Kyocera Echo Android Phone (Sprint)

Innovative, But Not Exceptional April 17, 2011

Reviewer:  T. R. Kanavy "The Friendly Cyborg" 

3.5 Stars-

THE GOOD-

Dual Screen:

The dual screens are obviously the main "gimmick" of the phone. The "tablet mode" (with both screens in use), provides a neat look when browsing through phone menu's, games, and "simultasking" mode. The latter is a nifty feature that lets you do two separate applications- one in each screen, at the same time. This is handy if you are having a text conversation and also want to navigate the web simultaneously to check for movies times, phone numbers and anything else that may arise. The screens themselves are responsive as well as nice and bright.

Software:

The phone comes with Android 2.2 (Froyo), which is relatively quick when coupled with the 1 GHz processor (However, in tablet mode the phone can feel occasionally sluggish). The phone has almost no added Sprint software (yay!).

Hardware:
The phone itself is attractive in my opinion. The sleek black goes well with the silver accents at the top and bottom and combine for a unique style. I found that flipping the screens around is quite enjoyable. The hardware feels sturdy and the hinge, the part that seems to take the brunt of the force when transforming the phone, is metal and feels fairly strong.

Texting:

Probably my favorite feature of the phone. You can set the phone up to look almost like a very small laptop with your keyboard at the bottom in full landscape with the top screen acting as your monitor to view your typing. I would imagine many heavy-texters would find this phone enjoyable for this feature alone. The phone also includes Swype which is useful when you writing or texting in the single screen mode.

THE BAD-

Battery life:
Now in the interest of disclosure, I will admit that new phones tend to get played with more frequently so my reference point is not exactly a matter of science, especially for real world application. However, the battery seems to die quite quickly when using both screens, especially when watching media like Youtube or Sprint TV. Kyocera includes an extra battery and cool charging station for it. This would be all well and good, if the battery was not such a hassle to get out of the phone (and who really wants to cart the extra battery plus the charging dock).

No 4G:

Really? Yup. A brand new phone selling in retail locations for $199 and it does not support the latest Wimax technology.

Fingerprints:

You will have them all over both screens. It's hard to avoid when you are switching between screens. Though this IS a TOUCH-screen phone, its hard to get too upset about this one.

The Dual Screens:

These babies are a double-edged sword. They make the phone rather bulky, heavy, and are presumably the reason the battery dies so quickly. Also, the bezel in between the two screens when in tablet mode is rather annoying (at least for me) when swiping across the screens. This is simply due to the phone losing input from your finger as you hit the plastic in between the screens.

Button location:

If you are familiar with Android phones you know there is normally a home, menu, back and search button on the phone hardware. On this phone they actually "move" around depending how you are holding the phone. This is something the end-user will probably get accustomed to over time, but it is initially troublesome.

Conclusion:

While I do strongly believe this phone will appeal to a certain niche group, it's not going to be the "next big thing". The innovation behind the phone is admirable, but the execution is lacking. My "daily driver" phone is the Evo 4G, and this unit did not tempt me away from it at all. While the phone is certainly a neat gadget, I don't see it being a competitive force against phones like the Evo, Epic and the new Evo 3D- rumored to be coming out in June- at the same $199 price point. All that aside for a moment, If you are coming from a phone like the LG Rumor or older Android phone and are prone to a lot of texting this phone might be right up your alley and certainly would be an upgrade from those units.

If you have any questions, want some pictures of the phone, or another request, leave me a comment and I'll try to respond as soon as I can.

Very good first dual screen phone May 2, 2011

Reviewer:  J. Griswell "peon"  (inside) -

I've used an Echo as my only phone for about 2 weeks now, so here is some initial feedback.

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Battery life:

Isn't that bad, like with any smartphone, you play with it, the battery drops quickly. I've also had an EVO to play with and to me the battery drops about the same speed as the Echo. The exception would be if on the Echo you are watching video in the dual screen setup and the battery will drop faster, but that is only natural given the real estate you are using on those screens compared with the EVO (4.7 to 4.3).

Unlike what most people seem to say in reviews I've seen online, I still tend to use the phone in dual screen mode unless I'm purposely trying to converse battery life.

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No 4G:

Sure it would be a big deal to people in markets with 4G, but living in a rural area I seriously doubt the no 4G will be an issue for me for a couple of years at least. Though it sucks to pay Sprint $10 a month for a service I can't get, that would be true even if I had a phone with 4G.

Plus, no doubt 4G could be on this phone, but it would push the battery drain a little higher. Maybe next version of the phone.

