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Review: Kyocera DuraMax for Sprint

Form Basics Extras Wrap-Up Comments 4

The DuraMax's feature set is about as basic as it gets. Kyocera and Sprint are obviously aiming at a particular market segment with this device: those who need a durable phone that makes good voice calls and does little else. In fact, there's really no other reason to get this device if you're not in need of a rugged handset that offers PTT powers.

The hardware lives up to its mil-spec rating and survived some abuse from me, including drops, kicks, throws, and even dunks into water. It may not be a svelte piece of hardware, but that's not what it is designed to be.

The DuraMax's strongest suits are good battery life and good call quality. The only thing really holding it back in this respect is the pitifully weak volumes produced by both the earpiece and the speakerphone. You might be able to hear calls when on a quiet, woodland trail, but there's no way in hell you're going to hear what your coworkers are saying on a construction site. Speaking of which, the PTT walkie-talkie features work perfectly and are an able successor to Sprint Nextel's iDEN-based services.

The DuraMax's weak points are its limited media playback capabilities, so-so camera, and downright useless video camera. Browsing isn't that great, either.

But for the outdoor enthusiast who is more concerned with having a durable voice device than a pretty media device, the DuraMax is durable to the maximum effect.

Our Ratings

Overall

Reception

Battery Life

Hardware Usability

Hardware Quality

Display

Interface Speed

Audio Volume

Camera

Both the DuraCore and DuraMax are rugged phones for Sprint. Rather than support Sprint's iDEN network for PTT functions, however, they rely on the new CDMA-based alternative.

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Kyocera DuraMax

2" display 240 x 320 pixels
QSC6085 processor
1,360 mAh battery
Memory Card Slot, Water-Resistant

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