Tracfone Moto G Stylus 2023 Review, Specs and Features
The Stylus offers a 6.5" HD screen with 90hrz refresh rate, 64GB storage, 4GB RAM, Octa-core processor and Android 13. It also features 2 day battery life thanks to the 5,000 mAh battery, and a water repellant design.
Motorola released the 2023 Stylus about mid way through the year, with Tracfone offering a locked version at subsidized pricing not long after. The Stylus line of phones have been a popular choice for many users, typically offering a large touchscreen, long battery life and detachable stylus.
Tracfone offers a number of Motorola phones, including the Moto G Power 5G 2023, Moto G Play 2023 and quite a few models from past years.
Before we get any farther, here are the quick facts for the 2023 Stylus.
Moto G Stylus 2023 Pros and Cons
What we Like:
-Under $100 from Tracfone
-Android 13
-90hrz screen refresh rate
-Headphone jack
What we Don't Like:
-Sluggish processor
-No NFC or 5G
-Mediocre cameras
-Mediocre screen
This years' Stylus angles more towards affordability, and less towards performance and features. It lacks NFC and 5G network capability, features we are seeing included in many phones at this price, and the processor is a little underpowered for gaming. The 2023 Stylus does still include a handful of great features, like a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, fingerprint reader, fast screen refresh rate and latest Android OS.
In the past, the Stylus phones have been more performance oriented compared to the popular Moto G Power line, which were more budget focused. That has flipped in 2023, with the Power getting the better processor (and 5G capability), but the Stylus offering a lower price.
There is a 5G version of the 2023 Stylus, but it is not available from Tracfone at this time and does have a much higher price.
Let's see full list of features from the new Power below.
Tracfone Moto G Stylus 2023 (XT2317DL) Features and Specs
Below are the features followed by the technical specs
- Android 13
- 4G LTE compatible (Verizon)
- Access to the Google Play Store with over 1 Million Apps
- WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
- GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO
- Bluetooth 5
- Alarm Clock
- MP3 Player
- Standard 3.5mm headphone jack
- Voicemail, Caller ID, Call Waiting
- SMS/MMS
- USB Type-C 2.0 connection
- USB Charger (15W charging speed)
- Sensors: Fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
- Water-repellent design
- Hearing Aid Compatible
Moto G Stylus 2023 (XT2317DL) Specs
Size: 6.41 x 2.92 x 0.36 in (6.88 oz)
Camera: Dual Rear Camera: 50MP, 2MP (macro) and 8MP front camera
Screen: 6.5" HD IPS LCD screen with 720x1600 resolution (288 ppi) and 90hz refresh rate
Processor: Octa-core (MediaTek Helio G85) Processor
Memory: 4 GB
Storage: 64 GB and dedicated MicroSDXC card slot
Battery: 5,000 mAh with about 36 hrs usage time (non-removable)
About Motorola
Motorola has a long history and was originally founded as an American telecommunications company back in 1928. In 2011, after several years of significant losses and challenges, the company was split and the mobile phone segment of the company was sold to Google. Two years later, the Motorola mobile phone segment was sold again, this time to Lenovo.
During the ownership by Google, the popular Moto G line was first released, as an unlocked, budget smartphone that still packed features to keep up with all the daily needs of users. Since transitioning to Lenovo, the Moto G line has continued with a number of variations released each year.
Many Tracfone BYOP users are very familiar with the Motorola brand as it has released a number of low cost unlocked phones capable of being used with Tracfone going back to the original Moto G. The Moto G Power 2023 is available unlocked and can be used with any service provider.
The 2023 Stylus is lowering the retail price, but keeping the large battery, detachable stylus, and classic Motorola experience. Is this enough for consumers to buy? Let's get to the full review.
Tracfone Moto G Stylus 2023 Review
Touschreen
Motorola offers a 6.5" HD IPS LCD screen with 90Hz refresh rate on the 2023 Stylus. This size screen is quite common on many phones, but the screen resolution of 720x1600 is a little disappointing The 2022 Stylus had a larger, 6.8" screen with full HD resolution (and also a $100 higher retail price).
The pixel density is about 270ppi, meaning images and text are not as sharp as on a higher resolution screen. A pixel density closer to 400ppi would help improve the sharpness, and this would also come with a higher price tag. The screen ratio is a relatively common 20:9, and the screen to body ratio of about 85%, which is about average, and indicates the bezels on the front of the phone are not too significant.
