Stylus phone on a budget
Motorola’s new Moto G Stylus is a mid-range handset offering an approximation of what a budget S22 Ultra would look like, minus the Samsung branding, writes Alan Martin.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is many things, but cheap isn’t one of them. Still, given the lack of stylus-packing alternatives, Samsung hasn’t really needed to offer a cheaper alternative as it did in the latter days of the Galaxy Note.
Until now, perhaps. Motorola has just unveiled its new Moto G Stylus: a mid-range handset offering an approximation of what a budget S22 Ultra would look like, minus the Samsung branding.
The key similarities, before we get onto the even more key differences.
Both are 6.8in 5G Android handsets, offering a large canvas for doodling and notetaking with the accompanying stylus. Rather than being easily losable, said stylus docks inside the handsets when not in use, so if you manage to misplace it, that really is on you. Both phones also feature a 120Hz screen for buttery smooth animations, too.
But there are key differences, as well as similarities. While both screens are 120Hz, for example, Samsung uses AMOLED tech for perfect contrast on its 1440p screen, and Motorola is uses an LCD panel with a resolution of ‘‘just’’ 1080p.
Motorola’s offering will be markedly slower too, given it packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chipset compared to the all-singing, all-dancing Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 powering the S22 Ultra.
And while it has a 50MP camera with image stabilisation, it can’t compete with the 108MP camera array on the S22 Ultra.
But the Motorola Moto G Stylus has one big trump card: price. In the US, currently the only territory it’s been formally announced in, it will sell for US$499 – which is around NZ$752.
Considering the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra starts at NZ$1999, there’s no contest for those on a tight budget (even accounting for the quirky way US listings don’t include sales tax, for a nice surprise when you go to checkout.)
Reviews should start to emerge after the handset went on sale on Thursday. Hopefully they’ll be good enough to justify a release beyond North America, and show Samsung that styluses needn’t just be for flagships.
This article was first published at thebit.nz.