Motorola Defy Mini review

A new, small, low cost addition to the Motorola Defy family

Motorola Defy Mini
A small version of the Motorola Defy, but with a smaller screen and camera res

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Motorola tends to take media seriously on its handsets, and for a while we've enjoyed its Music+ application. This gives you access to online services as well as the included music player. For example, forget FM radio - which you've got as a separate app on the Motorola Defy Mini - and go full on for internet radio via SHOUTcast.

On the other hand, if you are into karaoke or just enjoy song lyrics generally, then the great news is that as soon as you start playing a track its lyrics are found and shown on screen.

Motorola Defy Mini review

The Motorola Defy Mini's small screen again somewhat lets things down, since you can't see much by way of lyrics at once, but the idea is great, and if you tap a line of a lyric you can view the lot. You can also tap an icon on the player screen to get related YouTube video right from the player, which is neat.

The player copes with AMR, MP3, MIDI and AAC files, although with a memory of just 120MB, there's not enough room to store too many on the phone.

Sound quality leaves a bit to be desired, with the built-in speaker decidedly rough and tinny, and the provided headphones no better than average quality.

Motorola Defy Mini review

If you switch out of the music player to use another app, there's a control panel in the notifications pulldown, and there's also a rather nice widget that incorporates connected features.

Video playback is remarkably smooth, given the low powered processor, and our main issue is really that the small screen doesn't make us want to watch a great deal.

Motorola Defy Mini review

Motorola includes a neat media-related feature in the shape of MediaSee, which really quickly and easily hooks into your network for streaming music, video and images. In theory.

It found all three, streamed music and showed us images full screen. But while it uncovered video, the handset refused to play any of it.

You can also use the Motorola Defy Mini itself as a DLNA server.

Latest in Motorola Phones
Motorola Edge 50 Pro lavender
Your next Android bargain? Major Motorola leak teases details of multiple 2025 phones – including the Edge 60 series
The Motorola Moto G Power in grey and green on a desk
Motorola's new cheap phones offer flagship features for a quarter of the price of an iPhone 16
Motorola Razr 2024 orange folding phone on pink background with lowest price sign
The brand-new Motorola Razr 2024 has dropped to just $500 at Amazon
Motorola Razr Plus 2024 in green
The next Motorola Razr foldable might be able to close on its own with a motorized hinge
Motorola Razr Plus 2024 in green standing like a tent with a clock on its face
It looks as though another Motorola Razr flip foldable is about to launch
Motorola Razr Plus 2024 in green standing like a tent with a clock on its face
Motorola's next Galaxy Z Flip 6 rival just took another step towards launching
Latest in Reviews
WWE 2K25
I've spent days in the ring with WWE 2K25, and it's like a five-star match ruined by the Million Dollar Man
Curaprox Hydrosonic Pro electric toothbrush
Curaprox Hydrosonic Pro review: A powerful seven-mode, Swiss-made sonic brush
Atelier Yumia
I was already sold on Atelier Yumia as an RPG, but I wasn’t expecting it to have my favorite crafting system in all of gaming
Alienware 27 AW2725Q monitor on desk displaying a scene from Cyberpunk 2077
I played games with Alienware's new 27-inch 4K OLED monitor and now I don't want to see another LCD panel
MacBook Air 15-inch with M4 chip on a creative's desk with screen open
I've reviewed the Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) - and it remains the best 15-inch laptop I'd recommend for most people
Samsung Music Frame on a table beside some books and a vase
I spent six weeks listening to the Samsung Music Frame and it kept missing the beat