ZDNET’s key findings

• The Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) is now available for $399 in two colorways: Caramel Latte and Scarlet Wave.
• The phone has a smooth, beautiful vegan leather back, extensive stylus capabilities, and easy-to-use software. It includes a stylus, and buyers can get a free pair of Moto Buds+ wireless earbuds for a limited time.
• I wish the software support was longer as it is currently a year or two behind competing brands.

It’s been several years since I reviewed the first generation Moto G Stylus, and a lot has improved. My ZDNET colleague Kerry Wan has reviewed all the specs of the latest model, the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024)and what to expect from the $399 Android smartphone, so I won’t repeat all that here. Instead, I’ve been testing the phone for a few weeks with my T-Mobile SIM and will share my experience with it so far.

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Earlier this year I bought a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra for three times the price of the Moto G Stylus. However, for everyday use I prefer to carry the Moto G Stylus. It’s smaller, the stylus meets all my needs and I enjoy the streamlined Moto experience and customization options. My notification window isn’t cluttered with ads and I can even get two days out of it before I need to charge it.

View at Motorola

Motorola sent me the Caramel Latte color with a vegan leather back, which looks lovely and matches one of my favorite types of coffee (haha!). There’s also a Scarlet Wave color that’s more reddish, almost like lipstick. With 8GB of RAM, 256GB of internal storage with microSD card support, and a 5,000mAh battery – all for just $399 – the new Moto G Stylus could be the budget phone to beat in 2024.

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The stylus remains the signature feature of this year’s Motorola model, and has been improved over previous generations with reduced latency, better aiming accuracy, and an updated user interface. Pulling out the stylus when the phone is off is convenient, and there’s a new note pop-up for quickly jotting down thoughts. It’s a subtle but very handy feature for taking notes on the go.

As for the default note-taking apps, you can choose between Moto Note and Google Keep Notes. With Keep Notes being my default app, it makes the phone even more useful for my needs.

When the phone is on and the stylus is removed, an overlay screen displays a list of favorite shortcuts so you can get started right away. The stylus settings include removal notifications and the last known location of the stylus to make it easier to find if you lose it. The stylus has a much nicer design than previous Moto Stylus models I’ve used, and looks a lot like the Samsung S-Pen. It feels good in the hand, is slim, and charges in the phone.

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Aside from the built-in stylus, Motorola’s UI is one of my favorite parts of the phone. It has a fairly standard, Pixel-like look and feel, and is enhanced by Motorola’s handy gestures and system improvements. For example, you can twist to launch the camera, use chopping motions to turn the flashlight on and off, and pick up the phone to silence the ringer. These and a few other gestures make the phone feel much smarter than others, and it’s great to have them available even at this lower price.

The new Moto G Stylus 5G launches with Android 14 and the April 1 Android security update, but given the phone’s affordable price and processor, you can probably expect a big upgrade to Android 15 and potentially two years of Android security patches. The cadence will vary, of course, though I’d like to see Motorola push the envelope a little further and promise at least two years of OS upgrades. For comparison, Samsung and Google offer over seven years of updates.

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The 6.7-inch OLED display supports a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, which can dynamically adjust to your use cases. For example, the refresh rate will be lowered when you’re scrolling through photos or a web page – when there are fewer animations to render. I enjoyed hours of content on the phone, and a legacy port in the 3.5mm headphone jack is certainly helpful when you’re on the go without wireless earbuds.

On the back of the phone, there is a 50MP main camera and a 13MP ultra-wide-angle camera. It is certainly refreshing to see a mid-range phone without an unnecessary macro lens and depth sensor. Instead, the ultra-wide-angle camera supports a 120-degree field of view and doubles as a macro shooter.

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Although the camera hardware isn’t as powerful as flagship phones, Motorola offers excellent software tools that allow you to take great photos and be creative without too much effort. Still, I enjoyed using the Motorola camera, especially for quick shots during the day. The 50MP camera system should be perfectly adequate for most people. At this price, you really can’t complain.

Buying advice from ZDNET

I started using PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) in 1997, all of which had a stylus, and I’m still a fan of such devices that allow precise input and handwriting on the device. Moto G Stylus 5G is an affordable option for stylus lovers while also serving as a very capable Android phone. The Motorola UI remains one of my favorites as it is optimized for efficient use and doesn’t rely as heavily on AI to help you get things done.