When We learned that Motorola was launching a new smartphone, waterproof, scratchesproof, dusteproof, … We were very interested, cause both of Us have had some bad experiences with smartphones (Iphone full of water, Nexus One smashed, ..). So We gave this new device, the Motorola Defy, a try (I used it as my everyday phone during a week). I gonna give You my impressions.

The Motorola Defy’s SPECS.

General impressions

The Motorola Defy is a good looking phone. It is black, it has a nice shape and We really liked its dimensions. This is a great piece of hardware for only 450 $ (Best Buy’s price, You can find cheaper, I think it will be around 350 € here in France). but don’t expect an expensive looking device, the Defy is plasticky and is kind of chubby (it is really thick). It is not really elegant. My complains about the hardware: there is no main button (or home button), even if I love the sensitive and physical buttons of that device, I think the volume buttons are really badly placed (on the right side and quite low), the power button is quite hard to reach, it is situated right beside a big piece of plastic and is hard to use without looking. It is featuring a green light for notifications (a good idea). I think that’s it, ah and I like the quick access to the battery dock and the front face (gorilla glass) feels really nice. Last thing, this phone has a big battery, a 1 500 mAh battery, which delivers a really good autonomy (around a day and a half of prolonged use).

Moto Blur

I won’t talk about Android, that everyone knows now, but this device is only launched with Android 2.1!! This is really a shame, I am now used to Froyo and I have to say that I had some difficulties to go back to Android 2.1 and its lower performances. Moreover, Motorola, as the company is used to do now, has put a layer over Android, Moto Blur. I have to say that I hate this skin, You have to subscribe to a Motorola account, this is super slow and ugly… Anyway, if You install launcherpro, You won’t see anymore this ugly layer, and what gonna survive of it will actually be kind of nice (specific colors, some decent widgets, ..). So at the end it was fine, Android is quite free now so You can escape from this bad Moto’s trip. The phone delivers performances comparable to a Nexus One. Another good point, Swype is pre-loaded on that phone (in french, and I guess every language where it will be launched). I hope Motorola is planning on updating that phone to Froyo (They said They would), I wouldn’t expect Gingerbread though.

Undestructable?

Okay, so I guess anyone reading this review will ask: okay it is a nice Android phone, but is it really super resistant? Well, I must confess, I didn’t dare to try to smash it or to put it into water (I already smashed my N1, I’m good for a while now). But We saw some Motorola’s staffs putting that phone under water, into sand, without any damages, and the phone’s gorilla glass seems super resistant (like the Galaxy S’s glass) and really hard to scratch or smash. Although, I have to say that the whole plastic body of that device doesn’t seem that solid to me, even if at the end it seems to be okay, I gave him quite an hard treatment and it doesn’t have any signs or anything. I guess this is a very resistant phone, and it may be the perfect choice for people living in the extremes or people who are not careful.

Camera

The Defy’s camera is quite decent, it is even kind of good (especially after having used the Optimus 7!). It takes nice shots and it is snappy. Here are some samples:

Reception

Okay so I had some troubles with the device that We tried: maybe it was because of the network, the review unit, or me, but the phone was showing really weird “behaviors” regarding its connexion. When it is in 3G it is almost always switching to “H” or Edge, like every 4 seconds (before to going back to 3G). It was really weird. And sometimes too, in the subway or moving fast, the phone was losing every connexion and was recovering a signal only around 10 minutes later. So I don’t know, it was really weird, but usually not to annoying (except for the times when it was losing all connectivities!). Maybe it was this review unit, or Motorola needs to update the Defy’s firmware.

Conclusion

We were not certain that this phone would be a success: it looks a little bit plasticky, it is featuring Android 2.1 (for now) and Blur, and it is not very ergonomic. But You know what, at the end it is a really good smartphone, especially for that decent price. It is a solid nice piece of hardware. For people willing to buy an expensive sexy device, it may not be the good choice, but for students or people exercising or loving sports (or concerts, ..) it may be an excellent choice.