The Moto G Stylus 2022 brings some interesting upgrades over the previous Motorola model. Samsung is unofficially the stylus king, as it has more mobile devices with stylus support than any other phone manufacturer. However, Samsung's devices are not exactly cheap. This has led to a few other brands, including Motorola, jumping into the stylus game with more affordable phones, albeit with fewer features.
The Moto G Stylus is a line of mid-range smartphones with support for a stylus that can be stored in the device. Since the line's debut, Motorola has launched a total of four different models. Last year saw the release of two of them, one of which was the Moto G Stylus 5G, the first in the series to come with 5G support.
The Moto G Stylus 2022 arrives with a new design. It still has a hole in the display for the front-facing camera, but it has been moved from the corner to the center. The back, still plastic, also has a new look. There are now three camera sensors, down from four on the 2021 model, and they are housed on a new camera island. Another subtle change is the famous Motorola logo which is now positioned closer to the bottom. While it still doesn't double as a fingerprint scanner, the new position should serve as a more natural resting point for the index finger when holding the phone. Motorola is sticking with the same $299 price and the Moto G Stylus 2022 can be purchased in either Twilight Blue or Metallic Rose.
Moto G Stylus 2022 & 2021 Specs Compared
Motorola has made more than just design changes to the new model, as there are some interesting upgrades elsewhere as well. For starters, the 6.8-inch FHD+ (2460 x 1080) display is slightly sharper and has a 90Hz refresh rate for smooth and fast scrolling. The RAM has also been bumped up from 4GB to 6GB, but storage remains at 128GB with the option to add up to 512GB via a microSD card slot. Owners should also get more screen-on time considering the battery capacity has increased from 4,000 mAh to 5,000 mAh. Sadly, the phone still charges at only 10W.
The cameras, while fewer, are better, at least on paper. The main sensor is a 50MP camera that replaces the 48MP camera on last year's model. There is still an 8MP 118-degree ultrawide angle camera, but it can shoot macro photos now. This also explains why there isn't a dedicated macro camera on this version. The third camera is a 2MP depth sensor, while a 16MP camera can be found on the front for selfies and video calls. For reference, the new model still has an audio jack, USB Type-C port, and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.
What is disappointing is the processor which is a 12nm MediaTek Helio G88, replacing the 11nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 678 chip, both of which are 4G chips. The size of the node is not the only difference as the Snapdragon chip also offers better performance thanks to its more powerful Cortex-A76 cores. In contrast, the Helio G88 relies on Cortex-A75 cores. While there will be a slight difference in performance, the extra RAM on the new model should mean more apps can be kept running in the background. Another area for concern is the operating system, considering the Moto G Stylus 2022 ships with Android 11 instead of Android 12.
Source: Motorola