Motorola has been on a roll lately, growing faster than any other Android OEM as it gobbles up the market share left by LG's withdrawal from smartphones. A big component of its strategy appears to be making a phone at every conceivable price point, from the bargain-basement Moto G Pure to the updated Edge+ flagship. The latest additions to the Moto G family fall somewhere in the middle. The Moto G Stylus 5G is a tweaked version of the 4G Stylus from earlier this year, and the Moto G 5G is a slightly cheaper MediaTek-powered device with no stylus. Although, "cheaper" is a relative term here—both phones are a bit more spendy than you'd expect at $499 for the Stylus 5G and $399 for the Moto G 5G. They could have trouble competing with the excellent budget phones already on the market.

The Moto G 5G runs on the same Dimensity 700 chip we've seen in devices like the Samsung Galaxy A13 5G, and that's not all it shares. Here's the spec rundown.

Moto G 5G

Physically, the new Moto G is almost indistinguishable from the company's other recent releases. The 6.5-inch display won't be the sharpest out there, but the 90Hz refresh rate is appreciated, and the retail unlocked version will have 6GB of RAM. The camera module looks like the one on the Edge+, but it's nowhere near as powerful. The 50MP primary is probably the only sensor you'll care about, paired with a 2MP macro module and a 2MP depth sensor. This does feel underwhelming for $400 when the Pixel 5a is only $50 more.

Close

I like to see phones launch with the latest version of Android, which Moto's last few releases have not. This one will have Android 12 out of the box, and it'll get one OS update to Android 13. As for security patches. Moto says "up to" three years. Yes, it's a pretty vague commitment, but at least it's open to extending support compared to past devices. You get a 3.5mm jack and a microSD card slot, but there's no NFC. That means no contactless payments, a common shortcoming for the G-series.

The Moto G Stylus is the new top-end G-series phone, improving on the 4G variant in several important ways. Here are the speeds and feeds.

Moto G Stylus 5G (2022)

At a glance, you'd have a hard time telling the G Stylus 5G from the Moto G 5G or any other recent G-series phone. However, the stylus docked on the bottom face gives it away upon closer inspection. The stylus is identical to the one in the 4G G Stylus from earlier this year—it's just a capacitive nub with no pressure sensitivity or Bluetooth tricks. If you just want something to jot down notes, the capacitive stylus should be sufficient, just like past Motorola stylus devices. The camera module looks the same as the G 5G, but it swaps in an ultrawide sensor for the useless macro cam—a welcome improvement.

Close

Inside, the G Stylus has a shiny new Snapdragon 695 chipset, which consists of two Cortex A78-based cores and six A55-based cores, and it's built on a 6nm process. The integrated X51 modem gives this device expansive 5G capabilities across both sub6 and mmWave frequencies. With up to 8GB of RAM, this device should be fast enough to take advantage of (theoretically) speedier data, but the $500 starting price seems high. With fewer chips to go around and inflation ramping up, Moto isn't the only OEM that has bumped prices.

Like the Moto G 5G, this phone ships with Android 12 and one guaranteed update. Plus, you get up to three years of security patches. Whatever Moto settles on here, it won't be as long-lived as Samsung and Google phones. That's a bit of a bummer, but this phone does have NFC—a true rarity for the G-series.

Both phones will appear at myriad retailers in April and May. Retail availability for the G Stylus 5G will kick off on April 21, and the G Stylus will follow on May 19. These unlocked phones will be at Motorola's site, Amazon, Best Buy, and other retailers. Carriers like AT&T, Verizon, Boost, Google Fi, and others will offer them as well. If you're in Canada, the new G-series phones will arrive in the coming months. We will also have reviews soon, so stay tuned if you're looking for a mid-range phone.