Thanks to a leaked Verizon roadmap, a handful of devices have been pegged for a release by the end of August with one of them being the Kyocera Hydro Elite. For those looking for a smartphone with water resistant capabilities, we expect that the Hydro Elite will be right up your alley and sure enough Verizon has announced that the handset will be made available starting on the 29th of August 2013 and will be priced at $99.99 with a two-year contract and a $50 mail-in rebate. The Hydro Elite is not the most powerful Android handset we’ve seen to date, although its key selling point here would be its ruggedness which might have its appeal to those working in demanding environments.
The handset will feature IPX5 and IPX7 certification for both low-pressure water spray and water immersion respectively, and what this means is that according to Kyocera’s website, “Water spray projected at all angles through a half-inch (6.3 millimeters) nozzle at a flow rate of 3.3 gallons (12.5 liters) per minute at a gage pressure of 30kN/m2 for 3 minutes from 3.28 feet (1 meter). Immersible for up to 30 minutes in up to 3.28 feet (1 meter) of water.” Apart from that it will sport wireless charging, NFC capabilities, an 8MP rear-facing camera, a 1.3MP front-facign camera, a 4.3” HD display, with Android running the show.
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