2021 Moto G Stylus, Power and Play: big batteries, bigger screens and low prices

Motorola is starting 2021 with updates to its mid-range Moto G phone line with new versions of Moto G Power, Moto G Stylus and Moto G Play that promise low prices and battery days across the board. There is also a new member of the Motorola One family called the Motorola One 5G Ace, which, for $ 399, takes the crown as Motorola’s cheapest 5G phone.

Once again, Motorola is determined to offer an almost stunning number of low-priced phones, which range in price from just $ 30 to $ 50. The new Moto G Play will cost $ 169.99; Moto G Power will offer configurations of $ 199.99 (for a 3GB model of RAM / 32GB of storage) $ 249.99 (for 4GB / 64GB); the Moto G Stylus will cost $ 299.99; and the Motorola One 5G Ace will cost $ 399.99. It is a strategy that ensures that there is a phone in almost every price range you can imagine, although it makes it a little more difficult to choose between similar devices at similar prices.

Motorola is keeping the same names for its new 2021 line – unfortunately, the days of the numerically differentiated models of the Moto G seem to be over forever with the Moto G7 line of 2019. But the new phones offer big and small improvements compared to their predecessors of 2020.

The Moto G Play seems to be the group’s toughest sale. While the $ 169 price tag is intriguing, the paltry 720p resolution – extended by a comparatively huge 6.5-inch panel – raises concerns, as does the year-old Snapdragon 460 processor that is markedly less powerful than any one of the other two new 2021 Moto G phones. This is especially true considering that Qualcomm has already announced the Snapdragon 480, which promises to be twice as fast and adds more premium features like 5G to the mix.

There are some good points as well. The 2021 G Play has 3 GB of RAM (which puts it in a better position in terms of performance than last year’s $ 149 Moto E) and a massive 5,000 mAh battery that Motorola says should last until three days with charge.

The new G Power and G Stylus are not as similar as last year’s models. While the 2020 models offered the same processor, screen and design, the new models are distinctly different phones. The G Power offers a 5,000 mAh battery, a 6.6 inch 720p screen and a weaker Snapdragon 662, but the G Stylus argues for its higher price with a stylus, a larger 6.8 inch 1080p panel and higher resolution and a more powerful Snapdragon 678 processor. (It lowers a notch in the battery, offering only a 4,000 mAh battery that is good for up to two days with no charge.)

The larger G Stylus also offers 4 GB of RAM by default (unlike the G Power, which has 3 GB and 4 GB models) and has more storage (128 GB against the choice of the 32 GB or 64 GB G Power). You also get some camera improvements on the G Stylus – while both phones feature a 48 megapixel main sensor (which takes 12 megapixel quad-pixel photos), a 2 megapixel macro camera and a 2 megapixel depth sensor, the GA Stylus also adds an ultra-wide 8 megapixel camera and a better selfie camera.

Image: Motorola

Finally, there is the Motorola One 5G Ace, which (as the name implies) is not in exactly the same category as the other phones here. At $ 399, it’s the cheapest Motorola 5G phone to date. And the weaker Snapdragon 750G 5G, lowered cameras and slower refresh rate screen make the One 5G Ace more a lower-priced version of the $ 499 Motorola One 5G that the company launched last year than anything else.

All four new phones will be available unlocked through direct retailers on January 14, with pre-orders starting today. In addition, several of the new phones will also be launched through major carriers in the future: the Moto G Play and Motorola One 5G Ace through AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, while the G Power will be sold only by Verizon. G Stylus, meanwhile, will ignore major US operators, although Boost Mobile, Cricket, Consumer Cellular and Republic Wireless offer it.