Kyocera Koi KX2
Phone Scoop Review
Apr 6, 2005 by Eric Lin
In-depth review of the Kyocera Koi swivel megapixel camera phone for Verizon and other CDMA carriers. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
This phone...
This phone is like, finding a a billion dollars on the ground. It is a keeper, most reviews I looked at, well not the best. I got this phone, and so far, its kicking @$$ of course, depending on who you get your plan from is where it mostly comes from. Neccteli (necc-wireless) is a great plan for this phone, I have not had 0 bars yet! in my grandfathers double brick house, 3 bars, while my uncle had to go out side because of Spirt (did not spell it right because then they can get me muwhahaha). Overall, this phone, is the phone.
Pros-
Everything to A to 100
Big screen
Strong
Good signal
custom tones
Voice Dail
Cons-
Hmmm, only thing I would say is when you charge it, you should be able you set it to silent mode.
Well people, you have my opinion, how do you feel now that you read this long review?
KX-traordinary!!!
I haven't owned many cell phones, but this one is awesome! Not only can I personalize basically everything on my phone, I can make calls with the swivel closed/open, either way. When I make a call with the swivel open, I can either end the call by swivelling it closed, or check the option to swivel it closed and still talk.
When the swivel is closed you can still access the contracts list, recent calls, silent mode, organizer etc. So, with the phone open it's a high end phone, and with it closed it can be used as a palm pilot or something without that stupid stylus!!!
Overall I think this phone is awesome, but I still cringe when someone goes to open it like a clamshell phone, hopefully the manufacturer thought of this and put in some extra flexiblity.......
Fantastic Phone..........
This has to be the best cell phone i ever owned and i have owned a lot of cell phones in my time to solve battery woes i simply ordered the 1400mah battery plus the cradle which also charges the extra battery problem solved well not really a problem more of an inconvenience anyone think they can design and build a better one go for it Darryl
KX2
I have had the KX2 with Verizon for two weeks now. Overall I like the phone and the features. The phone is a little awkward and if it were made a little sturdier, I wouldnât cringe every time someone tried to open it like a clamshell instead of swiveling the screen. The big screen is great and the swivel is cool but there is a slight problem: you have a setting that will end the call when you swivel close but then if you dial and it starts ringing and you want to close it to talk it will end the call. On the other hand it seems natural to end the call by closing the phone like on a clamshell but if you have this feature turned off and close the phone it doesnât end the call (so watch what you say after you âhang upâ the phone! It would have been nice if you could dial a number, hit send and have say 5 seconds to close the phone to talk. I guess it will take some getting used to like anything else. For the price and the features I think it is a great phone.
Kyocera KX2: A Welcome Change!
I have had the Kyocera KX2 now for almost a week and love it! I am dismayed at the reviews so far. After owning MANY flip phones over the years I was becoming tired of the design. The swivel is a welcome change from the ordinary. Contrary to what others are saying about the perceived longevity of the swivel I feel it is solid. It will certainly last at least until your New Every Two comes up again. I have found the RF ability on this phone to be superior. I upgraded to the KX2 from a V60i and the KX2 wins in signal quality significantly. The sound quality has been very good and in good quantity as well. The menu system is refreshingly different and simple to use. I think the one feature of this phone that stands out is the jog-dial. All PHONES should have this! It makes using the phone in the closed state a breeze. I also love the fact that you can get a make calls without even opening the phone! This phone embodies the best of both worlds- the ability to swivel it open and use it like a regular flip phone would or closed like a candy bar style phone. This is also one of the only Verizon phones that you can use the speaker-phone in the closed state. The speaker phone could be louder but it is functional. The functionality of the camera is superior. You can actually hold the phone like a real camera to take pictures. Granted the picture quality does not compare to a dedicated digital camera but it is better than my old VX6000. In regards to the "always exposed" screen. Aren't candy bar phone screens always exposed? I placed a PDA screen protector on my KX2 screen and the problem was solved. Kyocera also makes a holster with a clear plastic protector and a leather case with plastic shield over the LCD. All in all the Kyocera KX2 is a breath of fresh air in the Verizon Wireless phone world. It has excellent RF and is very easy and fun to use. If you need a break from the usual and want a great phone you cannot go wrong with the KX2.
