Motorola Defy Review

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The Defy has a cool but not-too-funky design, a great display, and can take just about anything I can dish out in the way of dust and splashes.

Pros

* Extra durable and water resistant
* Very good display
* Snappy performance

Cons

* Slightly disappointing camera
* Some connectivity issues

Motorola Defy Full Review

The Motorola Defy from T-Mobile is water and dust resistant, designed to keep up with even the most active of users. It offers Android OS 2.1, a 5 megapixel camera, and advanced MOTOBLUR for easy setup and access to social networking sites.

The Defy is currently available for $100 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year T-Mobile service contract.

BUILD & DESIGN

The Defy is one cool-looking phone. Even though it's mostly black, it has some unique features: the white band all around the sides of the device, the seven screws that secure the case and give the phone extra water resistance, and the fully covered ports.

It is also a petite powerhouse, measuring 4.2-inches tall, 2.3-inches wide, and 0.53-inches thick. That's shorter than the iPhone 4, though a bit thicker.

I really like how it feels in my hand; the sides curve sharply away from the screen, so the Defy doesn't feel as thick or as wide as it measures. It should fit in the smallest of pockets and definitely won't weigh you down.

The materials are all plastic, as is the norm these days, but the Defy has a nice finish. It isn't ultra slick or slippery (which thankfully means no fingerprints) but is still rather smooth to the touch. It feels soft and just a little velvety, but not overly so. It tends to stay in your hand on its own, so you shouldn't have to grip it too hard to make sure it doesn't take a tumble.

Of course the Defy is designed to be a "life resistant" device, and it certainly lived up to that, at least in my experience. I didn't perform any crazy extreme tests on it, but I didn't handle the Defy with kid gloves either. That means that it didn't get put into a case, and I didn't take much care when I tossed it into my bag. I used it outside in the rain with no problems at all, and splashed it a few times just to see what would happen.

I'm glad to report that it still looks as good and works as good now as it did when I got it almost a month ago now, so this is definitely one defiant little device that will probably be able to handle whatever you dish out -- so long as you don't go too crazy.

Display

The display on this phone, a 3.7-inch FWVGA (854 X 480) touchscreen, is absolutely gorgeous. It's bright, sharp, and ultra-clear, with a level of detail that you'll notice immediately.

It works well inside and out, even on sunny days, though of course the screen is a bit harder to read outside in direct sunlight.

The display is topped with Gorilla Glass for extra scratch resistance, and so far I don't see any scratches at all, even though I haven't been particularly careful with the Defy. This may be the first electronic device that doesn't absolutely need a screen protector, which is great -- screen protectors can be difficult to install and tend to reduce the overall screen clarity. If you're a worrier who just can't stand the thought of a scratch on the display, you may still want the extra protection, but for the rank and file it seems that won't be necessary.

Keyboard

The Motorola Defy doesn't have a physical keyboard, instead relying on a virtual keyboard.

The Swype keyboard is on by default, and once you get the hang of it you can enter text very, very fast by swiping your finger along the screen instead of by tapping on each key individually. If the device isn't sure what you meant to enter, you are presented with a list of options from which to choose.

You can also turn off Swype if you don't like it, but after a little practice you just might be surprised at how fast you can enter text if you stick with it.

Other Buttons & Controls

The buttons on this phone aren't too obvious; since the Defy is water and dust resistant every port and access point is covered with a small flip around rubber cover.

The headphone jack and power button are on the top edge of the phone, and the volume control button is on the right. The charge/sync port is on the left side of the phone, and those are the only buttons aside from the usual menu/home/back/search buttons on the front of the device, under the display.

The SIM card slot and the microSD card slot are both located on the back of the device, underneath the battery. The back cover is easy to remove, though it works a little differently than most phones. There's a switch at the bottom of the cover that you have to slide in order to release the back cover. That switch keeps it sealed extra tight so that water is much less likely to enter the battery compartment.

PERFORMANCE

The Motorola Defy runs Google's Android OS 2.1 on an 800 MHz processor, and has MotoBlur, Motorola's alternate version of the standard user interface that focuses on social networking.

