Google Pixel 6a vs Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2022)

In this article, we’ll be comparing the Google Pixel 6a vs Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2022). Many of you who are aiming to buy a mid-tier smartphone are probably considering these two smartphones. Well, if you are not, you should. Truth be said, these two devices are considerably different, which should make for an interesting comparison. They are considerably different in terms of size, specs, and even looks.

They are both somewhat affordable, and even though they don’t have exactly the same price tag, they’re not far off in comparison. We’ll kick things off by listing their specs side-by-side, and will then move to a number of other categories. We’ll be comparing their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and sound. Do note that the Pixel 6a was not released at the time of writing this article, so we did not have a chance to use it yet. That being said, let’s start comparing the Google Pixel 6a vs Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2022).

Specs

Google Pixel 6a vs Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2022): Design

Design is a subjective thing, but when it comes to build materials, the Pixel 6a has the Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) beat. Google’s handset comes with a frame made out of metal, and a 3D thermoformed composite back (plastic). Motorola’s offering, on the other hand, has both a plastic frame, and a plastic back. Both of these phones have a flat display, with a centered display camera hole, though the Pixel 6a has a boxier design (from the front, the Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) has flatter sides).

The bezels are quite thin on both phones, and the real difference in their designs can be spotted on the back. The Pixel 6a includes a camera visor on the back, inspired by the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. That unit goes from one side of the phone to the other, and it is a real design statement. The Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) has a more regular camera island on the back, in the top-left corner. The Pixel 6a includes two cameras on the back, while Motorola’s smartphone has three.

The Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) has a side-facing fingerprint scanner (inside the power/lock key), while th
e Pixel 6a includes an under-display one. The back side of the Pixel 6a is flatter than what the Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) offers, by the way. Neither phone is particularly grippy, but the Pixel 6a should be easier to use with one hand due to its size. It is considerably smaller than the Moto G Stylus 5G (2022).

The Pixel 6a is a lot shorter, narrower, and a bit thinner than Motorola’s offering. It is also a lot lighter. It weighs 178 grams, while the Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) weighs 215 grams despite its plastic build.

Google Pixel 6a vs Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2022): Display

The Pixel 6a features a 6.1-inch fullHD+ (2400 x 1080) OLED display. This panel supports HDR content, and we’re looking at an 83-percent screen-to-body ratio here. That display offers a 20:9 aspect ratio, and around 429 ppi. It is flat, and it’s protected by the Gorilla Glass 3 from Corning. We were hoping that Google will go for never, and better display protection, as the Gorilla Glass 3 is prone to micro scratches. That didn’t happen, however. Also, this is a 60Hz display.

The Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2022), on the flip side, features a huge 6.8-inch fullHD+ (2400 x 1080) IPS LCD display. This display is also flat, but unlike the Pixel 6a’s panel, it’s a high refresh rate display. We’re looking at a 120Hz panel here, with a 395 ppi (approximately). Motorola also opted for Gorilla Glass 3 here, for better or worse. This panel is considerably different from the one Google offers, though.

Motorola’s display does offer a much higher refresh rate, which is something you’ll feel during usage. That’s basically the only advantage it has, though. The Pixel 6a is not out yet, but it’s safe to assume it will offer punchier colors than this panel, and also be brighter at the same time. The panel on the Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) is quite old, and it’s not exactly impressive.

Google Pixel 6a vs Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2022): Performance

The Pixel 6a is not out yet, but it’s safe to assume it’ll deliver great performance, presuming bugs stay out of the way. It comes with the same SoC, RAM, and storage chips as the Pixel 6. In other words, it includes the Google Tensor SoC, along with LPDDR5 RAM, and UFS 3.1 flash storage. The Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) is inferior on all three accounts. Does that reflect on performance, though?

Well, the Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) comes with the Snapdragon 695, and some of its other internals are a bit older. That did not affect its performance, though. From what we can see, it’s quite smooth. Actually, it’s smoother than we expected it to be, considering its internals. Motorola also did a good job on the software side of things, it seems. The question is, how long will that performance last with such internals, though.

If you’re aiming to get a smartphone for the long run, the Pixel 6a may be a better call. Why? Well, its internals are more future-proof than the ones inside the Moto G Stylus 5G (2022), at least the performance-related ones. On top of that, you’ll be getting updates directly from Google.

Google Pixel 6a vs Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2022): Battery

The Google Pixel 6a includes a 4,410mAh battery on the inside. The Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2022), on the other hand, comes with a 5,000mAh battery. Its display is a lot larger, and it offers a lot higher refresh rate, so this is not surprising at all. Does it offer good battery life, though? Well, the Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) does offer good battery life. It’s not the best out there, but it’s really good. Talking about exact numbers makes no sense, though, as your mileage will certainly vary depending on your usage, location, etc.

What about the Pixel 6a? Well, we didn’t get a chance to test its battery life, as the phone is not released yet, at least it wasn’t at the time of writing this article. It is coming in July. That being said, judging by its specifications, the Pixel 6a is expected to offer great battery life. Its sibling, the Pixel 5a 5G, does have a larger battery, but it also has a larger display. All things considered, it should offer excellent battery life, though perhaps not at the level of the Pixel 5a 5G. We’ll see.

Both the Pixel 6a and Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) support wired charging only. The Pixel 6a comes with well-known 18W charging, which is not particularly fast, but it’s quite reliable. The Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) offers less in the charging department. It has a larger battery, and yet it comes with a 10W charger. Needless to say, it takes a long time to recharge the device, around an hour and 40 minutes.

Google Pixel 6a vs Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2022): Cameras

The Pixel 6a is expected to have comparable camera performance to the Pixel 5a 5G. It could even offer a bit more in that department, due to Google’s very own chip. Looking strictly at the camera hardware (12.2-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel ultrawide unit), however, the camera performance should be similar. In other words, We’ll likely get great pictures out of the phone in all conditions, despite the aging camera hardware, Google’s camera algorithms are great.

What about the Moto G Stylus 5G (2022)? It offers a really capable 50-megapixel main camera, in addition to an 8-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. Are the pictures any good, though? Well, yes, though it has a tendency to boost the c
olors a bit too much, and also oversharpen from time to time. In low light, the color accuracy gets lost. Its ultrawide camera is nowhere near as good, though.

It all points to a better camera performance of the Pixel 6a, but we can’t guarantee that until we test the device. The Pixel 6a is coming towards the end of July, so we’re in for quite a wait.

Audio

When it comes to a 3.5mm headphone jack, one phone has it, the other one does not. The Pixel 6a is the one that doesn’t, while Motorola included it in the Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) The Pixel 5a 5G did have an audio jack, so Google decided to remove it this time around. Unfortunately, though, Motorola’s device doesn’t exactly shine in the loudspeaker department.

The Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) has a single speaker at the bottom. As if that’s not bad enough, the sound gets weird at higher volumes, it gets too distorted. We’re not sure why the second speaker wasn’t included, and why a better main unit is not here. The phone is certainly large enough, and it should have been a part of the package.

We’re expecting better things from the Pixel 6a. It will have two speakers, and if those speakers end up performing anything similar to the Pixel 6, or the Pixel 5a 5G, we’re good to go.