The Moto G Stylus 2025 Is The Reason I Love Motorola

I loved the Moto G Stylus 2024, but I really had a hard time with Motorola’s $400 launch price for the device. It’s a trend I’ve noticed with the company, as there were several midrange and budget phones from Moto that I enjoyed but found hard to recommend on release. Thankfully, the phones are aggressively discounted shortly after their introduction and are often carrier deal staples, sometimes included for free or at a small fee with a service contract.

However, Moto has improved this year’s device, with better build quality and a more powerful chipset. It’s the most complete midrange phone I’ve used from Motorola, and if you’re tired of only choosing between Samsung and Google when buying a device under $500, this might be the year you try something different. I love the Moto G Stylus 2025, but did Moto do enough to justify the $400 price, or should you wait for a sale?

Best value

Motorola Moto G Stylus (2025)

With an amazing display, impressive long-lasting battery, and noticeable improvements of the previous model, the Moto G Stylus (2025) is a great midrange option. With a responsive and smooth stylus and a decent camera, it’s definitely a worthy choice for your phone and your budget.

Price, specs, and availability

The Moto G Stylus 2025 is available through Motorola, Best Buy, and Amazon for $400. It comes in one configuration with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. This year’s G Stylus comes in two colors: PANTONE Gibraltar Sea and PANTONE Surf the Web, which is more of a cobalt blue compared to the deep bluish green of my Gibraltar Sea review unit.

Like most Motorola phones, the G Stylus is available unlocked, with the company promising 5G sub-6 compatibility on a wide range of US carriers, including many smaller MVNOs. I had no issues on AT&T during testing and enjoyed full Wi-Fi calling functionality.

What I liked about the Moto G Stylus 2025

Excellent display and fantastic battery life

The defining feature of last year’s G Stylus was the display, and Motorola took things a step further with this year’s panel. It’s a 6.7-inch AMOLED Super HD display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It’s similar in specs to last year’s device, but Moto has made improvements. The G Stylus 2025’s display is sharper with deeper contrast. It looks fantastic, and I love that Motorola focuses on putting quality displays on phones under $500. It’s also brighter, with a maximum brightness of 3000 nits.

I used the G Stylus in direct sunlight and had no issues with outdoor viewing. The stylus itself handles multitasking easily, and I never saw significant slowdowns, whether breezing through the UI or scrolling Instagram.

Read our review

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Moto’s hardware keeps getting better, so why can’t its Android experience keep up?

I know many will want more raw performance for $400, but I’m pleased with the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 powering the G Stylus. The experience is snappy and responsive, and even gaming is pleasant. Genshin Impact defaults to low settings, but it runs at a decent frame rate. Pokémon GO is fun to play, and I never found myself wanting more.

Too often, we expect too much from midrange phones. It’s enticing to compare a Moto G Stylus to the power you get with a OnePlus 13R, but the phones appeal to different customers. I like the G Stylus for what it provides, and if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll rarely complain about its performance.

Motorola beefed up the G Stylus for 2025, featuring an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance and military-grade drop protection. I still wouldn’t recommend using your G Stylus without a case (more on that later), but it’s not functionality I’m concerned about if your Moto takes an unfortunate spill.

I appreciate Moto using vegan leather on the back of the G Stylus 2025. The texture adds grip and easily bests the cheap plastic look and feel we used to get on midrange phones. The device still features a plastic frame, but it doesn’t feel cheap, and Moto has further upgraded protection by adding Gorilla Glass 3 to the display. It’s not the latest and greatest from Corning, but it does the job, and it’s an upgrade from the Panda and NEG glass we’ve seen on previous Moto phones.

Battery life is another area that has been improved on the Moto G Stylus 2025. Its predecessor wasn’t a slouch, as I could make it through an entire day with my old G Stylus, but I’m impressed this year. The Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 is power-efficient, and I often get two days of mixed use from the 5,000mAh battery on the G Stylus. Motorola may not have increased the battery size, but it did boost the charging speeds for 2025. The G Stylus features 68W wired charging, an impressive spec I first saw on my beloved Motorola ThinkPhone. You’ll need to purchase a compatible charging adapter, but it’s worth it. Faster charging makes a difference. If only we could get Samsung and Google to join in.

