Why You Can Trust CNET Moto G Fast vs. G Power vs. G Stylus: Motorola budget phones, side by side
Motorola's Moto G Fast, G Power and G Stylus make up its latest trio of budget phones. But which one is right for you?
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The Motorola G Stylus (right) is one of the most affordable phones you can find with the stylus feature.
Motorola unveiled three budget-friendly phones in the first half of this year, starting with the Moto G Stylus and G Power in February and completing the trio with the G Fast in June. The phones, which range from $200 to $300, enter an increasingly crowded field of budget phones, which includes the iPhone SE 2020 and the Samsung Galaxy A51. The latest expansion of Motorola's G series also came soon after the Chicago-based company's release of a premium phone, the Motorola Edge Plus, after years of focusing on producing high-quality phones at an affordable price.
Read: CNET's in-depth review and comparison between the Moto G Fast and Moto E
The $200 Moto G Fast is the third and final G-series phone Motorola will release in the US this year. And like the others in the series, it offers decent features for what you pay. (International prices aren't available, but the price converts to roughly £160 or AU$290.)
The G Fast is the most affordable of the three, but it has the same Snapdragon 665 processor along with a similar size and design (including the hole-punch display) as the pricier G Power and G Stylus. But in order to help lower costs, Motorola pared down some of the newer specs in the G Fast. Compared to its siblings, it has less storage capacity (32GB) and a lower-resolution display (720p). For specifics, you can scroll down and take a look at our specs chart below.
You can probably guess what marquee feature differentiates the G Stylus: As the name suggests, it's the presence of the pen-like accessory known as a stylus. There aren't many phones available with this feature, and the $300 G Stylus is one of the most affordable you can get. As the priciest sibling, it boasts the best camera system, headlined by a 48-megapixel sensor, and the most storage (128GB) of the three. The more wallet-friendly G Power and G Fast come with 64GB and 32GB storage respectively.
If you don't want a stylus, the G Power is essentially the same phone but it costs $50 less. The G Power has similar features, including a 6.4-inch HD display and 4G RAM, but comes with less storage and a much larger 5,000-mAh battery. That's the same size battery as the one in the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, which costs $1,400. Motorola claims the battery will last three days with regular use, and our battery tests backed that up.
To see how Motorola's latest budget-friendly phones compare with each other, take a look at our specs chart.
Motorola's Moto G Stylus vs. G Power vs. G Fast
| Motorola Moto G Stylus | Motorola Moto G Power | Motorola Moto G Fast | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display size, resolution | 6.4-inch LCD; 2,300x1,080 pixels | 6.4-inch LCD; 2,300x1,080 pixels | 6.4-inch LCD; 1,560x720 pixels |
| Pixel density | 399ppi | 399ppi | 268ppi |
| Dimensions (Inches) | 6.24 x 2.98 x 0.36 in | 6.29 x 2.98 x 0.38 in | 6.37 x 2.98 x 0.36 in |
| Dimensions (Millimeters) | 158.55 x 75.8 x 9.2 mm | 159.85 x 75.8 x 9.63 mm | 161.87 x 75.7 x 9.05 mm |
| Weight (Ounces, Grams) | 6.77 oz; 192 g | 7.01 oz; 199 g | 6.68 oz; 189.4g |
| Mobile software | Android 10 | Android 10 | Android 10 |
| Camera | 48-megapixel wide-angle, 2-megapixel macro, 16-megapixel ultra-wide angle | 16-megapixel wide-angle, 2-megapixel macro, 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle | 16-megapixel wide-angle, 2-megapixel macro, 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle |
| Front-facing camera | 16-megapixel | 16-megapixel | 8-megapixel |
| Video capture | 4K | 4K | 4K |
| Processor | Snapdragon 665 | Snapdragon 665 | Snapdragon 665 |
| Storage | 128GB | 64GB | 32GB |
| RAM | 4GB | 4GB | 3GB |
| Expandable storage | Up to 512GB | Up to 512GB | Up to 512GB |
| Battery | 4,000mAh | 5,000mAh | 4,000mAh |
| Fingerprint sensor | Back | Back | Rear |
| Connector | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| Headphone jack | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Special features | Stylus, Action Cam | ||
| Price off-contract (USD) | $300 | $250 | $200 |
