We are still in the middle of summer, which means pool-goers still have at least a month to get a tan on the shoreline before fall arrives. Unfortunately, phones and water do not mix, which is where Kyocera and its newly-unveiled Hydro Shore come in.
Staying true to its name, the Hydro Shore is certified for IP57, which means the phone can immerse itself in water up to one meter deep for up to 30 minutes, as well as protect itself against dust. It should be noted that an IP57 rating is only for fresh water (which sort of defeats the purpose of calling your phone the Hydro Shore). Regardless, you can still use the touchscreen as intended in the event the phone does get wet, though Kyocera recommends you dry the phone “as quickly as possible.”
Elsewhere, the Hydro Shore is less remarkable, with a 5-inch, 960 x 540 resolution display, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, and a 5MP main camera with LED flash around back. A 1.1GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 chipset with 1GB RAM power the phone, while a 2,160mAh battery keeps the lights on. The Hydro Shore only comes with 8GB of native storage, with even less actually available to use, though the MicroSD card slot supports up to an additional 64GB.
Finally, and most unfortunately, the Hydro Shore runs the aging Android 5.1 Lollipop out of the box, with no mention of an upgrade to Nougat or even Marshmallow.
Overall, the Hydro Shore does not set out to stun the world, but instead offers itself as an affordable option for those not wanting to worry about getting their phones wet. Speaking of affordable, the phone will be available through AT&T’s GoPhone no-contract service tomorrow, July 16, for $80. Alas, you will not be able to visit an AT&T store to buy the phone, since it will only be sold through Walmart.
