Drop Your Phone in Water?!? You Need A Waterproof Phone

By Jamie Wiersma

What?!? A cell phone that is not damaged when accidentally dropped in water even when it is not in a waterproof case? As a busy mom with 3 rough boys, this sounded like a great device to me. So, when I was given the opportunity to try out the Kyocera Hydro Edge by Boost Mobile I was excited to see if it could stand up to the test. Even better was the fact that our family was going camping at the same time that I would have the phone so I could really test it out in the great outdoors.

The Kyocera Hydro Edge can be submerged in up to 3.28 feet of water for up to 30 minutes and is part of the new Hydro series of waterproof Android smartphones. Sprint vice president of Product Development, David Owens, states,

“Hydro Edge helps reduce the worries of water damage during a day at the beach or a day on the job without having to spend extra money on a waterproof case.”

Owens continues, “with the power of Android Jelly Bean and a 4-inch capacitive impact resistant touchscreen, Hydro Edge helps our customers stay connected and get things done.” This smartphone is available to Sprint and Boost Mobile customers, giving people the option of either a contract or no-contract plan. You can check out the plan options here.

In addition to being waterproof, Kyocera Hydro Edge boasts the following features:

• Android 4.1, Jelly Bean
• 1GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
• Smart Sonic Receiver technology – improves audio in noisy environments
• 4-inch capacitive, impact-resistant touchscreen display
• 5-megapixel camera with LED flash and video camera

Does it REALLY Work?  Is it Really a Waterproof Phone?

So, the most important question is “Is the phone actually waterproof?”

And the answer is…YES! Our family went panning for gold while we were camping last weekend and I “accidentally” dropped the phone in the pretend stream at the Discovery Center. I thought that the gentlemen that were helping my kids pan for gold were going to have a heart attack when I yelled

“Oh no! I dropped my phone in the water!”

They were quite relieved when I told them that the phone was waterproof and that everything was fine. Immediately after I took the phone out of the water I was able to take pictures of the kids, check my email, use the internet and make phone calls.

My other question was whether or not the phone functioned underwater or if it just protected itself by turning itself off.

As you can see, here is a picture of the bottom of my kitchen sink. It’s not a very pretty picture but shows that the camera is able to function under water. (As a reminder, the phone boasts that it can be submerged only up to 3.28 feet so, PLEASE, do not do something crazy like go snorkeling with it! It is not considered an underwater camera!)

Obviously there needs to be more to a phone than just the fact that it is waterproof. Here are some pros and cons that I observed while I was trying out the phone.

Pros:

• Start-Up Configuring – The phone did a great job when first using the phone giving me suggestions on how to format and configure things. It gave me the option to configure now, remind me later or never.
• User Friendly – I am more familiar with the iPhone and iPad devices so I was a little nervous about using an Android phone. Over all, I felt like the phone was very user friendly.
• Battery Power – We were camping at a place that had minimal availability of electricity so I had limited opportunities to charge my phone. I was impressed by the fact that I never ran out of battery life over the weekend. I basically charged it two mornings while getting ready in the bathroom and about 10 minutes in the car. I was able to check email, Facebook, read the Bible, take pictures and do things on the internet as needed the entire weekend and did not run out of battery power.
• Apps – There were a lot of useful apps already loaded on the phone.
• Decent speakers – for listening to YouTube.

Cons:

• Camera – The camera seems to have a bit of a lag time when you take pictures. When you have three active boys, you need to take pictures quickly. Sometimes I missed the action shot because the camera didn’t click quick enough. The camera also does not have the capability of taking pictures from both directions (i.e. you want to take a picture of yourself with scenery in the background, you can’t use the screen to make sure that you are centered in the picture like many phone cameras have the ability to do.)
• Facebook – I was on Facebook posting pictures and posted two completely separate pictures. Because I posted them too close together, they posted together like they were in an album. Sounds like a silly thing but I had two really good captions that people didn’t see because of the way it posted!
• Email – when deleting emails, if you are deleting several at a time, it moves a little slow. In addition, it seems as though it only has the capacity to hold a certain amount of emails and if that is exceeded, some of the previous emails that were in your box, seem to disappear. Sometimes the phone gave me the option to download more emails and when I clicked that, it usually brought back emails that I had already deleted.

For Sprint customers who are eligible for an upgrade and sign up for a two-year service agreement, the phone is available for $19.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate. Boost Mobile customers can purchase the phone for $149.99 at Boost Mobile’s exclusive retail stores, select independent wireless dealer locations nationwide and here with free shipping.

A Mom’s Perspective

Overall, this is a great phone. As a busy mom with three active boys, the Hydro Edge gives me the peace of mind to know that if the phone accidentally is dropped in water, it’s not a problem.

I can enjoy time at the beach or the pool and have access to my phone without needing to worry about it getting wet. The fact that I was easily able to figure out the phone and set it up to my liking was important as well.  In addition, it is offered at a reasonable price. I like that Sprint and Boost Mobile offer competitive plans that are affordable for the average user.

* I was loaned the Kyocera Hydro Edge for 2 weeks in exchange for my honest opinions, all of which are my own.