On the back of the Rise lies a 3.2-megapixel camera with flash, which is mediocre at best. It performs better outside with natural light, and using the flash while indoors will help improve clarity, but photos still turn out slightly fuzzy with dull colors.

The camera app includes a few settings for adjusting your photos, like zoom, scene mode, white balance, and flash control; you can play around with these settings to get the most out of your photos.

For video capture, you can pick between four video resolutions: WVGA, 480p, HVGA, and QVGA. The Rise's camera can capture moving objects without much problem, but it can't focus on a subject and its video footage is pixelated. You can adjust the white balance and flash to improve the light quality, but the settings give your video clips an unnatural look that is a bit off-putting.

While the Kyocera Rise's price point and physical QWERTY keyboard are appealing, you definitely get what you pay for. I'd recommend the Rise as a solid starter smartphone, or perhaps a phone for your clumsy teenager, but more-experienced smartphone users will be left wanting more. If you're willing to shell out more cash, the is another Sprint option with a physical keyboard, and it packs way more power.