Kyocera Rise Review
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The Kyocera Rise is a SprintID device, but running otherwise stock Android 4.0. We’ve seen a trend towards more vanilla devices from Sprint, and we applaud it. On previous SprintID offering the ID app was hardcoded into the launcher, but with Android 4.0 offering a customizable launcher the user can remove and replace it just like any other app. With the exception of the lock screen, which offers a slide to unlock and a separate slide to access the camera, the user experience is exactly the same as you’d find on the Galaxy Nexus.
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The Kyocera Rise runs stock Android 4.0 | |||
The app experience is strikingly similar to a Nexus as well, with only a handful of pre-installed apps like Sprint Zone and ID. All the main features of the phone, like music, camera, contacts and calendar rely on the stock Android apps. Like the Milano, there is an Eco Mode app that is basically a quick settings app that lets you set options like backlight, brightness, haptic feedback and wallpaper to “green” settings. It isn’t anything special, but being reminded of your power consumption is never a bad thing.
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The Eco Mode app | |
Processor:
A 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S2 MSM8655 powers the Rise, with 512MB of RAM and 2GB of internal storage available. It has respectable benchmark numbers, but overall performance is as you’d expect from a single-core device with only half a gig of RAM.
| Quadrant Standard | AnTuTu | NenaMark 2 | |
| Kyocera Rise | 2084 | 3147 | 41,8 |
| LG Optimus Elite | 2126 | 2915 | 35 |
| LG Optimus L5 | 1470 | 2665 | 14,2 |
| Samsung Galaxy mini 2 | 1922 | 2695 | 15,5 |
Connectivity and Internet:
The Rise is Sprint’s first Android 4.0 device without NFC, and as a 3G device it lacks LTE, but it has all the other connection options you’d expect. Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and GPS are all on board. Web browsing was a low point, as it took the Rise a very long time to fully load web pages on both the stock browser and Chrome. Chrome definitely performed quicker than the stock browser while moving around pages though.
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Web browsing with the Kyocera Rise | |
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18 Comments
1. Veigald posted on 03 Sep 2012, 03:59 6 1
5 seems a bit harsh when reading the review. Even the call quality was rated at 7.5 individually, so why the 5 overall?
3. neutralguy posted on 03 Sep 2012, 05:40 6 1
here's how you rate a device.
Get phonearena's rating + 1 or 2, boom. There you have it. the real rating ;)
13. Raymond_htc posted on 04 Sep 2012, 01:37 0 0
NO. Palm pre gets such a high mark due to phone arena reviewer being tooo biased. personally i give it 7.5...
2. Raptor9142 posted on 03 Sep 2012, 04:20 2 0
it does wat it is costed for.
for normal use, its quite a decent phone with fine battery.
7. 305Bucko posted on 03 Sep 2012, 10:48 0 0
Yea, I mean really, 5 is generous considering this is not a high end device. I wouldnt even consider this a mid range.
Its a low end Android that I would give to a Kid as a first smartphone. For a low-end Android it scores a very high-5
Rating is on point
10. Contreramanjaro posted on 03 Sep 2012, 14:08 0 0
The review is of the product and how well it works, not how it compares to other phones.
12. 305Bucko posted on 03 Sep 2012, 20:58 0 0
scales are based on comparison. ratings would be pointless if you cant compare to others in its class.
pretend for a second the kiocera rise is the only phone in the world. It would score a 10. Nobody would complain because theres nothing better, nothing worse.
However, the moment just one new phone comes out that is better, the old phone becomes a 1 and the new one becomes a 10.
The 5 point rating in this review is suitable. This is neither the worst phone in the world, nor the best. It is simply right in the middle. A midrange phone.
15. Mittal posted on 05 Sep 2012, 02:27 0 0
cant agree totally with that...
yes ratings are relative, but relative with devices of similar class in the similar period....
u cant compare this to the Galaxy Nexus and say that if the Gnex got X, i will give it X/2
4. squallz506 posted on 03 Sep 2012, 06:55 0 0
$100 ics slider off contract (vm) isnt bad at all
5. Jonathan41 posted on 03 Sep 2012, 08:12 0 0
Good phone for the price. I accidentally clicked on this. I've learned to ignore PA reviews all together.
8. sadaivadai posted on 03 Sep 2012, 12:32 0 1
The keypad exactly looks like xperia mini pro ..
9. downphoenix posted on 03 Sep 2012, 12:56 1 0
Well I didnt think it was gonna be as low as a 5, but it seems for what it is, it will suit my wife. It certainly sounds better than her Intercept was. Then again, it is a pretty new phone, its tough to say if this phone will maintain the performance it has or if it will degrade over time.
BTW, this review just proves that Phone Arena doesnt know what its doing when it comes to reviews. They gave the Intercept an 8. It was a crappy phone even when it first came out, LOL. This may be a crappy phone too but there's certainly worse ones that have been released within the past few months. I've had to do a couple factory resets on her due to the very slow performance on it, 3G drop offs, freezing, etc. Never got bad enough that we had to contact Sprint to replace it, but it got pretty close to that.
16. laneglee posted on 25 Sep 2012, 13:49 0 0
A lot of the dropped 3g and slow performance has more to do with the carrier than it does with the phone.
14. grumpytowne posted on 04 Sep 2012, 21:40 0 0
I think 5 is a little harsh. I couldnt be more happy with my rise. for the price it does everything I need it to and the battery lasts me through the day. I'm way more satisfied with this then my Marquee. The best part is with the trade in program I got to get rid of most my old phones and didnt have to renew a 2 year contract!
17. tearjay posted on 29 Nov 2012, 14:39 0 0
I like this phone, its my first android phone and though you can tell its a bit slower this phone is a good deal it was 100 then 80 now its 70 on amazon i got it for 30 at target for the black friday deal. My friend has a high end phone and the biggest diffrence between this and his android is the multi tasking other then that this phone will work well. You cant do tons of stuff at the same time and some of the 3d games just wont work well but as a phone to surf the web listen to music download 2d games and apps its cool. I havnt even turned the phone part on yet its a virgin mobile rise and i just lay in bed and use it like a tablet withmy wifi. I saw a tablet on sale at office max or office depot i cant remmeber what store it was and they had a tablet with the exact same a8 proccessor on it that this phone had and it was on sale for 200 the biggest diffrence was the storage an d the screen size with was 3.5 inches more it was a 7 inch tablet. If you just want a cool phone that can download aps and dosnt have to do everything i say get this phone.
18. tvleaf posted on 01 Dec 2012, 10:23 0 0
i have had my rise for two days and i do not have many complaints about it. ive downloaded apps, watched videos, and the servie is pretty good, i like the messaging setup. only complaints i do have are that its a little bit slow and it doesnt feel like the most durable phone ive ever had. but overall it is a good phone, especially for someone getting their first smart phone. it is also very cost efficent for what it does.
