Motorola added a 90-Hz refresh rate to the Moto G Stylus to make the screen feel more fluid and responsive, but much of this is lost on me because scrolling through apps like Twitter already feels choppy. The Moto G Stylus 5G upgrades this to a 120-Hz refresh rate, which is impactful thanks to the smoother performance.

Speaking of the screens, it's a 6.5-inch LCD panel with a 720p resolution on the $200 phone and a 6.6-inch LCD screen with a 1080p resolution on the $400 one. They're both OK. Look closely and you can see the text isn't as sharp on the Moto G Stylus, but it's only noticeable when you put both phones side by side. In broad daylight, they get decently bright, though you'll still have to squint a little on extra-sunny days.

Battery life has always been the hallmark of Motorola's phones, and that's true here. I got close to two days of use on both devices on a single charge with average use. If you're on your phone a lot (no judgment), this will drop, but the 5,000-mAh cells in both should get you through a full day with ease. Neither feature wireless charging, so you'll have to plug in a USB-C cable the old-fashioned way (a cable and charger are included).

Both phones include a microSD card slot to expand on the built-in 128 and 256 GB of storage, respectively. There's no official IP water-resistance rating, so they might be fine in the rain, but keep them away from the pool. They do have headphone jacks, so you can plug in if that's what you prefer, along with stereo speakers for some surprisingly decent sound quality.

One of the most annoying things about Motorola phones in the US is that the company refuses to add near-field communication (NFC) sensors in much of the Moto G lineup. This is what allows the phone to utilize tap-to-pay, which I frequently use on New York subway turnstiles and even at my neighborhood deli when I'm getting a sandwich at midnight and left my wallet at home. This isn't the case on any other budget phone, and the omission is just frustrating. Thankfully, the pricier Moto G Stylus 5G is the only phone in the Moto G lineup to feature NFC.

The primary camera on both these phones is a 50-megapixel sensor. The Moto G Stylus is joined by a 2-MP macro camera, and the Moto G Stylus 5G has an 8-megapixel ultrawide. Let's just say these aren't what you'll want to use to capture any meaningful moment, particularly the cheaper phone. Photos are often over-brightened, over-sharpened, and over-saturated, and with Motorola's Night Vision mode, nighttime photos look muddy and slightly blurry.