The Motorola Defy is the back of a name that was one of the pioneers among the tough, waterproof and dust-proof Android smartphones in 2010. After 11 years, Lenovo has teamed up with British bullitt — responsible for CAT and Land Rover phones – incorporates terms like IP68? That’s what we’ve been trying to figure out in this Motorola Defy review.

Take a shortcut:

  • Motorola Defy (2021) straight to the point
  • Screen and finish: LCD HD and Gorilla Victus
  • How to test the resistance of a device?
  • Underperformance of older rivals
  • Basic cell phone camera
  • Big battery, but recharge only 20 W
  • Technical data sheet and other information
  • Conclusion: What is the target audience of Motorola Defy?

Evaluation

Pros

  • Good battery life
  • Additional button for quick shortcuts
  • Good grip
  • Dispenses covers
  • Screen with Gorilla Glass Victus

Cons

  • One-way use is unfeasible
  • Limited camera set
  • Big and heavy
  • Thick edges around the screen
  • Android 10 (on Sep/2021) and 2 years of security fixes
  • No removable battery

Motorola Defy (2021) straight to the point

Even in the writing of , few people were interested in novelty – not by chance only the two editors who had the first generation of the model (including this one who speaks to you).

In any case, unlike the first generation — which shared much of the specs with the Moto Milestone (literally the android 2.0 flag bearer) — the new Defy has much more humble origins. The 2021 model (with the XT2083-9 identifier) shares virtually all specifications with the Moto G9 Play (XT-2083).

Defy shows that he’s not kidding/©

To differentiate the Model of the G9 Play, Bullitt reinforced the entire outside of the device, adopting the Gorilla Glass Victus on the screen and a double coating on the plastic housing that endowed the device not only with IP68 certification, but also with mil-spec 810H certification for temperature and vibration variations.

Unfortunately, the model is not expected to be released in Brazil, as it is sold by the Bullitt group. If Motorola’s Brazilian subsidiary announces the sale of Defy in the country, we will update this review.

What I liked:

  • Finish does not pick up stains and has good footprint;
  • Gorilla Glass Victus, resistance certifications;
  • Allows you to use handles and chains;

What I didn’t like:

  • Heavy and large;
  • Thick edges around the screen.

The screen features modest specifications, with resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels (270 DPI) and LCD panel with refresh rate of 60 Hz.

Still in line with the resistance, Bullitt reinforced the housing of the device, which leaves behind the curves on the sides of the Motorola on which it was based to adopt right angles. The plastic material is coated with a slightly rubberized finish, which in addition to not picking stains from the fingers, has a slight texture on the back that helps when holding the appliance.

HD LCD screen received gorilla glass victus glass reinforcement for scratch resistance / ©

The model does not have covers for USB-C ports or headphones, and brings as an additional a hole that allows you to use handles, chains or other accessories with the phone (a handle accompanied the model sent for testing).

How to test the resistance of a device?

What I liked:

  • Resistance to water and dust (IP68);
  • Resistance to falls (MIL-SPEC 810H);
  • Scratch resistance (Gorilla Glass Victus).

What I didn’t like:

  • Nothing (but testing fall resistance is scary).

The highlight of Defy is undoubtedly all the resistance characteristics of Bullitt/Motorola. In a market where many phones are already water resistant.

As expected, the Defy quietly endured an immersion in water for 30 minutes, even at a depth of only 30 cm. To test the claims of resistance to fall, we dropped the device of about 1 and 1.7 meters.  Spoiler alert: the video gives an idea of the performance of the device: