Motorola DEFY

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• Anonymous
• mg{
• 09 Dec 2010

unique smartphone
well done moto

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• 1
• 100 Moto
• Er2
• 09 Dec 2010

alay boy, 01 Dec 2010is the black n white version sold exclusively for T-Mobile?... moreHong Kong will get Defy for about US$411 handset only, unlock without contract, in about 2 weeks.

One network service provider offers the phone for US$344, also unlock, with 6-months contract of US$6 each month.

Yes, likely we'll also get the black and white version too!

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• ?
• Anonymous
• PFx
• 08 Dec 2010

xenon flash, please...

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• ?
• Anonymous
• L6Z
• 08 Dec 2010

http://www.unwiredview.com/2010/12/07/full-review-motorola-defy-tmobile/

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• ?
• Anonymous
• L6Z
• 08 Dec 2010

Phones of this nature are never the prettiest ones either, though Motorola tried very hard to make this one the exception rather than the rule. The touchscreen takes up most of the front with little room for anything else besides speaker, sensors and the touch-sensitive buttons on the bottom. There are two bands of rubber, one black and one white, that stretch around the entire phone’s side that gives it a softer look, though there are six tiny Torx screws bolted into the black band that end up making the Defy look more like a tank, and it doesn’t do the Defy any favors in the looks department as a result.

At the bottom of the white band comes the back of the phone, decked out in black rubber just like the top side band. The Defy is designed in such a way that the front is wider and taller than the back; I believe this was done as a way for us to get a firmer and more solid grip on the device, as I do find the Defy to be easy and comfortable to hold. On the back itself, we see the 5 MP camera and accompanying LED flash. LED flash is absolutely crucial to have when considering a phone camera 5 MP or higher, because a camera at that high quality should have every luxury available to it that digital cameras of that caliber have. If phone cameras are replacing standard digital cameras, give them the same abilities so they can truly become competitive.



Lastly on the back, we can find the latch to take the battery cover off. This latch is the main part of the phone that keeps the water outside. Essentially the latch is a gasket that seals the phone shut from the surrounding water, and can only be opened by using a slider that has to be slid open to detach the cover from the phone. When using the Defy you need to make absolutely certain this latch is completely locked so as to ensure all of the Defy’s insides stay dry at all times.

The front is decked out with Gorilla Glass, which is meant to be a more durable material than the glass most other touchscreens are made out of. While it doesn’t prevent the screen from cracking, it does help keep the screen from getting so scratched up that you can’t see your phone’s display as a result. The touch-sensitive buttons on the front are the usual ones for most Android devices of late: menu, home, back, and search.


On the sides, there isn’t much, and for good reason. The more components that can be accessed on the outside of the phone, the more likely water damage can occur. So Motorola has kept everything to as minimum as possible. All we have on the left side is the port for MicroUSB charging, and the right side plays host to a volume up/down rocker. Up top we find a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a screen lock button. On the bottom, nothing.






Internally the Defy holds 2 GB storage, but an expandable MicroSD card slot gives you the option of sticking up to 32 GB extra in the Defy if you want.

All in all, I was impressed with the hardware and design of the Defy. Motorola did a great job of making a rugged device that fits well in your pocket and has a cool modern look to it. And it does the job that it was designed to do: keep water out.

Software and OS of the Defy
The Defy runs on Android 2.1 Eclair and is loaded with Motorola’s famous (or infamous, depending on how you look at it) MotoBlur User Interface. As it is a Motorola device, however, this is to be completely expected. The UI is the same as can be found on Motorola’s other Droid devices such as the Droid 2 Global, Droid X, and Droid Pro. The only difference you will see between the Defy and the Pro/Droid 2 Global is that the latter is supported by Froyo, aka Android 2.2. This is the newer version that is able to run at faster speeds and supports Flash Player. Being that the Defy debuted at roughly the same time period, it’s unfortunate that the Defy is already considered outdated compared to these other phones.

But moving past the concern of which version of Android is on which phone, Motoblur in and of itself has many good intentions. The whole goal of the UI is to integrate all of your social networking together, such as your Facebook and Twitter status updates, and attach them to one singular account that you can access even if you move from one Moto phone to another. The UI makes use of several different kinds of widgets to continuously stream new updates in at your convenience. However if these widgets get in the way, or prove to be unuseful to you, they’re easy to delete.

The problem I have with a UI attempting to integrate all of this social networking capability into one account is that the latest versions of Android already have decent social network integration built into any phones that have been updated to the latest version. So I just think it’s somewhat cumbersome to push all of that aside in order to replace it out with your own solution. That’s the double-edged sword of an “open source” OS; it’s too easy to go in and throw in your own flavor to an already proven platform.

