Say hello to the Hydro XTRM
Available today online for $29.99 after users send in a mail-in rebate and sign a two-year agreement with U.S. Cellular, the Kyocera Hydro XTRM is a waterproof and shockproof 4G LTE handset that was announced at CTIA 2013.
What happens on the 27th drop?
Given that the phone belongs to Kyocera's line of waterproof Hydro handsets, the XTRM can be underwater at a meter's depth, for up to 30 minutes. However, it's also shockproof, and it can be reportedly dropped 26 times from a height of 4 feet.
No in-ear speaker here
This phone also features Smart Sonic Receiver technology. In lieu of an in-ear speaker above the display, the device uses its ceramic transducer inside to transmit audio via the hard tissue inside your ear. This, in effect, boosts audio clarity and quality.
A hefty profile
The device measures 4.88 inches tall, 2.52 inches wide, and 0.42 inches thick. It weighs 4.9 ounces, and the heftiness was apparent when I held it in my hand. However, after a quick while, I stopped noticing its heaviness.
Underneath the hood
Powering the device is a dual-core Snapdragon 1.2GHz processor, and a 2,000mAh battery, which has a reported talk time of 12.4 hours.
Camera features for the photog
Users will also get a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, along with a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chatting and vanity shots.
Solid mid-range features
The handset sports a 4-inch IPS WVGA display with a 800x480-pixel resolution. It runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and includes 1GB of RAM, 4GB of ROM, and a storage capacity expandable to 32GB.