Motorola DEFY User Reviews

kicknGuitar posted on 11 Apr 2013, 00:11

7

A Rugid Phone

kicknGuitar has owned it for less than year before publishing this review

A year later with some rugid, watery encounters (manual labor and boating) the screen looks brand new and the body only has one or two dings. The build quality is fantastic. Worth it for that.

Not much battery life, like many smart phones, won't last a full day if you use it a lot.

Build quality 9/10 Friggin' tough.

Reception 9/10 N/A Fine, I guess... used with Straight Talk.

Call quality 8/10 Not fantastic but not horrible.

Internet 7/10 WiFi is reasonable 3G is under 1MB and can be quite slow at times.

Multimedia 8/10 Audio is pretty good. Nothing special.

Camera 3/10 It's an absolute joke. You'll need a ton of light and even then the image is huge with pixelated and noisy appearance.

UI speed 8/10 Not iPhone fast but works well. Especially modded.

Everyday usage 8/10 Works everyday but don't expect the battery to last 24hrs if you use it.

Text input 8/10 N/A

Display 9/10 I bought it for the small size but the visual quality of the display is phenomenal. Not to mention scratch resistant thanks to it's gorilla glass.

Battery 3/10 Just like every phone out there, it sucks. You won't get a legit full day of use even if you root it and all that geeky stuff.

Pros

• Strong
• Water Resistive
• Small Body/Screen

Cons

• Horrible Camera Quality
• Like all Phones: Short Batt. Life

cretinick posted on 05 Oct 2012, 22:07

9

It's worth!

cretinick has owned it for more than one year before publishing this review

Already use this phone more than 18 months. I was very disappointed with Motorola for not having updated the system to Gingerbread (I had to use a ROM Defy + to have version 2.3 of Android)

Taking these upgrade issues, and the fact of Motoblur UI is terrible (You can solve this problem by installing a launcher) the phone is very good!

The screen quality is fantastic. One of the biggest screen resolutions at the time of its release.

The device is lightweight, scratch resistant, water resistant (literally wash the screen under the sink with detergent) and a good sized screen. Despite having a larger screen than the iPhone (up to 4S), the device is smaller!

Build quality 10/10 Very Strong and resistent.

Reception 10/10 Never had any reception problem.

Call quality 9/10

Internet 9/10

Multimedia 8/10

Camera 7/10 The low light pictures are very bad.

UI speed 4/10 Motoblur is one of the worst UI I have ever saw.

Everyday usage 9/10

Text input 10/10 Swype is great!

Display 10/10 Fantastic. Much better than the iPhone 3GS. Bigger and much higher resolution.

Battery 9/10 It could be bigger. If you really push the battery, you don't get juice in the end of the day. But in normal day with Wi-fi all the day, no 3G, no GPS and no games, i get 36h easy

Pros

• Build Quality
• Display
• Rugged (Water and Dust)
• Lightweight

Cons

• Camera with average quality
• Only get one update (2.1 to 2.2)
• Motoblur UI is REALLY crap!

Bobby_Samsung_Smith posted on 01 Mar 2012, 20:19

5

I Had To Get This Phone Replaced 5 Times!!! >.

Bobby_Samsung_Smith has owned it for less than year before publishing this review

I had this phone 5 times. It glitched 4 and it fell in the sewer one time. We are still paying for the phone, make that phones! I would recommend a Samsung over this phone, they are one of the best phones the only problem is it's battery on the vibrant. They last longer and don't look like a piece of trash.!

Build quality 3/10

Reception 2/10

Call quality 1/10

Internet 6/10

Multimedia 5/10

Camera 10/10

UI speed 8/10

Everyday usage 10/10

Text input 5/10

Display 5/10

Battery 3/10

Pros

• Camera

Cons

• Glitches
• Broken
• Can't Call People
• People can't call me

Bobby_Samsung_Smith alternatives:

Samsung Vibrant

gutossauro posted on 21 Oct 2011, 07:06

9

Very Good

gutossauro has owned it for less than month before publishing this review

This is the best cell phone i've ever had. Very strong and resistant. I call it my G-SHOCK cell phone (remembering the famous clocks from Casio). It's easy to use and you can customize it as the way you like.

Build quality 10/10 Very strong and Resistant Body

Reception 9/10

Call quality 10/10

Internet 10/10

Multimedia 10/10

Camera 8/10

UI speed 9/10

Everyday usage 10/10

Text input 9/10

Display 10/10

Battery 6/10

Pros

• Display Quality
• Ultra Resistant Body
• Connections
• Everyday Use
• Android System

Cons

• Battery Life
• Internal Memory

Bleak3993 posted on 11 Oct 2011, 15:28

10

Awesome phone.

