✍️ Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) Review: The Mid-Range Stylus Contender
The Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) arrives as a compelling update in the mid-range smartphone market, offering a unique value proposition: an integrated stylus without the flagship price tag. This review focuses on the Unlocked, 8GB RAM / 256GB Storage variant, highlighting the distinctive Scarlet Wave colorway and its performance for the US market.
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| Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) |
🎨 Design and Display: A Premium Feel on a Budget
The moment you unbox the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024), the design upgrades are immediately apparent. Motorola has elevated the aesthetics beyond its price point, particularly with the vibrant Scarlet Wave finish. This deep red color is applied to a sophisticated vegan leather back, a choice that not only looks premium but also offers better grip and durability against scratches and smudges than a typical glass back.
Premium Display: One of the phone's greatest strengths is its 6.7-inch display. Motorola has swapped the older LCD for a gorgeous P-OLED panel with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. The resolution is FHD+ (1080x2400), and it boasts a peak brightness of around 1200 nits, making it crisp, vibrant, and highly visible even in direct sunlight. This display is easily one of the best in its class.
Form Factor: The phone features thin bezels and a punch-hole camera, giving it a modern look. Despite its large screen, the design feels comfortable in hand, assisted by the texture of the eco-leather back.
Water Resistance: It maintains a basic IP52 rating for water repellency, offering protection against splashes but not submersion.
🖊️ The Stylus: More Than an Afterthought
The built-in, passive stylus is the defining feature of the Moto G Stylus line, and the 2024 version brings several welcome improvements.
Enhanced Responsiveness: The stylus itself has been updated, offering noticeably lower latency for a smoother, more natural writing and drawing experience.
Stylus Features: Removing the pen automatically launches a dedicated menu for quick access to note-taking, sketching, and smart features like OCR (Optical Character Recognition) for text recognition. While it lacks the advanced Bluetooth features of Samsung's S Pen, it is highly functional for quick notes, document annotation, and navigation.
Integrated Storage: The stylus is conveniently stored inside the phone body, ensuring you always have it ready.
🚀 Performance and Memory
The Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset.
| Feature | Specification |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 (4nm) |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage | 256GB (Unlocked for US) |
| Expandability | MicroSDXC (Dedicated Slot) |
The combination of the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 and a generous 8GB of RAM ensures very competent everyday performance. General navigation, multitasking, and common applications run smoothly thanks to the 120Hz display and the capable processor. While it won't break any records in high-intensity gaming compared to flagship devices, it handles most popular games well on medium settings. The 256GB of internal storage in this unlocked variant offers ample space for apps, media, and creative projects, with the added benefit of a dedicated microSD slot.
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| Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) |
📸 Camera Capabilities: A Mid-Range Performer
The camera setup is headlined by a 50MP main sensor which utilizes a large sensor size and features Optical Image Stabilization (OIS)—a significant upgrade for a phone in this segment.
Main Camera: The 50MP main shooter captures detailed and surprisingly good photos, especially in well-lit conditions. The inclusion of OIS helps significantly with low-light shots and video stability.
Ultra-Wide Camera: A 13MP ultra-wide lens is included, which also doubles as a macro camera with its autofocus capability. It's serviceable, though image quality naturally drops off compared to the main sensor.
Selfie Camera: The phone sports a high-resolution 32MP front-facing camera for clear selfies.
Video: Video recording is capable of up to 1080p at 30/60fps.
Overall, the main camera performance is a clear step up from previous Moto G models and is better than expected for a $400 phone, though it falls short of the computational photography excellence of direct competitors like the Pixel 8a.
🔋 Battery and Charging
A robust 5,000mAh battery powers the device, delivering outstanding battery life. Most users can comfortably expect a full two days of moderate usage.
Wired Charging: It supports 30W TurboPower wired charging.
Wireless Charging: Notably, Motorola has included 15W wireless charging, a feature rarely seen in this price category and a major bonus for convenience.
⚙️ Software and Connectivity
The phone runs on a near-stock Android 14 experience, enhanced by Motorola’s useful "My UX" features like the classic Moto gestures ("chop-chop" for flashlight) and Moto Connect (desktop experience similar to Samsung DeX).
The main drawback remains Motorola's software support policy: typically, the phone is promised only one major OS upgrade and a few years of security patches. This lack of long-term support is a major point of contention when compared to competitors from Samsung and Google.
As an Unlocked, Made for US device, it supports a wide array of 4G and 5G bands, ensuring compatibility with major US carriers. It also includes a 3.5mm headphone jack—a welcome rarity.
⭐ Verdict: Is the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) Worth Buying?
The Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) is arguably the company's most successful mid-range phone in years. It takes a bold step towards premium features without breaking the bank.
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| Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) |
| Pros | Cons |
| Gorgeous 6.7" 120Hz OLED Display | Limited software update policy (1 OS upgrade) |
| Premium Design (Vegan Leather, Scarlet Wave) | Stylus is functional, but lacks advanced features |
| Exceptional Battery Life (5,000mAh) | Performance is good, but not great for heavy gaming |
| Includes Wireless Charging | In-display fingerprint sensor placement is low |
| Competent Main 50MP Camera with OIS | Bloatware presence (depending on retailer) |
If your priority is a large, beautiful display, all-day battery life, a high-quality build (especially the striking Scarlet Wave color), and the convenience of an integrated stylus and wireless charging—all at a mid-range price—the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) is a brilliant choice. It delivers a near-flagship hardware experience, only held back by Motorola’s cautious approach to software support.