Motorola Moto G Power vs Moto G Stylus

Motorola is known for making budget-friendly phones with decent specs for those who don’t need all the fancy flagship features. Last year was no exception, with Motorola offering the Moto G Power, a modest mid-range driver, and the Moto G Stylus, which still is the most affordable option to get a pen with your smartphone. But the latter offers a lot more than just the stylus accessory. Find out which is the better buy in our Moto G Power vs Moto G Stylus matchup.

Motorola Moto G Power vs Moto G Stylus: At a glance

Motorola Moto G Power vs Moto G Stylus: Specs

Motorola Moto G Power vs Moto G Stylus: Size comparison

The Moto G Stylus feels much larger in hand than the Moto G Power, featuring a 6.8-inch display compared to the Power’s 6.5-inch display. Some may appreciate the extra screen space for drawing or note-taking with the stylus, but you may sometimes need two hands to hold it. Likewise, the Moto G Power will be more easily pocketable, especially for tight pants.

However, the Moto G Power does have some rather thick bezels, particularly along the top and bottom edges, giving the phone a ~79.7% screen-to-body ratio. The Moto G Stylus has noticeable bezels too, but you have more usable display real estate with a ~84.6% screen-to-body ratio.

Aside from being bigger, the Moto G Stylus is also a tad heavier, weighing 13g more than the Moto G Power. Go with the Moto G Power if you want something small and lightweight.

Motorola Moto G Power vs Moto G Stylus: Camera

The Moto G Power moved its rear camera rig from the center to the top left corner of the back panel compared to its predecessor. It sported a new 50MP primary shooter that delivers solid results in most situations, especially given good lighting. However, the 2MP macro and depth cameras aren’t anything to write home about, and we didn’t find the Night Mode to be of any help in complete darkness.

The Moto G Stylus features a similar 50MP primary shooter but ditched the 2MP macro lens for an 8MP ultrawide, which is going to be more practical should you want a wider field of view or capture more detail with extreme closeups.

On the front side, the Moto G Power has an 8MP selfie shooter, and the Moto G Stylus doubles that with a 16MP front-facing camera. The Moto G Power featured an amusing Dual Capture mode, which would simultaneously take a selfie and a shot of what you see for a 50/50 split. The Moto G Stylus has a more reliable portrait mode, even if the default beauty filters are a bit aggressive.

As for video recording, the Moto G Stylus can shoot at 1080p at 60 fps on the rear, while the Moto G Power is limited to 1080p at 30 fps. Both phones max out at 1080 at 30 fps with the front cameras.

Motorola Moto G Power vs Moto G Stylus: Battery and charging

Both phones have the same big 5,000mAh battery but are limited to fairly slow wired charging at 10W speeds. For the Moto G Power, that was a disappointing downgrade from the 15W of its predecessor. That means you’ll wait roughly two hours to replenish a depleted battery for either option. Neither phone supports wireless charging either.

Motorola Moto G Power vs Moto G Stylus: Price

The Moto G Power was released in the fall of 2021, starting at $199.99. The Moto G Stylus launched in early 2022 with a starting price of $299.99. Both phones arrived running Android 11 out of the box and are upgradable to Android 12 with two years of security patches.

Today, Motorola is selling the 64GB model of the Moto G Power for $129.99 (35% off) and the 128Gb model for $149.99 (40% off). Likewise, the Moto G Stylus sells for $179.99 (40% off). Considering that all versions of the phones cost less than $200 right now, they are attractive options for bargain hunters.

Motorola Moto G Power vs Moto G Stylus: Which should you buy?

Sometimes when Motorola takes two steps forward, they take one (or more) steps back. Such was the story with the Moto G Power, which increased RAM and storage and added an IP rating, but reduced wired charging, the overall display, and processing power.

For only $20 more today, you can get an overall superior phone in the Moto G Stylus. It offers 2GB more RAM, equal storage, a brighter, higher resolution display, and houses the MediaTek Helio G88 processor, which edges out the Moto G Power’s MediaTek Helio G37 chipset in both CPU and GPU performance. You also get an ultrawide camera for more versatile photo taking.

If you want to stick with Motorola and are willing to spend a little more, consider the Moto G Stylus 5G for $249.99. it offers the titular 5G performance, superior processing power, a 120Hz refresh rate, and NFC support. Plus, it’s upgradable to Android 13 for the latest software. On the other hand, if you want 5G and Android 13 but want to stick with something smaller and lightweight, consider the Moto G 5G.

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