AT&T and Kyocera have today taken the wraps off of two new Android devices coming to AT&T and Cricket this month. Both of the devices are built with surviving the elements in mind, while also offering specs that lead to optimal performance.
Kyocera has published a new video of its Sapphire Shield smartphone cover in action, pitting it against standard impact-resistant glass in a few drop and scratch tests. As you might expect, the sapphire cover fared much better than the glass. While the glass display was easily scratched and shattered using a piece of granite, the Sapphire Shield looked like it had just come out of the box.
The Sapphire Shield can currently be found on Kyocera’s Brigadier smartphone, which became available from Verizon last week. The phone is currently one of a few to sport a sapphire display, though it’s widely believed that Apple will be debuting such a device early next month.
You can see the full Sapphire Shield stress test below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_7tVP5YHt0]
Another day, another rugged phone from Kyocera. Today, the company announced that its new waterproof, shock-proof, drop-proof, dust resistant Hydro Life will be available to T-Mobile customers at Wal-Mart for $125 on August 8th and MetroPCS subscribers on August 29th. Known for its tough devices, Kyocera’s IP57 certified smartphone should help even the biggest klutz overcome what the phone maker refers to as “fragiphoniphobia.”
There’s been a lot of talk about the next iPhone launching with a highly resilient sapphire display, however phone maker Kyocera has managed to beat the Cupertino-based software giant to market with the release of its rugged Brigadier. Available now on Verizon for $100 on a two year service agreement or $20 a month via the carrier’s Edge service, this durable device targets people who frequently battle the elements.