Motorola Defy+ to brave UK elements from September

Motorola's souped-up hard-hitting roughty-toughty smart phone, the Defy+, will slam full-tilt into the UK in September.

Based on last year's defiant Motorola Defy, the new Defy+ is still a water-resistant, scratch-resistant and dust-proof phone, but it packs both hardware and software improvements compared to its predecessor.

The most notable change in the Defy+ is its processor: the tardy 800MHz chip found in its dimwitted older sibling has been swapped out for a sprightlier 1GHz unit, probably similar to the one used in the Milestone 2. This should make for a welcome 25 per cent speed increase on last year's model.

Also included in the Defy+ is Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the latest version of Google's operating system. This complements the upgraded processor, as Gingerbread is faster than both Android 2.1, which the original Defy launched with, and 2.2, which was later offered as an update. Motorola's custom user interface, Motoblur, also features on the Defy+. We've never been the biggest fans of Motoblur, but it has steadily improved since it was first introduced. Its newest incarnation has been redesigned, and is said to be faster.

One other small upgrade is the battery life. Motorola claims that despite the faster CPU, the Defy+ has 7.1 hours of talk time and 16 days of standby time. This is achieved using a bigger battery, boosted from 1,540mAh to 1,700mAh, as well as various software improvements.

Aside from these changes, the Defy+ is in essence the same 'ard-as-nails phone as the original Defy. It packs the same 3.7-inch touchscreen, made from hardened Corning Gorilla Glass, and the same 5-megapixel camera, 512MB of RAM and 2GB of internal storage. It also comes with a 2GB microSD card.

No UK networks have yet announced they'll be offering the Defy+, and there's been no word on pricing. Will you be getting the Defy+? Let us know in the comments below, or on our Facebook wall.