With its rugged design, Kyocera’s $299.99 DuraXA Equip is for people who need a feature phone that can survive the rough conditions of outdoor environments such as construction sites and mountainsides. We like its clear call quality, reliable performance, push-to-talk compatibility, and easy-to-read number pad, while features like Wi-Fi connectivity and email access make it feel sufficiently modern. If durability is your primary concern in a feature phone, the DuraXA Equip makes a lot of sense. However, plenty of more traditional feature phones offer similar performance without the rugged design and high price. If that’s what you’re after, we recommend the TCL Flip 2, our Editors’ Choice winner, which offers equally crisp calls and longer battery life for just $79.99. Design: Rugged and BulkyThe DuraXA Equip is available only in black. If you’re looking for a feature phone with more color options, the $89.99 Nokia 2780 Flip comes in red. The DuraXA Equip’s exterior is made of hardened plastic, and the front cover has textured panels on either side to help you grip it securely. This design doesn’t attract fingerprints, though the outer display does get smudged from time to time.
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(Credit: Sarah Lord)
The phone has an IP68 rating, meaning it’s fully dustproof and waterproof. It also has a HazLoc rating of Non-Incendive Class I, Division 2, Group A-D T4, which means you can use it in some hazardous work environments (such as spaces that might have flammable fumes). Finally, its MIL-STD-810H certification indicates it can survive shocks, vibrations, and other extreme conditions. Most flip phones aren’t nearly as rugged, though the $199.99 Sonim XP3plus matches the IP68 rating.Of course, the heavy-duty design has implications for the phone’s size and weight. It measures 4.36 by 2.22 by 1.07 inches (HWD) when closed and weighs 6.81 ounces. It’s significantly thicker and heavier than both the TCL Flip 2 (4.22 by 2.19 by 0.78 inches, 4.93 ounces) and the Nokia 2780 Flip (4.33 by 2.28 by 0.77 inches, 4.62 ounces).
I found the DuraXA Equip more difficult to hold in one hand compared with the TCL Flip 2. I can flip the DuraXA Equip open and close it easily with one hand but can’t completely grasp the entire phone as I can with the Flip 2. The DuraXA Equip still fits in my pants pocket, though its heft makes it feel as though I’m carrying around a rock. A 1.08-inch monochrome OLED display on the front of the phone shows the time and date, along with the battery level, network status, and message indicators. It displays caller ID and message notifications as they arrive, and even scrolls the text of longer messages so you can read the full content without opening the phone. A camera is on the front, which you can’t use without opening the phone first. For comparison, both the TCL Flip 2 and the Nokia 2780 Flip use full-color screens on the outside; they are also larger at 1.4 and 1.7 inches, respectively.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
The phone’s rugged design extends to the ports, which are on the right side. Seamless plastic covers protect both the 3.5mm headphone jack and the USB-C charging port. Prying them open requires some dexterity, though the covers stay attached thanks to a connective piece of rubber, so there’s no chance of losing them. The right side features a red, circular button that you can set to several functions, including accessing your contacts, opening your email inbox, and turning on the flashlight. Unfortunately, you can’t configure it to dial an individual phone number, so it’s of limited use in emergencies.The left side of the phone offers another customizable button (this one is black and rectangular) with the same limitations, along with an indented volume button. Despite the plastic materials, the buttons have a satisfying click.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
Two additional buttons are on the top of the phone: a speaker phone button that answers incoming calls on the right and an automatic redial button on the left. The latter instantly summons your call history and dials the last person you called. None of the buttons on the exterior of the phone will work unless you first hold down the speaker button to release the keyguard. While it’s nice to know that you won’t accidentally dial someone when the phone is in your pocket, this additional step can become annoying.Open the phone to access the main 2.6-inch color LCD. It has a resolution of 320 by 240 pixels and is bright enough to read indoors easily, though glare can make it difficult to see outside. The displays on the Nokia and TCL phones have the same resolution but are slightly bigger, at 2.7 and 2.8 inches, respectively. None of the phones offers touch support.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
A navigation cluster sits below the phone’s hinge: Two shortcut buttons, a camera/speakerphone button, and a voice command button surround a circular directional ring with a central confirmation button. Below this are the send, back, and end/power buttons. The raised and textured number keys take up the rest of the space. They are easy to read and press, and light up when you use them. Two large speaker grilles sit at the very bottom of the phone.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
