14 DAY TRIAL // Japanese handset maker Kyocera and US-based carrier Cricket have just announced the upcoming availability of Hydro View, an affordable Android smartphone.
According to Cricket, Kyocera Hydro View will be available for purchase on January 8 for just $80 outright (no contract required). It will go on sale both online and at brick and mortar stores.
As with many of Kyocera's smartphones launched in the United States, the Hydro View is a dust- and water-resistant device since it's been IP57-certified.
Unfortunately, specs-wise, Kyocera's affordable smartphone is totally unimpressive, so the only major points of the Hydro View would be the low price and decent design.
Kyocera confirmed the Hydro View sports a 5-inch capacitive touchscreen display that supports qHD (540 x 960 pixels) resolution.
Furthermore, the smartphone comes equipped with a low-end 1.1GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 processor, coupled with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal memory that can be expanded up to 32GB via microSD card slot.
There's also a 5-megapixel camera on the back, which features autofocus, LED flash and video recording, along with a secondary 2-megapixel camera in the front.
Don't expect any major software updates in the future
The good news is the smartphone includes 4G LTE support and comes preloaded with Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system right out of the box.
“Cricket customers want performance without compromise and we're constantly looking for new ways to deliver that – whether it's through our network, with more 4G LTE coverage than T-Mobile, MetroPCS, Sprint, or Boost, or through our device portfolio which now includes the new Kyocera Hydro VIEW.
“With the Hydro VIEW, we can bring our customers all the high-end features of a smartphone with the durability to withstand life's surprises – no matter how wet, dirty or dusty they may be,” said Janna Ducich, chief marketing officer, Cricket Wireless.