Moto G Stylus 5G

My Moto Z4 was reaching the end of its useful life, mostly due to an ever shorter battery life. I've had this phone for nearly 4 years, and it replaced the original Moto Z. As you might surmise, I like the Moto line of phones.My criteria for a new phone was simple:1. Must have +6GB RAM2. Must have +128GB of internal storage3. Must have micro SD storage capability4. Must have excellent battery capacity5. Must have earphone jack6. Must have a decent processor7. Must have Android no more than on version old.8. Must be OEM unlocked for the USA9. Must not require a second mortgage to purchase.10. Must be 5G capable.With the plethora of phones out on the market, you'd think there would be countless options...but no, there aren't. The one phone I kept coming back to during my months long research was the Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G.I finally pulled the trigger a week ago and, after seven days of real world use, I have to say that I am impressed and pleased. The phone runs smoothly and performs all of the needed tasks I need throughout the day: email, texting web searches, phone calls and maybe some twittering along the way.I've noticed only a few stutters along the way, when I've had 20 web pages loaded in Chrome, for instance and constantly switching from one tab to another. The processor on this phone is a Snapdragon 750G, which is very capable but, like any thing, if you overload it, it may show some slight stutter when scrolling, but it has been rare and not really an issue for me.Now...the battery. Impressive! I use the phone most heavily in the morning as I begin my day. I'm up at 7 a.m. and by noon I was at 78% capacity. by the time I plugged in at around 9 p.m. I still had almost 50%.Now, if you're streaming youtube videos, etc., you can expect a more rapid drain, but the battery in this phone is as large as anything you'll find in any other phone on the market.The phone size is surprisingly sleek, with a screen almost a 1/2" taller than my Moto Z4. Android 12 presents a learning curve, having come from Android 10, but I'm getting used to it and I'm sure in another week or so it will be second nature. Motorola keeps its Android branch as close to stock as you can get. The Moto gestures are a huge benefit that I've come to rely on over the years, so I'm glad I found a phone in the Moto line.I was skeptical about the whole stylus feature and, to be honest, I've not had the need to use it so far. I've played with it and it's easy and intuitive to use. I can foresee a time when I'll need to write a quick note, and this is ultimately better than searching for a pen and scrap of paper that you might wind up losing. It's totally unobtrusive, but it's there if you need it and easily accessible. I view this as more of an added feature that I'll be happy to have when needed, but out of the way.I like this phone so much I'm going to purchase another one for my wife. I've tried it with both T-Mobile and Verizon sim cards and the phone is right at home with either service.Motorola has hit the nail on the head for performance, features, and affordability. I hope Motorola continues developing and producing phones like this. I'll remain a loyal customer if they do, and will recommend this particular phone for anyone asking "What is the best, affordable phone on the market."!

It's my fault, too. I dropped it right on the charger port end with it plugged in with a cord for a security camera that had a too-long type C metal part. The part that goes around the contacts on the cord end, that is. I hope that makes sense.Anyway, this phone, with screen protectors and cases, of course, has survived my active, construction-working, prospecting, water-loving, gardening, multi-tasking self for years now. It still looks brand new, even though I've dropped it probably 5 or 10 times a day since 2022, and at least 10 of those fully submerged in a creek or a gold pan full of water.I keep denatured alcohol handy to displace and rinse out water, since pure alcohol doesn't conduct electricity. It works way better than a bag of rice.I'm still using it until my 2024 model gets here next week. The charger port is knocked loose, but I can still charge it if I wiggle it, and if that hadn't happened, I suspect I could have stayed on this phone for quite a bit longer. However, it isn't getting security updates, anymore, since it's a four-years-ago model, so I think it's fine that I now move on to a new one.I got my money's worth a thousand times over from this super fast (6 Gig RAM, 256 Gig internal memory quick as a wild hare no matter how many apps I had going) multi-tasker.I look forward to several years enjoying the new features available on the 8/256 of the same series, Moto G Stylus 5G, this time the 2024 model in Caramel Latte color (or something like that), that I just bought a few hours ago.I already ordered my Super Shields 3 pack of screen protectors and a case, because to not have those is basically asking to buy another phone.I'll probably fix the charger port on this phone and hook it up to my solar Wi-Fi security cameras in case the power ever goes out and shuts down the DVR and CCTV cameras, since it still works like new. I'm feeling a little emotional about having injured it, actually.If I could give ten stars, I would. Thank you, Motorola, for making a phone that cost me less than $300 including the case and screen protectors, that has been a really, really durable, lightning fast, awesome phone that has been reliawith me almost constantly for so many years.

About a month into use. My previous phone was a Moto X4, which was a major leap in battery life from my Moto X2. I expected this phone to be even better, and while it does last a full day of fairly heavy usage, I feel like I expected a bit more than I get.Other than that, I like the phone and its features. Good cameras and screen, great storage space plus an SD card for pictures. And my favorite thing is the stylus. I like to write down notes a lot, and draw, so that is super useful. The phone did have a bit of a learning curve and take time to figure out all my old settings. Its really amazing how anti-user a phone starts and to make it usable you need to change a million settings, which change names every phone model.