A non-folder with a stylus option, an audio jack, microSD card slot and USB-C 3.2+ would be swell. In other words... a beefed-up update of the 2026 Motorola Moto G Stylus [1]. ;)
I was planning to make my next phone a Moto G Stylus. If they do a Graphene one, it'll be certain.
My partner got the Moto G Stylus 2025 after we swore off Samsung last year. I've been very impressed. Other then the camera software, it's a very capable phone, and the headphone port and SD card slot are great. There's 90 gigabytes of lossless music on an SD card now. The camera software sucks, but thanks to a tip I think I heard here on HN, I installed a gcam (Google pixel camera) port and that's great.
> My partner got the Moto G Stylus 2025 after we swore off Samsung last year.
I've been wanting to get away from Samsung for years, but keep coming back because of the s-pen. I've yet to find another manufacturer that makes a decent phone with a proper stylus. As in, a stylus which the device recognises as being something different to your finger. Most styluses use the same technology as the cheap ones you can buy on Amazon and use on any phone: all they do is imitate the finger. As far as I know, the Moto stylus phones are like that, right? That makes them very awkward to use for many things e.g.:
S-pen -> scroll down a PDF with my finger -> highlight with the pen
Regular stylus -> scroll down a PDF with my finger -> select highlight option in app -> highlight with stylus, being very careful not to touch the screen anywhere with my finger -> select browse option in app
With the latter, you have to specifically tell the app every time you are switching to/from finger and stylus. With the former, the app knows the difference.
If you give me a high end phone with a proper stylus and GrapheneOS, I'd probably never look back.
I have the 2023 5G Stylus and it's great, has almost everything I want in a phone. It's now even supported by LineageOS though I haven't switched over. Something like it with Graphene would be fantastic.
How good is the microphone quality on it? I had a horrible experience with their Moto Edge Pro which had one of the worst mics I ever experienced. Very high noise floor plus aggressive filtering. Not something you expect in a flagship phone. I exchanged it twice thinking there was something wrong with the device but it was not the case, others were complaining about it and other Edge models as well.
It was a shame, as the rest of the phone hardware was very good for the price - after installing gcam on it as you did.
You.know, this is very funny to me. Back in the early 90s, when mobile moved from analog to digital, I bought the first Motorola digital flip phone. And it regarded my voice as "noise" over a certain level, which (as I have a loud voice), meant it was clipping all the time.
I engaged Motorola on this, spoke with the engineering team. We even did a few calls, me with a Nokia and then a Motorola so they could see the difference. You could sense the shoulder shrugs at their end.
To discover they still have the same limitations is beyond amusing, and I wonder of the same engineering team still exists in part, decades later, refusing to care.
I'm sure this isn't actually what happened, but when you said "as I have a loud voice" and then "did a few calls" and finally "shoulder shrugs at their end", I imagine you shouting over the phone to them, and them not understanding why your are shouting instead of just talking :P I'm sure it wasn't like that though, just what popped into my head.
Maybe this isn't any of my businesses, but couldn't you just talk less loudly, if this is such a issue? Most microphones are good enough, and were in the 90s too, to pick up normal conversational volume :)
I mean when I talk "normally" people think I talk too fast, so to make it easier for others to understand me, I talk "slower" which for them sounds "normal". Again, I'm not saying you have to change or anything, but isn't this more or less the same as for people who are "louder" or simply stronger too, they have to be more careful with others? I remember the moment the strong kid in class realized he was strong (as the teacher told him with not so nice words), and he adjusted based on that later when we played.
Good grief, were you on the design team? I've owned 40 other phones in my life, by at least 10 brands. I've owned tablets, landlines, recording equipment, all fine!
Sorry, I'm not claiming the phone isn't broken or shit, I wasn't even talking about the phone anymore. I don't understand the second to last sentence at all either, sorry. Hope you'll have a nice day anyways!
Would be nice, although the thread makes it look unlikely for now; they say the flagship processors have security features they require. I've got a 2023 stylus 5G... Never use the stylus, but it was the most reasonable phone with a headphone jack, enough ram, and a qualcomm cpu. Of course, the three year update period from release ended in June, so I've got to find something new soon to stay updated. :(
Yeah... I still hope Motorola might add an "Ultra"-tier Moto G Stylus to their portfolio with more RAM, better CPU and all the other mentioned features. The stylus for me is not just a convenience; it's extremely handy for a lot of tasks in SaSec (safety and security), e. g. on-site annotation of accident/crime scene pics or floor plans (say placement of fire safety sensors, et cetera).
Also this is great unless Motorola is comprimised.
