Motorola has already released several Moto G phones this year, including the Moto G Stylus 2022 and Moto G Power 2022, but there are even more models on the way. The company just revealed two 5G-capable budget phones, the Moto G 5 G and Moto G Stylus 5G, which look like some of the worst deals in the budget smartphone world right now — even in the uncompetitive United States market.
The Moto G 5G and Moto G Stylus 5G have a lot in common, with the same 5,000mAh battery, 10W wired charging (yes, it doesn't actually go faster than 10W), side-mounted fingerprint sensor, microSD card slot, headphone jack, 50MP main camera, and Android 12-based software. Motorola is only promising one OS update for both phones, presumably to Android 13, as well as security updates for "up to three years."
The similarities stop there, though. The Moto G 5G is a bit smaller, with a 6.6-inch 720p screen, while the Moto G Stylus has a larger 6.8-inch display and a faster 120Hz refresh rate. The phones also have different chipsets: a MediaTek Dimensity 700 on the Moto G, and a Snapdragon 695 on the Moto G Stylus. The Moto G Stylus also has a higher minimum storage, and the addition of NFC. That's right, the regular Moto G 5G does not support NFC.
Specification |
Moto G 5G |
Moto G Stylus 5G |
---|---|---|
Build |
"Water repellent" design |
"Water repellent" design |
Dimensions & Weight |
|
|
Display |
|
|
SoC |
MediaTek Dimensity 700 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 |
RAM & Storage |
|
|
Battery & Charging |
|
|
Security |
Side-mounted fingerprint sensor |
Side-mounted fingerprint sensor |
Rear Camera(s) |
|
|
Front Camera(s) |
13MP |
16MP |
Ports |
|
|
Audio |
Bottom-ported loudspeaker |
Bottom-ported loudspeaker |
Connectivity |
|
|
Software |
|
|
Other Features |
|
|
Motorola plans to sell the Moto G 5G carrier-unlocked at Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, and Motorola.com starting May 19 in the United States, with a release date in Canada "in the coming months." The carrier-unlocked Moto G Stylus will be available sooner, arriving at Amazon, Walmart, and Motorola.com on April 28, and pre-orders at some retailers will start April 21. Several wireless carriers will also sell the phones in the near future, including Cricket Wireless, Dish, Google Fi, and Xfinity Mobile.
Despite the mid-range hardware and middling software support, the Moto G 5G will be sold for $399.99 in the US, and the Moto G Stylus will be $499.99. That seemingly makes them the most expensive Moto G phones in the United States by a wide margin — the non-5G Moto G Stylus (which has a different chipset) only costs $280.
Unless you really need a stylus, there seem to be many better options for a budget Android phone in the United States. The Galaxy A53 5G is priced at $450 in the US, with an Exynos 1280 chipset (which is about as fast as the Snapdragon 695 in the Moto G Stylus, but less power-efficient), faster 25W charging, IP67 water/dust resistance, four years of Android OS updates, and five years of security updates. The Pixel 5a 5G is also the same price, with Google's clean build of Android and updates until August 2024.