Bleak3993 has owned it for less than 3 months before publishing this review

Nothing to say, it's everything i need and more. but the camera its... okay, you can install a custom ROM and record in 720p, but the pictures are not so good.
.........................................................................................................................................

Build quality 10/10

Reception 10/10

Call quality 10/10

Internet 10/10

Multimedia 10/10

Camera 9/10

UI speed 10/10

Everyday usage 10/10

Text input 10/10

Display 10/10

Battery 10/10

Pros

• Snappy TI OMAP3630 processor speed can be overclocked to 1.2 ghz and 512 MB RAM
• Almost 2 gb internal memory
• Awesome gorilla glass screen with 265 ppi, great colors and contrast.
• the battery its good compared with other devices

Cons

• Picture camera quality
• no secondary camera

judymullin88 posted on 20 Sep 2011, 14:41

10

LOVE IT

judymullin88 has owned it for less than month before publishing this review

BEST PHONE!!!! Very Fast, Very Good, I love it dont really think im going to change it for a few years its waterproff what more can you ast for no other phone is like this one i mean you can take videos under water thats cool......

Build quality 10/10

Reception 10/10

Call quality 9/10

Internet 10/10

Multimedia 10/10

Camera 10/10

UI speed 10/10

Everyday usage 10/10

Text input 10/10

Display 10/10

Battery 9/10

Alin posted on 03 Aug 2011, 04:30

9

Great rugged phone with bad software support from Motorola

Alin has owned it for less than 3 months before publishing this review

Well, it is a very good phone but for some non-english countries there is no support for their languages. Also, the 2.2 still has some bugs (like FM Radio bug that loses all saved station after restarting the phone, or haptic feedback buttons gone crazy). Battery lasts 1-2 days with heavy-moderate usage. It's really OK for a smartphone.
Speaker is loud and earspeaker is very good. Sometimes I heard echoes of my voice when I talk on phone but I think is a software problem.
The XDA Forum support for Cyanogen Mod 7 is great and soon Defy will have unofficial Gingerbread 2.3.5 from CM team.
I don't miss the HD recording.

Build quality 9/10

Reception 9/10

Call quality 9/10

Internet 9/10

Multimedia 10/10

Camera 8/10

UI speed 8/10

Everyday usage 9/10

Text input 6/10

Display 10/10

Battery 7/10

Pros

• Hardware
• Build Quality

Cons

stevearmstrong posted on 03 Aug 2011, 02:57

10

the best and toughest android ever...

stevearmstrong has owned it for less than year before publishing this review

i use to have an iphone 3gs, but im kinda borred on its ios, still the same looks, then switch to android, i choose this motorola defy, well as my first motorola android phone works well, never gone borred again with so many features and things to do with the phone, im really entertained well...

you should try this...see for yourself:-}

Build quality 10/10

Reception 10/10

Call quality 10/10

Internet 10/10

Multimedia 10/10

Camera 9/10

UI speed 10/10

Everyday usage 10/10

Text input 10/10

Display 10/10

Battery 10/10

Pros

• buy the new green lens unit, this is a great android phone, you must have one...

Cons

• nothing much

Phone GUy posted on 20 Jul 2011, 20:45

9

phone is Amazing

Phone GUy has owned it for less than year before publishing this review

If your a college student hands down this phone is amazing with its feature of nearly defying everything you throw at it makes it an amazing phone. my rating is pretty harsh but reception and call quality could be better if it wasn't T-mobile. speed is amazing the vase amount of multimedia apps you can do just about anything. Overall its a Great Phone it your clumsy or being outdoors a lot this phone can handle it

Build quality 10/10

Reception 7/10

Call quality 8/10

Internet 10/10

Multimedia 10/10

Camera 8/10

UI speed 9/10

Everyday usage 9/10

Text input 10/10

Display 10/10

Battery 9/10

Pros

• Best Feature is that it can take abuse

Cons

• it freezes at times and my act slow

asn39 posted on 01 Jul 2011, 01:40

10

Confused

asn39 has owned it for less than month before publishing this review

hey people m confused as to which phone to choose ! can any1 tell me which phone is better in MOTO defy and HTC wildfire S !!!
i m thinking of buying a phone in range of 15k INR !!!
Please people help me out of this confusion !!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Build quality 10/10

Reception 10/10

Call quality 10/10

Internet 10/10

Multimedia 10/10

Camera 10/10

UI speed 10/10

Everyday usage 10/10

Text input 10/10

Display 10/10

Battery 10/10

Damien posted on 21 Jun 2011, 12:26

7

Good but not excellent

Damien has owned it for less than month before publishing this review

The Motorola Defy is a good Android phone with a processor that works nearly as well as the better modeled phones like the MyTouch 4G, but not quite as good. The phone tends to freeze up often when trying to access the Maps app. Also, when apps are getting "hung up" and you try to escape and go back to the home screen it just freezes up the phone entirely.

