Can’t afford the Galaxy S22 Ultra but want a phone with a stylus? The TCL Stylus 5G and Moto G Stylus 2022 are both good choices, but which is better?
The TCL Stylus 5G is TCL’s first smartphone with a stylus, and while it is an affordable alternative to the Galaxy S22 Ultra, it is more comparable to the Motorola Moto G Stylus 2022. TCL is best known for its TVs and was one of the licensees for BlackBerry from 2016 until 2020. Shortly before announcing the end of its licensing partnership with BlackBerry, it began making phones that carried its own name.
Unlike other Chinese manufacturers, such as Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo, TCL smartphones are sold in the US. Some of its phones are even sold in partnership with carriers. In addition to making its own phones and tablets, TCL also makes phones and tablets under the Alcatel brand name which are sold in Europe and the US.
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The Moto G Stylus 2022 and TCL Stylus 5G both have a flat display with a centered punch hole and are both covered in plastic, albeit with a different rear design. The unique selling point of both phones is a built-in stylus which resides in a slot at the bottom. Despite not having an official IP rating, Motorola’s phone has a water-repellent coating that protects against spills and light rain. Another difference is the color options. The Moto G Stylus 2022 is sold in Twilight Blue and Metallic Rose while the TCL Stylus 5G is only available in Lunar Black.
The Moto G Stylus 2022 Doesn’t Have 5G
The TCL Stylus 5G and Moto G Stylus 2022 actually have a number of features in common, such as a 6.8-inch LCD display with an FHD+ resolution and a centered punch hole for the front camera. However, Motorola has the display advantage of a 90Hz refresh rate compared to the TCL phone’s 60Hz. Another striking difference is the processors even though they are both made by MediaTek. Under the hood of the TCL Stylus 5G is the Dimensity 700 while the Moto G Stylus has an Helio G88 processor. Both are eight-core chipsets but the Dimensity 700 5G is the more powerful chip thanks to its CPU using the more powerful Cortex-A76 cores and not the Cortex-A75 cores of the Helio G88.
The Dimensity 700 also has a more powerful GPU, so gaming performance should be better. There is 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage inside the TCL Stylus 5G while the Moto G Stylus has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Both phones also have a microSD card slot although TCL’s phone can support up to 2TB of storage, while Motorola’s device maxes out at 512GB. Their similarities pick up in the camera department considering that both phones feature a 50MP main camera and 2MP depth sensor. However, while the Moto G Stylus has an 8MP ultrawide angle camera that can also shoot in macro, the TCL Stylus 5G has a 5MP ultrawide angle camera and a 2MP dedicated camera for macro images. Motorola has also equipped its phone with a 16MP front-facing camera whereas the TCL Stylus 5G has a 13MP selfie camera.
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Despite packing similar display sizes, the Moto G Stylus has a greater 5000 mAh battery with support for a painfully slow 10W charging. In contrast, the TCL Stylus 5G has a 4000 mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging. Thankfully, both manufacturers ship their phones with a charger in the box. Both phones also have a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, face unlock, and an audio jack, but only the TCL Stylus 5G has stereo speakers. It is also the only one with NFC and it comes with the more recent Bluetooth 5.2, unlike Motorola’s phone which has Bluetooth 5.0. The Moto G Stylus runs Android 11 out of the box which is disappointing since the phone launched in February 2022, months after the release of Android 12. It is also eligible for only one OS upgrade. In contrast, the TCL Stylus 5G runs Android 12 out of the box with a promise of one OS upgrade and two years of security updates.
The Moto G Stylus launched for $299 but is currently discounted to $249 on Motorola’s website where it can be purchased unlocked. In contrast, the TCL Stylus 5G is exclusive to T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile for $258. The TCL phone is obviously the better device as it has a more powerful chip, faster charging, 5G support (sub-6GHz only), better speakers, and faster charging. It also comes with the latest version of Android. However, its exclusivity to T-Mobile will put it out of the reach of many. The Moto G Stylus isn’t bad either. It has a better display, a bigger battery, and better cameras. It is also slightly cheaper than the TCL Stylus 5G and available to buy