Motorola Moto G Stylus (2025) Review: A Budget Stylus Phone That Delivers

If you’re a note-taking enthusiast or just love the feel of pen on screen, the Motorola Moto G Stylus (2025) might be the best stylus phone under $500 you can buy this year.

With a sleek design, smooth performance, and an ultra-bright display, it punches well above its weight — even if the stylus itself is a bit basic.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Moto G Stylus (2025) and why it might just be the budget Android phone to beat.

Quick Verdict: 8/10

✔ Pros

• Gorgeous 6.7” AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate

• Surprisingly durable vegan leather build with IP68 water resistance

• Fast performance with Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 and 8GB RAM

• All-day battery with 68W fast charging

• Stylus for quick notes and doodles

• Stereo speakers with good volume and clarity

✘ Cons

• Stylus lacks advanced features like palm rejection or pressure sensitivity

• Only 2 years of OS updates

• Zoom performance and AI features are underwhelming

Price: $399.99
Where to buy: Amazon, Best Buy, Motorola.com
Colors: PANTONE Gibraltar Sea (navy), Surf the Web (light blue)

Specs at a Glance

Stylus Experience: Great for Notes, Basic Elsewhere

The standout feature of the Moto G Stylus is, of course, its built-in stylus.

It’s perfect for quick notes, sketches, and checklists. The Moto Note app is clean and user-friendly, with canvas, notes, and checklist modes. However, it’s not on par with the Samsung S Pen — there’s no pressure sensitivity, palm rejection, or air gestures.

Moto AI adds handwriting-to-text and a sketch-to-image tool, but performance is inconsistent.

If you’re looking for casual note-taking or doodling, the Moto Stylus is more than enough.

But artists and power users should look elsewhere.

Design and Display: Bright, Bold, and Surprisingly Durable

Motorola took a bold step with the vegan leather back, and it actually works.

The texture feels premium, resists grime, and adds grip — with no wear after weeks of use. Combine that with an IP68 rating, and this phone is made to last.

The 6.7-inch AMOLED display is one of the best at this price.

With 120Hz refresh rate, DCI-P3 color support, and an impressive 3,000 nits peak brightness, it’s perfect for gaming, streaming, or reading outdoors. Colors are vibrant, though a bit oversaturated compared to phones like the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Performance and Software: Smooth and Capable

Powered by Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 and 8GB RAM, the Moto G Stylus (2025) handles most tasks with ease.

Multitasking, social media, video playback, and light gaming were all smooth in testing. Android 15 is clean and mostly bloat-free.

However, Moto’s AI suite is hit or miss. Features like Circle to Search and Live Message are handy, but others like the handwriting calculator often misfire.

The bigger issue? Only two years of OS updates and three years of security patches — far behind competitors like Google’s Pixel 9a, which offers seven years of updates.

Cameras: Solid Performance, Limited Zoom

• Main camera: 50MP Sony Lytia sensor

• Ultrawide: 13MP

• Front camera: 32MP

In good lighting, the camera system takes sharp, detailed photos with rich color (though sometimes overly saturated).

Low-light shots are decent, but zooming reveals the phone’s weakness — no telephoto lens, and only up to 2x digital zoom. Selfies are crisp, if occasionally a bit too revealing.

If zoom or pro photography is your priority, this phone may not cut it. For casual users, however, it performs well for the price.

Audio: Surprisingly Loud and Clear

The stereo speakers are loud, crisp, and perform well up to 70% volume.

Beyond that, some distortion appears. Still, for music, videos, or podcasts, the Moto G Stylus (2025) holds its own — even compared to flagship phones.

Battery Life: All-Day Power With Fast Charging

Motorola claims up to 40 hours of battery life, and in real-world use, that seems accurate.

Even with gaming and video streaming, the 5000mAh battery comfortably lasted over a full day.

With 68W TurboCharge, you can jump from 0% to 30–40% in around 20 minutes.

There’s also 15W wireless charging, which is a welcome bonus at this price point.

Should You Buy the Moto G Stylus (2025)?

 Buy it if:

• You want a budget stylus phone under $500

• You care about display quality and battery life

• You want a clean Android experience with good daily performance

 Skip it if:

• You want long-term software updates

• You need stylus features like palm rejection or gesture controls

• You need a strong zoom camera

Bottom line: For under $400, the Moto G Stylus (2025) offers great value for note-takers and everyday users.

It’s not trying to be a flagship, but it nails the essentials — and adds a built-in stylus — for hundreds less.