The camera is okay but still nothing compared to most other Android phones I've played around with. It doesn't record in HD and you cannot focus different points in a picture.

Overall it's been a good solid phone with a few quirks here and there.

Build quality 9/10

Reception 7/10

Call quality 9/10

Internet 7/10

Multimedia 9/10

Camera 7/10

UI speed 8/10

Everyday usage 8/10

Text input 7/10

Display 7/10

Battery 8/10

Pros

• Processor Speed
• Waterproof

Cons

• Camera

ECK posted on 20 Jun 2011, 13:16

8

DEFY ROCKS

ECK has owned it for less than year before publishing this review

This is probably the best phone i have ever owned. I got it for free because my uncle used to work for motorola and he got me this. The phone works amazing no serious lagging even though its memory is almost filled on mine. Sends texts fast and can sure take a good beating thanks to its hard design. One problem that kinda makes me mad is how it deals with my contacts, sometimes i can find someone im looking for and somtimes i cant. Other than that this phone is great!

Build quality 10/10

Reception 9/10

Call quality 8/10

Internet 9/10

Multimedia 10/10

Camera 10/10

UI speed 10/10

Everyday usage 9/10

Text input 10/10

Display 10/10

Battery 7/10

Pros

• Great Display
• Good for texting
• Android runs great
• Rugged design makes it sturdy

Cons

• Jumbled up my contacts alot
• Call quality wasnt all that great

Sean posted on 19 Jun 2011, 14:13

1

DO NOT BUY THIS PHONE

Sean has owned it for less than 3 months before publishing this review

People all over the world are having problems with the ear speaker going bad. When that happens you have to use ear plugs or put your conversations on the speaker phone. You can only fix it by returning it to Motorola, and then what you get back is subject to the same problem. This device works as a computer, but fails as a phone.

https://supportforums.motorola.com/thread/41152
http://www.phonesreview.co.uk/2010/12/10/motorola-defy-suffering-speaker-problems/

Build quality 1/10 The earpiece speaker is defective.

Reception 9/10

Call quality 10/10

Internet 6/10

Multimedia 8/10

Camera 6/10 Pictures are not sharp.

UI speed 2/10 Has a relatively slow processor. I suppose that helps keep the price down.

Everyday usage 1/10 My main purpose for a phone is to have a phone. The speaker on this phone is defective so it can't do its everyday work. Using the speakerphone or earplugs is not an acceptable alternative.

Text input 4/10

Display 10/10

Battery 4/10

Pros

Cons

• The core purpose of a phone is to hold it up to your ear and talk to someone. When this phone breaks you won't be able to do that.

testpie posted on 08 May 2011, 07:51

10

The finest phone I've ever owned

testpie has owned it for less than 3 months before publishing this review

There have been a few teething problems with this phone - namely the known issue of the earpiece not working, but after following a guide on XDA Developers forums to swap this with a working SE k850i earpiece and flashing to the MB525 firmware, to get rid of the MotoBlur software, I can honestly say this is the best phone I've ever owned.

I'd highly recommend the use of JuiceDefender Ultimate, as this manages to increase the battery life of the phone from an average of 1 day to 2-3 days, if configured fully and correctly.

For the price of around 150 GBP (at time of writing) on eBay, you can secure yourself a fantastic Android phone with an integral 5 MP camera; HSPA for fast (up to 7.2 Mbps) network connectivity; built-in high end features such as SatNav (via the in-built GPS receiver), crystal-clear screen; superb battery life for its feature-set and much much more.

Earpiece issues aside, this is one of the finest mobile phones I've ever owned.

Build quality 9/10 It would be a ten for the rugged, waterproof/dustproof/scratchproof nature of the phone, was there not a known manufacturing defect which means the earpiece breaks. However, replacing this with a k850i earpiece for around £3 brings the device back up to its best.

Reception 10/10 Unlike other smartphones, the Defy (or MB525) doesn't skimp on basic GSM reception to cram other features in.

Call quality 9/10 As stated before, the original Defy earpiece has a known defect; but replacing this with a SonyEricsson k850i earpiece gives crystal-clear sound and a working (!) earpiece.

