The Defy series has been one of the best sellers for Motorola worldwide and also in the mid-level smartphone segment. Since it is the one of the few models for Moto that has being doing well it makes sense for them to keep upgrading the same and release new models in the Defy series.
Motorola has recently released the Motorola Defy XT and the Motrola Defy Mini for the Indian market which is one of the largest cellular markets in the world. We decided to go ahead and checkout the Motorola Defy XT to find out whether if it’s worth an upgrade from the Motorola Defy+. Read the full review to find out.
In the box:
- Motorola Defy XT handset
- Earphones
- Charger & data cable
- Quick User Guide & Warranty Card
Specifications:
- 3.7 inch capacitive display with 480×854 pixel resolution
- MotoSwitch 2.0 UI on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
- 5MP Camera with AF & LED Flash
- Secondary VGA Camera
- Bluetooth v3.0
- 1GB Internal Memory with 512 MB RAM
- 1650 mAh battery
Build & Design:
The Motorola Defy XT at one glance comes across as a sleek device in comparison with the earlier hefty Defy and the Defy+. On taking a closer look I must admit that the Defy XT is a lot cooler and it would be fitting to call it a chic device considering that it falls under the rugged smartphone category.
At 11.95mm it is nowhere close to a rugged device’s flabby characteristics and appears slim which is accentuated by the inward contours from the border of the device.
On the front of the device, you have the call speaker with the secondary VGA camera placed right next to it along with the ambient light sensor and the proximity sensor which are not distinctly visible. Right below it you have the 3.7 inch capacitive FWVGA display with a resolution of 480×854. It has a Corning Gorilla glass coating making the display scratch proof. You have the capacitive touch buttons and a speaker placed very smartly right below it.
You have a covered microUSB port on the left and the volume control keys on the right hand side of the device.
On the top you have the 3.5mm ear phone jack and the power button which also doubles up as the screen lock button, both of which are covered to make the device waterproof.
There is a 5MP camera with LED flash on the back and a speaker placed right next to the lock switch for the back cover. There is a marked slot on the back, which makes it a lot easier to remove the back cover as compared to the earlier versions.
Even the location of the microSD card has been changed from behind the battery to the top of the back of the device thus making it a lot more convenient when you have to replace the memory card. Besides these changes, the rest of the other physical aspects on the device remain the same.
Not to forget that phone has a IP67 protection, which means that it is dust resistant and water proof up to 1 metre for 30 minutes.
Though, we must admit that there have been a lot of planned changes on the device to remove a lot of pain points which were experienced in the previous versions. And we absolutely loved the tall, dark and handsomely sleek design of the device.
Performance:
Display
The display on the device remains the same with a resolution of 480×854; the screen still appears dull and washed out. Also the low maximum brightness doesn’t help matters either, thus affecting your image and video experience on the device to a great extent.
Interface
MotoSwitch 2.0 is a great improvement from MotoBlur which hampered the Android Gingerbread experience on the Defy+. Not only does it look beautiful, it is also fluid and has a lot of innovative features which includes the likes of Social Graph and Activity Graph. Social Graph gives you a quick access to your important contacts on the home screen, whereas the Activity Graph beautifully arranges those apps in a circular grid on the home screen which you use often.
There are a host of other features like the Live Weather App and Music Dashboard which only make the UI look compact and offer great utility at the same time. We must mention that Ice Cream Sandwich is thoroughly missed on the device, which would have increased the appeal of the Defy XT by manifolds.
Camera
The 5MP camera on the Defy XT is decent and the images clicked from the device are good enough to be used on social networks. The images are decent under bright lighting conditions but immediately deteriorate as soon as the lighting conditions even slightly diminish. Camera lovers are advised to look elsewhere.
With bright colors and detail, we liked the 720p video recording quality of the device, which was not available on the Defy+. Also the audio was clearly audible in the recordings. The front VGA camera is expectedly not that great, but passable as a video chatting camera in bright light conditions. Avoid using it in dark conditions.
Video sample shot using the Motorola Defy XT:
Multimedia
The Defy XT has apps like Music Now and Music Dash board allow you to enjoy music on the device. Also the speakers on the device are very smartly placed thus enhancing your music experience on the phone. Audio quality is still good with the decent pair of earphones provided with the Defy XT.
Video playback on the device is also good; we tried a few videos with third party apps like Mobi Player and were able to watch the videos without any lag or stutter.
Battery
The Motorola Defy XT sports a 1650 mAh Li-Ion battery and the battery performance was just about similar to what you had on the Motorola Defy+. We were able to get around 10.5 hrs of battery life on the Defy XT with moderate usage which included a couple of hours on call, couple of hours of listening to music and watching videos and continuous streaming of about four hours on EDGE.
Video review of the Motorola Defy XT:
Verdict:
Priced at Rs. 15,100 the device is surely value for money as it offers a slimmer design profile along with additions like a secondary VGA camera, better speaker and 720p video recording over the Motorola Defy+. Though lack of ICS surely does hurt its chances of making it to the top of the mid level smartphones list. But it still surely makes for a better device than the Defy+.
You might want to take a look at the HTC One V which is priced at Rs. 17,500 and offers ICS with a much better LCD 2 display and 5MP shooter. You should go for the Motorola Defy XT only if you are looking for a long lasting rugged device.
