While Apple,
Samsung,
Huawei,
Oppo, and other giants in the
space have been dominating the smart device market, a brand in the back of the
room has been slowly gaining traction: Kyocera, the world’s toughest phone
manufacturer.
اضافة اعلان
The company has realized that competing in the
over-saturated smart device market of 2022 is practically impossible through
traditional means — everything from the most expensive phones released by
Apple and Samsung to the budget-friendly Huwei’s, to the conscious spending laymen
Oppo buyers, little to no wiggle room has been left in terms of cost
differentiation.
This is when the company realized that while luxuries were
taken care of — the durability of the smart device market has not been
innovated on in years. And so,
Kyocera a Japanese multinational brand that
originally specialized in printers, moved into the smartphone market, creating
some of the most durable phones out there to date.
Built like a tank — on a budget
While their original device, the
Kyocera DuraForce Ultra 5G,
was an unbreakable bastion of smart-phone tech, the DuraSport 5G is the little
brother that takes much of the positives from its elder brother — at a large
discount
To cut to the chase – the phone runs at approximately JD410
— which should be perfect for those that are looking for a durable and
up-to-date phone on a wallet-friendly budget.
Even with the low cost, the phone at first touch comes off
as premium – standing at 6.5 inches tall, featuring a fingerprint sensor on the
back of the phone for quick access. The phone features Gorilla glass 6 to
fortify the screen against any nasty falls. Additionally, to further protect
against damage by unfortunate slips of the hand, the phone’s corners are all
wrapped in protective layering. Its buttons are completely air tight, ensuring
that even if you decide to go for a swim and forget the device in your pocket,
you will end up emerging from the swimming pool with your phone untouched.
The rear cameras of the phone feature Dragontrail glass
which ensures that when laying face down, the phone’s cameras remain
unscratched and protected at all cost.
(Photos: Twitter)
While all this sounds like the phone may be too heavy to
comfortably use, it is not; it weighs almost the same as the Google Pixel 5A.
In terms of features, the
Kyocera 5G has a programable left
button accessible with your thumb when holding the phone, enabling you to open,
close, or even auto-look up things online at the press of a button. The only
downside is that for those that are more in tune with Apple’s design, the
button may feel as the power off button – and most users have complained that
they constantly confused the power button for the programmable one.
Performance — not too great, not too terrible
While the phone does run on a budget, it packs quite a
punch. The phone hosts a Snapdragon 480, a relatively powerful microprocessor
that is capable of handling multitasking with ease. The Duraforce has 4GB of RAM
and 64GB of storage that can be upgraded, however at the price of the device
one would expect slightly larger storage right out of the box.
The device’s 6.1-inch screen runs at a 1080p resolution, and
quite bright at around 500 nits. This is a welcome feature as many phones in
the budget range of the DuraSport 5G unfortunately tend to run quite dim,
averaging out at around 410 nits with a resolution of 1080p. However, the true
feature that most would be forgiven for missing out is their screen’s unique ability
to operate even when wearing hard gloves – perfect for those that frequently
find themselves in cold conditions where gloves are a necessity.
Speaking of gloves, the phone clearly outlines its audience
– the hiking, biking, sporty enthusiast who goes into environments that for
other devices would prove to be challenging. The phone is jam packed with
features such as a barometer, an app that tracks tidal movements, Solunar,
which informs the user of the animals they may encounter on their journey based
on their location and time of day, and many others.
There is one catch however – the apps, for whatever reason,
constantly request to be connected to the internet and update your current
location to their servers. This may, and should be, create an unease amongst
the users as more and more people around the world become privacy conscious.
Aside from their unique outdoors apps that come preloaded
with the phone, everything else runs on a standard version of Android 11.
For those that are enthusiasts of going out on long
journeys, the phone features a 4,500 mAh battery which has been tested and
confirmed to be able to go without charge for two entire days – all thanks to
its energy conservation tech within the battery. However, the tests that
resulted in two days runtime were done without access to 5G, so users that
enjoy a seamless browsing experience on the go may see diminished results.
Those who enjoy the innovations of wireless charging may
rejoice. The phone does feature a wireless charging option and is said to
charge from zero to maximum capacity within 3 hours.
When outdoors, take pictures
The camera of the DuraSport is unfortunately nothing to
write home about.
The device features a 48-megapixel main camera and a
16-megapixel ultrawide, which for true fans of photography simply will not cut
it. Images taken by the camera tend to be relatively color bland, and unless
you are standing in the perfect lighting conditions, the camera simply is
unable to take pictures in darker environments. The camera also unfortunately
has trouble autofocusing on objects within he shot, making it necessary to
manually focus each time you want to take a picture that features more than a
single element or person.
The phone also features an 8-megapixel selfie camera,
sufficient enough to showcase your adventures on the road to your friend, but
lacking for those that enjoy taking professional face-first shots.
Too long, did not read — what is the verdict
If you are looking for an indestructible phone that, right
out of the box, could put a solid dent in your wall while withstanding the
impact entirely, this phone is most definitely for you. With its durable
design, durable glass, sealed buttons to prevent water damage and a powerful
dust filter, the phone is most definitely one to get if you are constantly on
the move in outdoor areas.
However, as I have mentioned, performance is modest and its
camera is weak. Those who are looking for an everyday phone with the peak of
travel being that which is done on the way to the office, should potentially
aim for the Pixel 5A that is nestled within a similar budget range.
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