When you consider the amount of punishing everyday use your average mobile phone gets, it’s somewhat bizarre that the vast majority of leading handsets look and feel as delicate as a Ming vase.
Mobile manufacturers know that tech-hounds adore intricate and desirable-looking products, but this drive to create beauty usually results in phones that are woefully unsuited to the rigours of modern life.
It’s refreshing, then, to pick up a phone which practically begs you to treat it with disdain. The Motorola Defy boasts rugged shock-proof casing, an ultra-tough screen and is dust resistant and waterproof. Basically, it’s the kind of phone that we’d imagine Chuck Norris to have.
Holding out for a hero
Despite its sturdy credentials, the Defy is actually quite a dinky device. At just 107mm long, it’s noticeably shorter than the iPhone 4 and HTC Desire, but surprisingly this hasn’t resulted in a smaller display.
The Defy boasts a 3.7-inch screen – larger than the iPhone’s – which is protected by scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass. You can literally take a knife to this thing and it doesn’t leave as much as a nick.
The Defy is equally steadfast when it comes to bumps and drops. The outer casing is robust and capable of withstanding serious punishment, and the enclosed nature of the device prevents dust particles from creeping inside.
Slippery when wet
Possibly the most useful element of the Defy’s military-grade protection is its ability to withstand being dropped into the wet stuff. As long as the rubber covers (which seal up the 3.5mm headphone jack and power/data connection) are firmly closed, this handset is quite happy to be submerged in the drink.
If - like us - you’re an accident-prone buffoon, then this feature could very well save you having to shell out for a new phone every time you clumsily drop yours into a toilet, sink or puddle.
Unfortunately, due to the nature of capacitive touchscreens, you can’t use the Defy when taking a bath or shower – the display becomes unresponsive and inaccurate.
Moto-blergh
The Defy’s external design is certainly a talking point, and thankfully what’s under the hood isn’t too shabby either. The device is rocking version 2.1 of Google’s famous mobile operating system, which unfortunately means it’s lagging behind the Android 2.3-packing Nexus S, which represents the cutting edge of the OS.
Despite this shortcoming – and the fact that it possesses a relatively modest 800MHz CPU – the Defy manages to impress in terms of speed. Navigating around the phone is reasonably lag-free, although Motorola’s much-maligned MotoBlur interface can seem a little overbearing at times.
It offers in-depth social networking connectivity, but it cannot be disabled and experienced Android users may resent not being able to streamline the phone’s functionality to their own unique tastes.
With stand-alone applications such as TweetDeck offering a one-stop solution to all your social networking needs, it’s annoying that manufacturers insist on forcing such processor-intensive skins on the general public.
However, there are some plus points – MotoBlur features excellent ‘cloud’ connectivity, meaning that you can sync all of your contacts and retrieve them effortlessly should you misplace your handset.
Robust entertainment
As a gaming platform, the Defy is adequate rather than outstanding. Because it doesn’t benefit from the behind-the-scenes improvements introduced in Android 2.2 and 2.3, the more demanding games tend to run quite slowly. Once Motorola gets around to issuing an over-the-air update this should be rectified, but at the moment there are better gaming-ready Android phones in this price range right now.
However, what rival handsets can’t offer is the complete package that the Defy represents. MotoBlur-related niggles aside, this is one of the best Android devices in this price bracket. The design is brilliant, the screen is large and the overall performance is decent.
The Defy’s biggest selling point will always be its rugged exterior and water-repellent capabilities, though. If you’re sick of namby-pamby handsets constantly breaking, getting scratched or falling foul of liquid ingress then your prayers have been well and truly answered with this rough-and-ready phone.
Motorola Defy
With its strapping exterior and impressive functionality, this is one of best mid-range Android phones we’ve yet witnessed. MotoBlur and Android 2.1 let it down slightly, but such issues are easy to stomach when you have a handset which is tougher than a pair of old boots
Damien McFerran
Damien's mum hoped he would grow out of playing silly video games and gain respectable employment. Perhaps become a teacher or a scientist, that kind of thing. Needless to say she now weeps openly whenever anyone asks how her son's getting on these days.