The Katana from Sanyo is an ultra-thin clamshell phone. With a VGA camera and QVGA main display, viewing your photos is crystal clear. Other key attributes include speakerphone, Bluetooth, and Sanyo's large vibrant outer display.
Sanyo's new phone, the Katana, is named after the beautifully and brilliantly crafted swords used by Japan's legendary Samurai warriors. While comparing the design and workmanship of this phone to that of a Japanese master swordsmith might be a bit of a stretch, there are some areas of similarity. Katana swords are not about excessive detailing; they are about perfecting the general form to improve the function. In these areas, Sanyo's Katana is much like these ancient swords: unencumbered by unnecessary features, but well-structured for its primary purpose – communication.
The Katana is an important addition to the Sprint family of phones, offering sleek style and solid performance in an affordable clamshell phone. With its availability in several trendy colors and features like a VGA camera, several Bluetooth profiles, and diverse messaging capabilities, this phone is designed for the fashion-forward consumer.
The Katana is Sanyo's answer to the Motorola RAZR – compact, stylish, and available in a vibrant color palette. With dimensions of 3.88" x 2.02" x 0.58" and a weight of 3.40 ounces, its specifications are almost identical to those of the RAZR, but somehow the phone feels more substantial. It fits nicely in the palm of my hand, and the crisp click I hear when I open or close the phone is oddly pleasing.
The Katana is a beautiful phone. It has a rectangular shape, with curving edges and sharp angles melded together to create a look of technology blended with high-fashion. The camera lense is discretely located on the front of the phone, above the crystal-clear external screen, and the antenna is internal, so it doesn't distract from the appearance of the phone. (However, since the internal antenna is located in the bottom edge of the phone, you could interfere with the quality of your service if you cover the antenna with your hand or cheek.)
You can really show your personal style with one of the four rich and gorgeous color choices: Blue Sapphire, Mystic Black, Cherry Blossom Pink, and Polar White (available only at RadioShack). The Cherry Blossom Pink and Polar White phones are accented in gray, the Blue Sapphire phone is accented in black, and the Mystic Black phone is all black. The interiors of the phones complement the exterior colors, using combinations of the primary color and the accent color. The background color shows through the transparent keys, which are illuminated with a pleasant blue backlighting.
The numeric keypad and associated operational keys fill most of the bottom half of the phone. A navigation panel is situated above the keypad. It includes a central, dual-purpose key (the Menu / OK key) and the navigation keys you use to move through the menus, which also function as shortcuts for quick and easy access to Send Quick Text (up), My Content (down), Voice Memo (right), and the Web (left). The navigation panel is flanked by four additional keys, three of which perform standard operations and one that is a camera shortcut.
The charger jack and volume control buttons are located on the left edge of the phone, and the headset jack and a camera shortcut button are located on the right edge of the phone. The design of the external features is a bit of a disappointment. When you open the phone, the buttons flank the interior screen on the top half of the phone rather than the keypad on the lower half of the phone. It just isn't comfortable or practical to use the keys in this position. This is not such a big deal for camera operations because the internal camera key is a more logical choice when the phone is open, but it is an unnecessary difficulty when it comes to volume control. If you are like me and have to adjust the volume of the phone depending on who's on the other end of the line, the location of the external keys is a real bummer.
The Katana's buttons are flush with the phone, which I typically dislike immensely, but these buttons are an exception. They depress with authority, and I have no problems using them with ease. Most importantly, the Menu / OK key is elevated slightly higher than the navigation keys that surround it, so I never accidentally hit an adjoining button. It is possible that the flat keys could still be a hinderance for people with large fingertips, but I don't encounter any difficulties associated with the design of the keys.
Sanyo's new phone, the Katana, is named after the beautifully and brilliantly crafted swords used by Japan's legendary Samurai warriors. While comparing the design and workmanship of this phone to that of a Japanese master swordsmith might be a bit of a stretch, there are some areas of similarity. Katana swords are not about excessive detailing; they are about perfecting the general form to improve the function. In these areas, Sanyo's Katana is...
