Kyocera DuraSport 5G UW evaluation: Tough selection

Like Tank $899.99 . put up launch Duraforce Ultra 5G UW in April 2021, Kyocera is again with a extra subtly rugged (and extra inexpensive) cellphone – the $579.99 DuraSport 5G UW. If you need a sub-$600 rugged cellphone that works on Verizon’s millimeter wave (mmWave) 5G community, the DuraSport 5G UW is de facto your solely selection. roughly the scale Google Pixel 5A 5G . withThe DuraSport is small however sturdy: It’s mud, sand, and waterproof in 6.5 ft of water for half-hour (IP68), plus MIL 810H-certified to outlive five-foot drops.

Beneath that rigor, the DuraSport is a sub-$300 cellphone at coronary heart. It shares comparable specs like $239.99 OnePlus Nord N200 5G: They each use the identical Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of inside storage. But the DuraSport has a smaller 4,500mAh battery and comes with some distinctive outside apps and digital camera options. This results in the apparent query: is a price range rugged cellphone definitely worth the premium, or are you higher off getting an affordable 5G cellphone and including a really protecting case round it?

Durasport 5G UW Design

At a time when each new price range cellphone appears taller than 6.5 inches, the DuraSport is surprisingly compact. It’s much like the Google Pixel 5A with 5G however thicker and barely extra slim (6.09 x 2.78 x 0.39-inches or 154.7 x 70.7 x 9.9mm). They look the identical, with comparable rounded corners and a fingerprint sensor on the again – useful for unlocking the cellphone while you’re sporting a masks. This cellphone suits snugly in my little arms, and I can stuff it in most pockets.

For a cellphone constructed to outlive rigorous military-grade exams for mud, sand, water, and drop safety, the DuraSport’s design is not rugged. Unlike its costlier sibling, the DuraSport has the standard dimensions and proportions. But it nonetheless obviates the necessity for a separate case: not solely is its display screen protected by Gorilla Glass 6, however it has bolstered corners, water-tight seams round its buttons, and a Dragontrail glass on its rear cameras. Despite its additional bits of engineering, the Kyocera weighs roughly the identical because the Pixel 5A.

While the DuraSport’s arduous plastic shell can face up to quite a lot of abuse, it isn’t probably the most snug to carry. Kyocera has added some gentle textures to the again cowl and sides, however they do not present a lot grip to the machine. Not that this cellphone wants additional safety, however a case will make the cellphone simpler to carry.

You can customise this cellphone in plenty of methods, the obvious being the programmable button on the left. You can set it to open the precise digital camera mode you want in a rush (underwater shutter button) or open a specific app if you happen to double-press the button. I stored urgent the programmable button by mistake as a result of my thumb lands there once I maintain the cellphone; The precise energy button is somewhat too low for my liking.

Durasport 5G UW Performance

Despite its mid-range price ticket, the DuraSport has low-end inside elements. Its processor is a budget-level Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 with 4GB of RAM, which makes the DuraSport only a beat slower in terms of opening webpages or switching between portrait and panorama modes whereas watching YouTube movies. This was particularly evident when taking part in a spherical of pokemon unite, the place in the midst of a struggle slowed to such a crawl that I could not transfer my Pokémon out of the way in which to dodge an assault. While a sub-$300 cellphone can get away with simply 64GB of storage, it is mismatched by the DuraSport’s practically $600 price ticket, though it does have a microSD card slot for growth.

The DuraSport considerably reimagines itself with a 6.1-inch 1080p IPS LCD show that is fairly vibrant (500 nits), making it potential to make use of the display screen in direct daylight at simply 60 % brightness. When you view high-resolution pictures like The Verge 2021: A Year in ArtThanks to this display screen’s 400PPI pixel density, pictures look easy and detailed, even while you pixel-pee. The better part is that the touchscreen works when I’m sporting gloves or there may be water on the display screen, which is a big assist throughout winters.

