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Kyocera DuraXE Review
It’s easy to get lost in the big names when it comes to smartphones, ignoring those that do it just as well. This review will show you one of those who don’t get enough credit, Kyocera, the makers of the Kyocera DuraXE E4710. The Japanese maker found its way into smartphones on a pretty complicated route. They already owned companies capable of producing components for phones but bought Sanyo Mobile in 2008. Sanyo had a good pedigree in cell phone innovation up to that point but had been overtaken by the likes of Samsung and Motorola.
To gain a footing in the market, Kyocera produced a range of phones to suit all prices. As part of that range, they produced the DuraXE, a tougher-than-average clamshell flip phone. We currently have the Kyocera DuraXE for sale in our store, feel free to follow the link to learn more!
Kyocera DuraXE Unboxing Video
Kyocera DuraXE Build and Looks
As a flip phone (clamshell), it would be easy to dismiss the DuraXE as something functional and dull. Fortunately, though, it’s a lot better looking than that. Okay, so it’s never going to look as good as a smartphone with a wraparound display but, as flip phones go, it’s hard to beat.
The case is a special rubber that Kyocera calls Dura-Grip. As well as reinforces, it is non-slip, even when wearing gloves. The case contributes a lot to the DuraXE going way beyond the protection you’d expect a maker to build into their devices. The Kyocera DuraXE E4710 is IP68 compliant, which offers both water and dust protection, in addition to being MIL-STD 810G compliant as well.
The Military Standard 810G demonstrates protection from shock, vibration, thermal shock, pressure, solar radiation, salt fog, and more. Some smartphones are starting to include some of these protections, but few have this many.
All in all, it’s hard to fault what Kyocera has done when putting the DuraXE together. It feels good and solid, the Dura-Grip seems to work very well, and we can’t see why the phone isn’t one of the toughest we’ve tested.
At 4.21 x 2.22 x 0.99 inches, and weighing just 6oz, it’s small enough for even gloved hands and feels very solid in use.
Hardware
For the Kyocera DuraXE 8GB black, the processor is a pretty decent 1.1 GHz Quad-Core affair. It may sound lightweight by today’s smartphone standards, but the DuraXE isn’t running a complex OS or designed for movies and gaming. That makes the CPU plenty powerful enough to keep things moving more than fast enough. There’s never a sense of lag or delay, and menus load quickly.
The front display is a low-res screen, intended for notifications, the time, and not much more. It is, though, clear and easily readable. The inside display is protected until the phone is opened, and is a 2.6″ color screen. There’s no touchscreen here, but the menus are simple enough, so navigation is easy and quick.
4G ready, with Bluetooth 4.1, wifi 802.11 n, and GPS means nothing is lacking in the comms department.
The Kyocera DuraXE 8GB black has generous storage, with the option to add a further 32GB via the Micro SD card slot.
Kyocera DuraXE Camera
The point of a phone like the DuraXE is not to take endless selfies of videos. Nonetheless, it’s nice to have a decent enough camera. Fortunately, although not groundbreaking, the 5MP camera here does a good enough job. If you need photos for your job, then it is perfectly adequate. The quality is good, and you should have plenty of storage room.
Video capture is available at 720p HD, which is a welcome bonus. All too often, video quality is not a priority in flip phones. It’s good that Kyocera recognizes the necessity in certain work environments for good video recordings.
Battery
Again, by flip phone standards, the battery is a generous 1500mAh. Because there’s no social media syncing or heavy-duty display, the battery is good enough for over 9hrs talk time or 16 days on standby.
Push-To-Talk
As confirmation that Kyocera intended for the DuraXE to be a phone for tough work environments, there are one or two less common features. Industries like healthcare, construction, and manufacturing can greatly benefit from a rugged phone like the DuraXE.
Push-To-Talk is a feature where a dedicated button can make the phone behave in walkie-talkie mode. More PTT phones are required for this to work, and there may be charges from your provider, but it’s a great feature. It’s especially useful for those in noisy environments. The DuraXE speakers are incredibly loud, fortunately. So loud that it will take some serious background noise to beat them. In testing, the audio output from the DuraXE is at least equivalent to heavy-duty radios built for the purpose.
Kyocera DuraXE Safety
As well as being pretty tough, the DuraXE has safety features built-in. Any electronic device creates a spark with even the smallest action. Every time you press a button, the action creates a small charge which can lead to a spark. Put most phones into a highly flammable situation, with fumes or gases, and a single key-press could be fatal. The DuraXE is for use in environments where such substances wouldn’t normally be present, but which may occur.
This is vital in industries where getting help may be a matter of life or death.
Is the Kyocera DuraXE LTE?
With 3G phasing out in the next coming months, many are worried that their phones will no longer work past February 2022. That leaves the important question, is the DuraXE LTE? The relieving answer is yes! Luckily the Kyocera DuraXE for sale in our store has a few different bands. Currently, its supports B2, B4, B5, B12 with MFBI (Cat. 4).
Which charger will work for the Kyocera DuraXE?
The Kyocera DuraXE was released in early 2016 before the boom of Type C. Even though Type-C was introduced in 2014, it took a while to become mainstream due to its complicated implementation. This means the charger Kyocera DuraXE uses micro-USB 2.0. The cable can be used for charging and for data transfer on a computer or laptop.
Kyocera Duraxe Price
Here at Mr Aberthon, we want to offer you the best option and best price available, especially for our rugged devices. Due to the DuraXE being an older phone, it’s hard to find a brand new device. There are some Kyocera DuraXE unlocked for sale on Amazon for $175. But researching in the comments shows something different. While the item is advertised as brand new, people have posted photos showing scratches and wear and tear.
To be clear, Mr Aberthon will always disclose in the title what condition you are purchasing. We offer the Kyocera DuraXE unlocked for sale in slightly used condition for $159.99. If you have any questions about any of our devices, please feel free to contact our customer service team!
Other Rugged Options
The Kyocera DuraXE 8GB black is a fantastic phone at doing what it does, but it is by no means the only option in the arena. Here are a few other options.
Samsung Rugby 4
Samsung Rugby 4. The Rugby 4 is another big player in the rugged phones arena. It’s a cult classic, simple to use, very strong, and affordable. This is another option on our website. Click to learn more about the Rugby 4.
Samsung Rugby 2
Samsung Rugby 2. It’s the younger brother of the Rugby 4. It’s similar to the DuraXE but not near as good. It doesn’t have 4G…
Sonim XP3
Sonim XP3. The Sonim XP3 is a great choice for a strong rugged flip phone, but the price bracket is a lot higher than the DuraXE.
Summary
That is it for our review, all in all, the Kyocera DuraXE E4710 is an impressive cell phone. It is not a smartphone but that isn’t the intention. But that doesn’t mean it lacks any features which will be useful. It is for people who work in tough environments which, ordinarily, would kill phones within days or weeks. It’s also an alternative for those who need their phones to be just that bit tougher.
Ordinarily, such tough phones would be out of range of the average user’s pocket. Not the DuraXE, though, Because Kyocera wants to appeal to all markets, they have a policy of high-quality phones at budget prices. In our store we have the Kyocera DuraXE unlocked for sale. Given what the DuraXE is equipped with, it shouldn’t be available at such a great price. It is, though, so don’t be afraid of nabbing a real bargain.
