Today, Kyocera, the popular Japanese electronics manufacturer, announced that its latest budget-friendly waterproof mid-range smartphone, the Hydro Plus, is now available to purchase from Cricket Wireless off contract for just $139.

In terms of specifications, the Plus packs a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 320 x 480, a 1GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 2GB of internal storage (expandable up to 32GB via microSD), a 3.2-megapixel rear-facing camera, IP57 certified water and dust protection and a 1,500 mAh non-removable Li-Ion battery.

Out of the box, the handset will run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with hardly any customization or user interface tweaks from Kyocera and Cricket, apart from the Muve Music service and a handful of pre-installed applications.

The full press release can be read below:

Cricket Communications and Kyocera Communications Inc. today announced Cricket’s launch of the Kyocera Hydro Plus, the newest member of the Kyocera Hydro Series, a collection of waterproof Android™ smartphones built to protect against life’s messy mishaps. With a no-contract price of only $139.99 (MSRP), the new Hydro Plus is outfitted with Cricket’s Muve Music 4.0, offering customers quicker and easier access to millions of songs and the ability to store music directly on the device, which includes a 4GBmicroSDTM memory card, and can support cards up to 32GB. Hydro Plus is available at Cricket company-owned stores and dealers nationwide and on www.mycricket.com.

“Our active customers will love that they can have all their favorite features on the affordable, waterproof Hydro Plus without having to change how they live their lives,” said Matt Stoiber, senior vice president of devices for Cricket.  “Our new Muve Music 4.0 allows people to carry their favorite music with them while on the go, discovering and downloading new music right from their home screens.”

Since Muve Music 4.0 is included as part of Cricket’s no-contract, unlimited rate plans, customers can access more than 16 million tracks at no additional charge.  Hydro Plus features a Muve Music sidebar on its home screen, making it easier for customers to listen to their favorite music and discover new tunes.  If they hear something they like, customers can listen while they download.  Muve Music also helps people discover new favorites through monthly artist programs such as Muve First and Muve Headliner, featuring exclusive commentary, music and videos every month from up-and-coming and top-producing artists only available to Muve Music.

Similar to the other members of the Kyocera Hydro Series, the new Hydro Plus boasts IPx5- and IPx7-level protection against liquids. Hydro is certified waterproof against sprayed water and full immersion up to one meter deep for up to 30 minutes. So whether splashed during bath time, caught in a downpour or dropped in a puddle, sink or the dreaded toilet, Hydro Plus will prevail where other handsets fail.

“The Hydro Plus is the fifth member of Kyocera’s Hydro Series, which has quickly become the gold standard in affordable waterproof smartphones,” said Eric Anderson, senior vice president and general manager of global sales and marketing at Kyocera Communications Inc. “Combine great real-world features like Kyocera’s waterproofing with Cricket’s Muve Music and fantastic service plans, and Hydro Plus becomes a tremendous way for Cricket customers to stay connected and entertained in any environment without breaking the bank.”

The Kyocera Hydro Plus can be activated on any one of Cricket’s three monthly smartphone service-plan options starting at $50 per month. All Cricket plans, including smartphone service plans, feature all-inclusive pricing with no service fees and no overage charges. For customers, that means a predictable monthly bill, regardless of increasing usage, offered at a price point that fits into a value-conscious budget.

The Hydro Plus features a 3.5-inch HVGA capacitive 480×320 IPS LCD touchscreen display and Swype for rapid text entry.  It has a MSM8655 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon® processor, 2GB ROM, 512MB RAM memory and supports microSD™ memory cards up to 32GB.  Taking pictures and video is a breeze with a 3.2 megapixel camera with an LED flash and a 30 frame-per-second camcorder, and fast uploading and transferring is enabled via Wi-Fi (b/g/n), Stereo Bluetooth® (2.1 + EDR) wireless technology support and high-speed USB 2.0.  Hydro Plus also includes a 3-axis accelerometer, a digital compass, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor and Kyocera’s “Eco Mode” software to monitor and conserve battery power.  Despite its water resistance, Hydro Plus is a trim 4.53 x 2.44 x 0.50 in. and weighs only 4.16 ounces.