Motorola DEFY+ Pro Reviews

I was pleasantly surprised by a number of things about the Defy+ — I found a lot of Motorola’s customizations to the software useful though a little weighty, and appreciated its heroic ability to find a network connection when all other phones around me are struggling. On the downside, with next to no changes over its predecessor, there’s very little reason here for even the most die-hard Defy fan to consider upgrading, and it's tough to strongly recommend a handset that doesn't live up to its claims about water resistance. At around £220 (about $350) without a contract, the Defy+ could be a good value option for those looking for a smart handset that can stand up to a little more abuse than the average phone. However, if you're particularly worried about ruggedness, there are plenty of options on the market that can withstand more of a beating — like the Sonim XP1301 and Samsung's Solidextreme range. If you really want a rugged Android handset, there's also the Samsung Galaxy Xcover, which offers the same IP67 certification as the Defy+.

The Defy+ has the same great screen, camera and rugged build quality of its forebear, and adds better performance and battery life and a much-improved Android OS

The Defy+ is an odd one. It's rugged, there's no denying that. So logically, if you need a rugged phone, then this might not be a bad choice. But that's a long way off a recommendation from us, because frankly, there's so much other stuff that's unsatisfactory about this phone, that it actually makes us a bit cross. The resetting happened too often to be a one-off glitch. We haven't installed anything that could justify this, and we weren't doing anything complicated at the time. For a phone, this is just unforgivable. We don't like it when our PC crashes, but when a phone does, it's just infuriating. Factor in the slowness of the phone, and really there's a phone that has very little to offer apart from being baby proof, and small enough to carry around easily. We could forgive it, but when you remember that most contracts now last for 18- or 24-months we can't imagine living with this phone for that long. We, after all, get to give it back after a couple of weeks. If you want something small, get the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray. If you want something rugged, then perhaps get a good case for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray.

We were fans of the Defy the first time round, and we're fans of the DefyPlus. The same solid shell is complemented by updated innards, and we think the Defy Plus is a winner.

Those looking to upgrade their existing Motorola Defys may be disappointed with the modest enhancements made to the Defy+, indeed it's not worth the investment, but newcomers to the waterproof smartphone market should be excited. It won't survive the most extreme of environments but for keeping going in the UKs wet and muddy wilderness, it's more than adequate. What's more it offers a proper smartphone experience and looks quite civil too. All that for £200 seems like a good deal to us.

The Motorola Defy+ remains the only option if you want an Android phone that will resist the elements. We love the fact is is water and dust resistant, but Motorola's Motoblur software remains mandatory and the Defy+ isn't as fast or user-friendly as it should be.

Overall, the Motorola DEFY+ is not a bad smartphone by any means. What makes it a valuable offering though, is the fact that it's an IP67-certified device, designed to withstand some harsher conditions than what your typical handset is used to. Aside from the obvious advantage of being able to submerge it under water and throw it in the dust, without a single particle entering its shell, the DEFY+ is also quite usable and well-packed in terms of features. The MOTOBLUR interface looks good, brings some additional goodies for social networking freaks, and runs relatively smoothly. What more can you want from a mid-end smartphone? It even has Flash Player support in the browser, although that leads to a visible drop in frame-rate.