Sprint And Virgin Mobile Are Getting The Waterproof Kyocera Hydro Vibe By The End Of May!

Sprint and Virgin Mobile USA are adding another device to their fast growing lineups. Virgin Mobile USA is a no-contract pre paid plan that operates under Sprint. This time around they have teamed up with Kyocera and are bring the Hydro Vibe, a new waterproof 4G LTE smartphone that features Sprint Spark. By bringing it to both Virgin Mobile and Sprint, customers will have offers for how they pay for their devices and which monthly plan they choose. It will be coming to Sprint on this coming Friday, May 9th 2014, and it will be on Virgin Mobile on May 27th 2014. Let’s dive into the features and specifications of the Kyocera Hydro Vibe.

The Hydro Vibe enters a very packed market, especially with two new flagships from Samsung and HTC. This new offering from Kyocera is a waterproof device and is part of the third generation of waterproof Kyocera devices that Sprint and Virgin Mobile have put out. It can be completely submerged in up to one meter or 3.28 feet of water for up to 30 minutes, this gives it IP57 certification. However, it still keeps a thin bezel and features a Smart Sonic Receiver. It features Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, an 8 megapixel rear camera with LED flash, a 2 megapixel front facing camera, 4.5-inch qHD capacitive, impact-resistant display, 8GB of internal storage, a micro SD card slot, Wireless charging(via PMA), Near Field Communications or NFC, a 1.2GHz Quad Core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, Sprint Spark, and HD Voice.

On Sprint the device will work with Sprint Easy Pay, which means, if you are eligible, you can purchase Hydro Vibe for $0 down (plus tax) and 24 monthly payments of $9.59. On Virgin Mobile USA the Kyocera Hydro Vibe will cost $149.99 and can be paired with Virgin Mobile’s Beyond Talk No-Contract plans with unlimited data. Stay tuned for our full reviews of the Kyocera Hydro Vibe for Sprint and Virgin Mobile USA. In the mean time you can see a press release below.

Press Release

Weather the Spring Showers and Summer Fun with Waterproof Kyocera Hydro Vibe from Sprint and Virgin Mobile USA

Available in time for Mother’s and Father’s Day, Hydro Vibe is the ideal device for on-the-go parents

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., and SAN DIEGO – May 5, 2014 – Just in time for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, spring showers and beach days, Sprint (NYSE:S) will offer the all new Kyocera Hydro Vibe waterproof 4G LTE smartphone beginning Friday, May 9. As we move into summer, Virgin Mobile USA will offer the Android™ device as well, without a contract, beginning May 27. Bringing this feature-rich smartphone to both Sprint and Virgin Mobile gives customers choice in how they pay for their devices and their monthly service plans.

According to recent survey data from comScore, 55 percent of people with children say they are “very likely” to purchase a waterproof phone – and for good reason. Parents report damaging phones twice as frequently as those without children.

“The demand for waterproof smartphones has only increased since Kyocera introduced the original Hydro in the U.S. in 2012,” said David Owens, senior vice president-Product, Sprint. “Hydro Vibe is the third generation of waterproof Kyocera devices Sprint has brought to our prepaid and postpaid customers. Vibe eliminates the worries of liquid damage during a day at the beach or a day on the job without having to invest in a waterproof case or sacrificing the sleek style and functionality we expect from smartphones.”

Kyocera Hydro Vibe is the newest addition to Kyocera’s successful Hydro Series of waterproof Android smartphones, all of which can be completely submerged in up to one meter (3.28 feet) of water for up to 30 minutes. Built with affordable style and everyday protection in mind, Hydro Vibe features a thin bezel and Kyocera’s award-winning Smart Sonic Receiver audio technology, allowing users to hear conversations more clearly in noisy environments like baseball games and loud restaurants.

“Kyocera is at the forefront of waterproof technology for mobile devices, proving that extra protection from life’s accidents doesn’t mean a smartphone has to be expensive and bulky,” said Eric Anderson, senior vice president and general manager of global sales and marketing at Kyocera Communications Inc. “Hydro Vibe builds on the success of the original Kyocera Hydro and more than 40 Kyocera waterproof devices launched worldwide. It’s a great gift idea for Mom or Dad or for anyone who wants some added protection from the elements during spring showers or summer fun.”

In addition to being IP57-rated for protection against dust and water intrusion, Kyocera Hydro Vibe boasts the following features:

• Android 4.3, Jelly Bean
• 4.5-inch qHD capacitive, impact-resistant touchscreen display
• 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and video camera; 2-megapixel front camera
• Near Field Communication (NFC)-capable for easy file sharing with other NFC-enabled devices
• Qualcomm^® Snapdragon™ processor with 1.2GHz quad-core CPU
• Wireless charging (PMA)
• 2,000mAh battery for longer use on a single charge, plus Kyocera’s proprietary Eco-Mode and MaxiMZR power-management apps
• 8GB of on-board memory, expandable to 32GB with microSD™

The device also will have the added advantage of running on Sprint Spark^TM in markets where available. Sprint Spark is an enhanced LTE service designed to greatly improve the performance of video and other bandwidth-intensive applications. With peak wireless speed of 60Mbps, Sprint Spark enables stutter-free video chat on-the-go and mobile gaming that leaves lag behind.

Sprint recently launched six new Spark markets — Newark, N.J.; Oakland, Calif.; Orlando, Fla.; Tacoma, Wash.; Waukegan, Ill., and West Palm Beach, Fla. Sprint has launched 24 Sprint Spark markets and is expected to reach 100 million people by the end of the year.

In addition to Sprint Spark, Sprint continues to bring the most advanced innovation in sound quality to its customers with High-Definition (HD) Voice. HD Voice is a new Sprint standard for crystal-clear voice calls. It provides a fuller, more natural-sounding voice, plus noise-cancelling technology that virtually eliminates background noise from places like a busy road or crowded restaurant. ^[1] .

Sprint Customers

With Sprint Easy Pay, well-qualified buyers can purchase Hydro Vibe for $0 down (plus tax) and 24 monthly payments of $9.59.

The Sprint Framily Plan lets customers decide who they consider family. The more people added to the group, up to 10 phone lines, the greater the savings for everyone on the plan. For one line of service, new Sprint customers pay $55 per month per line for unlimited talk, text and 1GB of data while on the Sprint network (excluding taxes and surcharges). For each additional new Sprint customer who joins the Framily group, the cost per person goes down $5 a month up to a maximum monthly discount of $30 per line. For only $20 per month per line, Sprint Framily Plan members can buy up to unlimited data while on the Sprint network, and they are eligible to get a new phone every year.

Virgin Mobile Customers

Kyocera Hydro Vibe will be available beginning Tuesday, May 27, on www.virginmobileusa.com for $149.99. All of Virgin Mobile’s smartphones can be paired with Virgin Mobile’s Beyond Talk™ No-Contract plans with unlimited 3G data, and available 4G LTE data speeds for mobile phone service, including Android™-powered smartphones. Virgin Mobile Beyond Talk monthly unlimited data and messaging plans, which start at $35, are ideal for those smartphone users hungry for the most connectivity and the least amount of voice minutes.