Verizon is expected to announce a Kyocera handset relatively soon. We saw an image of the handset leak late last month and at the time it looked like the device would be arriving as the Kyocera Elite. As of today however, coming by way of another image leak, it looks like the handset will be launching as the Kyocera Hydro Elite. While this does not mean the handset will magically be sporting high-end specs, it may be of interest for those looking for something rugged.
The Kyocera Hydro connection comes by way of a pair of Hydro branded devices that recently launched with other carriers. Those other handsets are the Hydro XTRM and the Hydro EDGE, of which the former will be heading to US Cellular on May 24th. That US Cellular announcement may also give a clue as to some of the features for the Kyocera Hydro Elite.
Basically, that the handset should arrive as water- and dust-resistant. Looking at the Hydro XTRM and we find a handset that has the Military Standard 810G certification and the IP57 certification, which means it will be able to withstand shock and drops as well as immersion in up to 3.28 feet of water for up to 30 minutes.
This latest leak for the Hydro Elite does have some pricing details. Keep in mind that this could still change, but as of now it is looking like Big Red will launch the handset at $50 on a two-year agreement. Looking towards US Cellular for comparison and we find the Hydro XTRM for $29.99 on a two-year agreement.
Otherwise, we have yet to see any leaked specs for the Hydro Elite. Again, looking towards the other Kyocera Hydro devices for comparison and we are not expecting anything high-end. Or for that matter, even mid-range. The Hydro XTRM and EDGE are both running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with 4-inch displays at 800 x 480. The batteries are also smaller with the handsets each having a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera and 1.2GHz (XTRM) and 1.0GHz (EDGE) processors.
SOURCE: Twitter
