We tested the Moto G Stylus 5G: the cell phone that incorporates a high-end accessory at a low price | CNN

There aren't many options for smartphone users who want a phone that includes a stylus for making notes or sketches.

At the high end, there is Samsung's Galaxy Note 20 or S21 Ultra, both of which will make you spend more than MX $ 20,000.

The Moto G Stylus 5G costs just over MX $ 10,000 and aims to become a cell phone focused on productivity and available to the masses.

Motorola offers great features for that price: 256GB of storage, 5G connectivity, and a 6.8-inch screen.

The who, what and how

Who's it for:

 The Moto G Stylus 5G is a solid choice for someone who wants the added functionality and productivity features of using a stylus on a smartphone, but doesn't want to pay too much.

How it compares:

 The Moto G Stylus 5G is a respectable phone, especially for the price.

Their cameras take decent photos and the screen looks great.

You're not going to have a problem using it for everyday tasks, including multitasking, but don't expect the same high-end speed or performance.

A modern phone

Motorola G Stylus 5G

MX $ 10,158

Buy it here

It's true that the Moto G Stylus 5G looks and feels like half smartphone and half tablet with four rear cameras on the back and a large screen. Also on the back of the phone is a fingerprint sensor, covered by the iconic Motorola logo, and while the back appears to be made of glass, it is actually plastic. The Emerald color changes through various shades from green to almost black as you rotate the phone, on the front you'll have a 6.8-inch Full HD + display.

It's pretty modern, at least in features, thanks to the 16-megapixel selfie camera in the upper-left corner. Volume controls and a power button are located on the right, while the SIM card slot and a microSD card slot are on the left. You can use the microSD card portion of the tray to add up to 1 TB of additional storage to your phone. The bottom of the Moto G Stylus 5G has a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack along with a USB-C port for charging or transfers. data and the built-in stylus on the far right.

The built-in stylus is very slim. At first we had a hard time finding a comfortable grip for the first few days of testing. There is a stiff, rounded tip that is used to interact with the screen and the other end of the stylus will click like a pen, but it doesn't offer any additional functionality - the Moto G Stylus 5G is definitely a big phone.

It's comfortable to hold and very handy though, when jotting down notes with the stylus or scrolling through your Twitter feed. Interestingly, the G Stylus 5G lacks any formal IP rating for water and dust resistance.

Motorola lists it as having a "water-repellent design," and if you read the fine print, you quickly learn that it can withstand the occasional splash or light rain.

However, one accidental fall into the pool or sink, and you're likely going to buy a new phone.

A simple but capable stylus

Arguably the star of the show here is the stylus and Motorola put a lot of work into optimizing the software to take advantage of the stylus.

When the phone is unlocked and the stylus is removed, a small circular icon appears on the screen.

You can tap the icon to see a menu for common tasks using the stylus, such as taking a screenshot or opening the app. Another useful feature that you can enable is for the phone to record your current GPS location every time you remove the stylus.

That way, if you lose the small pen, at least you will know where you got it from the phone.

Unfortunately, that's as far as the location feature is concerned.

You will not get an accurate location of the object.

As for the writing experience, there is some lag when drawing and the tip of the pencil sliding is not as smooth as, for example, the Apple Pencil on an iPad, but we would bet that after a few uses you will get used to its quirks and you won't think twice.

Smooth performance and long battery life

This smartphone runs Android 11 with a custom interface.

Getting around the G Stylus 5G using apps like Twitch, Twitter, Slack, and Gmail was a smooth and enjoyable experience, but when it comes to quickly multitasking or playing a resource-

heavy

game like

Need for Speed ​​No Limits

, you're likely to notice. a mishap from time to time.

Inside the Moto G Stylus 5G there is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 5G processor, 6GB of memory and 256GB of storage.

There is a 5,000 milliamp hour battery inside the G Stylus 5G that Motorola advertises as large enough to power through two days of regular use.

We couldn't go two full days without reaching for a charger, but you're not going to worry about battery life on a typical day, even if you're traveling and checking email frequently.

Included in the box is a 10-watt wall adapter to charge the G Stylus 5G, the maximum charging speed it accepts.

Wireless charging is not supported.

Cameras

When it comes to camera settings, the Stylus 5G has several options.

Let's break them down:

• 48 megapixel lens: This is the main camera of the G Stylus 5G.

  It will take clear, bright and vibrant photos, taking very little time to focus.

• 5 megapixel macro lens: Have you ever wanted to take a close-up photo of a plant or even a coin?

  That's exactly what the macro lens is for.

  Motorola suggests being about two finger widths away from the object you're taking a photo of.

• 8 Megapixel 118 Degree Wide Angle Lens - A wider field of view is perfect for family photos and ensuring everyone is in the picture.

  It is also a handy camera for taking landscape photos, capturing the entire scene.

• 2 Megapixel Depth Sensor: You will not take photos directly with this camera, it is used to add depth to photos and ensure that all background information is included.

In our tests, the Stylus 5G takes good photos in brightly lit environments, such as outdoors.

There is a slightly overexposed look to some of the photos you capture, but overall you are going to enjoy taking and sharing the photos you capture with this phone.

In dimly lit or dark environments, expect similar but not identical quality. On the front you'll find a 16-megapixel lens, which is perfectly fine for selfies and video calls.

In our tests, decent selfies were needed that we would have no problem sharing on Twitter or Facebook.

In conclusion

After our analysis, we can say that the Moto G Stylus 5G is a complete phone that apparently does it all.

The stylus is a prized feature for note-taking and drawing - it's a phone that rivals high-end Samsung smartphones, at least when it comes to supporting a stylus.

From a camera that does a good job when lighting conditions are right, excellent battery life, and even performance in the middle of the road, there isn't much to complain about with this phone.

Note: The above prices reflect the price at the time of publication of the article.