Motorola is doing a large portion of the work of porting GrapheneOS to their devices. They'll provide us with what we need for firmware/drivers in the form we need it and it will be far easier than Pixels. We'll be able to get issues in the firmware and drivers fixed through Motorola and Qualcomm.
Qualcomm makes a good SoC, but the low effort software stack from ODMs do not showcase most differentiating capabilities. This might be net positive for Qualcomm. However, they will for sure fail to recognise that may just start a litigation against graphene OS.
Praise be the lord for Chinese Motorola Mobility if so, because they were the ones who launched and shipped the Motorola Moto G phone which was probably the best cheap Android phone available that could fit into my hand properly, until the 5th/6th generation, when I had to move away from them as they too became too large.
Hope they go back to their (Chinese) roots shortly and launch more "normal sized" phones again, if they'll be able to run GrapheneOS as well that'd be a huge plus obviously :)
I got my first smartphone 14 years ago. It was a Samsung. It landed in trash after one year. Since then I've been on Motorolas because they're the only smartphones that tick these boxes:
- SD card slot
- audio jack
- cheap
- no shitty custom UI filled with ads and slowness
For me the reason why this is a big deal is because, before there was any Motorola upcoming Graphene-compatible model, most people that might be installing Graphene would not trust Google with their phone software, to then go ahead and install Graphene in Google's hardware! A bit of a contradiction there.
Yup. My last one took a rather quick end when a tiny bit of salty splash water got under the screen.. IP rating is only when it's fresh off production. Oh well, still a great phone (thanks to GrapheneOS)
I think the feature we all want in light of this is a simple backup+restore which uses a users SSHD server somewhere so you can wipe completely before travelling and then restore completely when safe again.
Would obviously want it to also backup/restore esim's...
Actually the main thing I want is to be able to use my phone however I like, and install whatever I want, without Google telling me whether I have their permission to do so or not.
They mentioned that the graphene compatible phone would cost more than the pixels, and currently the only moto phones that expensive are all folding models. So there was speculation it would be based on that line.
It makes sense for security cameras to be secure. Hacked security cameras are a big issue. Motorola investing in partnering with a more secure OS seems aligned.
The question is whether the new gen Snapdragon Elite SoCs will finally support non-protected KVM? That would make native "linux terminal" (which has GUI support) work.. so far Qualcomm is the only flagship vendor that doesn't support it. And this feature currently works with pixels, hopefully it doesn't stop working with Motorola Signature.
Not sure they've ever done anything like this, so time will tell.
I do know Motorola seems to not care much about software - they were still shipping 32 bit until embarrassingly recently, and are known for rarely updating their devices. From that lens, this could be a rather symbiotic relationship if it proves it can sell.
Their past record bin this area includes ezx and razr2 series built on vanilla Linux and it wasn't petty. Nothing was released on time, code was awful (4k lines of TTY multiplexer driver in 2.4 series ). No bueno. But the phones themselves were cool.
> Supporting a flip device with vertical folding would be a new form factor for GrapheneOS. The main use case for those is a tiny phone to use with one hand in the folded form factor.
So, I've been using flip phones now exclusively since the Samsung Z-Flip3 (and will never go back to slab phones unless the flip segment disappears), but I almost never use the outer screen. Maybe that is just me, but I have a feeling it's pretty common.
A non-folder with a stylus option, an audio jack, microSD card slot and USB-C 3.2+ would be swell. In other words... a beefed-up update of the 2026 Motorola Moto G Stylus [1]. ;)
1. [https://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_moto_g_stylus_(2026)-14581...]
I was planning to make my next phone a Moto G Stylus. If they do a Graphene one, it'll be certain.
My partner got the Moto G Stylus 2025 after we swore off Samsung last year. I've been very impressed. Other then the camera software, it's a very capable phone, and the headphone port and SD card slot are great. There's 90 gigabytes of lossless music on an SD card now. The camera software sucks, but thanks to a tip I think I heard here on HN, I installed a gcam (Google pixel camera) port and that's great.
> My partner got the Moto G Stylus 2025 after we swore off Samsung last year.
I've been wanting to get away from Samsung for years, but keep coming back because of the s-pen. I've yet to find another manufacturer that makes a decent phone with a proper stylus. As in, a stylus which the device recognises as being something different to your finger. Most styluses use the same technology as the cheap ones you can buy on Amazon and use on any phone: all they do is imitate the finger. As far as I know, the Moto stylus phones are like that, right? That makes them very awkward to use for many things e.g.:
S-pen -> scroll down a PDF with my finger -> highlight with the pen
Regular stylus -> scroll down a PDF with my finger -> select highlight option in app -> highlight with stylus, being very careful not to touch the screen anywhere with my finger -> select browse option in app
With the latter, you have to specifically tell the app every time you are switching to/from finger and stylus. With the former, the app knows the difference.