Very Good Phone!
I have owned this phone for about a week now, I'll keep the review as honest as I can:
Pro's:
1. Big bright LCD: 262,000 colors; easy to read and see in almost any light!
2. Very customizable: You can change just about anything on the phone. Ringtones for people, banners, colors, etc.
3. Swivel design is refreshing and functionable, it feels sturdy and built well. It will defiantly last for two years!
4. You can access almost everything with the phone closed: make/recieve calls, camera/video, scheduler, media gallery, keygurad, etc. A feature that is non-existent on all other Verizon Wireless phones!
5. Reception is Great....even with the speaker phone on and close...I was suprised at how good it really was!
6. Menu set is up is easy to use, the icons are big and easy to see and the jog wheel is a great gadget that I think all phones should have!
7. Camera and video settings are good....resolution and frames and flash are a plus to this phone.....pictures are great in the right lighting....a little dark in dark lighting even with flash on!
8. For all the features this phone has...it's extremely easy to navigate and program....not hard at all, even to brand new users!
Con's:
1. The antenna on the phone is BIG....you can pull it up half way, but it still looks bulky.
2. The battery life is minimal...you will defiantly need to check into the extended life battery...I talk all the time though...I use my phone like crazy and the battery life is just non-existent.
3. You cannot assign a specific text alert for each individual caller...It's a nice feature to have!
4. The camera could be a little bit brighter....but it's not bad at all for a camera phone...
5. The recpetion is sometimes crackling...only sometimes when I get into a week coverage area!
All in all this phone is top of the line....with Great features and a Great design of the phone...great design and reliability. I would recommend this phone the anyone!
Great Phone
I have had two Kyocera phones so far, the Rave, and the newest one... the Kyocera Kio. I've read tons of reviews before buying this phone, so now I'm writing one of my own.
The features on this phone are great, now with Cricket you can access rightones, wallpaper, weather, almost anything.. even your hotmail,yahoo, e-mail accounts.
Cons:
Speakerphone works great, does have a big of a crackle, nothing that will get on your nerves but it's there. Volume could be louder.
Size - the phone is really big, too big for women or people with small hands, you would have to use two hands to open it.
Games - Cricket does NOT have the games disabled like VRZ does but it would suck to have a phone and have to BUY games.
Price - Cricket charges 300 bucks (299.99) for the phone, if your a new customer it will still cost the same but you get a $130 mail-in rebate which you have to have your service for three months and pay your bill on time, so watch out for that part.
Buttons - the buttons are set flush with the phone so it does take a little effort to type in phone numbers.
Camera - the camera quality is good. At least for a camera phone, the placement could be better, because you often have to move your fingers out of the way of the lens.
Pros:
Gread desgin - attention getter.
All phone features work with phone closed -with the exception of text and web.
Dedicated speakerphone button & camera button.
Menu interface is cool and easy to use.
Stores on average 500 contacts.
Overall it's a great phone, I went into a little more details on the cons because when I was reading reviews that is what I wanted to know the most, hope I helped. The phone is great. Check your VRN store then have them out so you can play with them. See for yourself.
Cool design
KX2...
This is one very nice phone that it is so darn easy to use. (Even for the newbies, which I am not.) It is loaded with features, yet easy to understand and navigate.
Pro's:
-Large screen that is easy to see in almost any lighting.
-The menu is easy to understand and navigate through with the swivel open or with it closed.
-Speaker phone
-Voice dialing
-Dual use of phone either closed or open. (By far the best innovation to the phone that Kyocera did since you can talk without opening the phone.)
-Camera functions are easy to use and the screen rotates with the swivel portion of the phone. Literally able to take a picture in seconds.
