14 DAY TRIAL // We reported earlier today that Verizon Wireless silently launched the LG G Vista after the smartphone leaked for the first time a few weeks ago.
Along with LG’s mid-range Android smartphone, the Big Red also added another Kyocera rugged handset to its portfolio, the Brigadier. Many of you probably never heard about Kyocera Brigadier before Verizon listed it on its webstore, but this device emerged online back in April.
Unfortunately, no info on the smartphone’s whereabouts surfaced at that time, so the launch of the Kyocera Brigadier, along with LG G Vista, is a big surprise.
Just like the LG G Vista, the Kyocera Brigadier is now available for purchase through Verizon for only $100 (€75) on 2-year agreements. In addition, the smartphone can also be obtained for $20 (€15) per month for 24 months through Verizon EDGE, or for $400 (€300) outright.
However, unlike LG’s mid-range smartphone, the Brigadier is a rugged device, which means you will be able to use it in extreme conditions.
In this regard, Kyocera confirmed the Brigadier meets the US Department of Defense Military Standard 810G to protect against dust, shock, vibration, temperature extremes, blowing rain, low pressure, solar radiation, salt fog, humidity and water immersion.
The smartphone also comes with a high-capacity 3,100 mAh battery, which can be charged wirelessly thanks to the Qi-enabled technology embedded into the phone. Keep in mind though that the Qi wireless charging pad must be bought separately.
Kyocera Brigadier sports a 4.5-inch HD (720p) capacitive touchscreen display with improved readability in bright outdoor settings, as well as Kyocera Sapphire Shield coating.
The smartphone is powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, and comes with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, which can be further expanded up to 32GB via a microSD memory card.
On the back, the Brigadier packs an 8-megapixel photo snapper with autofocus, LED flash and full HD (1080p) video recording, while on the front there’s a secondary 2-megapixel camera for video calls and self-portraits.
Connectivity-wise, Kyocera Brigadier offers multiple options, including 4G LTE support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 with LE (Low Energy) and EDR, GPS with A-GPS, NFC (Near Field Communication) and microUSB.
Keep in mind that the 3100 mAh battery inside the Brigadier is non-removable and should provide up to 15 days of standby time or up to 26 hours of talk time.
It’s also worth mentioning that Kyocera Brigadier ships with Android 4.4 KitKat operating system out of the box and comes preloaded with lots of apps and services, such as: Isis Mobile Waller, Amazon App Store, VZ Navigator, and Verizon Cloud.