Kyocera DuraSport 5G rugged smartphone review

Our Verdict

With a slim and sleek profile comes a couple of compromises that brand us uneasy. Yes, the phone is a 5G one, is gorgeous and comes with one of the best warranties on the rugged smartphone marketplace. On the other hand, its memory/storage specifications are underwhelming for the asking price.

For

USB 3.1 Blazon C connector
You can practise videos and take pictures using both rear and front cameras.
Sleek, Stylish pattern
Two-twelvemonth warranty with fast replacement
Guaranteed android update
Enterprise features
Wireless charging

Against

Bloatware
802.11ac merely
But 64GB onboard storage
Merely ane SIM slot
Smallish bombardment

TechRadar Verdict

With a slim and sleek profile comes a couple of compromises that make us uneasy. Yes, the phone is a 5G i, is gorgeous and comes with ane of the best warranties on the rugged smartphone market place. On the other hand, its memory/storage specifications are underwhelming for the asking price.

Pros

+
USB iii.1 Blazon C connector
+
You tin can practice videos and take pictures using both rear and front cameras.
+
Sleek, Stylish design
+
Two-year warranty with fast replacement
+
Guaranteed android update
+
Enterprise features
+
Wireless charging

Cons

-
Bloatware
-
802.11ac simply
-
Only 64GB onboard storage
-
Only ane SIM slot
-
Smallish battery

Ii minute review

If there was a beauty contest for rugged smartphones, the Kyocera DuraSport 5G would probably win information technology just looks are non everything and while the device has a lot going for it, there'southward also one sore point that makes u.s.a. wince. Let'south showtime with the good; it is the nearly 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-then-good, there'due south 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 nosotros can't look to see what a rugged slate version of this would expect like. A successor to the Sony Xperia Z4 tablet maybe?

Pricing and availability

The Kyocera DuraSport 5G smartphone is currently bachelor 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 lot can also get information technology on a two-twelvemonth contract for $24.16 per month (well-nigh £18, AU$33) direct from Verizon.

Design

Let's start by the obvious. This is one of the most attractive, best designed rugged smartphones on the market and is specially well suited for those looking for a diminutive, more portable outdoor handset that can withstand the challenges of outdoor adventures (hence the proper name DuraSport).

At the front is an 8-megapixel selfie photographic camera nigh the peak of the six.1-inch IPS FHD+ display (one covered past a layer of Corning Gorilla 6) and next to an indicator light. A 48-megapixel and a sixteen-megapixel camera sensors are located at the rear, non far from the fingerprint sensor.

Buttons Left Side — (Image credit: Future)

On the left is the SIM tray which takes but i SIM and a microSD card; there's no option for a second SIM, which is a bit of a disappointment. Just below it is a customizable button with a broad border that makes it more than visible. It'south particularly nifty when using gloves as pressing on it produces a articulate audible click.

Buttons Right Side — (Image credit: Future)

On the opposite side are the volume rocker buttons and the power button. A Type-C connector tin can be establish on the lesser edge of the phone and is not protected past a safe flap equally is usually the example. And then make sure information technology is dry when plugging information technology in for charging.

As expected, the DuraSport 5G is MIL-STD-810G/IP68 tested and certified, which means that you will be able to rinse information technology without bug. Its rubbery terminate (Elastomer Grip says the marketing literature) adds to the impression of durability without making it feel tacky.

Noteworthy point, Kyocera also sent a protective case for the DuraSport 5G despite the fact that it is a rugged smartphone. A sign perhaps that it needs a chip more than protection than expected. At just 185g, it is past far the lightest rugged smartphone we've tested to engagement. The next lightest is the Motorola Defy which is a full 50g (or almost 25%) heavier.

