14 DAY TRIAL // Kyocera Hydro Elite is a rugged smartphone that made its way onto Verizon’s portfolio a few months ago. The device was launched with Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean operating system out of the box and is hard to believe that it will get another version any time soon.
However, that’s not the point, as Kyocera’s handset is clearly aimed at those Android fans that need a solid, sturdy device. The Hydro Elite has been IP57 certified, which means that it is dust and water-resistant.
According to Kyocera, the smartphone can be submerged in water up to 1 meter for 30 minutes and still remain in good condition. Moreover, the MIL-STD-810G certification makes it salt, dust, humidity, rain, vibration, solar radiation, transport and thermal shock resistant.
The Hydro Elite is a good rugged Android smartphone, but it will be much better after the latest update provided by Kyocera and Verizon, or at least we hope so.
The official changelog of the update has already been published by Verizon and confirms that the phone received lots of improvements and performance enhancements, as well as UI tweaks, camera and audio changes and a lot more.
For example, the touch screen and touch keyboard sensitivity have been improved and the OTA software update screen now displays customized text. When it comes to UI, the following changes have been included in this update:
- Call screen stays lit for more than 15 seconds when call is active; - Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) stays consistent when device is idle; - Emergency Alert Tone rings regardless of device settings; - Glossary Help display now shows all information; - Power consumption reminder can be turned off when using Mobile Hotspot; - Warning notice appears when earphones connect to device and volume is on loud setting; - Power Button Instantly Locks function now works properly - 4G LTE and Wi-Fi icon data transfer notification issues are fixed.
The update is pushed OTA (over the air), so Kyocera Hydro Elite owners might want to manually check for it if they haven’t been notified yet. For more details on the improvements included in this update, check out Verizon’s support website for the full list of changes.