User’s Review: Motorola Defy XT 535

To Start

Mobile phones are probably one of the most essential devices in today’s modern society. Majority of the people I know have cellphones, some more techie and impressive while others settle for a more practical and subdued use, a seen pretty much different a decade ago. Anyway I bought a new mobile unit to replace my Samsung Corby II S3850 I got a year ago and I opted to buy my very first smartphone. But with plenty of choices popping out almost every month, it’s never easy, as a careful buyer needs to find a “bang fora buck deal” in terms of the item’s performance in and out of my usual comfort zone. I’m sure most of you experience this after buying something high-end only to say things like “I should have bought that one instead” though in occasion one might find it hilarious but the truth is, it’s not a funny thing to deal with and I’ve experienced it few times. Fortunately in this case however, I never experience such with any of the mobile units, that I once had the privileged of owning. Anyway, these days I get to hear a lot of hype pertaining to smartphones from high end to the bottom end and they got every right to be or do they? Like I said I bought a smartphone to replace my still pretty much capable yet going to be phase out by everyone soon featured phone the Corby II by Samsung.

My Samsung Corby 2 and my new Motorola Defy XT

This particular smartphone was release here in the Philippines a few months back and is considered  a mid-range smartphone. The Motorola Defy XT 535 is the successor of the Defy plus, what sets the Motorola defy series from most smartphone in the market today is its ruggedness. Built to be Dust proof, water resistant, and with a Corning Gorilla Glass display that resists scuffs and scratches. Most recently after the release of the latest Defy model other brands had come up with their own smartphones under the same rugged category, like Sony Ericson’s xperia active a rival of the earlier defy smartphone, Sony’s Xperia Go and the closes by far in terms of specs is Xperia Neo V while the latest Xperia Arco S can be considered high end.

Whats Under the Hood?

Build
Dimension:                  115x58x11.9mm (4.53×2.28×0.47″)
Weight:                     115gr (0.04oz)
Material:                   Dust Resistant
Water Resistant
Usability
Display Resolution:       480x854px
Display Size:               47x82mm (1.85×3.23″)
Display Diameter:         3.7″
Display Type:              16M TFT
Input:                      Capacitive Touchscreen
Talk Time:                  9 hours
Standby Time:              12 days, 2 hours
OS:                         Gingerbread Android OS
Java:                       MIDP 2.0
Vibration:                   Vibration
Ringtone:                    Polyphonic

Hardware
Chipset:                    Qualcomm MSM7227A Snapdragon S1
Processor:                 1GHz
GPU:                        Adreno 200
Ram:                        512MB
Internal Memory:          1GB
External Memory:          microSD
Camera Resolution:       5 MP
Camera Flash:              LED
Second Camera:           Front camera
Other Functionalities:    Digital Compass
Accelerometer
Proximity Sensor
Mono Speaker
Battery Capacity           1650mAH
Connectivity
USB:                        v2.0
Bluetooth:                  v2.0
Positioning System:      Integrated GPS
Audio Output:             3.5mm Audio Connector

Network
Network Compatibility: GSM 1800/1900/850/900
UMTS:                       900/2100
HSDPA:                      900/2100
GPRS:                       Class 12
EDGE                        Class 12

The unit sports a 1 GHz processor with 1GB ROM/512MB RAM under the hood and expandable up to 32GB of memory via Micro SD slot which I find somewhat tricky to install and/or remove, fortunately I didn’t need to tinker with it so much since I was able to procure a 32GB micro sd days after I got the Defy XT. The unit also has 5 MP auto-focus, with LED flash camera at the back, 4x digital zoom and front-facing VGA webcam which its predecessor the Defy + lack. The unit is powered by 1700 mAH battery with Android 2.3 Gingerbread as its O.S.

The Cons

Every smartphone has its ups and down. This may vary from unit type to usage and my Motorola defy XT is no exceptions. First things first is the 1GHz processor is basically the same as its predecessor. The guys at Motorola should have opted for a more higher processors like that of Sony Xperia Go that way I can really feel XT experience whatever XT means for the guys at Motorola. What this 1GHz processor, brings to the table is that I can’t upgrade my Android Gingerbread, so I’m unfortunately stuck with it. Not that I need to upgrade anything anyway, and it might be prudent not to , after witnessing first hand when my sister upgraded her Samsung Smartphone to a higher android O.S. I got the feeling that she wanted to bury that poor thing 6 feet under after the supposed upgrade. Another concern on this regard is that if I try a more advance android applications chances are my Defy XT unit will experience lag in term of processing and touch screen interactions. And indeed some of the reviewers of this unit experience exactly that. On a good note, the battery is excellent and I get an average of 6-7 days battery life the longest was 9 days battery of life. Of course, that was when nobody realized that I’m still alive hence my phone sat there doing almost nothing and the shortest battery life was 3 days plus few hour when people finally had the sense to made contact. Of course battery life depends greatly on usage and how the unit is set specially for Smartphones. In my case I have to set everything to bare minimum and opted more on important useful apps rather than getting those time killers. Performance in terms of connectivity, I’d say its great and leave none to be desired. The biggest let down for this unit is its camera, I’ve tried it several times and its not the best and almost has the same level with my former Cellphone with only a few notch higher. The Picture is clear when light is properly introduce and forget about taking picture at night.

The Attraction

Originally I was not planning to buy a new cellphone let alone a Smartphone. But what attracted me to this unit  is its ruggedness. The Motorola Defy XT 535 is certified to be as tough as possible in today’s current mobile communication technology. The versatility it offers in particular its removable battery meant that I can pop-in my spare batteries if the one in-use throws in the towel and cry uncle. Compare that to Sony’s Xperia GO or the more high end version like Xperia arco S, any user for these embedded battery type Smartphone, will with great certainty scratch their head once there battery dies down in the middle of nowhere and to think battery lifespan only has a year of optimal efficiency, having an embedded battery type Smartphone is not a smart choice for on the go type individual. Another thing to note is that compare to high end Smartphone like Iphone which uses proprietary accessories to fire up their unit. Motorola Defy XT opted to use universal peripherals for its units. Though it should be noted that using original Motorola accessories gives high performance during data transfer or battery charging. I can however, use alternative peripherals to transfer data or charging the battery. I can even use non-Motorola batteries as long as its compatible with my Defy XT and you cant do that on an embedded battery type smartphone.

Entonses

The Motorola Defy XT 535 may not be the best as compare to High End smartphones, it does have some points a potential buyer can consider. So, if your looking for a rugged and flexible Smartphone that is a bang for the buck deal then Motorola’s Defy XT 535 is for you.

I Give This