Motorola's new Moto G Stylus comes with a vastly improved pen and a higher price
The Moto G Stylus (2026) looks a lot like the 2025 edition at first glance, but a couple of key upgrades might justify its existence... and price hike.
The new G Stylus looks pretty great in these two colorways with a new active pen in tow. | Image by Motorola
The most popular pen-wielding handset... not manufactured by Samsung is finally getting a 2026 edition, and like so many other 2026 phones, the upgraded Moto G Stylus will cost more than its forerunners.
At first glance, it might not seem like you're getting a lot of extra bang for your buck from the Moto G Stylus (2026) compared to its 2025 predecessor, but although the two's designs and many of their key specs are identical, the new model brings a crucial improvement in perhaps the most important area of them all.
Yes, these are very familiar specifications
- 6.7-inch 1.5K Extreme AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate technology and up to 5000 nits of peak brightness;
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor;
- 128 and 256GB storage variants;
- 8GB RAM;
- IP68 and IP69 water and dust resistance;
- Military-grade durability;
- Corning Gorilla Glass 3 screen protection;
- Android 16;
- 50MP Ultra Pixel main rear camera with Sony Lytia 700C sensor and optical image stabilization;
- 13MP ultra-wide-angle and Macro Vision secondary camera;
- 32MP front-facing camera with f/2.2 aperture and Quad Pixel technology;
- Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio technology;
- 5,200mAh battery;
- 68W TurboPower wired charging and 15W wireless charging support;
- 162.15 x 74.78 x 8.29mm dimensions;
- 192 grams weight (with stylus);
- Leather finish with twill-inspired texture;
- Pantone Coal Smoke and Pantone Lavender Mist color options.
But the stylus is a totally different affair
Just in case you didn't know, not all digital pens are created equal. Last year's Moto G Stylus, for instance, came with a passive writing accessory that was far less sophisticated and feature-packed than the active pen sold alongside the likes of Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Ultra.
The active pen is without a doubt the key selling point here. | Image by Motorola
This time around, Motorola is also leaning more towards the active stylus category, adding tilt and pressure sensitivity to the companion of the latest Moto G Stylus generation for a more "pen-on-paper feel" in many everyday tasks with broader shading, finer lines, and more natural strokes.
Of course, there's no Bluetooth functionality here either, but Motorola's new active pen packs a battery that can deliver up to 100 hours of uninterrupted standby time and close to four hours of writing on a single charge while taking just around 15 minutes to recharge.
Are you happy with the upgrades of the new Moto G Stylus?
Quick Clip, Drag & Drop, Hover to Magnify, and Circle to Search are the key features enabled by the new mid-range handset's pen, and although the Moto G Stylus (2026) still can't quite compare to the Galaxy S26 Ultra in this department, the gap in convenience and functionality is clearly a lot smaller than the S25 Ultra's advantage over the Moto G Stylus (2025).
What else makes the Moto G Stylus (2026) special?
Compared to its 2025 predecessor, not much. No, not even a new processor. But the 6.7-inch display, which was already pretty great for a budget-friendly phone, is now even brighter, and just as on the Moto G Power (2026), the battery capacity has been (slightly) bumped up from 5,000 to 5,200mAh, promising up to 44 hours (that's almost two whole days!) of use between blazing fast 68W charges.
No, the new Moto G Stylus is not the world's thinnest mid-range handset. | Image by Motorola
For a relatively affordable 5G-capable device, the Moto G Stylus (2026) is also quite stylish thanks to a signature Motorola "leather-inspired" finish and a "distinct twill-inspired texture", and like many of the brand's other mid-rangers released over the last year or so, the "classic" IP68 certification is backed by an IP69 rating to guarantee top-notch protection against water immersion, dust, and high-pressure water jets.
The camera skills are not bad either (for the handset's price bracket), including many powerful AI-enhanced tools like Action Shot, Super Zoom, Signature Style, and Photo Enhancement Engine. Unfortunately, the imaging sensors themselves seem to have gone unchanged from the Moto G Stylus (2025), which was probably something Motorola had to do to keep the production costs in check.
And now for the bad news
As many of you may have feared, the Moto G Stylus (2026) is (significantly) more expensive than the 2025 edition, at $499.99 in the US. Is the $100 price jump over the Moto G Stylus (2025) entirely justified by the new pen capabilities, slightly bigger battery, and slightly more robust design?
Official Moto G Stylus (2026) pictures. | Images by Motorola
I don't think so, but sadly, this is what happens when memory chip prices are out of control in the entire mobile industry. The good news is Motorola plans to bundle a nifty Moto Tags 4-pack with the entry-level 128GB storage variant of the new G Stylus at launch while throwing in a pair of Moto Buds Loop earbuds, a Moto Watch, and a Moto Tag with the handset's 256 gig configuration as a special deal sweetener.
The US release is set for April 16, at least as far as unlocked sales through Amazon, Best Buy, and Motorola's official e-store are concerned. The phone will also be available on that date at Google Fi, with Spectrum Mobile, Cricket Wireless, AT&T, Xfinity Mobile, and Optimum Mobile all set to join the party "subsequently."
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