As the Defy is a slate phone that has no physical keyboard, a heavy emphasis must be placed on the phone’s on-screen keyboard itself. At least this is an area where the Defy did not disappoint. Fortunately the Defy is equipped with the Swype keyboard out-of-box, which makes me very happy. I always love having different keyboard choices, but Swype is starting to become my default keyboard if available. With Swype you can just slide your finger from one letter to another until you complete the entire word, and it’s smart enough to tell what you are trying to type. If the word isn’t recognized then you can manually type it in the old-fashioned method (I do find it rather odd that I’m called a regular on-screen keyboard “old-fashioned”). This keyboard style has increased my typing speed dramatically.

Besides these factors, there is not much out of the ordinary on the Defy’s OS that you won’t find on any other MotoBlur device, especially those that have come out over the last few months.

The Motorola Defy’s Water Tests

Let’s not waste any more time. I know you want to know how the water testing went, so I’m happy to tell you exactly how it all worked out.

This video footage was taken on my Defy as I dunked it in water:



This was my favorite part of the entire review. It’s not too often I get permission to test out a phone’s durability to such extremes, so I lept at the opportunity to throw the Defy into water and see exactly how it would last. Having heard a few horror stories about Defys being water-damaged because a plug wasn’t actually sealed correctly, I was very cautious and meticulous about making sure everything was properly sealed. When it came time to put the phone in water, I was trying to keep myself from physically pulling myself and the phone away from it, just out of natural paranoia on my part.

But once I let my inhibitions down and threw the Defy in water, I watched (and recorded video) as it lay at the bottom of the tub of water, and realized that the screen was still on, and I could even make phone calls to the Defy while it was immersed. Granted, due to the nature of capacitive screens I could not actually answer any incoming calls (or do anything else with the screen for that matter), but it was neat to see the phone actually working when any other phone would be completely frying and going nuts in every way possible.

I kept the Defy in a tub of water (which was less than a foot deep, but deep enough to completely immerse it and get the point across) for roughly 2 minutes, took it out again and dried it with a rag. As soon as the screen was dry, I could use it normally as if nothing had happened at all. So I dunked it again. And again. I dunked it 4 times overall, each time for at least 1-2 minutes. So in a very short time period the Defy stayed underwater for roughly 5-10 minutes total. That’s definitely long enough to determine how well a phone can hold up to water, that’s for sure. Under the sealed gasket, there was a small amount of water on the top and bottom, but there were walls around the battery cavity that prevented any water from seeping in. In fact, after so many minutes of underwater adventuring, the liquid damage indicator was still completely white (when exposed to water, it becomes red as a telltale method for OEMs to determine if the warranty is void).

So my experiments were a success. The Motorola Defy can officially Defy water. There are a couple disclaimers, however:

First, you need to make absolutely certain that every plug and gasket is completely sealed. You shouldn’t be able to pull it away without digging into it with your fingernail or a finger and thumb combination. Second, even though it protects against water, it will only protect up to certain depths before the pressure becomes too much for the phone to handle. Motorola has claimed that the Defy can handle up to 10 minutes in water 3 feet deep. In other words, it’s still a very good idea to be cautious with your phone, though the Defy at least gives you some wiggle room if an accident occurs. Drop it in the sink? No problem. Drop it in the toilet? Please don’t tell us, but also no problem (unless you flush first).

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• ?
• Anonymous
• L6Z
• 08 Dec 2010

review

From budget to high-end, Android devices are beginning to dominate the mobile market in a big way. It’s almost impossible to walk around town without bumping into somebody who’s peering deep into their Android, blissfully unaware of life happening around them. Because of the absolute market saturation of Android, it’s very easy to not be phased by the latest and greatest Android phone that comes around. After all, unless it includes a crazy design or super awesome specs that are almost akin to having the phone do your laundry, it’s just the same ol’ Android. Nothing big. It makes a lot of sense that phone companies are starting to come up with all sorts of ideas to have their Android stand out of the crowd and wipe its competition off the face of the earth.

Which brings us to the Motorola Defy, a new Android device that has launched on T-Mobile’s network. It’s a rugged device, which isn’t anything special. Except it’s a special kind of rugged, the kind that withstands water at a much higher level than any other phone on the market today, including the Motorola i1 Android that was billed as the very first rugged smartphone device to come out.


I was incredibly excited to begin reviewing the Defy, because it meant I would be able to dunk it in water. How often can I take my phone and just throw it in the kitchen sink and let it swim around for a while, and not get in trouble for it? Not very often at all, so I definitely wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to put the Motorola Defy to the test.


