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  Motorola’s midrange leader

  Moto G Stylus 5G (2024)

  The Moto G Stylus (2023) sits at the top of Motorola's budget lineup. It packs an OLED display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chip, and a passive stylus.

  Pros

  • Premium-looking design
  • Excellent battery life
  • Wireless charging support

  Cons

  • Promise of only one OS update
  • Software bugs

• Samsung’s midrange champion

  Samsung Galaxy A35

  Part of Samsung’s popular Galaxy A-series, the Galaxy A35 houses an OLED display, a 50MP primary shooter, and a 5,000mAh battery. It’s also set to get four major OS updates.

  Pros

  • Beautiful OLED display
  • Decent cameras

  Cons

  • Slow performance
  • Overheating issues

The Moto G Stylus (2024) and the Galaxy A35, mid-range champions from Motorola and Samsung, offer a compelling proposition. With their OLED displays, large 5,000mAh batteries, and powerful SoCs, they deliver many desirable features for a reasonable cost. Priced equally, these phones are a great choice for those in the market for an affordable Android phone. But which one offers the best value for your money? Let’s dive in and find out.

Price, availability, and specs

As mentioned, the Moto G Stylus (2024) and the Galaxy A35 have the same list price. You pay $400 for the unlocked model of either phone. But, of course, you can get the phones for even less if you snag a carrier deal. Both phones are also widely available and come in two color options. The only notable difference is that you get 128GB onboard storage with the Galaxy A35, whereas the Moto G Stylus (2024) packs 256GB of internal storage.

Here's a quick look at the raw specifications of the two midrangers before we jump into the details.

• 	Moto G Stylus 5G (2024)	Samsung Galaxy A35
  SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1	Samsung Exynos 1380
  Display type	OLED, 120Hz	Super AMOLED, 120Hz
  Display dimensions	6.7", 20:9	6.6"
  Display resolution	2400 x 1080	1080 x 2340
  RAM	8GB	6GB
  Storage	256GB	128GB
  Battery	5000mAh	5,000mAh
  Charge speed	30W wired, 15W wireless	25W wired
  Ports	USB-C, 3.5mm headphone jack	USB Type-C
  Operating System	Android 14	Android 14 with One UI 6.1
  Front camera	32MP f/2.4	13MP f/2.2
  Rear camera	50MP f/1.8 main, 13MP f/2.2 wide	50MP, f/1.8 main; 8MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 5MP, f/2.4 macro
  Wi-Fi connectivity	Wi-Fi 5	Wi-Fi 6
  Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.1	Bluetooth 5.3
  Dimensions	162.6 x 74.8 x 8.3mm	161.7 x 78.0 x 8.2mm
  Weight	190g	209g
  IP Rating	IP52	IP67
  Colors	Caramel Latte, Scarlet Wave	Awesome Navy, Awesome Lilac
  Stylus	Yes	No

Design and display

While the Moto G Stylus and the Galaxy A35 may appear similar on the front, they reveal their unique personalities on the back. Motorola has opted for a faux leather finish, adding a touch of sophistication to the device. This design choice sets it apart from the typical plastic or glass back and gives it a more premium look and feel.

The Galaxy A35, on the other hand, follows the design sensibilities of the more expensive Galaxy S-series models. But instead of a more durable aluminum frame, the A35 is plastic, and the prismatic glass on the back reflects many colors like a rainbow. This gives the phone an attractive look but makes it quite slippery, so you’ll be best served by slapping a case on as soon as possible. Two build quality areas where the Galaxy A35 stands out from the Motorola offering are the inclusion of Gorilla Glass Victus+ and the IP67 dust and water resistance rating. The Motorola phone is only water-repellent with an IP52 rating.

Things are more evenly stacked on the display front, as both phones feature an OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rating and full-HD+ resolution. So you get punchy and vibrant colors with an impressive contrast ratio. While the Moto G Stylus' panel is 6.7 inches, the Galaxy A35 has a 6.6-inch display. The Motorola phone also has a slightly higher 1200 nits peak brightness than the 1000 nits of Galaxy A35’s Super AMOLED panel.

