Stylus phones never went away. They just got affordable. While Samsung charges north of $1,200 for its flagship and its S Pen experience, you can pick up a capable stylus phone in the US for as low as $89. Whether you are a note-taker, a digital artist on a budget, or someone who just likes the precision of a pen on glass, this guide has you covered.
These are the best cheap stylus phones you can buy in the US right now, ranked from the most affordable to the top of the budget tier.
1. Moto G Stylus (Renewed): $89
Best for: Tightest budgets
If your priority is getting a stylus phone for as little money as possible, the original Moto G Stylus renewed is the entry point. At $89, this is as cheap as a capable Android with a built-in pen gets in the US market.
Yes, it is an older device, and you are not getting 5G or a modern chip. But if your use case is note-taking, signing documents, jotting quick reminders, or light daily use, it does the job without drama. Renewed units on Amazon typically come in Good or Very Good condition, so you are not rolling the dice completely.
What you are buying here is the concept: a phone with a stylus at a price that is hard to argue with. Think of it as the starter pack for the stylus life.
Bottom line: The cheapest stylus phone you can buy in the US. Perfect if budget is the only brief.
2. Moto G Stylus 5G (2024): $170
Best for: Budget 5G stylus experience
The Moto G Stylus 5G 2024 has a 6.7-inch FHD+ OLED display, a meaningful step up from LCD predecessors in this line. It launched at $399 but has since dropped significantly, and the $170 special price listed at the time of writing is a genuine bargain. If you want it at that price, hurry: buy the Moto G Stylus 5G 2024 on Amazon.
Motorola stepped things up quite a bit with this model compared to previous generations. While still very much a midrange phone, it feels like it’s trying to be a flagship. In several ways, it actually succeeds at that. Some of the specs match or rival those from Samsung’s base Galaxy S24, at just a fraction of the price.
Under the hood, you get the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, 8GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of storage. The camera setup is solid for the price. There is a new 50MP main camera with OIS, a 13MP ultrawide, and a 32MP selfie shooter. The battery is a 5,000mAh unit with 30W wired charging and 15W wireless charging, which is a welcome bonus at this price tier.
The stylus tools include a shortcut for taking screenshots that you can mark up, note-taking with adjustable color and line thickness, and handwriting-to-text conversion.
One honest caveat: the phone ships with Android 14 and only promises one major OS update, landing you on Android 15 at best. That is not great, but at $170, the value math still works for most buyers.
Bottom line: The sweet spot if you want 5G, a gorgeous OLED screen, and a stylus without spending real money.
3. Moto G Stylus 2025 (Renewed): $189
Best for: Flagship-level value on a renewed budget
If you can stretch to $189 for a renewed unit, this is arguably the strongest value on this entire list. The Moto G Stylus 2025 is a genuine step forward from the 2024 5G model in several areas that matter.
The phone has a wonderfully simple yet effective design. The display is a 6.7-inch Super HD pOLED, going beyond what many midrange and most flagships offer in terms of resolution. Add Dolby Atmos audio to that screen and you have a media experience that punches well above the price.
Under the hood sits the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3, and the phone comes in 8GB RAM with 128GB or 256GB storage depending on where you buy it. The SD 6 Gen 3 is a significant chip upgrade over the 2024 model, and it shows in real-world use.
The headline upgrade for 2025 is charging. The Moto G Stylus 2025 features 68W wired charging, which is impressively fast for a sub-$400 phone, let alone a $189 renewed unit. There is also 15W wireless charging too. The Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 is power-efficient, and many users report getting two days of mixed use from the 5,000mAh battery.
The phone comes with IP68 water resistance, MIL-STD-810H durability certification, and Gorilla Glass 3 protection. That is a tougher build than you would expect at this price.
On the stylus front, the pen is particularly helpful for precision tasks in apps like Adobe Lightroom and CapCut, where it is more accurate than fingers for actions that require finesse, like applying a mask.
Software support covers two major Android version upgrades and three years of security patches, which is better than the 2024 model’s one-upgrade promise.
