Verizon is expected to announce a Kyocera handset sometime soon. Last month some images leaked of a new handset, and many believed it would be called the Kyocera Elite. It turns out, the device is actually launching soon as the Kyocera Hydro Elite. Hopefully, you can infer by the name what kind of device it’s going to be. If you guessed rugged, then you were right!
The image above is from the infamous @EVLeaks who also revealed a small tidbit of information.
It goes without saying, the Kyocera Hydro Elite looks to be quite rugged. The new name was likely discovered thanks to recent devices that were launched with the same Hydro branding. The Hydro XTRM and the HYDRO EDGE will be available through US Cellular on May 24th. Many believe that the two new handsets will offer some indication about what to expect with the Hydro Elite.
Apparently, the Hydro Elite will be water and dust resistant, and if the XTRM is any indication the Elite will be IP57 certified and Military Standard 810G certified. What does that mean exactly? It means the Hydro Elite will be able to withstand considerable shock (even if dropped), and it will be able to withstand up to 3.28 feet of water for up to 30 minutes. Not entirely sure what happens if you go any deeper than that, but I also don’t want to find out either.
As it stands, Big Red is expected to carry the Hydro Elite and will probably offer the handset for $50 with a new two year contract. The Hydro XTRM from US Cellular, on the other hand is just $29.99 with a two year contract.
Unfortunately, we don’t have anything else to go along with the information. No specs, no additional images, nothing. Exploring specs from the other Hydro handsets pretty much reveals that the device will be mid to low end.
The Hydro XTRM and EDGE are powered by Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and they both have 4-inch displays with an 800 x 480 resolution. In addition, the XTRM is running with a 1.2GHz processor while the EDGE is running with a 1.0GHz processor. It stands to reason that the Hydro Elite will be in the same ballpark in regards to specs.
Are there any Verizon customers out there interested in a rugged device from Kyocera?