Motorola Moto G Fast vs. Moto G Stylus: Full Comparison

The Motorola Moto G Fast and Moto G Stylus are two of Motorola‘s most popular budget smartphone models. While similar in many aspects, they have some key differences that buyers should consider when deciding between these two quality yet affordable device options.

Side-by-Side Comparison

As you can see from the table, while both phones share similarities typical of budget models, including large displays, multi-lens camera systems and ample battery capacities, the Moto G Stylus generally offers improved specifications and capabilities compared to the Moto G Fast model.

Operating System and Software

A key advantage of the Moto G Stylus over the Moto G Fast is that it ships with Android 11 straight out of the box. Android 11 includes a host of new features including enhanced privacy controls, notification improvements, messaging upgrades and more.

In contrast, the Moto G Fast currently runs Android 10, however it is expected to receive an update to Android 11. Still, buying the Moto G Stylus ensures you get the latest Android version immediately.

Both phones run mostly stock versions of Android, with Motorola’s My UX customizations layered on top. These add useful features like Moto Display and Moto Actions without heavily altering the core Android experience.

Design and Build

As the name suggests, the Motorola Moto G Stylus is built around, well…a stylus! The included stylus slots neatly into the bottom corner and provides great precision input options on the large display. Artists, note-takers, and other creative users will benefit greatly from this added input peripheral.

The Motorola Moto G Fast features a slightly more compact body, coming in at 161.9 x 75.7 x 9.1mm versus 169.5 x 77.5 x 9.4mm on the beefier Moto G Stylus. And tipping the scales at just 189g, the Moto G Fast is almost 30 grams lighter than the 217g Moto G Stylus. For buyers favoring smaller, lighter devices, the Moto G Fast excels in portability.

Both phones are made primarily of plastic materials, typical of lower-cost handsets. Still, they feel remarkably solid in the hand. Just don’t expect any sort of premium build elements like aluminium or Gorilla Glass here.

Performance and Hardware

The Moto G Stylus features a Snapdragon 480 5G mobile chip, one of Qualcomm’s latest budget 5G platforms. With an integrated 5G modem and decent overall performance from its 8-core CPU based on an 8nm manufacturing process, the Snapdragon 480 gives the Moto G Stylus excellent speed and responsiveness for a wide variety of apps and games.

The Moto G Fast isn’t too far behind, utilizing the capable Snapdragon 665, however it is limited to 4G LTE networks. Overall app performance should still be adequate for most users. But mobile gamers will likely appreciate the extra graphics and processing punch offered by the Moto G Stylus and it’s Adreno 619 GPU.

Battery Life

With beefy 5,000mAh and 4,000mAh batteries respectively, both the Moto Stylus and Moto G Fast are designed to offer all-day endurance, even with relatively intensive use. The Moto G Stylus does gain a bit of an advantage here through the combination of that extra 1,000mAh unit capacity coupled with a more efficient processor.

So in general, buyers can expect roughly 10-15% longer run times from the Moto G Stylus before needing to find a power outlet. Fortunately, both devices support 10W rapid charging to minimize downtime when you do need to top up.

Cameras

The camera systems present one of the biggest distinctions between the Moto G Stylus and Moto G Fast – both in terms of hardware and software capabilities. Let‘s break down the rear camera arrays first:

Moto G Stylus:

• 48MP main
• 8MP ultra-wide
• 5MP macro
• 2MP depth

Moto G Fast:

• 16MP main
• 8MP ultra-wide
• 2MP macro

So right from the start, we see the Moto G Stylus pull ahead with 4 lenses covering all the major capabilities compared to just 3 on the Moto G Fast. And that 48MP resolution on the main shooter, enabled by pixel-binning tech, allows for seriously detailed shots. The inclusion of a dedicated depth camera also enables great bokeh portrait effects.

On the video front, the Snapdragon 480 chip inside the Moto G Stylus permits 4K capture. In contrast, the limits of the Moto G Fast‘s Snapdragon 665 cap it at just 1080p video.

So for shoppers who prioritize photography and videography, the Moto G Stylus is by far the better pick between these two. Casual shooters will still appreciate the triple camera flexibility of the Moto G Fast though.

Display

Motorola equips both these phones with tall, 20:9 aspect ratio displays well-suited to video streaming and gameplay. However the Moto G Stylus’ 6.8-inch panel beats out the 6.4-inch screen on the Moto G Fast in a couple key metrics.

Firstly, resolution sees a bump up to 2400 x 1080 FHD+ on the Moto G Stylus from just 1560 x 720p HD+ on the Moto G Fast. So expect better clarity and sharpness from the former.

And thanks to that larger overall diagonal measurement, the Moto G Stylus also provides more real estate for movies, ebooks, web pages and more. Users who plan to consume a lot of visual content on their phone will benefit from the Moto G Stylus’ upgraded display specs.

That said, buyers who don’t watch a lot of videos or play graphics-rich games on their phone may be perfectly happy with the decent 720p LCD panel featured on the Moto G Fast.

Memory and Storage

The memory and storage capacities represent two more key areas where the Moto G Stylus pulls ahead of the Moto G Fast rather significantly:

RAM:

• Moto G Stylus: 6GB
• Moto G Fast: 3GB

Storage:

• Moto G Stylus: 256GB
• Moto G Fast: 32GB

That extra 3GB of RAM translates into snappier performance with more apps and browser tabs open simultaneously. And with 256GB internal storage built-in, Moto G Stylus owners can store exponentially more photos, videos, and downloaded music compared buying the 32GB Moto G Fast.

Both phones do allow further expansion via microSD cards. But that shared hybrid SIM slot may present some flexibility issues, especially for Moto G Fast users, with the very limited onboard capacity. Overall, buyers who deal with a lot of apps and media will want to choose the Moto G Stylus clearly when it comes to memory.

Which Phone is Right for You?

Now that we’ve compared these two excellent budget smartphone options across all the major categories, let’s summarize some quick recommendations on the best choice depending on user priorities:

For smartphone users that want:

• 5G connectivity – Moto G Stylus
• Long battery life – Moto G Stylus
• Productivity & performance – Moto G Stylus
• Photography – Moto G Stylus
• Media consumption – Moto G Stylus

For smartphone shoppers that want:

• Compact, lightweight device – Moto G Fast
• Affordability – Moto G Fast
• Basic functionality – Either

In general, with its faster processor and modem, more versatile camera system, larger high-res display, and abundant memory, the Motorola Moto G Stylus is the clear “better” device. However it comes at a higher $400 price point.

The Motorola Moto G Fast still punches well above its sub-$200 cost with decent everyday functionality across the board. So for shoppers on tighter budgets or those with fairly basic smartphone needs, it remains an excellent affordable mobile option. But those seeking higher performance, 5G future proofing, and better cameras will want to spend a bit more on the improved feature set of the Moto G Stylus.