Kyocera DuraPlus Pro Reviews

The DuraPlus is as simple as a modern cell phone gets. It offers the most basic calling and messaging features in a body that can withstand blows from Thor's hammer. Despite the insane strength of this phone, it didn't impress me as a an actual phone. For a device that is nothing more than a dedicated voice phone, cellular calls were below average quality, and both the earpiece and speakerphone exhibited uneven volume performance. The DuraPlus is only marginally better -- perhaps "average" -- when used for walkie-talkie conversations, and that's probably its saving grace. If you need a tough PTT phone, the DuraPlus is the toughest of the bunch. It may not offer the absolute best PTT call quality, but with excellent battery life and the brawn of a thousand Hulks, it'll at least be able to make those calls after you tromp through swamps, marshes, oil fields, the Rocky Mountains, and Death Valley.

The Kyocera DuraPlus is a massive brick of a push-to-talk cell phone that uses Sprint's new Direct Connect service.

Despite being a rugged device that is shock-, dust-, and splash-proof, the Kyocera DuraPlus from Sprint is too heavy and thick for its own good, and its design is an eyesore. I simply would not enjoy lugging this thing around for daily use. However, I am fond of its push-to-talk feature and the call quality is superb. If you're a field operator working the night shift or a swashbuckling pirate, I can understand how this would come in handy. But if you don't need the walkie-talkie option and still want a decent tough phone, consider something a little more modern-looking.