Fancy getting yourself a new feature-rich tough phone for use under U.S. Cellular’s 3G network? You’re in luck, because the rugged Motorola Defy XT is available as a well-equipped and fairly inexpensive option. It isn’t the best in terms of either hardware or software, but you will surely get plenty of use out of it as a main smartphone.
Its design can be a bit misleading. It’s only 12mm thick and weighs 115 grams. But make no mistake, it’s tougher than your average handset. With that said, however, most of its actual hardware features are hardly impressive. It uses a 3.7-inch 480x854 touchscreen display, runs on a 1GHz processor with 512MB of RAM, and comes with 1GB of internal storage which fortunately can be expanded further with microSD cards. It also has a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, and a 1,650mAh battery that offers nearly 9 hours of talk time on a single charge.
Android 2.3 Gingerbread is installed as the operating system on the Defy XT by default. As you might have guessed, it doesn’t have all the latest software features available on Android. But it does enjoy extensive third-party software support, so it can still get extra functionality out of apps that are available for download through Google Play. That, and the fact that it has a very wallet-friendly price makes it well worth considering.
Need to Know: Motorola Defy XT
1. Inexpensive and tougher than your average smartphone. (The Good)
2. Long battery life. (The Good)
3. Uses an older version of Android. (The Bad)
4. Has a very limited amount of internal RAM and storage. (The Bad)
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Avram Piltch, Laptop Magnull
- Brian Bennett, CnetThere's no denying that there's a real need for tough mobile phones, since these devices tend to take a lot of abuse on the go. Certainly the $99.99 Motorola Defy XT is a big improvement over rugged handsets that came before it. Its compact and classy styling doesn't scream armor-plated like, sa,y t...
Prices (Where to Buy)
Common Questions
We've got you covered! Download a free PDF copy of the Motorola Defy XT user manual here.
Motorola backs up the Defy XT with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.
If your Defy XT has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact Motorola support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find Motorola's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.
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Resources
Manuals / User Guides
- Motorola Defy XT Manual (PDF)
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