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Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) review
A pOLED screen, a real stylus, a headphone jack and a memory card slot — for a fraction of flagship money.
The verdict
The G Stylus 5G collects the features flagships deleted — stylus, 3.5 mm jack, expandable storage — and puts them behind a genuinely good 120 Hz pOLED display. It is slower and less polished than the Edge, and for many buyers the features it keeps are worth that.
Buy it if
- You want a built-in stylus without paying Galaxy Ultra money
- You still use wired headphones
- You need expandable storage — it takes microSD cards up to 2 TB
- You are buying for a parent or a first smartphone and want everything to just work
Skip it if
- You want the smoothest possible software — the Edge is noticeably snappier
- You need real water protection; this is water-repellent, not IP-rated
- You want more than two major Android updates
Prices change daily, so we don't list them here. The button opens the current listing.
Specifications
| Operating system | Android 14 |
|---|---|
| Display | 6.7 in pOLED, 2400 x 1080, 395 ppi, 120 Hz, 1200 nits peak |
| Display colour | 10-bit, DCI-P3, over a billion shades |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, 2.2 GHz |
| RAM | 8 GB, expandable to 16 GB via RAM Boost |
| Storage | 128 GB or 256 GB, plus microSD up to 2 TB |
| Rear camera | 50 MP f/1.8 with OIS, 13 MP ultrawide 120° |
| Front camera | 32 MP |
| Battery | 5000 mAh, rated over 40 hours |
| Charging | 30W TurboPower, 15W wireless |
| Audio | Stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos, 3.5 mm headphone jack |
| Body | Vegan leather, 190 g, 8.3 mm |
| Water protection | Water-repellent design — no IP rating |
| SIM | Dual SIM: nano SIM plus eSIM |
What it is
A mid-range Motorola built around three things flagship makers removed: a stylus that lives inside the phone, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, and a memory card slot that accepts up to 2 TB.
The surprise is the display. A 6.7-inch pOLED at 120 Hz with 10-bit colour, DCI-P3 coverage and 1200 nits of peak brightness is flagship display technology, and it is the single most underrated thing about this phone.
The stylus
Housed in the body, so there is nothing to lose and nothing extra to carry. It handles notes, photo edits, sketching and precise navigation.
Be realistic about it: this is not a pressure-sensitive drawing instrument for professional illustration. It is a precision pointer that makes small targets and handwriting practical, and at this price nothing else offers one.
Who it is genuinely good for
Owners repeatedly describe buying it for a parent replacing a failing phone, and the outcome is consistent: fast, everything works, touch input precise and responsive. Setup transfers across cleanly and the interface stays familiar.
That is a specific and useful recommendation. If you are buying a phone for someone who does not want to relearn anything and does not want to spend a thousand dollars, this is a strong answer.
Where it falls short of the Edge
An owner who ran both side by side reached a clear conclusion: on paper the G Stylus looks better value, and in practice the Edge is the nicer phone. The Edge feels snappier, games run better, the fingerprint reader is more reliable, and the G Stylus has small friction points — holding a finger on the home screen three times longer than expected before the widget menu appears, and similar rough edges scattered through the software.
None of that is disqualifying. The same owner said they would be perfectly happy using the G Stylus if the Edge were not on the table.
Water protection is the weak spot
Motorola describes this as a water-repellent design. That is not an IP rating and should not be read as one. Compare it to the Edge 2025 at IP68 and IP69, and the gap is real: the Edge is tested for immersion, this is tested for spills.
If the phone will be near a job site, a kitchen sink or a pool, this is the wrong model in the range.
Battery and charging
5000 mAh, rated at over 40 hours, with 30W wired and 15W wireless charging. Wireless charging at this price is unusual and worth noting.
Who it competes with
Against the Edge 2025 you trade speed, polish and real water resistance for a stylus, a headphone jack and a card slot. Against the Galaxy A17 you gain a far better display and the stylus. Against a Galaxy S Ultra you save around three quarters of the price and give up the camera system.
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