Kyocera is back with the ultra-rugged DuraForce PRO 3, available now from Verizon

Kyocera announced back in May that it has decided to exit the consumer phone business in the United State. However, the company will remain in the business segment and will continue to release rugged phones in the US going forward.

The first handset released by Kyocera after the announcement is the DuraForce PRO 3, an ultra-rugged smartphone aimed at companies that rely on rugged, reliable mobile technology. Although this is a device meant for first responders, enterprises, and small business, it appears that Verizon is allowing postpaid consumers to pick this one up too for $900 outright.

Putting a prohibitive price on a mid-end device is how Kyocera is telling consumers that this device is not really designed for them. But let’s just see what the DuraForce PRO 3 has to offer specs-wise, in addition to all its ultra-ruggedness.

First off, the phone has a 5.38-inch OLED FHD+ scratch and shatter-resistant display with 60Hz refresh rate. The phone has a triple camera setup that consists of a 64-megapixel main module, as well as 16-megapixel ultra-wide and 2-megapixel macro cameras. There’s also an 8-megapixel camera on the front with facial recognition.

On the inside, the DuraForce PRO 3 packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processor, paired with 6GB RAM and 128GB of storage (expandable up to 1TB via microSD). The phone’s 4,270mAh battery is rated for up to 12 days of standby time or up to 27 hours of usage time.

When it comes to ruggedness, DuraForce PRO 3 is built with a reinforced X-frame structure designed to withstand harsh conditions. Basically, the phone offers protection from drops (up to 5 ft on concrete), shock, extreme temperatures, dust and submersion in water (IP68 waterproof at 6.5 ft for up to 30 minutes).

One last thing worth mentioning is that Kyocera’s new ultra-rugged smartphone is compatible with Verizon’s mmWave 5G Ultra Wideband network.