Kyocera SE47 / SE44 / V5 (Slider) Specs, Features & Reviews

First let me say this is my fourth cell phone and they have gotten better each time. As some reviewers have stated the battery life does go down but after having defective batteries replaced by Kyocera I am convinced it is all in the battery. The original batteries it came with can not hold a charge for very long while the newer batteries don't need to be charged for a few days.

I have found the phone to be very durable. There's no doubt it gets scratched but hey it's made of plastic. I've dropped it numerous times, my 18month old soon loves to play with it. He pulls on the antenna, drops it, bangs it against things, slides it open, slides it closed, repeats that a hundred times, presses all the buttons, swings it around by the antenna, etc. I've had the phone for 2 years and it still works fine. It looks beat up but it still runs fine.

It was a hassle going through the menus to silence the phone so I setup one of the hotkeys to be the silent toggle. The speaker phone and voice dial are handy since I am usually talking while driving. The rubber flap on the ear piece did not last very long and I wound up just ripping it out.

The keys are kind of small but really, what do you want - humongous keys on a humongous phone. I'm a 5'10" guy with normally proportioned hands and fingers and I don't have a problem dialing though I have to admit I usually just voice-dial so that I'm not looking down at the phone while I'm driving.

So to summarize - if your battery life is bad get a new battery, if the phone isn't standing up to your abuse, maybe the problem is you and no this phone is not perfect but it is not that bad.

Oh one last thing my wife has also had this phone for the same amount of time with no major problems.

I ordered this phone off of the internet. I had read other reviews and wasn't sure if it would be a quality phone, but when I got it I was overall very pleased.

The phone is small (slightly larger than a pack of gum) and has the Slider opening, which is so cute and I love. You just push the phone open and click it closed, so you can answer your phone quickly and still see who is calling.

The display is vibrant and easy to read. There isn't THAT much choice in terms of wallpaper, screensaver, etc but I am given enough choice to be satisfied.

I found the functions to be very easy to use. You can figure out almost everything you'd use on the phone without the manual because it has built-in information in each menu section. I am in love with the voice activated dialing because it is so easy to figure out and use.

The earpiece volume is decent, it is hard to hear if I am in the middle of a busy restaurant or something but I think thats true with any phone. The speakerphone is very loud, much louder in proportion to the earpiece, which is always good if you are driving.

The belt clip works fine. As long as you carefully click it into place, it will not fall out from normal wear (like walking around, shopping or at school.) The reception is good, which is saying alot because I live in a rural area (Glenwood, MD)where NOBODY gets reception. I went to the Verizon store (they are my carrier) and looked on their computer, and my house gets just one bar AT BEST.

I use this phone for keeping in touch with my mom & talking to friends, so it doesn't get used as much as some other phones may. But I find it a perfect fit for what I use it for and think it's great for other teenagers because its such a cute design and easy to use but with cool extras, like funky ringtones and customized banner. As long as you are gentle on it and don't need lots of fancy doo-dads, I would definitely recommend this phone.

I BOUGHT THIS PHONE ABOUT 2 MONTH AGO AND HAVE BEEN NOTHING BUT HAPPY WITH IT. I LIVE IN A RURAL AREA AND I GET BETTER SIGNAL THAN ON ANY PHONE I HAVE EVER OWNED. IT IS EASY IT USE AND THE GAMES AND OTHER FUCTIONS OF THE PHONE ARE VERY USER FRIENDLY. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS PHONE IF YOU WANT A GREAT PHONE THAT IS NOT HARD TO USE AND GETS GREAT RECEPTION

Great Buy, very cheap. The phone was only about 130-rebate. It gets a lot of good looks from random people. The only downside is the crappy messaging software-very frustrating. Other than that go out and buy this phone.

hi, i have had the slider for about 1 month now. Overall i am very pleased with this phone. in the beginning i was weary about the small keypad, but i normally do not use it. 99% of the time i use my phone cantacts list for dialing numbers and, i do not use that many text messages to care. The only thing that really bothers me is the reaction time of the phone. for instance when i open the phone it takes about 5 seconds to actually start up and be ready to go. only other thing but i won't know untill later is how well the slider works. i'm afraid that it will break but it should be durable and has worked so far. the pphone has been great so far though..great speakerphone.

Wow, I totally love this phone. It's small and easy to use. I love the design and the slider action, of course. I'm using it with Verizon, and except for the games they took out, it's a pretty good service.

Pros:
Sliding design, good speakerphone, voice dialing with great voice recognition, and enough time to talk on the phone.

Cons:
Screen is kind of dull and no games installed.

Other than that it's a fun phone, especially for teenagers. As for the keys, i had no problem with that. It has a really cute blue backlight too and screen savers.

I am a telecom coordinator for a government agency and we have 120 cellulars plus 600 land lines. I have purchased about 20 Sliders in the last 2 months and every one of them have been awesome. I have had no defects at all. This is amazing to me as I normally have 1 in 5 that need to be repaired or replaced within 5 days of purchase.

The slider is extremely clear, functional and user friendly. If the user takes the time to utilize the phone to its full capability - the user can only end up pleased with their choice.

I love the weight, clarity, animation, functionality, and workmanship of this cellular.

Kyocera - after your 5135 - I would not have even considered another Kyocera; until one of my users insisted they wanted one of the Sliders. You have come a long way with your technology and I congratulate you!

First of all, Ive owned this phone since the first week it came out and at first the key pad was annoying, but after a day or two i adapted. its the 4th cell ive owned, my previous being motorola's timeport 270C. i found the timeport was jam packed with features, but the slider se47 blows it out of the water. the real only thing its missing is a camera. and alot of people here have said the batery life sucks, but it only sucks if you live it sticksville usa cuz it has no analog it can only get digital signals, tho the new se 44 version is trimode so it will be able to get analog [...].
theres also alot of things you will find you can do with it that isnt listed in the user guide.
so basically, if you wana take pictures, this isnt the phone for you. but if you dont give a d--- about taking picks and if you live in a the 95% of north america that has full digital coverage you've so gota get this phone.
ps: wait for the trimode se44 =)

Ed. note: Inflammatory title & rant removed

This was one of the best phones I have ever had. I'll get in to why I had to get a different one in the cons section.

Pros:

Sound quality was great, both through the earpiece and speakerphone! I was frequently told that I didn't sound like I was on a cell phone.

Size: They don't get much smaller

Easy to use. Some people have mentioned that the keypad is too small, I didn't have any problems with that.

Cons:

Accessories (in particular leather cases): These are impossible to find. The one that came from Verizon when I bought the phone was crap. I don't see how a custom case could be made for this, I had to go buy a pouch style belt clip.

Curved screen: the curve on the screen drew a lot of glare

Digital only (why I had to get a different phone): This phone is digital only, which I was fully aware of when I purchased the phone and didn't think it would ever be an issue. Then I had to drive through Kentucky, which is largely analog. I didn't need to use my phone during that time, but I would have liked it to work if I needed, so I had to trade it in for a Moto V60s (blah).

Conclusion:

If digital only coverage isn't an issue for you, then go with this phone! I will definitely look at Kyocera phones in the future.

PROS
Speaker Phone
Slide
Good Ringtone Quality
bright backlighted display

CONS
Short battery life
Antenna is too long