Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Phones
  3. Mobile
  4. News

Want to take a bath … with your phone? You can with the Kyocera Rafre

Add as a preferred source on Google

Ah, the shower. One of life’s simplest and yet most satisfying pleasures. If cleaning off after a long day is a renewing experience for you, it stands to reason that other entities in your life would also benefit from a nice rinse. Certainly, your phone would. After all, it goes through everything with you, and probably picks up a disturbing quantity of germs along the way. And now, you can buy a phone that can go everywhere you go — including the bath.

Meet the new Kyocera rafre, a phone that is not only water resistant, but capable of withstanding a serious scrub, complete with hot water and soap. It’s actually the second Kyocera phone to sport such capabilities, though this handset is even more advanced than its predecessor. Kyocera first introduced a washable phone back in December of 2015, but has apparently improved its wash-resistant skills in the last couple years.

Recommended Videos

Of course, if you’re looking to buy this phone for its actual technical specs, you won’t be too impressed. It’s got a 3,000mAh battery, runs Android 7.0 Nougat, features 2GB RAM, and has a 5-inch HD display. But of course, you’re probably just buying this phone for bragging rights, right?

Alas, the Kyocera Rafre will only be available in Japan when it launches in March, so if you’re an American with a need for a web-surfing bubble-bath companion, you’re going to have to look for something other than a smartphone. That said, if the Rafre proves popular in its home country (and why wouldn’t it?) it may make its way around the globe.

It’s unclear as of yet what pricing will look like, but we do know the phone will be available in pale pink, clear white, and light blue.

Lulu Chang
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is genuinely cool, but I’d pay up for the Z Fold 8 Ultra
The Ultra costs $200 more than the Fold 8, and I’m ready to pay the premium.
Computer, Electronics, Tablet Computer

Samsung did something genuinely interesting at Galaxy Unpacked 2026. For the first time in the history of its Galaxy Z foldable lineup, it split the book-style foldable line into two entirely different devices. Whether it had something to do with Apple’s purported iPhone Ultra is a conversation for another time, but for now, anyone visiting a Samsung experience center has two Fold phones to choose from: the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. 

The Fold 8 is wider, lighter in hand, and built specifically for one-hand use on the cover screen and content consumption on the inner screen. The Fold 8 Ultra, on the other hand, carries forward the tall and thin design. After spending some hands-on time with both devices, I’ve come to a conclusion.

Read more
EU’s Starlink alternative is finally moving beyond the planning stage
IRIS² will provide secure satellite connectivity for European defence, security, and emergency services
IRIS2 satellite constellation

While SpaceX is trying to take on Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile with its own mobile network, the European Union is moving in a very different direction. It wants a satellite network it can control itself.

The European Commission and the SpaceRISE consortium have now signed an implementation agreement for IRIS², the EU’s secure satellite connectivity programme. The deal adds another 66 satellites to the project, taking the planned constellation to 348 spacecraft in total. Of those, 330 will operate in low Earth orbit and 18 in medium Earth orbit. First launches are targeted for 2029.

Read more
My next phone has to earn its retirement
Phones are being built to last seven years, even as the industry keeps trying to restart the upgrade conversation every twelve months
Pixel Studio on the Google Pixel 9.

My next phone is going to have to give me a reason to replace it.

So far, my Pixel 8a is still a champ. It does everything I need, it still feels fast, and nothing about using it day to day makes me think I should be shopping for a replacement. Newer phones have arrived with faster chips, brighter screens, better cameras, and increasingly ambitious AI features, yet none of them has made the phone in my pocket feel particularly old.

Read more