- New details of an upcoming Motorola Moto G Stylus have emerged.
- A larger display, relocated fingerprint scanner, and new Snapdragon chipset will reportedly feature.
- However, the phone will allegedly launch without NFC and with Android 10.
Update: January 4, 2021 (12 AM ET): More details of the Moto G Stylus 2021 have now leaked courtesy of tipster Steve Hemmerstoffer. While corroborating many previous details leaked by Evan Blass, including the phone’s camera specs, Hemmerstoffer brings some additional points to the table. For starters, the tipster published a number of renders of the Moto G Stylus 2021, detailing its front, rear, and bottom edge where the stylus slot and 3.5mm headphone jack can be seen.
Hemmerstoffer also suggests the fingerprint scanner will be positioned at the rear overlaying the Motorola logo, and not the side as mentioned by Blass. Finally, the phone is said to be larger than the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, complete with a body measuring nearly 170mm tall, 73.7mm across, and 10.9mm thick at the camera hump.
Original article: November 9, 2020 (6:44 AM ET): The Moto G Stylus was one of the few options for those seeking a cheap stylus- equipped smartphone. Now, it seems that Motorola is readying the next edition. Per leaker Evan Blass, a list of purported specs has emerged detailing the phone’s key figures. And if you were hoping for sweeping changes, you’d be sorely disappointed.
For starters, there are some notable improvements. A 6.81-inch 2,400 x 1,080 display will reportedly make its debut. That’s a considerable size upgrade over the 6.4-inch 2,300 x 1,080 screen on the 2020 Moto G Stylus. This should give users a larger writing and drawing surface with that stylus, but also make the phone less ergonomic. In a bid to improve the latter, the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner will be moved to the side of the phone, per the leak.
The other major change will be internal. While Blass states the 2021 Moto G Stylus will once again debut with just 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, it will upgrade from the Snapdragon 665 to the Snapdragon 675 chipset. Sure, it’s not the latest silicon by any means, but it should help keep the phone’s list price down.
Beyond these pointers, expect a similar rear camera arrangement of a 48MP primary shooter, an 8MP ultrawide, a 2MP macro snapper, and a 2MP depth sensor. Imaging wasn’t a strong point of the original Stylus, so we don’t expect much thunder or lightning here.
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The bad news continues in other aspects, too. The 2021 Moto G Stylus will also debut with Android 10, without NFC, and with a 4,000mAh battery. Granted, the battery life on the 2020 iteration was excellent, but the 5,000mAh cell from the Moto G Power would be a welcome addition.
Motorola has yet to announce the follow up to the 2020 Stylus, so it’s unclear when the phone will make its debut. If the firm keeps the price below $300 again, it could be a viable option for digital jotters, content consumers, and road warriors on a budget.