The cellphone comes preloaded with apps for outside lovers: an out of doors portal, compass, barometer, solar and moon, climate, tide (if you happen to fish or personal a ship), and solunar (if you wish to meet sure animals or need to keep away from them). In my case, I skate on an out of doors rink within the winter, however once I do, I’m extraordinarily choosy: temperatures are at the least 32 levels or so earlier than night time and all day, with minimal wind, and after sundown. Should be after. The ice will get an opportunity to harden. I used Outdoor Portal to watch my native climate and sundown/dawn information as a substitute of biking between a number of apps. While I respect the comfort of getting these apps on my cellphone, I wasn’t impressed that I needed to give the apps continuous entry to my location, though they mentioned I’d be accumulating information once I use the apps. I can restrict If you do not care to make use of these apps in any respect, you most likely do not have to fret about location monitoring, however they seem to be a huge a part of the DuraSport’s promoting factors.

Beyond these exterior apps, DuraSport primarily runs an unmodified model of Android 11. As one of many chosen telephones for Android Enterprise Recommended program, Kyocera has already dedicated to offering quarterly security updates to DuraSport by November 2023. This, together with the truth that Kyocera solely provides a two-year guarantee in comparison with the trade normal of 1 yr, means this cellphone ought to final you a number of years.

The DuraSport’s 4,500mAh battery is definitely fairly energy-efficient and in a position to final with out cost after two days of use – and that is principally from utilizing 4G LTE. After listening to a couple hours of podcasts, taking some footage and movies, posting and scrolling by way of social media, and studying numerous articles, I bought about 15.5 hours of display screen time from DuraSport over two days. Using the included charger, I used to be in a position to recharge the cellphone in beneath 2.5 hours, which is not significantly quick. The DuraSport additionally lacks wi-fi charging – you may need to step as much as the Ultra mannequin in order for you one.

Durasport 5G UW Camera

Let’s put it this fashion: If you are critical about images, you will not love DuraSport’s cameras.

The cellphone has two cameras on the again, a 48-megapixel primary and a 16-megapixel ultrawide, in addition to an 8-megapixel entrance digital camera. The cameras take completely good footage in good lighting circumstances, however they don’t seem to be designed for low gentle or something difficult like motion images.

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Its cameras share the identical issues that plague different sub-$300 telephones. Not solely do colours differ between the primary and ultrawide cameras, however the primary digital camera typically has bother distinguishing and separating the topic from the background in portrait mode. I’ve additionally observed that pictures from low-light environments look as if there may be vignetting across the edges – whether or not captured with the primary, ultrawide or selfie digital camera.

DuraSport tries to make up for its technical shortcomings with some distinctive video interfaces like motion overlays and sweetness filters. (I did not have entry to an ANT Plus suitable health sensor, so I could not check the motion overlay hooked up to my health information in actual time.) Ultimately, it has been deserted by a digital camera app that is in a position to swap between cameras. Is sluggish and can randomly shut down for no motive, making it irritating to take footage with it.

There’s little question you are paying a premium for the $579.99 DuraSport 5G UW’s sturdy design—although it has cheaper elements which can be extra widespread in sub-$300 price range telephones. It’s a disgrace it would not use a sooner processor or function higher cameras for a cellphone round $600.

There are many different, higher telephones on this value vary, together with Google’s personal Pixel 6. But if you happen to’re on the lookout for a sturdier cellphone and need to make use of Verizon’s sooner mmWave 5G community, the DuraSport actually is the one price range rugged 5G cellphone out there. ,

If glorious cameras are extra essential to you in your cellphone, and also you’re keen to just accept water resistant (IP67) reasonably than waterproof (IP68), the $449 Pixel 5A with 5G could be a greater choice. After all, they appear and feel virtually the identical anyway.

Thanks to Kyocera’s two-year guarantee, the peace of thoughts of getting a cellphone that may deal with critical spills and drops without having to get replaced inside a number of years is worth it, however for many of us, a sturdy case. It is healthier to spend money on One extra cellphone.

Photography by Gloria Sinn / The Verge