Motorola Defy 2: First Android Phone with Built-in Satellite Texting

• Motorola and Bullitt Group have launched the Motorola Defy 2 and CAT S75 smartphones with built-in two-way satellite messaging.
• The phones have the exact same harware but are available in different regions.
• Motorola has also announced a compact satellite link device that gives any Android and iOS device satellite connectivity.

The Defy Satellite link gives any Android or iPhone an instant upgrade with the ability to send and receive text messages via satellite, solving the problem of mobile dead zones for emergencies and wilderness adventures.

Announced ahead of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and produced by the British phone manufacturer Bullitt under the Motorola brand, the Satellite link connects to a normal smartphone via Bluetooth and uses an app to send not only SOS messages but general two-way chat via texts.

The lightweight, credit card-sized puck will ship from about April, costing £99 on its own or £149 when bundled with 30 messages a month and an SOS assistance service from FocusPoint for the first year. It connects to geostationary satellites via a new MediaTek chip to send SMS to regular phones with replies sent using the cross-platform Bullitt Satellite Messenger app. A button on the side can also send an SOS alert with location without needing to connect to a smartphone.

Satellite phones have been available since the 1990s, typically at high cost for purchase and use. Now advancements in radio technologies have allowed integration of some basic satellite functions into traditional smartphones. Apple’s iPhone 14 can send SOS messages via satellite, while the chipmaker Qualcomm recently announced a similar service would be available for high-end Android phones in the second half of 2023.

But both options require buying new phones at high cost and cannot be shared within a family – a market Bullitt hopes to capture with its cutting-edge device that brings down the cost of satellite services, making them more widely available.

“The Motorola Defy Satellite link, combined with the Bullitt Satellite Messenger service, brings accessible and affordable satellite messaging to everybody’s current smartphone,” said Bullitt co-founder Dave Floyd. “This is the definition of democratising satellite communications.”

Alongside the puck, Bullitt also announced the Cat S75 rugged smartphone, which has the same satellite communications system built into it, costing £549. The Android is the continuation of Bullitt’s long-running rugged phone business aimed at first responders, rural workers and off-grid hobbyists.

Motorola Defy 2 and CAT S75 specs and price:

As we said before, the Motorola Defy 2 and CAT S75 are essentially the same phones with different names. They feature a 6.6-inch 120Hz FHD+ display clad in Gorilla Glass Victus. They have military-grade durability, IP68 and IP69K ingress protection, the octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 930 chipset, a 5,000 mAh battery, 15W charging, a 50MP + 8MP (wide) + 2MP (macro) rear camera setup, and an 8MP front shooter. A separate MediaTek chip is responsible for the phones’ satellite communication tech.

The Motorola Defy 2 and CAT S75 come with Android 12 out of the box, which is a bit of a bummer. They also support only two years of Android updates till Android 14. They should get a total of five years of security updates. The company will offer quarterly security patches for three years and a further two years of emergency security patches as and when required.

The Motorola Defy 2 will be available from Q2 2023 from selected operators across North America, Latin America, and Canada. It’s priced at $599, which includes a 12-month subscription to the Essential plan.

The CAT S75 is available to pre-order now from selected operators and retailers across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It’s priced at €599/£549, including a three-month free Bullitt’s Essentials service trial.

February 25, 2023