Motorola Defy
Specifications

Secondary Camera: 8 MPix f/2.2, Videos @1080p/30fps
Pricecompare
Average of 23 scores (from 27 reviews)
Reviews for the Motorola Defy
Really stable smartphone for little money wanted? Then the Motorola Defy might be just right: It offers decent performance rates for just over 300 Euros (~$348), but seems a bit antiquated in other areas. Is it still enough for a recommendation?
Source: GSM Choice

I like Motorola smartphones and I was really curious how the reactivated Defy model would perform. Unfortunately, it did not surprise me in the aspects that I would most expect. The looks and the actual durability deserve the advantage, which I checked by soaking, drowning, burying and "accidentally" dropping the phone on various surfaces. But the smartphone disappointed me with a weak and dark screen, performance and a littered soft. If durability is a priority then you may consider purchasing the Motorola Defy. We pay extra for a sealed and reinforced housing, Gorilla Glass on the front and IP68 and MIL-STD-810H certificates. Otherwise, the price of the model under review ($ 279 or € 329) could be significantly lower. If durability is not the most important thing and you care more about a good screen or performance, then the price of the reviewed Motorola Defy includes dozens of smartphones with much better specifications and equipment, for example Samsung Galaxy A52, realme 8 Pro or Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 09/11/2021
Source: GSM Arena

So there you have it - the Motorola Defy (2021) is a decent looking and nicely tough phone with just above entry-level performance and lower mid-range price. And while you can find better performers in the niche you would still be paying a class above for it, pushing the overall spending significantly higher. Obviously achieving all the ruggedness costs a lot in terms of extra materials and R&D expenditure so it's not really fair to directly compare those phones to convential ones. In sort of the same way that we can't complain a digger costs a whole lot more than a modern family saloon and is nowhere near as fast or well-equipped.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 08/03/2021
Rating: Total score: 66%
Source: Expert Reviews

The Motorola Defy is no ordinary handset. It’s hardy and rugged, it can take one heck of a beating and, if that’s the sort of phone you’re looking for, then there’s no better place to spend your money. It has decent battery life, too, and looks that set it apart from most rivals. Whether you decide to buy one or not, however, is entirely dependent on whether you can stomach its many compromises. With uninspiring internals for the money, a so-so camera and a bang-average display, it’s far from a slam-dunk of a recommendation.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 07/15/2021
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Tech Advisor

The Motorola Defy is one of the most approachable rugged phones we’ve ever used. Its £279 price tag is reassuringly low, yet it can stand up to extremes of impact, temperature, and immersion that few phones can match. Battery life is also exemplary, and Motorola’s light take on Android is especially welcome in such a no-nonsense package. However, severe compromises have been made to hit that blend of price and ruggedness. The Motorola Defy is undeniably slow, and its 720p LCD display is a low-res disappointment. The camera system, meanwhile, is extremely limited. If you’re someone who wants the ultimate toughness with the minimum of fuss at the lowest possible price, you’ll struggle to do better than the relaunched Motorola Defy.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 07/14/2021
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: Trusted Reviews

The Motorola Defy is an excellent phone for someone who needs the three pillars of ruggedisation: drop-proofing, water-resistance and a wide operating temperature range. Its price is entirely reasonable, battery life is good and the use of Gorilla Glass Victus is particularly noteworthy.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 07/08/2021
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: OI Spice Tech News

The Motorola Defy 2021 could be an amazing phone if it were in a low-budget section. As it offers an Android 10 operating system, you might miss some of the latest updates and it’s not a 5G smartphone, so you’ll soon be out of the market because the current landscape of the smartphone industry is changing quickly. It provides better protection, better battery life, but the budget restricts your desire to own this phone. With 2 years of security updates, it really proves to be a valuable companion. This is one of those phones that let you down when it comes to price. If you’re spending so much, why not look for an alternative? If you’re not sure which to choose, we recommend that a solid competitor to the Motorola Moto Defy 2021 smartphone is the Ulefone Armor 11 5G in the same price range.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 07/05/2021
Source: Techradar

The Defy is not your everyday rugged smartphone. Motorola and Bullit have teamed up to deliver a mobile that should appeal to a wide audience beyond the traditional consumer market. Just make sure that you are aware of its limitations.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 06/30/2021
Rating: Total score: 80%
Foreign Reviews
Source: Tech Stage

Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 10/25/2021
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Nextpit Germany

Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 10/04/2021
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: PCtipp.ch

Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 09/28/2021
Rating: Total score: 90%
Source: Computerbild

Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 08/17/2021
Rating: Total score: 91%
Source: PC Guia

Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 12/27/2021
Rating: Total score: 74%
Source: Techzilla.it

Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 02/09/2022
Rating: Total score: 76% price: 80% performance: 80% display: 65% mobility: 95% workmanship: 80%
Source: Tutto Android

Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 12/26/2021
Rating: Total score: 70% performance: 70% mobility: 82% workmanship: 75%
Source: Chimera Revo

Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 12/18/2021
Rating: Total score: 75%
Source: Geek 4 You

Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 12/10/2021
Rating: Total score: 76%
Source: Everyeye.it

Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 11/24/2021
Rating: Total score: 77%
Source: AndroidWorld.it

Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 11/16/2021
Rating: Total score: 79% price: 75% features: 70% display: 70% mobility: 80% workmanship: 85%
Source: Androidiani

Positive: Large battery capacity; tough device. Negative: Poor display; low performance; mediocre cameras.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 03/01/2022
Source: Techbusiness IT

Positive: Tough device; headphone jack; long battery life; quick charging; nice performance. Negative: Average performance; poor cameras.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 11/29/2021
Source: Want.nl

Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 07/30/2021
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: AndroidWorld.nl

Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 07/05/2021
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: Nextpit France

Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 10/06/2021
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: Android.com.pl

Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 06/27/2021
Rating: Total score: 70% performance: 60% display: 60% mobility: 80% workmanship: 80%
Source: Komputer for alle

Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 12/03/2021
Rating: Total score: 73%
Source: Mobil.se

Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 09/06/2021
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: Computerblog.ro

Positive: Waterproof and dust avoiding; good price; high autonomy. Negative: Heavy and bulky; dark display.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 09/15/2021
Comment
Model:
Motorola Defy is a smartphone which has a bigger screen, better performance and much updated operating system compared to its predecessor released in 2010. Continuing the name of Defy, it is also a rugged smartphone which is waterproof and dustproof. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus, which is the latest version of the protective glass. At the same time, the frame is prominently prominent, which provides further security for the display glass in the event of a drop. IP-68 certification means complete protection from dust and permanent immersion in freshwater. This smartphone has also been tested by MIL-STD-810H to prove its stability.
Motorola Defy's screen only provides a refresh rate of 60 Hz, so it is not as smooth to use as current high-end mobile phones. However, it is precise and responsive, and users can also increase the sensitivity of the touch screen so that you can use it with gloves or wet fingers. Users can use facial recognition to unlock, or combine it with the fingerprint sensor at the back of the smartphone.
Motorola Defy weighs 232 grams (approximately 8.2 ounces), which is not too heavy for a rugged smartphone. Motorola Defy can be wiped with alcohol, bleach, soap or disinfectant without causing any damage. The main camera has a 48-megapixel sensor. There is also a macro lens and a lens that supports the depth-of-field effect, each with a resolution of 2 million pixels. Video can be recorded in full HD and up to 60 frames. Today, 64GB of large-capacity storage can no longer really entice anyone in the consumer field. However, due to protective measures, users will have to reduce the functionality of outdoor smartphones, so the storage size is acceptable. It has the Snapdragon 662 from Qualcomm and an Adreno 610 for graphics processing. Since it is never built as a gaming smartphone, the hardware offered is acceptable. It can still run lower demanding games at a relatively stable 60 frames and run most games with reduced graphic details.
The Motorola Defy is equipped with Android 10, which is a little old while the current smart phones already have Android 12. However, Motorola promised a two-year security upgrade. Thanks to a 3.5mm jack, users can also connect old headphones without an adapter. Bluetooth 5.0 and NFC are also on board. Thanks to the 5000 mAh battery, Motorola Defy has enough battery capacity. Therefore, it can actually last a long time which is an advantage. The Defy cannot be charged wirelessly, but can use up to 20 watts of wired charger for fast charging. As a conclusion, the Motorola Defy is a rugged smartphone that comes with little compromise. However, it has the tough Gorilla Glass Victus, rubber case and a touch screen that can be used with wet fingers. It also has a high capacity battery and decent performance, as well as Android with no bloatware. It is suitable for users who require a smartphone to work under a tougher environment such as a construction site.
Qualcomm Adreno 610: Integrated (in the Snapdragon 665) graphics card based on the Adreno 600 architecture. The performance of the GPU is between the Adreno 510 and 512/612 and therefore in the lower mid range. Supports DirectX11_1, Vulkan 1.0, OpenCL 2.0, OpenGL ES 3.2.
Only some 3D games with very low demands are playable with these cards.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.
SD 662: Fast mid-range ARM SoC with 8 CPU Kryo 260 cores (four fast 2 GHz Cortex-A73 cores in a cluster and two power saving 1.8 GHz Cortex-A53 cores) and a rather slow Adreno 610 GPU. Manufactured in a 11 nm LPP process.» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.
6.50":
Only a few smartphones have larger screens.
Large display-sizes allow higher resolutions. So, details like letters are bigger. On the other hand, the power consumption is lower with small screen diagonals and the devices are smaller, more lightweight and cheaper.
0.232 kg:
This weight is typical for smartphones.
Motorola: The original company Motorola Inc was split in 2011. Motorola Mobility got the smartphone range and was taken over by Google in 2012 and by Lenovo in 2014. The Motorola smartphone brand continues for the time being. There are still a lot of reviews on Motorola Mobiles with average ratings.
75%: This rating is bad. Most notebooks are better rated. This is not a recommendation for purchase.
» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.