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Dive into the Kyocera Hydro Plus (pictures)

The fully dunkable Kyocera Hydro Plus is a competitively priced Android 4.0 handset for Cricket Wireless.

Lynn La
Lynn La covers mobile reviews and news. She previously wrote for The Sacramento Bee, Macworld and The Global Post.
Lynn La
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1 of 8 Josh Miller/CNET

Cricket's Kyocera Hydro Plus

With its 3.5-inch screen, Android 4.0 OS, and 3.2-megapixel camera, the water-resistant Kyocera Hydro Plus for Cricket Wireless is a prepaid handset that's competitively priced at $139.99.

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2 of 8 Josh Miller/CNET

Small and compact

Measuring 4.53 inches tall, 2.44 inches wide, and 0.5 inch thick, the Hydro Plus is an ultra-pocketable device that's easy to maneuver with one hand.

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3 of 8 Josh Miller/CNET

Waterproof ports up top

On the left is a volume rocker, and the top edge houses a 3.5mm headphone jack and a Micro-USB port for charging. To the right, you'll find a small sleep/power button.

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4 of 8 Josh Miller/CNET

Keeping everything sealed

The back is textured with a ribbed rubber coating that lends an extra sense of durability (though the handset is not a rugged phone). The back plate is secured by a small toggle lock to ensure that water does not seep in.

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5 of 8 Josh Miller/CNET

Splashing in the sink

Kyocera reports that you can submerge the Hydro Plus in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. I stuck it under running water several times, and finally dropped the handset into a tall vase after making sure all the ports were appropriately sealed. Through all these trials, the phone survived.

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6 of 8 Josh Miller/CNET

A low-resolution display

The 3.5-inch HVGA IPS screen has a 480x320-pixel resolution. The display has a narrow viewing angle, especially when seen in direct sunlight, and it appeared washed out when slightly tilted at any angle.

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7 of 8 Josh Miller/CNET

Remember Android 4.0?

The Hydro Plus runs on Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich, which is a really dated OS version even for entry-level devices. You'll still get your standard lineup of Google apps, however, such as Chrome, Gmail, and Plus.

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8 of 8 Josh Miller/CNET

Perfect for music lovers

As a Cricket Wireless handset, the phone features Muve Music, a music subscription service tied to your carrier plan. Users can play and download to play offline thousands of artists and songs.

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