One of the best looking rugged smartphones that will cause a splash in the market.
If there was a beauty contest for rugged smartphones, the Kyocera DuraSport 5G would probably win it but looks are not everything and while the device has a lot going for it, there’s also one sore point that makes us wince. Let’s start with the good; it is the most compact rugged smartphone we’ve tested to date; at 155 x 71 x 10mm, it is about the size of the iPhone XR, only a tad thicker. As for the not-so-good, there’s only 64GB of onboard storage, which is simply unacceptable on a mainstream handset, especially in this price range and given the number of preloaded, non Google apps we’ve encountered (24 in all). Apart from this, the DuraSport 5G is a very likable device and we can’t wait to see what a rugged slate version of this would look like. A successor to the Sony Xperia Z4 tablet maybe? The Kyocera DuraSport 5G smartphone is currently available on Verizon Wireless 5G Ultra Wideband and can be purchased from Amazon for $579.99 (about £435, AU$810) plus a small activation fee. You can also get it on a two-year contract for $24.16 per month (about £18, AU$33) direct from Verizon. Let’s start by the obvious. This is one of the most attractive, best designed rugged smartphones on the market and is especially well suited for those looking for a diminutive, more portable outdoor handset that can withstand the challenges of outdoor adventures (hence the name DuraSport). At the front is an 8-megapixel selfie camera near the top of the 6.1-inch IPS FHD+ display (one covered by a layer of Corning Gorilla 6) and next to an indicator light. A 48-megapixel and a 16-megapixel camera sensors are located at the rear, not far from the fingerprint sensor. On the left is the SIM tray which takes only one SIM and a microSD card; there’s no option for a second SIM, which is a bit of a disappointment.