If you give me a high end phone with a proper stylus and GrapheneOS, I'd probably never look back.
I have the 2023 5G Stylus and it's great, has almost everything I want in a phone. It's now even supported by LineageOS though I haven't switched over. Something like it with Graphene would be fantastic.
How good is the microphone quality on it? I had a horrible experience with their Moto Edge Pro which had one of the worst mics I ever experienced. Very high noise floor plus aggressive filtering. Not something you expect in a flagship phone. I exchanged it twice thinking there was something wrong with the device but it was not the case, others were complaining about it and other Edge models as well.
It was a shame, as the rest of the phone hardware was very good for the price - after installing gcam on it as you did.
I haven't noticed any issues but, well, we don't make very many calls or record voice a lot. I may make a point to test it out.
You.know, this is very funny to me. Back in the early 90s, when mobile moved from analog to digital, I bought the first Motorola digital flip phone. And it regarded my voice as "noise" over a certain level, which (as I have a loud voice), meant it was clipping all the time.
I engaged Motorola on this, spoke with the engineering team. We even did a few calls, me with a Nokia and then a Motorola so they could see the difference. You could sense the shoulder shrugs at their end.
To discover they still have the same limitations is beyond amusing, and I wonder of the same engineering team still exists in part, decades later, refusing to care.
I'm sure this isn't actually what happened, but when you said "as I have a loud voice" and then "did a few calls" and finally "shoulder shrugs at their end", I imagine you shouting over the phone to them, and them not understanding why your are shouting instead of just talking :P I'm sure it wasn't like that though, just what popped into my head.
Maybe this isn't any of my businesses, but couldn't you just talk less loudly, if this is such a issue? Most microphones are good enough, and were in the 90s too, to pick up normal conversational volume :)
I just spoke normally.
Some people have louder voices. I'm not going to whisper all the time on the phone. And all other devices?
Fine.
I mean when I talk "normally" people think I talk too fast, so to make it easier for others to understand me, I talk "slower" which for them sounds "normal". Again, I'm not saying you have to change or anything, but isn't this more or less the same as for people who are "louder" or simply stronger too, they have to be more careful with others? I remember the moment the strong kid in class realized he was strong (as the teacher told him with not so nice words), and he adjusted based on that later when we played.
No.
Good grief, were you on the design team? I've owned 40 other phones in my life, by at least 10 brands. I've owned tablets, landlines, recording equipment, all fine!
Then wisenhimer shows up to defend the outlier.
No. Got it?
Sorry, I'm not claiming the phone isn't broken or shit, I wasn't even talking about the phone anymore. I don't understand the second to last sentence at all either, sorry. Hope you'll have a nice day anyways!
For reference, 'wise-en-himer': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yscaDkzHqek
Would be nice, although the thread makes it look unlikely for now; they say the flagship processors have security features they require. I've got a 2023 stylus 5G... Never use the stylus, but it was the most reasonable phone with a headphone jack, enough ram, and a qualcomm cpu. Of course, the three year update period from release ended in June, so I've got to find something new soon to stay updated. :(
Yeah... I still hope Motorola might add an "Ultra"-tier Moto G Stylus to their portfolio with more RAM, better CPU and all the other mentioned features. The stylus for me is not just a convenience; it's extremely handy for a lot of tasks in SaSec (safety and security), e. g. on-site annotation of accident/crime scene pics or floor plans (say placement of fire safety sensors, et cetera).
Or a folder with a stylus. I'd like that even better.
Not having big rounded corners would be nice and practical.
Looking forward to the years we we start having some usb4. Or usb4 v2, why not, full 120gbit please.
This is a relief to hear.
Also this is great unless Motorola is comprimised.
Qualcomm makes a good SoC, but the low effort software stack from ODMs do not showcase most differentiating capabilities. This might be net positive for Qualcomm. However, they will for sure fail to recognise that may just start a litigation against graphene OS.
$950 Signature (was not sold in US.)
https://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Signature-Dual-SIM-Unlocked-...
https://www.motorola.com/gb/en/p/phones/motorola-signature/s...
$1900 Fold
https://www.motorola.com/us/en/p/phones/razr/motorola-razr-f...
$1500 Ultra
https://www.motorola.com/us/en/p/phones/razr/razr-ultra-2026...
2025 ultra is almost the same spec as 2026, and it's like $600.
This is not the Motorola (USA) that many of us knew for ages. That company doesn't exist any more.
The company working with GrapheneOS appears to be Motorola Mobility, owned by Lenovo (China).
> Motorola Mobility, owned by Lenovo (China).