Chances are, if you’re considering a Moto G Stylus, you’re interested in stylus performance. Now, I’m not going to be so bold as to say there’s no difference between the stylus on the Moto G Stylus and the S pen on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The S pen has several advantages and remains pressure-sensitive. However, based on pure response time, there was no perceivable difference in delay between the two devices. If the Galaxy S25 Ultra is a touch quicker, I wasn’t able to see it with my naked eye.

Motorola worked to improve stylus response time, and it’s worked. I was never bothered by the slight delay on older G Stylus phones, especially for $400, but I’m enjoying the upgrade. Aside from performance, the stylus works as you’d expect. It’s ideal for notes and scribbling on photos to send to friends. I prefer the stylus app suite on Moto phones to Samsung’s S pen setup, as Motorola has a better grasp on how most users have fun with the stylus.

The Moto G Stylus 2025 features a new 50MP primary sensor and a 13MP ultrawide lens. I enjoyed the results from the Moto Edge 2024 and Moto G Stylus 2024, which used the outgoing 50MP sensor, but I see improvements this year. Photos in decent lighting are excellent, with good contrast and color. If you’re used to Pixel photography, Motorola’s color science is significantly different.

Moto turns up the colors, resulting in a poppy, vibrant image ideal for social media. Don’t expect color accuracy, and you’ll be fine. I prefer a more saturated photo, and the pictures from the G Stylus 2025 looked fantastic. The auto-white balance worked better than expected outdoors in challenging lighting conditions, and I rarely had a shot blown out. Still, the ultrawide lens and low-light conditions will start to show faults in the Moto, and if you’re a shutterbug on a budget, it’s probably worth spending $100 more for a Pixel 9a. However, I’m pleased with the cameras on the G Stylus.

It’s also worth mentioning that the G Stylus 2025 still includes some important legacy features for some users. Moto left the 3.5mm headphone jack and microSD card slot on this year’s phone, making it one of the few new devices left you can buy with both, so you can rock out with your favorite wired headphones if you wish.

What I don’t like about the Moto G Stylus 2025

Excessive wear and poor software support

The Moto G Stylus 2025 is slated for 2 Android version upgrades and 3 years of security updates. I’ve made my peace with Motorola’s lackluster software support. Don’t get me wrong; it’s still unacceptable on the company’s more expensive offerings like the Moto Razr Ultra 2025. People paying $1,300 should get more than 3 years of OS upgrades, but I understand why it’s not a priority on the company’s sub-$500 devices. And I’m sure Motorola did market research to determine if its customers cared about more extended support.

I consistently hear back from Motorola buyers that they really don’t care. Of course, they would accept more years of software support, but if the devices are priced right, they’re comfortable buying a new one every three or four years, eliminating their concern about longer support. Otherwise, Moto’s Android 15 flavor with Hello UI is unoffensive and doesn’t move the needle for me either way.

I’m pleased Motorola didn’t include much of the bloatware it used to on midrange phones, but you’ll still have to be careful during setup to avoid installing apps you don’t want — at least the random game folders aren’t present. Moto AI is present on the device with features like Sketch to Image, but much like Galaxy AI and Google Gemini, I struggle to see the value in daily use.

I mentioned wanting to put a case on your G Stylus earlier, and while I’m confident the phone can take a drop, the vegan leather seems to wear faster than I’d like. I baby devices, and I’m careful pulling them in and out of my pocket, especially during review periods. Still, the vegan leather finish around the camera bump on my G Stylus is already showing signs of wear. I’m unsure if vegan leather petinas like regular leather, or if that’s part of the charm, but if you want that finish to look fresh for more than a week, I highly recommend putting a case on your new G Stylus.

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Should you buy a Moto G Stylus 2025?

I’m usually telling people to hold off on new Motorola phones until deals kick in, but I don’t feel that’s needed with the Moto G Stylus 2025. I’m sure the phone will spend most of its life on sale for $275-300, but this is the first year I’m confident saying the device is worth its $400 launch price. Motorola has done an excellent job with its midrange phones. While the Moto G Stylus isn’t perfect, the company has done enough to keep the price affordable without significantly compromising the user experience.

Best value

Motorola Moto G Stylus (2025)

With an amazing display, impressive long-lasting battery, and noticeable improvements of the previous model, the Moto G Stylus (2025) is a great midrange option. With a responsive and smooth stylus and a decent camera, it’s definitely a worthy choice for your phone and your budget.