The Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G, as you may have pieced together, is a phone with a built-in stylus and 5G.

It’s a slightly upgraded version of the 4G-only, 2021-edition Moto G Stylus (I’m sorry, that’s really how these phones are named).

At $399, it sits between the $279 G Stylus and the $1,000 Galaxy Note 20 (the next step up if you want a stylus with your phone), but it doesn’t go far enough to clearly offer more than the budget-friendlier version.

Having 5G is nice, too, but the value is diminished when you consider that the G Stylus 5G is only guaranteed two years of security updates.

The G Stylus 5G is a big phone — big with a capital B.

The G Stylus 5G ships with Android 11 and will only be supported with one major OS platform update and two years of security updates.

A couple of side notes on the Stylus 5G’s 5G connectivity: at launch it will work on Verizon and T-Mobile’s 5G networks but will operate as 4G-only on AT&T.

The Stylus 5G’s stylus features are basic but adequate.

The 4G-only G Stylus is a good deal for $279, and there’s nothing really wrong with the $399 G Stylus 5G, but it’s harder to justify its higher cost.

With only a couple of years of security updates guaranteed, this phone will only see the beginning of truly good 5G in the US.

It’s a nice step-up option if you’re inclined toward a stylus phone and the Note isn’t in your budget, but for most people, I’d recommend either sticking with the 4G-only model for a couple of years or looking into a 5G phone with a little more longevity.

Its processor isn’t as good and you miss out on the ultrawide camera, but if you want to cover the basics for a couple of years, it will do.