

4 Motorola improved build quality

Better ratings this year

Like with the Moto G Power 2025, Motorola improved the build quality for the Moto G Stylus this year. The G Stylus is now IP68 rated for dust and water resistance and is MIL-STD-810H compliant. I wouldn’t recommend throwing your G Stylus down on the concrete to test its durability. Still, I appreciate the added peace of mind that I can carry my G Stylus without a case without worrying about damage from minor accidents.

Motorola also upgraded the display protection to Gorilla Glass 3. It may not be the latest and greatest in protective glass from Corning, but it’s an improvement over the NEG and Panda glass we’ve seen in previous Motorola phones. Gorilla Glass 3 has always served me well over the years, and I enjoy the upgrade in protection.

3 More screen on time

Faster charging, too

Even though the Moto G Stylus 2025 has the same 5,000mAh battery size as last year, I’m getting better results. My Moto G Stylus easily lasts me two days on a single charge with mixed use. If you’re gaming for half the day, you’ll need to top off the battery more often, but most people will be pleased with the G Stylus’s battery performance this year.

Motorola also upgraded charging speeds on this year’s G Stylus, from 30W to 68W wired charging. It brings the speeds in line with other Moto products, and I love that the 68W charging speed is the same as you’ll find on Lenovo’s ThinkPads, meaning you only have to bring one charger with you on the road if you use both products. It was a feature I loved about the original Moto ThinkPhone, and I’m glad the company has since brought it to more of its devices.

2 Cheapest stylus phone you can find

Excellent stylus app suite

I always have fun comparing the current Samsung Galaxy S Ultra device with the latest G Stylus phone. It’s a ridiculous comparison on paper, but when you compare stylus functionality, it’s a closer contest than you’d think. It’s especially close this year, given Samsung removed Bluetooth functionality from the S pen on the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Motorola’s stylus does precisely what I want it to do. It’s excellent for jotting down notes in a hurry and scribbling over a photo to send to friends. Free-form crop and GIF maker are intuitive, and I typically enjoy Motorola’s default app suite for the stylus more than Samsung’s. No one is saying the Moto G Stylus 2025 is a better phone than the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but you get a significant amount of the same pen functionality for about $1,000 less.

Motorola’s software is unoffensive and runs well. I would still love the company to offer more software support, but I’m done fishing for the moon in the water. Android 15 with Hello UI is smooth, and I’ve made peace with Motorola’s 2 years of Android upgrades, along with 3 years of security updates.

1 Solid performance at a value price

A bigger upgrade than I expected

The Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 powering the Moto G Stylus 2025 is a capable chipset. I can understand those of you who want more performance for $400, but I’ve never felt limited on the G Stylus. When I buy a midrange phone, I don’t expect top gaming performance at max settings. I’m happy with a smooth experience that does the basics well with a few extras. And it’s not like gaming is out of the question on the G Stylus. Pokémon GO was a decent experience, and even Genshin Impact is playable, but don’t buy a G Stylus for $400 and expect Galaxy S25 Ultra gaming capabilities.

I like that Motorola once again included 8GB of RAM. It keeps the overall experience smooth, and I love that 8GB has become the standard on the company’s midrange products. I could multitask with no problems on the G Stylus, and you’ll be pleased with the daily experience. Buying a midrange phone is all about picking which compromises you can live with, and the Moto G Stylus keeps the core experience enjoyable.

Other creature comforts included

If those features weren’t enough to sway you, the Moto G Stylus still includes a 3.5mm headphone jack for your favorite wired headsets and a microSD card slot for expandable storage. It even includes 15W wireless charging, a feature you don’t often find on midrange phones. All in all, the Moto G Stylus 2025 is an excellent value, even at $400. I usually encourage people to wait, and while there will be amazing deals later this year, the Moto G Stylus is worth the price of admission right now.

Motorola Moto G Stylus (2025)

Motorola’s new Moto G Stylus looks to keep the great design from its predecessor and match it with some more modern specs. Whether that’s enough to shy buyers away from the best of Samsung and Google, however, remains to be seen.