USB-C Port — (Epitome credit: Hereafter)

Hardware

Spec Sheet

The Kyocera DuraSport 5G comes with the following hardware:

CPU: Snapdragon 480

GPU: Adreno 619

RAM: 4GB

Storage: 64GB

Screen size: half dozen.1-inch

Resolution: 2400x1080

Weight: 185g

Dimensions: 155 ten 71 x 9.9mm

Rear camera: 48MP, 16MP

Front photographic camera: 8MP

Bone: Android 11

Battery: 4.5Ah

The DuraSport 5G is powered past a Snapdragon 480, the processor that is inside the Nokia XR20 and comes with only 4GB of onboard storage 64GB of onboard storage (which tin can exist increased with a microSD card). This is on par with the amount of storage/retentivity we'd look from an entry level Android smartphone costing one-10th of the price.

1 vivid spot though is that it has a Type-C USB 3.one connector, a rare feature worth mentioning. Other connectivity options include Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth v.i LE, NFC as well as Qi wireless charging. The fact that information technology is and so light explains why in that location's a four.5Ah battery (with back up for Quick Charge four.0 charging), the smallest nosotros've e'er seen on a normal smartphone. The phone is covered by a two-year warranty as well with the added do good of being able to receive your replacement before returning the quondam device

In employ and performance

The presence of a slightly modified version of Android 11 is not a surprise, neither is the inclusion of Verizon apps. Yous will get Android 12 in 2022 and quarterly security updates throughout 2023. You tin take videos and photos using both front and rear cameras at the aforementioned fourth dimension in the multi-camera mode.

Benchmarks

This is how the Kyocera DuraSport 5G performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

PCMark (Work 2.0): 7004

Passmark: 5443

Passmark CPU: 2373

Androbench (sequential): 464 (sequential read); 439 (sequential write)

Androbench (random): 166 (random read); 138 (random write)

3DMark Wild Life Vulkan: 976

Although geared towards a more laid-back audition, the Kyocera DuraSport 5G is besides an excellent selection for enterprise/business users thanks to its support for PTT (Push button to Talk), dual band (L1/L5) GPS (great for asset tracking), Enterprise Grade Wi-Fi, 802.11mc for precise indoor location positioning, a FIPS 140-ii compliant cryptographic module and Nothing-touch deployment to deploy devices in bulk.

Given the processor that powers information technology, nosotros had no big expectations with regards to performance which is roughly on par with the XR20. It volition deliver beneath average gaming operation, but if this is a business buy, then that matters.

Bloatware — (Prototype credit: Time to come)

While we can live with a heavily customized Android user interface, the amount of apps already installed on the smartphone was simply too much for our liking. Including the Verizon apps, in that location were 24 other apps including the likes of Apple tree Music, IMDB and Disney+.

Angled View — (Epitome credit: Futurity)

Should I buy the Kyocera DuraSport 5G?

Purchase it if:

You want a stylish rugged smartphone with total business organisation credentials. The DuraSport 5G may non exist the fastest device in town but its two-twelvemonth warranty and the commitment to providing security updates for a foreseeable time to come will brand it a house favourite for pocket-size businesses and enterprises equally.

Don't buy it if:

You lot desire something a bit more solid. The fact that information technology is the thinnest rugged smartphone we've tested to appointment Kyocera sells a souped up, reinforced version of the DuraSport 5G chosen the DuraForce 5G. It does comport a rather steep cost tag at just under $900.

We've also rounded up the all-time rugged smartphones and best rugged tablets

Managing Editor, TechRadar Pro

Désiré has been musing and writing nigh engineering during a career spanning four decades. He dabbled in website building and spider web hosting when DHTML and frames were en vogue and started writing about the impact of applied science on society but before the showtime of the Y2K hysteria at the turn of the last millennium. And so followed a weekly tech column in a local business mag in Mauritius, a late night tech radio programme called Clicplus and a freelancing gig at the now-defunct, Theinquirer, with the legendary Mike Magee as mentor. Following an eight-year stint at ITProPortal.com where he discovered the joys of global techfests, Désiré now heads up TechRadar Pro. He has an affinity for annihilation hardware and staunchly refuses to stop writing reviews of obscure products or embrace niche B2B software-every bit-a-service providers.