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Speed:

Coming from a HTC Hero it is really nice and responsive, so I'm pretty happy with the speed. Dual screen finger scrolling can be a little strange as the phone can't track across the gap between the screens. Can stutter a little at times, but it pretty well matches up with my experience with the EVO.

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Size:

It's a thick phone, no doubt about that, but personally I like the size. I've found the EVO to feel kinda weird talking on it, almost too wide and thin. I like the EVO better in a case with an extended battery due to the bonus of it making the phone thicker. I'm not carrying a phone like this in my pocket anyway, so no loss there. Plus, with the Echo once you play with the dual screens you can appreciate the size of the phone better. It is pretty amazing it isn't thicker than it is to be honest. And full disclosure, the Echo is barely even thicker than an EVO, SURPRISE! People sometimes act like the Echo is huge. You are talking like 3-4mm(?) thicker than an EVO.

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Call Quality:

Not bad at all, it's not perfect, but I have no complaints and to me the Echo makes any phone call sound like a phone call.

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Display:

Awesome, with the dual display you are almost at 1024x768 ( I think it's 800 x 960) so with the two screens you get to view webpages in almost desktop fashion. Though given the amount of black space on the display's left and right border you think they could have gotten a few more millimeters of display instead. Good bright display too, clean and easy to read text and video plays very smoothly.

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Stuff to be aware of before buying:

1. Not a lot of accessories, probably will stay that way too. Like getting a fancy case or extended battery? I wouldn't hold my breath on the Echo getting either with the odd form factor. But I'd snap up an extended battery in a heartbeat, just because I power use my phone battery to death. My hero had an extended 3500mah which was a dream, the bigger my battery the more I use the phone.

2. Buy a techskin of some kind, not sure if it is just me but the case of the Echo seems to scuff a little easier than my hero. Maybe it's just the difference of Kyocera and HTC, but my hero took a beating without scuffing.

3. New to Sprint? Upgrading your Sprint phone? Than the Echo is perfect for you, try it out for the 30 days, at least a couple of weeks before picking the EVO (or maybe Nexus S). The Echo is a new swing on the usual smartphone and you might find you like it.

Can't go back to single screen May 6, 2011

Reviewer:  Senthil Prabakaran  (scarborough, me, US) -

I waited to write this review since I was new to Android. I switched from webOS.

I like the solid build of the Kyocera. The hinge is well designed and after a few weeks of use, there is no noticeable flimsiness. I expect that to last.

The most exciting part is the dual screen. I hate on screen keyboards. But in dual screen, I get a lot more real estate for the keyboard and the content. I do plan on getting a Bluetooth keyboard, but not because of anything lacking in the phone.

Vue Cue is a great application for viewing Youtube videos. I use it often to watch multi part videos. It starts queuing the next video before the current video finishes.

Email in dual screen is awesome. I can actually get through all my emails in a distribution list I belong to, because of the increased real estate. Viewing the email in one screen with the list in the other is great to go through all your unread emails.

The browser experience is also amazing. When you open a link in another window, it opens the link in the other screen. So I can still browse the current page when the new one is loading.

Battery level has not bothered me. As bad as my Palm Pre. I keep the second battery in the car when I travel. Even when using the GPS I don't charge the phone and I just swap out the battery when it's low.

I use RDP client quite a bit and find the 960x800 resolution great!

ISSUES
The two screens have a noticeable difference in tint. It is more apparent in lower brightness.

Most keyboards I download on the market spread to both screens in Portrait mode.

Some Apps only open in one screen. These Apps are not probably designed for tablets. Not a deal breaker.

I travel quite a bit and the LCD becomes black when I see through my polarized sun glasses in Portrait mode. Minor issue.

Overall I'm sticking with the Kyocera Echo. I can't imagine going back to a lower resolution phone.

Kyocera Echo is literally two devices in one... and then some! June 14, 2011

Reviewer:  mark "Professional Appreciator"  (United States) -

I've owned many smartphones. I've been a regular contributor (paid writer) for a national tech blog. I'm a smartphone geek if ever there was one. Upon writing this review I've been using my Kyocera Echo for 2+ months as my primary device. I love this phone! While not perfect (no smartphone is) it is literally several great devices in one.

I got my Echo 3 days prior to the official launch on April 17th. Prior to that I was a webOS (Palm/HP) fan and addict. In full disclosure I've not used an iPhone nor a Windows Phone 7 device, although I've had many Windows Mobile, Android, and webOS smarthphones. This latest, the Echo, is far and away my favorite.