The screen on the Stylus lineup has generally been a big selling point, with previous generations offering large, full HD screens. But Motorola is trimming costs with the 2023 model, and the touchscreen suffers a little. It is not a bad screen at all, but the brightness is not the best in sunlight, and the resolution is on the low end.
Performance - Storage, RAM and Processor
64GB internal storage, 4GB RAM and a Mediatek Helio G85 octa-core processor provide the performance specifications on the Moto G Stylus. There is also a dedicated MicroSD card slot for additional external storage, which is a great feature on budget phones.
The performance on the 2023 Stylus is just okay. The G85 processor it comes with is a few years old, and actually older than the processor (G88) on the 2022 Stylus, which doesn't seem to make any sense other than Motorola really trying to keep the price down. The G85 processor does have similar performance to the G88 processor in the 2022 Stylus.
If we compare the G85 to the Mediatek Dimensity 700 processor in the
Samsung Galaxy A14 5G (which is also an older processor), however, the G85 is less powerful and does not include 5G network capability.
The Moto G Stylus 2023 is not intended for serious gaming or resource intensive apps. The performance is adequate for most activities, such as texting, social media apps, and browsing the web, but it will feel a little leggy at times and multiple applications running simultaneously.
Camera
A dual rear camera setup featuring a 50MP main sensor, and 2MP macro lens comes with the 2023 stylus. And while Motorola is not known for their camera performance, the main camera is pretty good in daylight and offers the standard variety of features such as HDR, panorama and LED flash.
On the front is a single, 8MP selfie cam that captures adequate images and video.
These cameras do not 'wow' like those on a Google Pixel device or an iPhone, but for a phone at this price, they get the job done.
Both the front and rear cameras can shoot 1080p video at 30fps, while the rear camera can also shoot 60fps.
Battery Life
Motorola's budget phones are well known for their excellent battery performance and the 2023 Stylus continues that trend with up to 2 days on a single charge thanks to a 5,000mAh battery. Recharging speeds of up to 15W are capable via a USB Type C 2.0 connection and there is no wireless charging available.
The advertised talk time is 20 hours with standby about 15 days. The Stylus does not have the most power efficient processor, and as a result the battery life does suffer slightly.
Android OS
It is nice to see Android 13 included with the Stylus and it offers a number of performance and security updates over the previous versions. Motorola's update policy is not the best, with just one major update (to Android 14) planned for somewhere down the road when it becomes available. Samsung has a much better update policy, for those planning to keep the phone for more than a few years.
Android 13 builds on Android 12's major 'material you' update with several additional features including auto-theming icons, expanded color theming options, and some alternative lock screen options. There are also some increased privacy and security controls.
Motorola generally keeps the Android OS clean and close to stock, something most users prefer. There is, however, some bloatware included, that will take a little time to uninstall and we're not thrilled to see it.
Most devices getting released in 2023 have Android 13, with the
Moto G Play a notable exception, offering the older, Android 12.
Design
The look and feel of the Moto G Stylus 2023 is more polished than the price point would indicate, and despite the plastic exterior, it has a solid construction and looks sleek and modern.
All of the connection ports are located on the bottom of the phone, with the standard 3.5mm headphone jack, USB charging port, and detachable stylus. There is also a single speaker located at the bottom, which produces mediocre sound at best. On the right side of the phone is the power and volume rockers, and the power button doubles as the fingerprint sensor very effectively.
Much of the design will be familiar to those who have had a recent Motorola device, and while a case or cover would be recommended, the phone does come with a water repellent design for casual splashes.
Conclusion
The 2023 Moto G Stylus brings basic but capable features along with an updated Android OS experience into a price point with a lot of competition. Lacking features such as NFC and 5G network capability will cause some potential buyers to look elsewhere. Possibly at the
Samsung Galaxy A14 5G which includes both features and a similar price.
The Tracfone version of the Stylus does come at a very enticing retail price of $99 (originally released at $149), but again, there is plenty of competition from not only other brands, but also from other more capable Motorola phones. Both the
Motor G Power 5G 2023 and the
Moto G Stylus 2022 are available for a little over $100, and offer some significant improvements in the screen and storage. Plus the Power has 5G network capability and a much more powerful processor.
Bottom line: With so much competition, the only reason to choose the 2023 Stylus over the other options we have mentioned would be if the detachable stylus is a top feature. And even then, there are several other options to choose from, specifically the 2022 Stylus.
