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Sprint had a very specific need to fill with the Kyocera Torque. This mil-spec device was designed to withstand almost any extreme situation, including very high heat, very low temperatures, water submersion, resistance to drops, and more. It’s the perfect device for someone in the construction field or someone who finds themselves mixed up in the world of extreme sports and activities quite often.
Most people wouldn’t push the phone to extremes even if it is capable of handling it, so we had no way of knowing just how tough this bad boy is. Wirefly saved the day, though, as it was brave enough to put one of its Kyocera Torque units through an “extreme torture test.” The test consisted of a 33 minute ride in the washing machine, a 15 hour nap overnight in a freezer submerged in water (it’s said that it can only be in water for 30 minutes and frozen for 3 hours), and being dropped from 15 feet high.
The washing machine test proved no match for the Torque as it emerged from the spinning agitator with flying colors. Similarly, spending more than half a day in a freezer and subsequently thawing out only produced “dying battery syndrome.”
The drop test wasn’t as kind to the Kyocera Torque as the device’s chassis cracked a bit (which likely weakened its dust-proof and water-proof capabilities). The speakerphone and volume up buttons also broke, but Wirefly notes you can use volume down to bring up the on-screen volume control, and speakerphone can be enabled on-screen while in a phone call.
The video is quite interesting, to say the least. I’ve never seen a phone chucked around the inside of a washing machine before, and by the grace of the gods I hope I never will. I’ve also never been bored enough to sit around and watch something thaw out so the sped up version of the process was fascinating. For those reasons alone this wouldn’t be a bad way to spend 7 minutes watching this video, so get to it above if you have nothing better to do.
That was pretty cool. Now we need a tough phone that looks as good as the One.
A rugged phone with top-tier specs would be amazing. Personally most of the rugged phones I’ve seen haven’t looked too bad, certainly not as sleek and stylish as phones like the One, but not necessarily ugly either.
…of course looks and specs aside, most of us really don’t have much need for a phone with this level of toughness, but it would certainly give us peace of mind.
Okay, the rooftop drop was a little excessive. O_o
I think all the tests were purposefully excessive. 13 hours more than the OEM rating for frozen temps for example.
Even Lil’ ol’ me has left a device in a freezing environment for longer than that. I’m not flaming, just thinking that once it’s frozen, what part does time play?
What, roofers aren’t a big percentage of phone users?
Good test. This sort of excessive independent testing is what impresses consumers. Manufacturer claims mean little.
anyone concerned that its in safe mode at the end of the video? Not a good sign.
I expected a front-loader washing machine :-(
I thought the tests were just what I wanted to know…not some marketing campaign but a real-world look at what does happen to these little buggers. Thumbs-up!