Bottom line: The best all-round package on this list if you are buying renewed. More phone than $189 has any right to buy.
4. Moto G Stylus 2025 (New): $349
Best for: New-phone buyers who want a complete mid-ranger
Same phone as above, but brand new with full warranty and retail packaging. At $349, it sits well below its $400 launch price and represents the best new-phone value in this guide.
The Moto G Stylus 2025 is one of the best Android phones under $400, and one you definitely should not sleep on. It is the most complete midrange phone Motorola has produced, and if you are tired of only choosing between Samsung and Google when buying a device under $500, this might be the year you try something different.
Everything from the renewed section above applies here: the Super HD pOLED display, Snapdragon 6 Gen 3, 68W fast charging, 15W wireless charging, two-day battery life, and IP68 build quality. The difference is that you are getting it sealed, with a manufacturer warranty. If you plan to keep the phone for two to three years, the new unit makes more sense.
Bottom line: The strongest new stylus phone under $400 you can buy today. Hard to fault at $349.
5. Moto G Stylus 2026: $499
Best for: Buyers who want the absolute best cheap stylus phone available
Yes, $499 technically qualifies as under $500, and the Moto G Stylus 2026 earns its spot on this list because it is a legitimately big deal for the stylus-phone category.
The biggest change this year is that the stylus is finally active rather than passive, with advanced features like pressure sensitivity and tilt detection, similar to Samsung’s S Pen. That is a fundamental upgrade for anyone who draws, sketches, or takes detailed notes. Sketching in particular feels a lot more intuitive now, as you can shade an area of your drawing by tilting the stylus, just like a regular pencil, and the device automatically creates thinner or thicker brush strokes depending on how much pressure you apply.
The spec sheet includes a 6.7-inch 1.5K Extreme AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 5,000 nits of peak brightness, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3, 8GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of storage with microSD expansion. Unusually for a 2026 phone, you also get a 3.5mm headphone jack alongside the microSD card slot, both of which are increasingly rare.
The 5,200mAh battery promises up to 44 hours of use, and the active stylus itself fully recharges in just 15 minutes. Build quality gets a meaningful upgrade too. The 2026 model earns an IP69 rating for extreme water resistance, a step above the 2025 model’s IP68.
The phone launched on April 16, 2026, available unlocked through Amazon, Best Buy, and Motorola’s own website, as well as on Google Fi, AT&T, Cricket Wireless, Spectrum Mobile, and Xfinity Mobile.
One honest note: the $499 price is a noticeable jump from previous years, partly driven by memory chip prices across the industry. But if the active stylus experience is what you are after, there is no cheaper way to get it.
Bottom line: The most capable cheap stylus phone money can buy in 2026. The jump to an active stylus makes it a genuine S Pen alternative at half the price of Samsung’s flagships.
Honorable Mention: TCL Stylus 5G
It would be remiss not to mention the TCL Stylus 5G. It features a 6.81-inch FHD+ display, a 50MP quad-camera system, a MediaTek Dimensity 700 chipset, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage, and is available for under $100 renewed. The stylus slides neatly into the device’s base, and it can be a solid pick for users who primarily want to browse emails and scroll through content.
That said, this phone launched in 2022 and shipped with Android 12 with no meaningful update path beyond that. It is showing its age. The Moto G Stylus renewed at $89 is a better recommendation for the same ultra-budget buyer. The TCL is worth knowing about, but it is not a phone we can actively push in 2026.
Which One Should You Buy?
- Under $100: Moto G Stylus (Renewed) at $89
- Best budget 5G: Moto G Stylus 5G 2024 at $170
- Best renewed value: Moto G Stylus 2025 (Renewed) at $189
- Best new phone under $400: Moto G Stylus 2025 at $349
- Best overall: Moto G Stylus 2026 at $499
The stylus phone category in the US is essentially Motorola’s to lose, and they have not lost it. Every price point in this guide is served by a Moto G Stylus variant, which says a lot about the consistency of this lineup. Whether you are spending $89 or $499, you are getting something no other brand in the US mid-range offers: a phone with a built-in pen.
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