Motorola DEFY+ JCB Edition deals & review

When Motorola announced it was teaming up with JCB to create a phone for builders, the world was a little sceptical about what the end result would look like. Surprisingly, the Motorola Defy+ JCB is a very attractive-looking phone, in a rugged kind of way. It also comes with all the apps a builder could ever wish for, including one for a spirit level, so they’ll have no excuse for laying wonky tiles. Of course, this phone isn’t just about hardiness and builder’s apps; it also comes with some serious smartphone power to boot.

This is a phone designed to withstand practically anything, so as you can imagine it’s rather bulky. Water and scratch resistant, the Defy+ JCB has cushioning around its frame to ensure any drops will leave the phone unharmed. The screen is even made from Gorilla Glass, a substance made to withstand bombs! It might not be the prettiest phone you’ll ever meet, but you have to admit its bulky appearance has a certain appeal to it and with the JCB logo on the phone’s back, the Defy+ JCB looks almost like a designer handset.

As this phone has been specifically made for builders, it comes packed with features that a tradesman is likely to need on a typical day. These include apps for spirit level, theodolite, torch, calculator, DIY store locator, decibel meter and recorder. There’s even a walkie-talkie feature for groups of builder with the Defy+ JCB meaning everyone can enjoy some group chat while on the job. A 5MP camera is also included so you can take photographs of your on-the-job pranks and send them to all your mates.

It’s not just builder’s gadgets that make the Motorola Defy+ JCB impressive though. This phone also comes with some rather nifty specs: running on Android’s highly-popular 2.3 Gingerbread OS, the Defy+ JCB also boasts a 1GHz processor with 2MB of internal storage. You can even extend this storage with an SD card.

The Defy+ JCB’s large 3.7inch screen makes navigation on your phone a breeze. The screen is even big enough for builders with chunky fingers to easily text with using the touchscreen keyboard.

If you’re looking for a hardwearing phone then the Samsung Galaxy Xcover is another highly durable contender. That said, the Motorola Defy+ JCB is such a tough cookie, it’s hard to imagine you’ll settle for anything else after owning one of these robust handsets.