Kyocera DuraSport 5G UW review: Sleek, rugged phone for work and play

While tens of millions do the job in the business office or at household, tens of millions of people today are out in the discipline constructing, inspecting, selling, identifying, and checking out the exterior globe. Rugged telephones are good to have in the discipline the place you could possibly drop your machine, subject it to liquids, or get do the job completed in very small or very superior temperatures. The new
Kyocera DuraSport 5G UW

 may be a good option and is priced at $579.99.

The Kyocera DuraSport 5G UW is accessible from Verizon and was analyzed on that network for the past three weeks. You can obtain it outright for $579.99 or spread the obtain out over 24 or thirty months with Verizon activation. In addition to its rugged structure, the telephone also sporting activities a big four,500mAh battery and mid-degree processor, so it should really get you by means of a pair of days of typical use.

Previously this year, I experimented with out the Kyocera DuraForce Ultra 5G, but that telephone was a far more typical rugged variant with wide bezels, bulky structure, and a fairly superior $900 price. It was plainly designed to face up to the aspects but was a little bit of a massive telephone. The Kyocera DuraSport is a substantially far more stylish telephone that is just about the size of the Pixel 5a 5G, meaning it’s pretty pocketable.  

Components

At 1st glance, the Kyocera DuraSport 5G UW appears to be a mid-assortment smartphone that matches the
Google Pixel 5A

 in size and structure. It really is a little bit shorter and narrower but has a pair of cameras on the back again, a centre rear fingerprint sensor, and a USB-C port on the bottom. While the Pixel has an IP67 dust and h2o-resistant score, the DuraSport is rated larger at IP68 and also has been analyzed to MIL-STD 810H drop standards. It is also encased in plastic with bolstered corners.

The show on the DuraSport has excellent resolution with crisp, very clear fonts and a 60Hz refresh rate. A centre entrance-struggling with camera consumes some of the show in the toolbar. It has a flat show with narrow side bezels and larger major and bottom bezels.

The edges are composed of textured plastic to aid you hold on to the telephone, with the back again coated in matte black plastic. Electric power and quantity buttons are positioned on the proper side with a programmable button in the middle of the remaining side. The MicroSD/SIM card tray is set up above the programmable button on the higher remaining side.

The two cameras are organized vertically on the significantly remaining side of the back again, with the fingerprint sensor positioned on the higher centre of the back again. A USB-C port is on the bottom, together with a single speaker and microphone. There is also a mono speaker down on the bottom remaining side of the back again, underneath the Unihertz label. The back again panel has a matte, kevlar glance and feel to it. The metallic housing about the show and camera is sizeable and a outstanding structure aspect of this telephone.

---

See also: Most effective Android telephone 2021: Prime qualified picks.

---

Technical specs

• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 480
• Primary show: 6.1-inches 2400×1080 pixels resolution IPS Lcd, Gorilla Glass 6
• Functioning program: Android eleven
• RAM: 4GB
• Storage: 64GB internal storage with microSD support
• Sturdiness: IP68, MIL-STD 810H drop resistant
• Cameras: 48MP wide and 16MP extremely-wide (117 levels discipline of see). 8MP entrance-struggling with camera
• Wireless technological know-how: 802.eleven a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth five.1, NFC, GPS/Galileo/GLONASS, ANT+
• Battery: 4500mAh non-removable with wi-fi charging and speedy charging support
• Proportions: 154.seven x 70.seven x 9.9mm and 185g

---

Computer software

The evaluation telephone I have been tests is at the moment working Android eleven with a 1 August 2021 Android safety update. The telephone should really have a newer variation of the Android safety update by now, so this is a little bit disappointing. It really is not very clear what Kyocera’s keep track of history is for safety updates, but for telephones centered on the enterprise, the updates should really be coming at the very least quarterly, if not bi-month-to-month.

The telephone operates a very inventory variation of Android with Google Find out as a household web site, Gboard as the keyboard, and the essential Google applications set up. The application launcher is the conventional Google a single far too. There are quite a few extra applications and games set up in typical Verizon manner, but you can uninstall them and cleanse up the telephone. Some of the Verizon utilities are practical for controlling your account, and Verizon attributes far too.

There is an Out of doors folder with applications for a barometer, compass, out of doors portal, solunar, sun & moon info, tide info (very practical for maritime salvage), and weather. The solunar application notifies you when wildlife is most lively, which is largely a function of phases of the moon. The tide info also gives a fish index for anticipated fish action in the area you designate. The out of doors portal can swap Google Find out as your significantly remaining household monitor panel. You can also filter the info for things to do like browsing, trekking, snow, fishing, and other customized things to do you set up on the telephone. There are definitely some practical utilities in the out of doors folder.

While the DuraSport is designed to face up to the aspects, it’s also a strong telephone for capturing out of doors motion. It has a pair of modes that are centered on sporting activities. With Motion Overlay, you can insert elapsed time, vacation length, velocity, G-power, altitude, day and time, map info, and weather to your recording or even now graphic. For bicycle specific things to do, you can help Motion Overlay Bike mode to insert a quality, graphical altitude information, and heart rate/cadence/power when you have linked external sensors. The telephone supports ANT+ for these sensor connections far too.

---

See also: Kyocera DuraForce Ultra 5G UW review: Verizon rugged smartphone designed to get do the job completed just about everywhere.

---

Kyocera also includes a multi-camera mode so you can present the rear camera and entrance-struggling with camera at the exact same time in circumstance you want to share your response while recording one more subject. Other accessible modes involve time-lapse, gradual motion, night, pro (manual), and underwater. Underwater mode is excellent considering that it turns off the touchscreen and allows button controls for capture. This has been a struggle for me when attempting to capture content in a pool or lake, so I enjoy this features.

Each day use experiences

There is almost nothing notably outstanding about the glance of the Kyocera DuraSport, but it is designed to face up to the aspects and aid you get do the job completed out of the business office. With the big battery and mid-assortment processor, the battery is sure to get you by means of at the very least a working day and probably two amongst charges. It really is also good to see support for speedy charging and wi-fi charging in a mid-assortment smartphone.

The activity-centered camera modes are pleasing, particularly if you like to history video clip content when you bicycle. The cameras accomplish nicely but aren’t heading to challenge Google or Apple for the ideal camera telephone. Then all over again, you can feel quite safe using the Kyocera DuraSport to the beach front or lake with you and capturing pics and movies without having stressing about destroying your $1,000 telephone.

The Kyocera DuraSport is a pretty inventory Android telephone after you uninstall all of the extra applications, Verizon installs and performs nicely when working a couple applications. The constrained RAM and mid-assortment processor may be a little bit restrictive for avid gamers or people who thrust the resources on their telephones. The 5G support is excellent to see, and wi-fi performance has been strong. Cellular phone phone calls audio good on the two finishes of a discussion far too.

If you are searching for a telephone that can survive some rough managing, has a strong two-working day battery and is quickly pocketable, then the Kyocera DuraSport may fill this role. The programmable important makes it a little bit far more practical when wearing gloves. Kyocera also has a two-year guarantee to aid you get back again up and working quickly.