Customer Reviews

Kyocera Brigadier, Black 16GB (Verizon Wireless)

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.

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..

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.

I took my chance and bought this phone. I bought with the full retail price (no contract) because I travel a lot and want to use the phone with different carrier. The phone is global ready (as stated in Verizon website) and can be used with other carrier BUT ONLY FOR CALL!
The data (2G/3G internet) IS NOT WORKING. The stupid verizon locked it!!
I was very disappointed with this! The only way to enable data is by root the phone and add APN manually, but there is no way we can root the phone right now. The only way to use the internet is by wi-fi.
Also we need to root to remove a lot of Verizon's bloatware!

Otherwise this is a VERY GOOD and STRONG phone! The strongest phone ever! Decent spec, nice design (very manly), NFC, Wireless Charging, etc.. Hopefully somebody will have a way to root it and then I will give 5 star!

Last week, my venerable Droid Bionic had an unfortunate encounter with a pan full of water. Yes, even I -- who take a lot of precautions with my phones -- can be stupid.

The Tricorder'd been getting on in years: slow for today's apps, needed to be rebooted daily, and the speaker jack had just given out. It had been time for a replacement and the pan of water only forced my hand.

I wound up with the Kyocera Brigadier. It's a truly a geeky phone that meets my needs.

First, it was affordable at full retail cost. That was necessary to keep my unmetered data plan. Until Verizon gets its head out of its nether regions about its data plans, I've signed my last contract with them.

The Brigadier is chock full of geeky goodness. But first, my own spin:

I'm a Doctor Who fan. It's called "the Brigadier."

How could I resist? I've set the Bluetooth device name and wifi tether SSID to "Greyhound One". I'm going to change the hostname (greyhound01) as soon as a root exploit appears.

I changed the TTS engine to Engish (UK). Surprisingly, if the default high-quality voice were just slightly lower, it could pass for late Nicholas Courtney (who played Sir Alistair).

I may even break my longstanding tradition of making all my ringtones and alerts classic Star Trek sound effects and go with Doctor Who sound effects. It only seems appropriate.

Then there's the geeky goodness:

First, one never need purchase neither an after-market case nor screen protector. The Sapphire Shield display on the device is constructed of an incredibly strong polymer. The only naturally-occurring element that's stronger is diamond.

That's right: unless you drop the Brigadier face-first onto a diamond, it's more likely you'll damage what you drop it on.

(In a few years, when it ultimately gives up the ghost, I'm going to remove the display so I can show off by scratching concrete with it.)

It's got a similarly-rugged case. This is a big deal to me. Until now, I've bought the most rugged after-market cases imaginable. With the Brigadier, I can buy after-market desk- and dash-docks that will fit without removing the case.

Additionally, my cases were easily doubling the thickness of my phones. The bare Bionic with a standard battery was twice as thick as the Brigadier. With the case, the Bionic was three times as thick -- and twice the weight.

The Brigadier has a 3100mAh battery. Ordinarily these are bulky beasts that weigh more than the phone itself. Not this one. It's not the thinnest phone in the universe, but after toting around the Bionic's extended battery for a year, this is a relief.

In terms of battery life, I was impressed with one particular hooligan's review. He turned the flash on full brightness, turned on the bluetooth, and turned on the wifi. He then played music, played games, placed calls, used the Internet, etc -- all while downloading torrents. The battery finally died after about 20 hours.

I need never worry about an unfortunate encounter with a pan of water. The Brigadier's rated for thirty minutes' submersion in water.

And yes, I may try that out. There are a few submarine videos on YouTube.

To get the Brigadier's MilSpec ratings, it's buttoned up pretty tight. It's held together with screws. You can see them in the picture.

It's not a little, pretty, pink phone. This is what UNIT troops would carry. I suspect the name is an intentional nod to the late Sir Alistair.

It has a pair of external stereo speakers that are frakking loud. I thought the original Droid was loud, but it has nothing on the Brigadier.

Driving to work, I stream old-time radio. Quality varies. Some Dragnet and X-Minus One streams come almost straight from the studio masters. However, there's a reason you'll never hear Orson Welles' "The War of the Worlds" in high quality: the only copies extent were wire-recorded from the speakers of early crystal radio sets. Then they were copied -- for DECADES.

The Brigadier is so loud that at 70mph I can still understand the dialog of poor-quality OTR.

Finally, just to put the cherry on the geekiness, the Brigadier doesn't have a traditional handset speaker. Oh, it has the incredibly loud front-facing stereo speakers, but not the one that you ordinarily use to listen to a phone call.

Instead, the entire screen face conducts sound not only through the air, but through the ear tissue itself. To me, the sound is very clear and doesn't conduct at all very far from the phone (not surprising, since it largely relies on tissue conduction). There's no chance a passer-by will ever hear the caller.

It's loaded with very little bloatware: the usual battery of Verizon services I'll never use, but that's about all. Unlike the Motorola phones I've previously owned, this one doesn't come with a flashy, loud, annoying boot-up screen that's only cool the first time. It's just the Kyocera logo followed by the Verizon one, no sound.

(Not that it matters. As soon as a root exploit is available, I'll be customizing the boot screen to display live dmesg.)

It's got Kitkat. Hopefully it will get L. If I know the folks at Cyanogenmod, there'll be a version eventually.

So far I'm very happy. It's not for everyone: it's very much a geek's phone.

Works for me. :)

I used iPhones for years. I wanted a phone that I could use for work and the outdoor sports I participate in. After a lot of research I purchased this phone. First of all the operating system android kit kat is far and away better than any garbage apple offers. The phone itself is incredibly tough and easy to use. The camera is very good the volume is incredible on the speakers, the screen bright and clear. The phone gets wet dropped bounced and nothing happens to it. This phone does exactly what it claims and does it well. no buts, or excepts it just works.

I've had the brigadier a week now and I love it. I upgraded from a 3G commando. I bought the PowerBot qi charger from Amazon and it works perfectly with this phone. I disabled the bloatware and make sure to turn off the Wi-Fi while in away from home and the battery lasts all day with plenty to spare. The Swype texting is so much better than the old phone. I recommend it!

I bought this phone from my Verizon store and all though it may not be as sleek and high tech looking as other phones it did not break when i dropped face down 6 ft it charges great if your using a wireless charger my only complaint is that it did freeze on me once iv had it for a month and only freezing once is good plus i was trying to run a really graphic game if you want to text make calls and check Facebook and Yik Yak and other social stuff go with this phone it will not break going through daily wear and tear such as drops highly recommended if your looking for durable with some graphic features i like the droid turbo only because it makes playing games a little less freeze, other then that Brigadier all the way.

So much for sapphire screen. Screen did not even last a week. Broke upon being dropped by my daughter while walking on campus. And, it is virtually impossible to find a place that has replacement screens available.

I ordered this phone on 10-6-14, and received it on 10-8-14. I LOVE this phone. My German Shepherd swept it off the table with his tail. It went flying, crashed on the wood floor, and not a scratch. I dropped it 3 times by accident. Twice in my home on a wood floor and once on the driveway. Not a scratch. It is not in a case. I ordered one, but it was the wrong one for my phone. It does not seem to need one, but I thought it would be a good idea since I am so clumsy. If I still had my I phone, I would be on my third screen replacement. THANK YOU KYOCERA!