-Phone can be held just like a standard digital camera to operate the camera which is a nice touch. (No need to flip open the phone and have to hold it weird to take the picture.)
-Able to turn the phone from Analog, to Digital, to Analog only, Digital only, or automatic depending on the area that you are in. (Quite nice if you are in a poor coverage area.)
Con's:
-No Blue-tooth capability. (Although I am sure that if it did have Blue-tooth Verizon would make sure that you can't use it like all other Blue-tooth devices because they want their quarter for each picture, but one can dream I guess.)
-Can't turn the speaker phone on with the phone closed. Would be nice to have this option.
I absolutely love this phone. I have owned or was given the opportunity to demo at least 25 phones over the past few years and this one is by far the best I have had. I don't think that this phone could be much better. It is obvious that the folks at Kyocera really thought about this one before they released it. Have to give them all over at Kyocera a pat on the back because they did a great job. Hopefully they will remember Blue-tooth capabilities next time around.
Overall, I would recommend this phone to anyone and would have given it a 5-star rating if it had Blue-tooth...
Great phone for any user
I have had the KX2 for little over 3 days, and it is the best phone I have ever had.
Pros:
Awesome swivel design
Big, colorful screen
Excellent reception
Good speaker phone
Can use w/out opening
Excellent camera
Video recording
Good sound
Cons:
Picture-taking in the dark is a bad idea with this phone, the quality is horrible
If you have Verizon and get this phone, they delete the games and force you to download them via the stupid "Get It Now" service
First off, I love the swivel design, it is a nice change from a flip-phone. The screen is very large, and has very nice picture quality. The menu system(the big wheel)is very cool, easy to get used to, and impresses everyone(especially if you use the jog stick). The reception of this phone is the BEST. I used to have a Nokia, and this phone gets the same, if not better, signal reception. The speakerphone is very loud, and clear, but not good to use in noisy environments. Some people have complained about how big the phone is, but the cool thing is, you don't HAVE to open it to call! While its shut, you can use the voice dialing feature, and makes for a very low profile phone. The camera on this phone is great. The quality of pictures is very good for a phone. The quality of pictures taken in the dark, however, is horrible. The video recorder feature is very handy, and the quality of recorded video and sound is very good. I like Verizon, but the "Get It Now" is very stupid. Unfortunatly, if you have Verizon, and want games, you will have to use it.
All in all, a VERY good phone, I would definatly recomend it to a heavy or a light cell user
Great phone that's different from the rest
If you are going to get the phone from Verizon Wireless don't listen to the dealer, they don't know what they are talking about.
After using it for a month, I can say that I really like the phone!
Pros:
-Swivel design easily makes it stand out from the crowd.
-1.2MP Camera (I took some shots and the colors are almost true, especially if change settings like white balance and flash from auto).
-Menu (jog dial is easy to use and is usable open or closed).
-Speaker-phone (it's loud enough)
-Redundancy when it comes to buttons (like camera "shutter" button: can't reach the camera button when it is open with one hand so use OK or the left soft-key)
-Big screen and big numbers when dialing makes it easy to see.
Sounds were clear (San Diego, CA)
-Can make calls with swivel closed with voice dial or recent or contacts list (Try that with your flip-phone).
Cons:
-Battery Life (it was on average 3 days with the standard battery, power save on and moderate calling without using the camera) Get the extended battery.
-When using the camera, you can only have a horizontal picture with the swivel closed and only a vertical picture with the swivel open (I guess to take advantage of screen size)
-Voice dial will only let you say one number at a time if you are dialing by number.
-Buttons are flush so dialing and texting is a little hard.
- It took a while for me to get used to from my old 2325. Texting using the * key is now the reverse of the other phones (press for caps/lowercase, hold for alpha/eZi/numbers change).
-No Bluetooth, although with Verizon Bluetooth is limited to earpieces anyway.
-16 MB is a bit small for games, apps and pics, although the file size is about 150-200KB for HQ pics at 1280x960.
This phone kicks a$$ and is equal to or better than the LGs for Verizon.
