Motorola Moto G Pro / G Stylus review

The competition

The Moto G Pro, or the Moto G Stylus, whatever they call it around your parts, comes with one indisputable advantage over its competitors - the stylus pen. Even though there aren't many functionalities associated with the pen and it's a passive pen, it's still something that none of its competitors has. Anyone looking for a phone with a stylus for productivity but doesn't want to pay top dollar for a Samsung Galaxy Note might be interested. But is it enough of a selling point? Well, it would all depend on the pricing.

Currently, the G Stylus ($270) in the USA costs considerably less than the G Pro in Europe (€300). In markets where the mid-range segment is oversaturated with great smartphones by Chinese brands like Xiaomi and Realme, it would be hard to steer in users just because of the stylus.

It's not only Chinese challenger brands, but even Samsung has a few great offers that easily undercut the G Pro at its current pricing in Europe. We are not even going to list particular alternatives here because we feel the Moto G Pro current European pricing of €300 puts it into a segment that is way out of its league.

Things are looking a tad better on the US market for the Moto G Stylus.

The only stylus-equipped alternative to the Moto G Stylus in the US in the same price bracket is the LG Stylo 6. But the latter falls behind in pretty much every important aspect but the sheer screen size. And if the stylus isn't that high in your priority list, we have two solid alternatives.

One comes from the same company in the form of Moto G Power. It offers similar hardware with less storage, same chipset while boasting considerably better battery life, and a proper ultra-wide camera capable of taking stills. It has the stereo speakers on board too while going for $40 less ($230).

Motorola Moto G8 Power • Samsung Galaxy A51

Samsung also has a contender roaming the territory. Asking merely $10 to $20 more, the Galaxy A51 grants you with a superb AMOLED screen, a comparable camera experience, similar battery life, and arguably more flexibility with One UI based on Android 10. An easy recommend from us even some seven months after its release.

Verdict

In isolation, the Moto G Pro is a nice phone within its own niche, especially in the US where there aren't many options to choose from. But unfortunately, if the stylus pen isn't up on your priority list, there are much better alternatives out there. The chipset on the Moto G Pro is aging and battery life isn't particularly impressive when put against the competition, nor is the camera performance. And frankly, it's only the main camera that takes nice photos.

This leaves the Moto G Pro with a stylus, microSD card support, and nice-sounding stereo loudspeakers to brag about while failing to impress in other key aspects. The Moto G Pro is a good example of a niche product, which we find hard to recommend for the wide audience but we're sure it will find its fans as there is nothing wrong with it but it's slighly higher price.

Pros

• Bright display, and a stylus included
• Tiny punch-hole camera design.
• Stereo loudspeakers.
• Clean Android experience.
• Photos by the main camera come out nice.

Cons

• Pricey, you can get better deals if you are not madly in love with the stylus.
• No ultra-wide photos.
• Battery life could be better.