What you need to know
- Motorola is announcing the new Moto G Stylus 2026, which will go on sale for $499 on April 16.
- The Moto G Stylus features a new active pen, which enables pressure sensitivity and tilt detection in supported applications.
- The phone is powered by Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 with 8GB of RAM and a bright display, with a larger battery that charges faster.
- At launch, Motorola will bundle the device with Moto Tag, Moto Watch, and Moto Buds Loop.
For years, the Moto G Stylus offered a built-in stylus, but it was always a passive pen with no special tricks. That changes with the Moto G Stylus 2026, which now comes with an active pen that’s not unlike the S Pen on Samsung phones like the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
This means that, unlike previous models like last year’s Moto G Stylus 2025, this new pen supports features like pressure sensitivity and tilt detection. For any digital artists out there, this should appeal to you, as it means you’ll be able to produce more accurate drawings in supported applications. Or, if you want, you can have AI clean things up with Motorola’s Sketch to Image feature.
Motorola is highlighting how you can use the new stylus in the Notes app and throughout the UI, such as dragging and dropping images, text magnification, complex calculations with the Handwriting Calculator, and Search Cycle. And by pressing a button on the stylus, you can highlight and send text to the Notes app.
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According to Motorola, the new pen lasts about 100 hours per charge, and can be fully charged in just 15 minutes when you slide it back onto the Moto G Stylus 2026. It’s also rugged, with a combined IP68/IP69 rating for water and dust resistance.
As for the phone itself, the Moto G Stylus 2026 shares many similarities with its predecessor, although there are significant improvements. The design and dimensions are very similar, but the 6.7-inch Super HD display is now brighter, with a maximum brightness of up to 5,000 nits, and supports Water Touch technology, so you can navigate on the touchscreen even in the rain.
The phone is also rugged, and like the new stylus, it’s rated IP68/IP69 for water and dust resistance.
The camera system is almost the same, with a 50MP main sensor and a 13MP ultrawide. However, Motorola is adding more to its Moto AI, and alongside the Photo Enhancement System, users will be able to use Motorola Signature Style, which adapts photos to the user’s preferences based on the subject.
There is also Action Shot for fast-moving objects and Super Zoom, which promises to deliver clear images with hybrid zoom.
Android 16 runs the show with HelloUX on top, and Motorola promises two OS upgrades and three years of security updates. And powering everything is the same as the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 with 8GB of RAM, although Motorola has improved the memory with LPDDR5X.
Finally, Motorola has increased the battery capacity to 5,200mAh while keeping the same size, and charging remains at 68W fast wireless and 15W.
The Moto G Stylus 2026 will be available for $499 on April 16 in 128GB and 256GB variants, which is $100 more than its predecessor, but Motorola is throwing in some interesting stuff for anyone buying the phone. The company says the 128GB option will come bundled with four Moto Tags packs, while the 256GB model will come with the Moto Watch, Moto Tag, and Moto Buds Loop, which actually sounds pretty appealing.
Android Central’s take
I’ve reviewed almost every Stylus model over the past few years, and the last two models have been surprisingly good. Last year, I commented that “I can’t help but wonder if Motorola would be better off adding an active stylus like the S Pen for better usability.”
It looks like Motorola is listening, and the company seems to be dedicated to active styluses, as evidenced by its announcement of the Moto Pen Ultra for the upcoming Razr Fold. And while I wish Motorola had improved the chipset for the Moto G Stylus 2026, some improvements look promising.
I’m glad to see that this is a really cheap alternative to the Galaxy S26 Ultra and that the new active pen and other changes are worth the extra $100.