A shiny new Galaxy S6 Edge, Moto X Pure Edition or a Nexus 6P will surely catch most people’s eyes, but these handsets are usually not intended to be used in extreme and challenging work situations. To solve this problem, there are the so-called rugged phones, which offer phones features combined with a strong body that can withstand impacts, water, dust and all sorts of smartphone-unfriendly situations. To increase its range of rugged phones, AT&T has recently introduced two new devices to its lineup, from Japanese manufacturer Kyocera, known for their business-focused, rugged smartphones.
The first offering is the DuraForce XD, an Android phablet with an almost stock interface, mid-range specs and 4G-LTE connectivity. Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor running at 1.6 GHz, it comes with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage (with microSD support of up to 64 GB). The IPS LCD screen is 5.7 inches in size and comes with a resolution of 1280 x 720 (HD), and a huge 3,700 mAh battery provides up to 23 hours of talk and amazing 34 days of standby time. As for the cameras, the rear sensor has 8-megapixels, but there’s no information about the front shooter. As for the rugged part of it, the device offers IP certification for dust and water, and also can withstand drop, shock, vibration, temperature extremes, blowing rain, low pressure/high altitude, solar radiation, salt fog, humidity and water immersion, meaning you probably won’t need a case or a screen protector. To offer all that resistance, the DuraForce XD is not thin nor light, with 13.9 mm of thickness and weighing 307 g, almost double of that of the Galaxy Note 5, which offers a similar size.
The second offering is the Dura XE, a feature flip phone with a 2.6-inch QVGA screen, a Snapdragon 210 quad-core processor clocked at 1.1 GHz and running on a proprietary software by Kyocera. It offers basic communications and has a 5-megapixel camera that is capable of capturing video too. There’s 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage with support for microSD cards of up to 32 GB, and offers the same water, dust, drop, shock and other extreme situations protection as the DuraForce XD.
The devices will be available starting January 8th. The bigger, 5.7-inch DualForce XD will cost $14.97 a month without any down payment with AT&T’s Next 24, or for $49.99 with a 2-year contract and Enhanced Push-to-Talk, while the flip phone Dura XE will cost $13.50 a month per 20 months on an AT&T Installment plan, or the same $49.99 with a 2-year contract.
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