I didn't have to spend any time waiting for apps to load; the best word to describe the Defy's performance would be "snappy." Whether I was scrolling through my tweets or updating my calendar or just playing games to pass the time, apps load fast.

The Defy is extremely responsive, and sometimes even too responsive -- occasionally the web page will scroll way past what I wanted to see because it is so sensitive to my input.

Wireless/Call Quality

I had some signal problems inside my office; one call went straight to voice mail without ever ringing the phone, and I didn't receive any notice of a missed call. I was able to place calls from my office, with acceptable voice quality.

When I went outside, where I had a much stronger signal, the voice quality greatly improved. One of my callers said that I was crystal clear, but very loud -- and I assure you that I am not one of those folks who tends to shout into the phone.

The Defy can connect to T-Mobile's 3G network, and it has Wi-Fi for when you want an even faster connection.

It also has Bluetooth, so you can use you favorite wireless headset.

Productivity

All of Google's usual Android OS apps are here, including Gmail, Calendar, and Contacts.

You'll also find Quickoffice for all of your Word, Excel, and PowerPoint viewing needs, though strangely enough there is no way to view PDF documents. If you want to edit your Office files, you'll have to upgrade to the full version of Quickoffice, which is not included with the device.

The Defy makes a decent device for business users, though it has more of of focus on consumers. Still, you can connect to a Microsoft Exchange server for corporate, and I've already mentioned the Office viewer. And it's semi-rugged design could come in handy on the job site.

Entertainment

The Amazon MP3 and Kindle apps are preloaded, but no games are included, not even demos. But because this is an Google phone, the Android Market is close at hand. I downloaded several games to try out and found that all of them worked exactly as advertised, with very fast load times, gorgeous graphics, and excellent sound. The external speaker on the Defy is plenty powerful, producing very good sound quality even at higher volumes.

A music player is included on the Defy that can handle AAC, MP3, and other formats, and this device also comes with a video player.

One cool application that I'm just beginning to explore is the Family Room, which is designed to help families stay closer together with features such as email blasts and text blasts that go out to every contact pre-identified as a family member.

Tags: Motorola Defy Review, Phones, Mobile phones, Motorola, Motorola Defy, Android, Android 2.1, nokia, iphone, consumer reviews

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Camera

The Motorola Defy includes a 5-megapixel camera with digital zoom and LED flash.

My test photos turned out fairly well, but with a few exposure problems -- there are blown out areas where the sun is shining through the trees. I obtained better results when shooting nearby objects and people rather than landscapes, though perhaps that is simply due to the fact that nearby shots are easier to compose while avoiding large variations in lighting conditions within a single frame.

One good point about the camera is that it takes photos quickly -- some phones seem to take forever, so you can easily miss the shot. The volume buttons are also used as the telephoto/zoom control, which is much faster and easier than trying to tap on the screen while framing the shot.

Navigation

There are two different navigation apps from which to choose: Google Maps and TeleNav. Google Maps worked the best for me, with local search and directions for driving, walking, cycling and taking mass transit.

When you first start TeleNav you are told that you are starting a free trial; if you don't specifically cancel the service at the end of the trial period, you will be charged a $2.99 monthly access fee. The app works well for voice-guided turn-by-turn directions, so if you want a phone that doubles as an in-car GPS the Defy can definitely keep you on track and prevent you from being last.

Battery Life

My experience with the battery life on the Defy has been a very good one indeed; this seems to be one of those devices that just sips at the power rather than draining the battery practically before you can blink. I had no problem getting through the day, even with relatively heavy usage, and there was still plenty of charge left in the battery when I got home in the evening after my daily commute.

You can easily get 2-3 days out of this smartphone, and potentially more if coverage is good in your area. I wouldn't suggest leaving the charger at home during your next short business trip, since it's still a good idea to charge overnight just in case, but I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of the battery in the Defy.

CONCLUSION

The Motorola Defy is a really neat device: it has a cool but not-too-funky design, a great display, and it promises to take just about anything I can dish out in the way of dust and splashes.

If you're looking for an Android OS phone that is a little smaller than some of the giant-screened monsters that have been popular lately, and want something that you can use and enjoy without having to worry about whatever life brings your way, check out the Motorola Defy. It's an excellent little phone that can keep up with all of your daily adventures.