Earlier today, at a venue in Johannesburg Chinese electronics manufacturer unveiled a new handset for the South African market. That would be the rugged-ish, IP67-rated Hisense Infinity KO.

Following an overview of the company’s global operations, which was actually not soul-destroying, we got to take a closer look at the Infinity KO, which had been on display at the launch venue, Sp8ce, since our arrival. And by on display we mean that it was being dunked into pools of water, or installed into tanks of fluid and being submerged on a little roundabout every few minutes. Or just thrown to the concrete. Hisense obviously believes in their first IP67-rated device.

Based on what we saw, they might have reason to. The Hisense Infinity KO is being aimed at the mid-range market and it has the specs to match. An octa-core Snapdragon 415 running at 1.36GHz, 3GB of RAM, and a 5-inch HD (we suspect 720p, which is technically ‘HD’) are the main specs but Hisense have also opted for a 13MP/5MP camera combination. The hardware setup is running on Android 5.1, with Hisense’s own Vision UI running on top.

They’re at pains to point out the storage allocation (32GB), the battery size (non-removable, 3,200mAh) and the dual SIM slots (full-sized) which are both LTE capable (but only one at a time) but it’s the rugged nature of the phone that is supposed to define the KO. Water, dust and shock-proofing is a first for the company’s phones. It’s also the subject of a new TV advert, which you should start seeing broadcast soon, that emphasises the rating with a dash of extreme sports.

Of course, that’s all just marketing. We’ve got one of the rugged Hisense handsets to play with and tests have already begun, so expect a review soon. The Hisense Infinity KO is on-sale now, with an RRP of R4000.