World's first phone to feature a wide-angle action camera

Dec 17, 2016 11:25 GMT  ·  By

As expected, Verizon added the Kyocera DuraForce Pro ultra-rugged smartphone to its portfolio. This is the third major carrier in the United States that starts selling the handset after AT&T and Sprint.

A fourth carrier, T-Mobile, is expected to launch the DuraForce Pro by the end of the year, but an exact release date hasn't been confirmed yet.

Verizon customers can pick this one up for $17 per month over 24 months. Alternatively, the smartphone can be purchased for $408 outright by those who don't want to commit to long-time contracts.

The most intriguing feature that comes inside the DuraForce Pro, aside from the fact that it's an ultra-rugged smartphone, is the wide-angle action camera.

According to Kyocera, this is the world's first smartphone to include such a camera, which allows users to capture full HD (1080p) video underwater.

Since Kyocera DuraForce Pro is dust- and water-resistant (IP68-certified), so shooting videos underwater shouldn't be a problem. It's also worth mentioning that the smartphone can survive drops from up to 5 feet (1.5 meters), Kyocera says.

On the inside, the smartphone packs an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor, 3GB of RAM and 32Gb of internal memory (expandable via microSD card). It's also powered by a 3,240 mAh battery and features a dedicated PTT (push-to-talk) button.

Aside from the wide-angle action camera on the back, the phone features a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash and full HD (1080p) video recording. There's also a secondary 5-megapixel camera in the front.

Kyocera DuraForce Pro sports a 5-inch display that supports full HD (1080p) resolution and features sapphire shield for extra protection. It packs a fingerprint sensor under the physical Home button and offers LTE support.

The smartphone ships with the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow operating system right out of the box, but we doubt Kyocera will release any major OS updates in the future.

Kyocera DuraForce Pro (8 Images)

Kyocera DuraForce Pro
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