San Diego – Kyocera Communications is expanding its presence in the T-Mobile and MetroPCS lineups with its newest waterproof 4G LTE Android smartphone, the Hydro Wave.
The phone is Kyocera’s first phone with 5-inch display and first to ship with Lollipop 5.1, a spokesman said. The company’s largest display had been 4.5 inches.
At T-Mobile, the Wave joins Kyocera’s Hydro LIFE smartphone and Rally feature phone, and for T-
Mobile’s MetroPCS prepaid service brand, it joins the Hydro Life.
Last year, Kyocera announced plans to expand its handset selection through national carriers that either offer a limited Kyocera selection or don’t offer Kyocera products.
The Wave is available through T-Mobile starting today for $149.99 (or $0 down with 23 monthly payments of $6.25 with a 24th payment of $6.24). It becomes available through MetroPCS on July 27 for $39 with instant rebate.
“It’s an incredibly affordable phone in the 5-inch category at $149 at T-Mobile and $39 –after rebates and promos — at MetroPCS,” the Kyocera spokesman said.
The phone extends Kyocera’s Hydro Series, which launched in 2012 with the original Hydro at Boost Mobile.
The phone is IPX7-rated to withstand water immersion for up to 30 minutes in up to 3.28 feet (1 meter) of water. It’s also IPX-5-rated to resist dust and Military Standard 810G-certified for shock and drops.
The phone also features Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.2GHz quad-core CPU, 1GB RAM, 8GB storage, 32GB microSD memory card slot, 2300mAh lithium-ion non-removable battery, T-Mobile Wi-Fi calling, 5-megapixel camera with 720p video capture at 30fps, stereo Bluetooth 4.0 + LE/EDR, voice recognition, and Eco Mode and MaxiMZR applications to extend battery life.