Internet 10/10 Onboard 7.2 Mbps-capable HSPA (HSDPA + HSUPA) and 802.11n (150 Mbps) Wi-Fi make this a winner for Internet connectivity.

Multimedia 9/10 The onboard music player is not the most intuitive, and the camera can be slow to respond, but otherwise, multimedia playback is seemless in the Gallery and Camera Roll applications, and integrates well into other Android applications.

Camera 9/10 Can be slow to capture pictures, but when it does, recounts vivid colours and high-levels of detail thanks to the 5 Megapixel sensor.

UI speed 10/10 Leaves other phones in the same class in the dust - the UI is ultra-responsive and features such as "Home double-tap shortcuts" make daily usage of the phone a breeze.

Everyday usage 10/10 Everything is where you'd expect it to be in the UI and the seven homescreens and in-built Moto Widgets make the phone a pleasurable experience. Additional widgets such as QuickBattery and JuiceDefender Ultimate add a finesse to the whole experience.

Text input 10/10 The Swype feature is very unique, and while I can't get to grips with it, does seem to give faster input with practice. Otherwise, the multi-touch keyboard with automatic word recognition is a lifesaver for those with average hands, bigger than a Size -1 Supermodel.

Display 10/10 Crystal-clear definition behind Gorilla Glass, make this ultra-rugged, scratchproof and portable while also usable in harsh conditions such as direct sunlight, with little adverse impact on battery life - unlike other smartphones in the same class.

Battery 10/10 When combined with JuiceDefender Ultimate, you can easily get 2-3 days use out of this device, without compromising too much on daily usage patterns.

Pros

• Gorilla Glass toughened screen means no screen protector or case needed
• Rugged scratch/water/shockproof design, yet still stylish and lightweight
• Fantastic 5 MP camera
• High-end features such as HSPA (HSDPA + HSUPA), GPS, 802.11n Wi-Fi, SatNav, Swype/multi-touch input, Capactive screen
• Unbeatable value for money compared to other phones
• Lightning-fast UI and intuitive experience
• Excellent suite of built-in applications

Cons

• Known earpiece defects (fixed with replacement k850i earpiece)
• MotoBlur software is cumbersome and unnecessary (fixed by flashing stock MB525 firmware)
• Onboard Music player is not the best to use

harrier posted on 27 Apr 2011, 05:13

9

High ROI

harrier has owned it for less than 3 months before publishing this review

Although it is an elementary smart phone, but which has excellent return of investment:
Big screen, Corning Gorilla glass(Mohs scale of mineral hardness: H7), light weight, water/dust proof, low price and good performance..etc.

Just want to say: Fantastic, MOTO.

Build quality 10/10

Reception 9/10

Call quality 9/10

Internet 10/10

Multimedia 8/10

Camera 10/10

UI speed 10/10

Everyday usage 10/10

Text input 10/10

Display 10/10

Battery 8/10

stonestop posted on 12 Apr 2011, 07:14

9

Rugged does not mean heavy and big !!

stonestop has owned it for less than year before publishing this review

My goal was finding an adroid phone that fitted in my pocket. This is why I overlooked the motodefy at first because it is rugged, I didn't even look at the dimensions and weight. I choose the Defy over SE Mini, SE X8 and HTC Wildfire because of the screen resolution. This is what comes as a nice extra for me: batteryLife (48 hours), 2GB internal storage for apps, excellent build quality, fast, high-quality phonecalls... and you don't have to handle it with care. The BAD : weak wifi-reception, android 2.1, but in a few months it goes to 2.2 -->i hope it wil be a little bit faster with even more battery life.

Build quality 10/10

Reception 9/10

Call quality 10/10

Internet 9/10

Multimedia 9/10

Camera 8/10

UI speed 8/10

Everyday usage 9/10

Text input 9/10

Display 9/10

Battery 8/10

Pros

• size and weight
• screen resolution

Cons

Ebranches posted on 27 Mar 2011, 17:55

9

Great phone

Ebranches has owned it for less than 3 months before publishing this review

Great mid range phone it's fast, fun, and beautiful great display very bright and clear only misses froyo, the camera is quite basic no720p it's good enough to update facebook contact info. Great integration with social networks, motoblur is really cool and fun to use

Build quality 10/10

Reception 9/10

Call quality 10/10

Internet 10/10

Multimedia 8/10

Camera 5/10

UI speed 9/10

Everyday usage 10/10

Text input 10/10

Display 10/10

Battery 8/10

Pros

• Rugged

Cons

Asd posted on 08 Feb 2011, 06:39

7

Motorola aims but misses

Asd has owned it for less than 3 months before publishing this review

Where is 720p and Froyo.That is the min expectation.18k worth of H/w and can't record in HD.Also no assist feature while calling am i supposed to remember all no's in the phonebook.
+ve:
internal storage is helpful.Browsing is easier.
Where is 720p and Froyo.That is the min expectation.18k worth of H/w and can't record in HD.Also no assist feature while calling am i supposed to remember all no's in the phonebook.
+ve:
internal storage is helpful.Browsing is easier.