Briefly, only the Echo offers a device the size of an iPhone (3.5" display) that instantly converts into a small Android Xoom-size tablet! I love tablets and I love smartphones... I just don't want to carry both around all the time. With the Echo you get both in a single device! It's truly a unique product that for a first-off device is surprisingly well done.

I have mine tricked-out with a 32gb microSD card and a plethora of paid Android apps that have me using the device as my phone and pda like so many other Android and iPhone users. Then with the flick of the screen I have a near Xoom-sized tablet that I use as my primary "Kindle" reader and where I watch all the latest TV shows and movies on my nearly 5" screen. Document editing, email viewing and web browsing are all a superior experience to any I've experienced on a 4.3" or smaller standard, single-screen device.

While it's not all roses (see the cons below) it's damn near "all roses" for me and the Echo. I love it and can't see myself going back to webOS (which I love as an OS) or to another device like an EVO 4G which I also had and sort of, kind of hated. The Echo is a device that should have a much larger following and user-base than it currently has. I give the Echo a much-deserved 5 stars for doing what it does well and for being such a ground-breaking and functional form factor.

Pros:
- Stock Android (no carrier skins).
- Two Screen Modes (3.5" and dual 3.5" -- nearly 5" of tablet real estate) in one very compact device;
- Build Quality is excellent! (This is one beefy little phone. Heavy but compact.)
- Two batteries and external charger included!
- Large virtual keyboard when in dual-screen mode.

Cons:
- Fair battery life. (Not as bad as reported by many... And almost totally mitigated by the second battery.)
- Poor Screen Visibility in outdoor use. (I've not heard anyone mention this. In the sun the screen is washed out.)
- Dual-screen viewing angle in "laptop" mode is only semi-functional.
- Single-core processor. (The first-gen Snapdragon CPU is good, but this device really deserves a dual-core cpu).
- No 4G. (Not that big of a "con" as 3G in most areas is adequate and on a wi-fi connection, 4G is unnecessary.)
- Bezel (black line) divider in video mode. (Not a deal-breaker, especially considering the Echo's overall versatility!)

All in all... I almost never take my Sony VAIO laptop out at home anymore. I've put my host of iPods and mp3/pmp devices in a drawer where they're likely to never see the light of day again. The Echo is such a great, great device for anyone looking to consolidate their mobile devices into one. I'm sold on the Echo and can't wait for a second-gen successor Echo II!

Note: One of the big selling points of this device is the "simul-task" multi-tasking. Having two apps running on each of the 3.5" screens at once is a nice concept, but for me, I rarely use it. Android multi-tasks well enough from 2.1 on that I'm not sure how necessary "simul-tasking" is.

Not the Smartest Phone May 6, 2012

Reviewer:  100baffrooms 

I purchased this phone, as a refurb, after my previous phone stopped working (after 2 faithful years). In a pinch, it fulfills my basic phone call and texting requirements - which, in the meantime, will have to do. Overall, however, I've found that the features that I like about the phone, are sort of a double-edged sword, in that they directly or in-directly result in the complicated use of the phone... It's been about two weeks, and here are my impressions:

Pros:

The two screen gimic is actually pretty useful for texting and what not, since it offers a bit more "real estate" for the screen, when it can be a bit cramped on a typical smart phone.

Battery Life is great. I get about 2-3 days between charges.

Cons:

The two screen gimic is cumbersome and annoying beyond the texting. The division in the screens makes it complicated to watch videos or view pictures and web pages. The double screen is also a bit too sensitive, in that it's really easy to slightly flip the screen, such that it pulls the phone out of sleep mode, making it possible to pocket dial someone or open an app, by mistake. This could be where other complaints of poor battery life come from.

The phone only takes mini-SD cards, not micro-SD, like most other smartphones, so I can't easily use my previous phone's memory card without buying some type of adapter. Not having a memory card also makes it impossible to use the camera feature or download most apps. On the upside, not having all the apps, contributes to the stellar battery life!

Call quality is terrible at best. It is tinny and either too quiet or too loud. It also drops calls quite often, where I rarely did before.

Bluetooth does not connect to my car most of the time. I've removed all previous devices, tried restarting everything, etc, etc. No luck. After about the first two times, it is just straight hit-or-miss as to whether the phone will connect to my external devices.

I hope this review is helpful. These are just a few things that I wish the salesman had taken a bit more time to point out. It looks like several others have had great experiences with this phone, unfortunately, its features just don't fit my smartphone wants and needs.