Kyocera has been out of the picture for a while, at least when it comes to Verizon’s offering. It looks like that’s all about to change though, because word has leaked that a new Kyocera device will be arriving on Big Red’s shelves. Of course, the rumored device will also be available through US Cellular.
The Kyocera Elite was unveiled by @evleaks, the same user responsible for the recent LG Optimus G Pro image leak. Unfortunately, there are no detailed specs to go along with the image so we don’t really know what this thing is packing for hardware just yet.
Although we don’t have much to go on, I imagine it’s going to include mid-range specs and hardware. After all, this is no flagship device and it certainly doesn’t appear to be high-end material. We often forget about budget and mid-grade devices on the market because we’re too focused on the leading handsets. But indeed, a lot of consumers prefer to chase after budget and mid-level handsets. Some are deterred away from this new trend to make flagship devices larger. The biggest change of the Galaxy S4 is perhaps its size increase, aside from new software implementations.
As you’ll notice from the image, the US Cellular variant includes some kind of rugged bumper for protection. It probably has something to do with the name Elite, that name alone oozes an idea of indestructible. Okay, maybe that assumption is going a little too far but there’s no doubt that this thing was designed to withstand brute force.
Kyocera has always been relatively well known for offering rugged devices, so the same type of design is nothing new.
We do have a name for the device, other than the Kyocera Elite, of course. The US Cellular version will earn the title Kyocera XTRM.
If this leak is accurate, I’m curious if anyone out there would be interested in a device like this. Obviously, someone must be if it’s being manufactured. After all, not everyone is going to run out and pick up a brand new Galaxy S4 at launch, nor does everyone have the funds to do so.