The Kyocera DuraForce Ultra 5G UW is an arduous phone. It doesn’t need you to give up so many conveniences to get the advantages of durability. It’s obvious for rugged phones to feature aged processors and deficit advanced features. Such phones generally have specialized uses, like barcode scanning or accepting payments. They just require to keep functioning in rough environments.
The DuraForce 5G comprises durability and advanced features like 5G, a high-quality processor, wireless charging, and dual rear cameras. At $899, it’s a costly phone. You can purchase an advanced non-rugged phone for that cost. But if durability and performance are a must, the DuraForce 5G is (literally) a great choice.
DuraForce Ultra 5G Features
Get the DuraForce Ultra 5G, and you’ll find right away that you possess a rugged phone in your hands. The bottom and top of the device are covered with thick plastic bumpers. The side includes a texturized finish. Its weight is 278g, which is much heavier than your standard phone. The display screen itself isn’t very large, only a 5.45-inch 1080p LCD panel. But the big bezels and thick chin make it a bulky phone overall.
Despite such dimensions, it’s easy to use one-handed, as the screen also is comparatively small. The device will fit in a jacket pocket, but it would be chunky for denim pockets. Haptics is aggressive, even with a “medium” default setting. It is a good feature in a device you might be utilizing with gloves. Also, you can turn touch vibrations down or off.
The Device is both IP65 and IP68 rated, which means there’s generous water intrusion prevention both from immersion and jets (up to 6.5 feet for about 30 minutes). The phone satisfies the Military Standard 810H specifications. It safeguards from dust and sand, vibration, extreme temperatures, high altitudes, and various other repugnant situations.
I Couldn’t examine it against all the aforementioned situations. However, I subjected the device to various abuse like; an hourlong placed in the freezer, poured water for 30 minutes, exposure to sand, and a drop from about five feet onto concrete. Apart from some minor scratches obtained in the concrete dropping test, the phone kept functioning fine. This phone includes a two-year warranty. So, until you use the device within the conditions it’s specified to withstand, you shouldn’t be keeping your purchase at risk.
In regards to rugged features, the Kyocera is just flooded with buttons. It includes a power button with a built-in fingerprint sensor, three programmable buttons. It also has a big volume rocker that is convenient to press with gloves. The programmable buttons are easy to reach while using the phone. But that means so many accidental presses, too. You can assign any of the keys to “do nothing” when pressed to avoid unintended phone calls or texts.
DuraForce Ultra 5G Screen, Battery, and Performance
Besides the common differences in looks and ergonomics, the Kyocera manages pretty much any other Android device. The brightness seems a bit low on contrast compared to your standard display. The panel is designed and optimized for viewability in sunlight. That’s more significant to the device’s target user than a featured multimedia viewing experience. The panel is viewable even in bright direct light.
The protective “Sapphire Shield” remained scratch-free during testing. But it easily picks up reflections outside, more than other devices with Gorilla Glass. It wasn’t enough to stress me, but someone willing to use the device outside in bright sunlight might find it problematic.
The Kyocera DuraForce comprises a Snapdragon 765G fast processor with 6GB RAM. It keeps the device’s overall performance equal to any midrange phone. There’s some breakthrough when scrolling hastily over screens with several images and videos. And an observable pause post clicking a photo in the camera. Otherwise, it works well, especially pondering the lower performance bar in the arduous category.
It includes a 4,500mAh in-built battery. It has a comparatively long battery life for the rugged class. It enables me a full day of medium to heavy use. The device supports Qi wireless charging, which is extravagant among rugged devices. The DuraForce Ultra 5G phone was a bit spitfire on a stand-style Belkin wireless charger. But it worked after I set it on the charger in landscape mode.
DuraForce Ultra 5G Camera Quality
Its rear camera range comprises a 24-megapixel (f/1.8 standard wide) and a 16-megapixel (f/2.2 ultrawide). It also consists of a time-of-flight sensor. There is an 8-megapixel f/2.0 front selfie camera. Picture-taking probably isn’t a priority for future DuraForce Ultra owners. Picture quality is not up to the quality you’d find on typical $900 phones, but it does the task.
Pictures in bright light look good. Color and exposure can transfer observably between two pictures clicked with the same camera at different angles. I observed some odd misses randomly. Like a blurry click of a static object where it seemed like the camera had attempted to apply so much HDR. But mostly, in good light, images are absolutely fine. Also, there is a noticeable cut above, what I had anticipated from a rugged phone.
If you’re only eager about the experience of having a rugged phone, the Ultra 5G isn’t for you. The phone’s enormously hardy features would be attractive to anyone worried about dropping their phone, also for those who occasionally bring their phone to beaches or backcountry camping. If that is you, spend your $900 on a good standard phone and a rugged class. You’ll get a better camera, better performance, frequent software updates, basically, much more for the money.
If you are a frontline worker, construction worker, then the Ultra 5G is good for you. The inclusion of wireless charging, 5G, and processing power makes it a better phone on and off the site.
However, $900 is a big amount to spend on a rugged phone. I think the user group of this specific phone is very small. You could purchase a cost-effective, rugged phone with limited features like Kyocera’s last year’s DuraForce model. Or a nice midrange phone for almost the same price.
Still, the Ultra 5G represents a convenient choice for a specific kind of person who feels having two phones is fussy. It Withstands almost everything I threw it at and worked well as a regular companion. It is good for regular tasks like scrolling social media and navigating maps across town. If high durability is essential and you don’t want to spend much on it, you must go for Ultra 5G.
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