Expected Q1 2012
5th January 2012

The original DEFY and follow-up DEFY+ have been two of Motorola's best sellers recently. These rugged Android smartphones combine a reasonably powerful specification set with a hardware design that is a little more life-proof than other competing handsets.

With the Motorola DEFY Mini, this concept has been extended to the lower end of the market with an inexpensive device that might just make a compelling proposition for prepay customers.

The display is a 3.2" 320 x 480 pixel panel with a Gorilla Glass coating. On the back is a 3 megapixel camera plus a video calling camera on the front. Inside is a 600 MHz processor coupled with 512MB of RAM. Inside too is a large 1650 mAh battery, and the whole unit is water resistant and dust proof.

This is an Android 2.3 handset, so it has access to thousands of applications from the Android market. However, the relatively small display and modest processor means that the DEFY Mini might struggle with some more demanding applications.. but it should also make this a very inexpensive device.

All the usual Android features are here, so there's 3.5G and WiFi connectivity, GPS, a media player and thousands of applications, plus an FM radio and microSD slot.

The DEFY Mini isn't particularly mini when it comes to size. It is much bigger than Sony Ericsson's rival Xperia Mini for example, and it is almost identical in size to the DEFY and DEFY+ which are only 5% bigger. Hopefully the "mini" part will apply to the price, as most of the components in this particular smartphone are quite cheap.

The Motorola DEFY Mini should be available in Europe, Latin America and China (where it will be called the Motorola XT320) from February onwards. No guidance was given on price.