As Samsung downgrades S Pen, Motorola’s new phone upgrades stylus

You don’t need to spend a ton of cash to get a phone with a stylus, as the Motorola Moto G Stylus range offers a bundled stylus at a budget price. We’re just about due for another model, and Motorola has indeed announced the Moto G Stylus 2026.

The new Moto G Stylus indeed offers a stylus in an integrated slot, but this is now an active pen rather than a purely capacitive solution seen on previous models. The manufacturer claims that the new pen supports tilt and pressure sensitivity. Furthermore, Moto says you can expect 100 hours of usage and a 15-minute charging time. The pen also features a shortcut button for your convenience. This upgraded stylus also comes a year after Samsung downgraded the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s S Pen.

Otherwise, core specs include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB or 256GB of storage. The 2025 model also shipped with a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset, and the newer model has surprisingly skipped the more powerful Snapdragon 6 Gen 4.

The Moto G Stylus 2026 also packs a 6.7-inch 120Hz OLED screen (2,712 x 1,220) with up to 5,000 nits of peak brightness. Of course, peak brightness is largely a gimmick, but this is still a major leap over its predecessor’s 3,000 nits.

The new phone is powered by a 5,200mAh battery, which is a mild upgrade over the previous model’s 5,000mAh capacity. And once the battery runs low, you can take advantage of 68W wired or 15W wireless charging.

In terms of the camera experience, the Moto G Stylus 2026 brings a 50MP main camera (Sony LYTIA 700C), a 13MP ultrawide shooter, and a 32MP selfie camera. Other notable specs include IP68/IP69 ratings, Gorilla Glass 3, a “leather-inspired” design, and a 3.5mm port.

On the hunt for an Android tablet that probably won’t break the bank? Then the Moto Pad 2026 might be up your alley. Motorola says this slate offers an 11-inch 90Hz display (2.5K resolution), a budget-tier Dimensity 6300 chipset, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, microSD expansion, and a quad-speaker setup.

The new Moto Pad also has a 7,040mAh battery, with Motorola claiming it enables up to 12 hours of streaming. Motorola says the device “quickly recharges” with 20W wired speeds, but I guess the company has a very loose definition of “quickly.”

Keen on the Moto G Stylus 2026? There’s some bad news, as the device has a recommended price of $499.99. That means it’s $100 more expensive than the Moto G Stylus 2025. We’re guessing the RAM crisis and other component price hikes are at least partially to blame for this increase. This also puts it firmly in Pixel 10a territory.

Otherwise, you can find the new Moto handset at a variety of retail partners from April 16. These partners include Amazon, AT&T, Best Buy, Google Fi Wireless, Spectrum, Cricket, and more. Motorola says the 128GB model will be bundled with four free Moto Tags at launch, while the 256GB model will include a free pair of Moto Buds Loop earbuds, a Moto Watch, and a Moto Tag.

Fancy the Moto Pad 2026? It’ll be available via T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile from April 30. There’s no word on a price yet, with Moto saying that the aforementioned carrier partners will reveal pricing upon availability.