X

Photos: Motorola DEFY+

Motorola has updated its Android smartphone that's tougher than it looks.
By Sandra Vogel, Contributing Writer
motodefy1.jpg
1 of 5 Sandra Vogel/ZDNET

The original Motorola DEFY caused something of a splash when it launched a year ago. This Android smartphone was certified dust and water resistant, and yet it looked more like an ordinary smartphone than a ruggedised device. The DEFY was a success. Now, a year on, it has been updated as the DEFY+.

Our review sample came from Clove Technology, where it's available for £246 (inc. VAT; £205 ex. VAT).

Photos: Motorola

motodefy2.jpg
2 of 5 Sandra Vogel/ZDNET

The Motorola DEFY+ looks fairly standard at first glance. But a tour of the chassis shows how it has been able to acquire IP67 compliance — that is, it is 'dust protected' and can withstand 'immersion up to 1m' in water.

The backplate is held firmly in place by a sliding lock so that no dust or liquid can easily get under it. The side-mounted headphone jack and Micro-USB port are protected by a hinged cover. There's a sturdy seal around the sides of the chassis too.

motodefy3.jpg
3 of 5 Sandra Vogel/ZDNET

In addition to the features that make the Motorola DEFY+ water and dust resistant, it has a scratch-proof Gorilla Glass screen — we tried marking it with a knife, to no avail.

Beneath all the sturdy exterior features is a smartphone with solid credentials. The operating system is Android 2.3, powered by a 1GHz processor with 512MB of RAM.

motodefy4.jpg
4 of 5 Sandra Vogel/ZDNET

The screen measures 3.7in. across the diagonal and has a resolution of 480 by 854 pixels. There is Flash support in the web browser, and the display is sharp and clear.

The 5-megapixel rear camera has a small LED flash. There is 1GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot under the battery for adding more capacity.

Motorola provides the DEFY+ with seven home screens, with a range of additional widgets over the standard Android offerings. These include widgets for GPS, Wi-Fi and flight-mode management, social networking tools, RSS and calendar information.

motodefy5.jpg
5 of 5 Sandra Vogel/ZDNET

Motorola includes DLNA support, a Car Dock screen with six large shortcut icons — ideal for use when you're driving and can't fiddle with the standard Android interface — and several additional applications. Motorola's Connected Music Player will go online to find lyrics and includes SoundHound for identifying tracks from recorded snippets.

With a 1,700mAh battery Motorola says the DEFY+ is good for approximately 6.8 hours of talk time. As well as Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n), Bluetooth (2.1+EDR) and quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, the DEFY+ supports HSPA at up to 7.2Mbps down and 2Mbps up.

Related Galleries

Holiday wallpaper for your phone: Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, and winter scenes
Holiday lights in Central Park background

Related Galleries

Holiday wallpaper for your phone: Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, and winter scenes

21 Photos
Winter backgrounds for your next virtual meeting
Wooden lodge in pine forest with heavy snow reflection on Lake O'hara at Yoho national park

Related Galleries

Winter backgrounds for your next virtual meeting

21 Photos
Holiday backgrounds for Zoom: Christmas cheer, New Year's Eve, Hanukkah and winter scenes
3D Rendering Christmas interior

Related Galleries

Holiday backgrounds for Zoom: Christmas cheer, New Year's Eve, Hanukkah and winter scenes

21 Photos
Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6: Electric vehicle extravaganza
img-8825

Related Galleries

Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6: Electric vehicle extravaganza

26 Photos
A weekend with Google's Chrome OS Flex
img-9792-2

Related Galleries

A weekend with Google's Chrome OS Flex

22 Photos
Cybersecurity flaws, customer experiences, smartphone losses, and more: ZDNet's research roundup
shutterstock-1024665187.jpg

Related Galleries

Cybersecurity flaws, customer experiences, smartphone losses, and more: ZDNet's research roundup

8 Photos
Inside a fake $20 '16TB external M.2 SSD'
Full of promises!

Related Galleries

Inside a fake $20 '16TB external M.2 SSD'

8 Photos