The Waterproof Kyocera Hydro Vibe Review

Have you ever dropped your phone in the toilet, sink, a puddle of water? I have, and I have been lucky not to have lost any devices to water damage (knock on wood). But this klutzy is constantly paranoid that the next time I drop my phone in the toilet I won’t be so lucky. 

Oh but you read the headline right? There is a new solution for those of us who have slippery fingers — a waterproof phone!!! (Finally!) Hello to the Kyocera Hydro Vibe waterproof smartphone! 

Not just for the accident prone, the Kyocera Hydro Vibe is great for summer and all things water. The day after I received the phone I took it to the perfect test — the splash pad.

While my girls ran and splashed, I snapped photos without fear. In fact, I daringly held it in a fountain!

How waterproof is this thing? The Kyocera Hydro Vibe can be fully submerged in up to three and half feet for up to 30 minutes. That’s impressive. And speaking of impressive, check this out.

The Kyocera Hydro Vibe has an 8 megapixel rear camera, and it takes good pictures. But I do have to complain about the shutter speed. The camera is so slow that it is difficult to take pictures of kids who don’t hold still. It is especially difficult in low-light situations. Out in the bright sunlight, I was able to adjust and compensate for the lag time, but it takes some getting used to. 

Another quirk is that they made it a little too easy to take videos. On the camera screen, the video button is right next to the camera button, and there have been several times that I accidentally took a video when I thought I was taking a picture. 

Bottom line, the camera is good but not great. But man, waterproof is awesome! 

It is a solid phone with a rugged body and a 4.5 inch impact-resistant  screen. Since I don’t have a case for it I like that the back has texture and doesn’t scratch easily.  

Because of the durability and lower price point (you can get it from Sprint with a two-year service agreement for $29.99) it is a great starter phone for teens. 

Learn more about the Kyocera Hydro Vibe from Sprint. And for more great phones from Sprint check out my HTC review and LG G2 review.

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Sprint. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and to thank me for participating.