Defy Mini gets FCC thumbs up, could be headed to AT&T
Motorola's latest budget handset gets the green light for the US
Published: 31 January, 2012
READ MORE: US | Motorola | Handset | Android
Contrary to previous expectations it looks like Motorola's Defy Mini might be hitting the US afterall. Earlier this month the Droid-maker took the covers off its latest budget offering indicating that it would be released in China, Europe and Latin America but made no mention of the States. However the FCC begs to differ and has approved the device for use on GSM bands 850 and 1900, WCDMA bands II and V as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. This would suggest it's headed to AT&T and that a release at the carrier might not be too far off.
It may not be the best spec'd device out there but as the name suggests it will be tough and small. The Defy range is designed to stand up to a beating and the new Mini model will offer a 3.2" display, 600MHz processor and 512MB of RAM. There's a 3mp rear-facing cameras as well a VGA one on the front for video calling and it's set to ship with Android 2.3 installed. The specs may be unimpressive but the small screen and sub-1GHz processor reduces the strain on the battery with a 1650mAh pack said to offer 10 hours of talk time.
The Defy Mini is due to be released in the afore mentioned markets this Spring and while there's no official word on price it wouldn't be surprising to see this one go for free on a contract. One UK retailer is currently offering it for pre-order with a price tag of £168.99 ($264).
If the Defy Mini does reach the US, which is still very uncertain at the moment, then it could be followed by the other handset it launched with the 'Motoluxe'. The Motoluxe is pitches as a "hip" device with a 4" display, 8mp camera and Lanyard slot.
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