Kyocera DuraForce XD coming soon: a rugged phablet

Although based in Japan, it’s surprisingly shocking how few mobile offerings from Kyocera are actually released here. In the USA, meanwhile, customers have been getting product potential for ages now, including the interesting Echo from long ago. AT&T has just announced its plans to carry a new 5.7-inch rugged phablet, the Kyocera DuraForce XD.

The phone is the company’s “first rugged 4G LTE-ready big-screen smartphone” and “is ideal for workers who are constantly mobile and need a larger smartphone display that can sustain harsh weather and work environments…It’s tested and approved to support AT&T Mobile Device Management (MDM), Enterprise Data Management (EDM), Workforce Automation (WFA), and Sales Force Automation (SFA) solutions. And it’s Android for Work enabled, so you can customize it to meet most any industry needs.”

The XD supports IP68 certification, which means means the it is both dust and waterproof (up to 30 minutes and 6 feet) and has Military Standard 810G certification for “protection against dust, drops, shock, vibration, temperature extremes, blowing rain, low pressure, high altitude, solar radiation, salt fog, humidity, and water immersion.”

It is also “Certified Non-Incendive, Class I, Division 2. With this certification, you can take your DuraForce XD with you to work sites where concentrations of flammable gases, vapors, or mists aren’t normally present in an explosive concentration, but might accidentally exist.”

Push-To-Talk support is included, along with extra-loud dual speakers capable of 110dB at peak volume, and enhanced support for use with both gloves and when the screen is wet.

In terms of core specs, the XD has an impact-resistant, 5.7-inch HD panel and a removable 3700mAh battery as well as “external charging contacts for multi-bay charging.”

Specs beyond those provided above (i.e. SoC, RAM, storage, cameras, Android version) are pending with AT&T indicating that they, along with pricing and availability, will be announced in the next few weeks.

While the DuraForce XD may not appeal to mainstream consumers, it is likely to catch the attention of those who work in more rugged environments. The large screen in particular will no doubt be a welcomed presence, especially amid the smaller display sized used in possible rivals such as the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active.

We will update this piece in time, as more specs and details are provided.