Praise be the lord for Chinese Motorola Mobility if so, because they were the ones who launched and shipped the Motorola Moto G phone which was probably the best cheap Android phone available that could fit into my hand properly, until the 5th/6th generation, when I had to move away from them as they too became too large.
Hope they go back to their (Chinese) roots shortly and launch more "normal sized" phones again, if they'll be able to run GrapheneOS as well that'd be a huge plus obviously :)
The first three generations of the Moto G were developed under the US branch of Motorola Mobility, when they were owned by Google.
That "growing too large to be useful" was exactly when they were sold to Lenovo.
The original Motorola exists as Motorola Solutions in USA. Mobility was spun-off.
I got my first smartphone 14 years ago. It was a Samsung. It landed in trash after one year. Since then I've been on Motorolas because they're the only smartphones that tick these boxes:
- SD card slot
- audio jack
- cheap
- no shitty custom UI filled with ads and slowness
Well thankfully, because the original one was hopeless in shipping good mobile phones
For me the reason why this is a big deal is because, before there was any Motorola upcoming Graphene-compatible model, most people that might be installing Graphene would not trust Google with their phone software, to then go ahead and install Graphene in Google's hardware! A bit of a contradiction there.
I hope they try to bring Graphene OS to Motorola's mid-range devices, like the Moto G.
But how are they going stuff them chokeful of intrusive bloatware then?
This is great, I'll hopefully get one as my next phone when my Pixel 7 Pro dies.
Yup. My last one took a rather quick end when a tiny bit of salty splash water got under the screen.. IP rating is only when it's fresh off production. Oh well, still a great phone (thanks to GrapheneOS)
I think the feature we all want in light of this is a simple backup+restore which uses a users SSHD server somewhere so you can wipe completely before travelling and then restore completely when safe again.
Would obviously want it to also backup/restore esim's...
Actually the main thing I want is to be able to use my phone however I like, and install whatever I want, without Google telling me whether I have their permission to do so or not.
I think that is hard to do securely - wiping the phone implies wiping the keys from secure storage, and those cannot be restored by design.
I'll take a complicated backup+restore. I haven't been able to back up my apps since I had a Nexus.
I only buy Motorola's for their folded design, used ones from eBay are 200 eurobucks and look cool.
I guess another 5 years to wait for a legit open one, but hej, I'm waiting since a1200e.
eurobucks is an abomination of a word what are you doing sur
Hopefully it will come to the razr line
Why would they emphasize the non-folding? As far I am concerned foldable smartphones can get bent ...
They mentioned that the graphene compatible phone would cost more than the pixels, and currently the only moto phones that expensive are all folding models. So there was speculation it would be based on that line.
I recently heard Motorola is also a direct competitor with Flock... Couldn't this potentially be a conflict of interest / purpose?
i believe that's not this Motorola (the phone company under Lenovo)
It makes sense for security cameras to be secure. Hacked security cameras are a big issue. Motorola investing in partnering with a more secure OS seems aligned.
This makes me curious to move off of ios.
The question is whether the new gen Snapdragon Elite SoCs will finally support non-protected KVM? That would make native "linux terminal" (which has GUI support) work.. so far Qualcomm is the only flagship vendor that doesn't support it. And this feature currently works with pixels, hopefully it doesn't stop working with Motorola Signature.
Looking forward to it. I will buy it right away.
Good. Would rather have a strong basic phone without flaky gimmicks.
Any info on how the baseband / modem is connected to the rest of the phone.
It's going to be a Qualcomm setup. Any reason to think it'll be any different from usual?
I'm fairly ignorant as to whether Motorola, as a company, will make a good steward for this kind of arrangement.
Does anybody have any inside baseball to share in terms of whether we can trust this arrangement to last longer than, say, a year?
Not sure they've ever done anything like this, so time will tell.
I do know Motorola seems to not care much about software - they were still shipping 32 bit until embarrassingly recently, and are known for rarely updating their devices. From that lens, this could be a rather symbiotic relationship if it proves it can sell.
Their past record bin this area includes ezx and razr2 series built on vanilla Linux and it wasn't petty. Nothing was released on time, code was awful (4k lines of TTY multiplexer driver in 2.4 series ). No bueno. But the phones themselves were cool.
> Supporting a flip device with vertical folding would be a new form factor for GrapheneOS. The main use case for those is a tiny phone to use with one hand in the folded form factor.
So, I've been using flip phones now exclusively since the Samsung Z-Flip3 (and will never go back to slab phones unless the flip segment disappears), but I almost never use the outer screen. Maybe that is just me, but I have a feeling it's pretty common.
Let's do a nice candybar. I'll buy it.