LAS VEGAS– Kyocera's new phones are all wet. The first two new smartphones announced at this year's CTIA Wireless trade show, the Kyocera Hydro Edge and Hydro Xtrm bump up the specs of last year's successful Hydro phone while still keeping durable Android smartphones inexpensive.
I got some time with the new devices at a slightly odd launch event in an ice bar. As ruggedized phones, obviously the Edge and Xtrm didn't mind the ice.
The two phones have a lot in common. Both run Android 4.1.2, both are waterproof, and both have Kyocera's Smart Sonic Receiver, which uses tissue conduction to shunt sound into your body even in very noisy environments. Both phones have Kyocera's battery-saving MaxiMZR app, which prevents little-used applications from sucking down background data.
The Xtrm also features U.S. Cellular's Wi-Fi Now app, which automatically attaches to partner Wi-Fi networks.
The Edge, a lower-specced version, is coming to Sprint and Boost. Here, the all-textured back becomes a two-tone model with a smoother top half, the 1.2-GHz processor steps down to dual-core 1-GHz, the front camera goes away and, most importantly, the modem drops to CDMA 3G without LTE.
I'm rather concerned by Sprint introducing a phone without any 4G capability, especially considering that Sprint's 3G data network has been overloaded and crawling for a few years now. A Boost rep pointed to the Edge's 1X-Advanced capability, which will improve voice call connections but does nothing for data. The world (and Boost) are going 4G, and I don't see why the Edge should stay behind.
Performance isn't the primary selling point for phones like this, of course. Rather, the Hydro line is going for being affordable for outdoors enthusiasts and messy families. My daughter actually drooled a phone to death when she was about seven months old, so I see the attraction here.
The Kyocera Hydro Xtrm is coming to U.S. Cellular on May 24; the Hydro Edge is coming to Sprint and Boost this summer.