You need to remove the phone’s back cover to insert your carrier’s SIM card or swap out the replaceable battery ($29.99). A large screw holds down the cover (Kyocera doesn’t include a tool to open it) and helps keep it secure if you drop the phone on a hard surface or into water. A microSD slot near the SIM slot accepts cards of up to 512GB.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
Performance and Battery LifeThe DuraXA Equip uses Qualcomm’s 215 Mobile processor (1.2GHz quad-core Cortex A53), has 2GB of RAM, and offers 16GB of internal storage. That’s far more memory and storage than is typical for feature phones. For comparison, the Flip 2 has a MediaTek 6739-CH processor, 1GB of RAM, and 4GB of storage. The DuraXA Equip handles basic tasks without issue, and I noticed that it’s faster at opening web pages and playing videos.The phone offers serviceable battery life, though its 1,770mAh cell is smaller than the Flip 2’s 1,850mAh. I tested the battery by navigating to YouTube on the phone’s browser and playing a video on a loop until it died out. The DuraXA Equip lasted 6 hours and 2 minutes in this scenario, though 4G talk time should be around 9 hours according to Kyocera. The Flip 2 claims 14 hours of talk time, for comparison, while the Sonim XP3plus gets 15 hours. The DuraXA took 1 hour and 35 minutes to recharge using a USB-C cable and the included 5W charging brick. Kyocera sells a charging cradle accessory ($39.95) for the phone, but it’s out of stock as of this writing. Call Quality and SpeakerphoneThe DuraXA Equip comes with VoLTE support and should work on all 4G networks in the US. It does not support 5G.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
The phone did a good job of sending and receiving calls in numerous locations over T-Mobile’s LTE network in testing. Call quality is crisp and clear, without any static or interference. Callers had no trouble hearing me when I was on the street, even in rainy and windy weather. The phone’s earpiece and speakerphone get quite loud: 72.6dB and a deafening 98.8dB, respectively. That’s good news if you work in noisy environments. For comparison, the Flip 2’s earpiece and speakerphone respectively reached 75.6dB and 87.6dB.As for texting, you need to peck out messages on the number pad the old-school way, though sending and receiving messages is a smooth process overall. Group and picture messages work as they should, so you can still communicate with your smartphone-toting friends.The DuraXA Equip includes dual-band Wi-Fi for email and web access. There’s no way to set up Wi-Fi calling, a downside if you live in an area with limited 4G service. The phone does offer a Push-to-Talk (PTT) feature for easily communicating with coworkers, however. That service needs to be activated separately.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
You can connect your favorite wired headphones via the headphone jack or wireless headphones via Bluetooth 4.2, but you won’t have access to music streaming apps. There’s a basic music player on the phone for local file playback.Camera QualityThe DuraXA Equip’s 5MP camera and flash combination don’t take appealing photos even in bright sunlight. It’s fine for the most basic snaps, but the images look grainy and soft overall. The phone can also record video, though Kyocera doesn’t specify at what resolution or frame rate. In practice, video clips look just as unimpressive as the stills.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
If you’re interested in taking decent photographs with your phone, you need to upgrade to an actual smartphone or use a real camera. For the same price as the DuraXA Equip, for instance, you can get the Samsung Galaxy A25 5G.SoftwareLike the Flip 2, the DuraXA Equip uses software based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). You won’t find any of the apps or functions of traditional Android phones, but I still found the OS intuitive. Like with most feature phones, Kyocera hasn’t committed to any future software updates.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
The menu includes icons for Call History, Messages, Contacts, Gallery, Multimedia, Email, Browser, Notifications, and Settings. Navigate to Settings, then General Tools to access the calculator, calendar, alarm, timer, stopwatch, world clock, notepad, flashlight, FM radio, and battery-saving Eco Mode functions. You can surf online via the phone’s browser as mentioned. The process is tedious, but still faster and more effective than on other feature phones. There’s no way to download apps to the device, so you’re stuck with those that are preinstalled. If you’re interested in a rugged smartphone, Kyocera also offers the $899.99 DuraForce Pro 3 that runs Android 13. Accessibility features are in the Settings menu. You can configure a text readout function, including its speech rate and pitch. You can also change the font size, turn on color inversion or color correction, enable persistent alerts, turn on captions or mono audio, and set up hearing aids.Verdict: Far More Rugged Than Your Average Flip PhoneThe Kyocera DuraXA Equip is a good feature phone if you work at a construction site or spend time adventuring outdoors thanks to its ultra-durable design, loud and clear call quality, and easy-to-use interface. PTT functionality also comes in handy for quick communication if your job calls for it. But if you don’t need a feature phone that can withstand the elements, you can save a lot of money with our Editors’ Choice, the TCL Flip 2. It’s lighter and smaller than the DuraXA Equip, has a bigger battery, and costs less than a third of the price.
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