But even though I will spend a decent amount of time discussing the merits of dropping the Defy in the city pool and yet surviving, let’s keep in mind that it’s still a regular phone inside that rugged physique. Indeed, a phone that withstands being immersed in water doesn’t do any good if it’s a terrible phone in performance. Thus, without further adieu, here are my findings and observations on the Motorola Defy after some personal time with it.


Hardware and Design of the Defy
The first thought that popped into my head upon hearing that the Defy is a rugged device was “big and bulky”. It seems as though it should be a requirement. But I certainly was surprised when it finally showed up at my doorstep. It’s easy to mistake this phone for any regular ol’ Android: weighing in at 4.2 ounces and with dimensions o4.21 x 2.32 x 0.53, it’s completely average. It even throws in a 3.7″ capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 480 x 854 pixels. It even feels smaller than expected when handling it.

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• Anonymous
• 4wg
• 08 Dec 2010

All due respect folks, but if you're expecting to get awesome earbuds with a $99 phone you're kidding yourself. I can't tell you if the earbuds that come with the Defy are good or not. They are still in the package because I've already got a nice set of Sony earbuds. I didn't buy a phone because it came with earbuds, I bought the phone because of it's features such as water resistant, dust proof, and scratch proof. If you need a life proof phone you will not be disappointed by this phone.

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• ?
• Anonymous
• PgF
• 07 Dec 2010

It's a great device for a good price; I'm very satisfied [Brazil]. The earpieces are awful, but they're 3.5mm standard, and can be easily replaced by better ones of your choice.

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• ?
• Anonymous
• 3xx
• 07 Dec 2010

I own this phone. It is quite amazing. To answer the ear piece question. I have submerged this phone and the speakers and mic's are working fine. To answer the person about the processer speed. WHY? 800mhz with 1.25g rom and 512ram is excellent. Mutitasks perfectly with no slow down. To answer 2.2 question, again why? it has the features you get on 2.2 but on 2.1 with exception of saving apps to the sd card. To fix this download app Monster (free). Defy will go 2.2 in the new year (2011). Further to this the hero feature of this phone is that its life proof, not that it can mutitask.
MotoBlur is good, improvements have been made. I can honestly say I enjoy the live streaming compared to the refresh button on a HTC or samsung. No need for usless FB and Twitter apps either, which is refreshing to think a manufactuer can work with these social networking companies to offer a great solution.
Finally its android which means apps, email, maps and Navigation, Music, everything in your world in your hands.
Want a lifeproof 3.7inch touch screen which is light weight (13mm thin, 113grams) with a massive battery which last all day. Then buy this one!
Hope this helps someone.

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• M
• Moto
• nH1
• 07 Dec 2010

I really wanted to buy this handset, but issues with the earpiece are reported from every part of the world :-(
https://supportforums.motorola.com/thread/41152?start=45&tstart=0
@GSMarena: if you would write a review about Defy, could you please take a look at this topic as well?

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• ?
• Anonymous
• PFx
• 07 Dec 2010

The next defy should be equipped with xenon flash, 1.2 gigs cpu, xvid/divx player, and a a front facing camera.

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• 1
• 100 Moto
• Er2
• 06 Dec 2010

[deleted post]Suggest you visit t-mobile's website and key in the zip code for the nearest shop with this phone available, or see if they take order online.

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• 1
• 100 Moto
• Er2
• 06 Dec 2010

Anonymous, 05 Dec 2010this is first android water and dost prof in the world po... moreThis should be the first touchscreen phone which is dust/water/shock proof...

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• ?
• Anonymous
• Let
• 05 Dec 2010

i like this set but actully problem is this it should be aavalible in every part of world and price should be fixed

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• a
• adi
• vby
• 05 Dec 2010

where can i buy this phone from Delhi????

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• ?
• Anonymous
• L6Z
• 05 Dec 2010

this is first android water and dost prof in the world
powerfull cpu . perfect features and lovely design

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• Anonymous
• L4y
• 05 Dec 2010

Tank, 04 Dec 2010Hey All, Does anyone know a good gps software with voice na... moreWell,you can try Sygic:

http://www.sygic.com/index.php/en/how-to-buy.html

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• g
• gsmania
• TsI
• 04 Dec 2010

motorola defy was released in oct 2010, same as nokia c7, but why there's still no review of defy?

come on gsmarena, please make a review of defy.

can it do the multitasking like nokia c7?
how about the picture sample?
cause defy has autofocus camera, unlike nokia c7.
how about the video sample?

please gsmarena, i'm dying waiting for the review.:(
i personally want to buy either nokia c7 or motorola defy.

thanks in advance.

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• T
• Tank
• Jx3
• 04 Dec 2010

Hey All, Does anyone know a good gps software with voice navigation that doesnt need the internet to work. Thanks in advance

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• ?
• Anonymous
• teu
• 04 Dec 2010

come on gsm arena review it!!!

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