Kyocera Brigadier, Black 16GB (Verizon Wireless)

by Kyocera See the Amazon Page for this brand

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 2.7 x 0.5 x 5.4 inches ; 6.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00M782056
• Item model number: Brigadier
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,417 in Cell Phones & Accessories (See Top 100 in Cell Phones & Accessories)
  • #97 in Cell Phones & Accessories > Contract Cell Phones

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Manufacturing Engineer approved October 17, 2014

By Andy Jennsen

Little bit about me - I work as an electrical engineer in a manufacturing position, traveling the world and setting up assembly lines for products a few million of you use in your houses. You should get a couple of things from that. 1) I'm not giving you the phone number of my Kyocera Brigadier because I am the guy you want to curse out when something stops working. 2) My last phone looked like it had been rolled over my a truck, a forklift, several sports cars, an elephant or two and 2/3 of the China May Day parade by the time it squeeked out it's last half-hearted attempt to tell me I had a text message from my wife back in America while I was hanging upside down from the ceiling somewhere in Taiwan trying to make something work. 3) I have no patience for pretty and want solid, functional, low upkeep electronics. Pretty fades. I want something that works after I've been working for fourteen hours straight, haven't eaten anything in days and need to get to Google translate on the web to make sure I'm walking into a restaurant and not a gambling house/brothel/local Communist headquarters.

When I went to my local Verizon store to get a replacement for my last phone ("Wow dude. What did you DO to that thing?") I told the sales guy I didn't give a crap about phones that looked like small tablets or had fruits on them. I wanted something I could toss off the side of a building and had a battery life that would outlast me. "We don't have those out front, but I think I've got something for you. It's kinda ugly though."

I've had this phone for a week and I've never been happier. I don't think it's ugly but frankly I'm not planning on sleeping with it so who cares? I'm not much of a looker either. I've loaded the apps I need and for several days now I've been thrilled everytime I pull it out of my pocket. I didn't need to buy a case. This phone comes in one. I didn't need a screen protector. This phone comes with a screen I can't seem to scratch and even if I did, who cares? It's not like I just marred the Sistine Chapel with graffiti about Killroy. The battery life is insane. I've gone to work with it at 100% and come home at night with it still over 90%.

The sound quality is fine. I can hear everyone just fine. Most of the time they are just calling me to complain anyway so I'm not sure I WANT to hear them any better. The "sonic technology" evidently has something to do with vibrating some bone in the side of my head so I get sound without a speaker at my ear. That's kinda cool, assuming it doesn't give me incurable brain cancer. I'm going on faith that it won't.

In short, this is the exact phone I would have made if you'd given me the chance. I'm pretty sure by the time I get done beating it to death over the next few years I'll wish I had bought two. I'm a bit heartbroken that I won't have access to that Apple ICloud to store my naked pictures on but I suspect you all will be happy when they don't leak.

Great phone. Solid. If it does anything to piss me off, I'll come back and let you know. Read more ›

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars the battery life is phenomenal and thicker is better for grip in a rugged device like this August 22, 2014

By J. Chartier

I bought this when it was released a few weeks ago and have dropped it HARD a few times and not a scratch on the screen or any part except the metal rim in the front ( area with screws in it)..i have to say any other phone and it would be broken already

i noticed there are very few actual cases but when you think about it..who needs a case when the phone is basically indestructible..which is why i bought it..use naked..unless you need a holster and then you can buy a generic via Amazon to place it in...i find that although the phone is thicker than usual, the battery life is phenomenal and thicker is better for grip in a rugged device like this...also I can use the screen with my Leather motorcycle gloves on..most android or iphones cannot..great purchase and though they say its a "midlevel " phone in specs, kitkat 4.4.2 runs fine as do most programs. I am not yet disappointed

i do hope this phone gets the Android L update but given its a niche device its unlikely but I knew that going into this one..maybe Kyocera will surprise us

havent used the wireless charging but qualcomms rapid charge is phenomenal..can nearly charge the phone from 30% to full in just over an hour..pretty fast I must say..put it in airplane mode and its even faster....

wish it would be unlockable to use on Tmobile as it has all the right radio frequencies for their 4G HSPA and LTE so should be able to use their network..i bet if you were to take it to Tmobile they would do it for you..

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Tough as nails, B- call quality. Everything else is great. Damn solid phone. September 12, 2014

By Jaycey R. Cleland

Verified Purchase

I love a phone that feels both strong on the outside and capable on the inside. I gotta say, despite many review claiming this phone is "ugly" I don't get that vibe. I get the vibe of "tough". Both the bottom and top are recessed by a bezel of tough plastics that make both make it easy to grip. (Medium sized female adult). After dropping it twice (once on purpose) pretty hard the phone came through without a scratch (on hard wood floor). Tested it's waterproofing, came out great.

Now for the UI and software. KitKat is not quite app stable yet as I've had a couple of games crash, though I do not believe that to be a fault of the phone itself, rather that 4.4 is fairly new. Call quality is mediocre to be honest. It's easy to hear people even in noisy environments but people can hear things on the other side, and on your end it's fairly "fuzzy" sounding. Still, I've had no problems making calls and I'm more of a heavy texter than a call person. (The swype keyboard works great, and switching to GO SMS Pro was pretty easy for a new texting ap for skins and such)

Kyocera's UI feels a bit "90's" in it's look. Drop shadows, chrome, squares. Supposed to imply tough I suppose. Wasn't a huge fan but kitkat is easily customization. Using the keypad lock screen, transparent clock, different calandar app. I'm good.

Phone runs seamlessly. I upgraded from an HTC Thunderbolt with a single core processor to this and it feels 100% faster. It's not as fast as other phone out there, but seems to handle things fine, even some games without any slowdowns or sluggishness.

The touch screen feels great, and to boot it's scratch proof. I took a razor blade to it. Nothing.

In short I'm an outdoorsy clutzy, outdoorsy and a tomboy. This phone works like a charm for many times my phones end up in puddles or on the ground. It performs great, the UI is kinda... not an HTC UI but it's android so just swap stuff out, and calls cut through noise but add fuzz.

All in all, 4 stars, I love it, and feel it'll far outlast it's contract. Read more ›