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U.S. Cellular's tough Kyocera Hydro XTRM (pictures)

Though it's not a full-blown rugged handset, the Kyocera Hydro XTRM from U.S. Cellular can survive more drops than the average smartphone.

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 7 Lynn La/CNET

Say hello to the Hydro XTRM

Available today online for $29.99 after users send in a mail-in rebate and sign a two-year agreement with U.S. Cellular, the Kyocera Hydro XTRM is a waterproof and shockproof 4G LTE handset that was announced at CTIA 2013.

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2 of 7 Lynn La/CNET

What happens on the 27th drop?

Given that the phone belongs to Kyocera's line of waterproof Hydro handsets, the XTRM can be underwater at a meter's depth, for up to 30 minutes. However, it's also shockproof, and it can be reportedly dropped 26 times from a height of 4 feet.

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3 of 7 Lynn La/CNET

No in-ear speaker here

This phone also features Smart Sonic Receiver technology. In lieu of an in-ear speaker above the display, the device uses its ceramic transducer inside to transmit audio via the hard tissue inside your ear. This, in effect, boosts audio clarity and quality.

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4 of 7 Lynn La/CNET

A hefty profile

The device measures 4.88 inches tall, 2.52 inches wide, and 0.42 inches thick. It weighs 4.9 ounces, and the heftiness was apparent when I held it in my hand. However, after a quick while, I stopped noticing its heaviness.

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5 of 7 Lynn La/CNET

Underneath the hood

Powering the device is a dual-core Snapdragon 1.2GHz processor, and a 2,000mAh battery, which has a reported talk time of 12.4 hours.

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6 of 7 Lynn La/CNET

Camera features for the photog

Users will also get a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, along with a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chatting and vanity shots.

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7 of 7 Lynn La/CNET

Solid mid-range features

The handset sports a 4-inch IPS WVGA display with a 800x480-pixel resolution. It runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and includes 1GB of RAM, 4GB of ROM, and a storage capacity expandable to 32GB.

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