Despite featuring a slightly smaller display, the Samsung offering is heavier because of the glass exterior and a wider chassis resulting from thicker all-around bezels. But at least the Galaxy A35 bezels are more proportional than the ones on Moto G Stylus.

Software

The Galaxy A35 easily surpasses the Moto G Stylus (2024) on the software front, thanks to its much more refined One UI and a promise of four major Android updates. It runs on Android 14 with One UI 6.1, which includes the typical Samsung goodies. However, you don’t get the AI stuff. Still, there is plenty to like about the overall software experience, as One UI has matured quite a bit. Bloatware is the only issue with the Samsung software.

In contrast, as noted in our review, the Moto G Stylus includes an updated version of its usual software experience, which seems incomplete and has bugs. You are more likely to notice these things if you are coming from another Motorola phone. Moreover, it will only get one major Android OS update and three years of security updates. Delivering only one OS update for a midrange phone is no longer acceptable.

Performance and battery life

Motorola has used the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chip in the Moto G Stylus (2024), the same as its predecessor. While it’s an older chip, paired with 8GB of RAM, it delivers decent performance. You get a mostly responsive and smooth experience, barring occasional frame drops.

Samsung relies on the Exynos 1380 chip, which, sadly, paired with 6GB of RAM, doesn’t offer the snappiest performance. The Galaxy A35 can be slow at times and suffers from overheating issues. As long as you’re willing to put up with slightly longer loading times, it’s not a complete deal-breaker.

Things are pretty even in terms of battery capacity, as both phones have a 5,000mAh battery. However, the Moto G Stylus (2024) provides a better battery backup. While the phones can last one full day of medium-to-heavy usage on a single charge, you can even get through the second day with the Motorola phone if you are a slightly conservative user, which would be hard to do with the Galaxy A35.

Motorola also includes faster 30W wired charging support, whereas the Galaxy A35 tops out at 25W. Moreover, the Moto G Stylus supports 15W wireless charging, a feature unavailable on the Samsung phone.

Among other highlights, the Galaxy A35 supports faster Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 than Moto G Stylus’s Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1. However, it lacks a 3.5mm audio jack and stylus support; both are present on the Motorola offering. The stylus can be used for handwritten notes and basic sketching, but not much more. An under-display fingerprint sensor is also available on the devices.

Camera

The Moto G Stylus (2024) features an upgraded camera setup from its predecessor, and the new 50MP primary shooter is surprisingly decent. While it doesn’t reach the level of Pixel phones, it takes solid shots in good lighting. Usable pictures can also be managed in low light if the subject is stationary. The ultrawide camera is unreliable, but the 32MP front shooter works fine for selfies and video calls.

Samsung has tweaked the Galaxy A35's camera setup, but the changes are limited to the main shooter. The new 50MP primary camera takes usable shots with decent detail. However, the results can vary greatly depending on the lighting, so you’ll have to be careful. Low-light photos can also come out okay if the subject is still. Plus, the selfie shooter takes pleasing shots.

Which is right for you?

Choosing between the Moto G Stylus (2024) and the Galaxy A35 is tricky, as both smartphones have positives and negatives. It’s not as clear-cut as it would be to choose between these phones and the Pixel 8a, which is a better choice. However, the Galaxy A35 edges out the Moto G Stylus with its better software experience and the promise of updates. You also get faster Wi-Fi 6 connectivity and IP67 dust and water resistance. Moreover, it packs an excellent OLED display, decent cameras, and a premium design.

However, the Moto G Stylus (2024) is a great alternative, especially if you want a stylus. While it suffers on the software front, its Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chip offers a relatively smooth experience. The device also provides excellent battery life and has wireless charging support. Additionally, you get a 3.5mm audio jack, decent cameras, and a premium-looking design.