Build quality 8/10

Reception 7/10

Call quality 7/10

Internet 8/10

Multimedia 6/10

Camera 2/10

UI speed 7/10

Everyday usage 7/10

Text input 7/10

Display 7/10

Battery 8/10

Pros

• Rugged
• H/w processor

Cons

• NO HD
• Camera
• Froyo god knows when

MM posted on 20 Jan 2011, 15:11

10

Research manager

MM has owned it for less than 3 months before publishing this review

Best phone ever!!! It is so fast in internet, light weight and very pocketable, the new texting method is so easy and quick. The battery lasts long---I use it for games, internet, check my work and personal emails all the time and the battery last at least 2 days. The speakerphone is so clear. It is rugged phone too.. I dropped it many times, it works perfect, no prob. I love it!!!!Love it!!

Build quality 10/10

Reception 10/10

Call quality 10/10

Internet 10/10

Multimedia 10/10

Camera 10/10

UI speed 10/10

Everyday usage 10/10

Text input 10/10

Display 10/10

Battery 10/10

Pros

• Great in battery, internet, texting, emails, easy customization, good call quality

Cons

• so far no complains

FreddieB posted on 06 Jan 2011, 12:50

10

Great phone for first time Android users

FreddieB has owned it for less than 3 months before publishing this review

This is my first Android phone and so far it's been great. Good size screen in a very small package. Very good browser and Motoblur does it's thing well. Keyboard is the best I've used on a fully touchscreen phone. Call quality is also very good. I usually get 3 to 4 days between charges when used lightly and 2 days with average use. I also get the strongest signal ever with this phone. Rarely drops below 3 bars. I know it's not Froyo and there's no HD video recording but for the price I certainly can't complain. I highly recommend this phone.

Build quality 10/10

Reception 10/10

Call quality 10/10

Internet 10/10

Multimedia 10/10

Camera 8/10

UI speed 10/10

Everyday usage 10/10

Text input 10/10

Display 10/10

Battery 10/10

Pros

• sharp display
• good browser
• good call quality
• strong signal strength
• small physical size
• atractive design

Cons

• camera good but could be better
• Froyo and 720p recording would have made this phone a slam dunk!

cuno posted on 25 Nov 2010, 00:51

10

Great device!

cuno has owned it for less than month before publishing this review

A great phone with a lot of great features! 3G works great on it and the screen responds quickly when touched. The only complaint I would have about this phone is the camera. Not a big issue, but in low light and indoors the quality is not the best. The buttons on the phone itself (the Home button, etc.) are almost too sensitive at times when using the touch screen, but this isn't a problem when you want them to work as well as they do on this phone.

Build quality 10/10

Reception 10/10

Call quality 9/10

Internet 10/10

Multimedia 10/10

Camera 7/10 Poor quality camera in low light or indoors

UI speed 10/10

Everyday usage 10/10

Text input 10/10

Display 10/10

Battery 10/10

Pros

• Fast response, bright clear screen, great reception and internet response

Cons

• Low light camera quality

AndroidDude posted on 16 Nov 2010, 14:01

10

Motorola Defy!!

AndroidDude has owned it for less than 3 months before publishing this review

This phone is hands down the best full touch screen phone that Motorola released! I was lucky enough to try this phone from Motorola for a couple of months! This phone is awesome! It has awesome live wallpapers, quick responce on downloading images, music etc.....

Build quality 10/10

Reception 10/10

Call quality 10/10

Internet 10/10

Multimedia 10/10

Camera 10/10

UI speed 10/10

Everyday usage 10/10

Text input 10/10

Display 10/10

Battery 10/10

Pros

• This Phone is built tough! if you notice it has the same size screen as the lame apple iPhone! This Moto Defy Is hands down the best motorola came out with for a full touch screen phone! To make even better the OS Android 2.1 Eclair the bomb!

Cons

• They should of make the the trim of the phone with Chrome or a different color then white!! i=Another then that the phone is bad ass!