The Katana is a dual-band/tri-mode phone, which means that you get the combined coverage of dual-band and digital dual-band networks. For digital service, this phone operates on CDMA networks in the 800 MHz and 1900 MHz bands, so you can roam on other carriers' networks in addition to your Sprint PCS network coverage. For analog service, this phone operates in the 800 MHz band, which allows you the possibility of coverage in places without...
You can easily access the Katana's VGA camera using either the internal or external camera shortcut key. As a security measure to avoid accidentally turning on the camera, you have to hold down the external button for approximately 3 seconds to activate the camera. The external key allows you to shoot a photograph without opening the camera, which makes for painless self-portraits. Since the lense is flipped 180 degrees when the camera is open,...
The Katana's displays are two of its best assets. The external screen is a full 1.0" (90 x 64 pixels) in size. It is a 65,000-color TFT LCD display that provides a crisp and clear picture and allows you to quickly view signal strength, battery strength, date and time, a screensaver (if selected), picture caller id, Bluetooth connectivity, and more. The interior screen is more or less a bigger version of the external screen at 2.2" (240 x 320...
This phone supports the SMS messaging protocol for sending basic text messages. It has the predictive (T9) text input option, as well as a personalized dictionary where you can save unique words (like names, places, or slang) you regularly use in text messages. I am thrilled by the time-saving, editable preset messages that come installed on the phone. Some of them I use as is, while others I edit to suit my messaging habits. With twenty preset...
The Sanyo Katana is a smashing phone for those who want a lot of style but don't need a lot of excess features. All the basic functionality is there, and it's wrapped up in a pretty package at that. With its expansive messaging and Bluetooth capabilities and its crystal-clear voice quality, this phone does a great job of keeping you connected.
This phone is not designed for technophiles or people who organize their entire lives through their...
By: Darin Brunet on Tuesday, October 10, 2006 From: Arcadia, FL (United States) Experience: 45 Days
Pros: Bluetooth enabled, good quality speaker phone, sturdy, nice big buttonsCons: Battery lifeSummary: While this phone is not so great on battery life, the pros of it seem to outweigh this one con. There is good voice quality and excellent antennae reception. The buttons are nice and big for the less delicate dialers, and the phone is sturdy and not easily broken if dropped. If considering this phone, factor in a car charger as well.
By: pranav patel on Friday, September 22, 2006 From: ozone park, NY (United States) Experience: 12 Months
Pros: I love itCons: battery is hard to take out i mean difficult to take it out Summary: I was using the sanyo brand from last 1 yr, recently I changed to its new model katana which is too kool n nice n light n it provides me all facilites which i required rght now so gr8 for me
By: Max French on Thursday, September 21, 2006 From: Nashua, NH (United States) Experience: 1 Months
Pros: Large Bright Screen and workes just great. This is the best phone I have ever owned. Easy to use and very stylish Cons: None at this timeSummary: I have had this phone for about a month now and it works perfect. Excellent sound quality gets reception even in areas with little or no cell coverage. The speakerphone on it works better than my desk phone. I only have to charge mine about every three days it holds the charge that well, and I use my phone a lot. I download and text message and call all the time. The phone is thin, yet, sturdy and well built. I have taken great pictures with it and I am very happy with this phone. My office mate bought the Verizon Chocolate and had nothing but problems with it, mostly the phone would use up the battery without him using it. He brought it to the Verizon store and they gave him an extended battery and even with that the phone would use up the charge without him using it at all. He then bought the Verizon Razor and it does not even come close to the Katana. I own two Katana Phones and gave one to my brother who lives in an area with weak cell coverage and he has no problems with his Katana. Sanyo built a great all around phone.
By: Sarah Kelsner on Wednesday, July 19, 2006 From: Seattle , WA (United States) Experience: 20 Days
Pros: Thin, easy access to use the speakerphone, vibrant display, sound is always great, and the reception is as well. The phone looks sharp and feels very sturdy.Cons: The camera is not what you should buy this phone for. For a new Sprint phone I thought it should have had EV-DO. Summary: I am really glad I waited to re-new my contract and upgrade my phone to get the new Katana. It's new to me and I like that I haven't seen everyone else with it already. The features that it has, which are a lot, work well and I am able to access all of them easily.
By: Yolanda Sprinkle on Tuesday, July 11, 2006 From: Lafayette, MO (United States) Experience: 4 Days
Pros: The blue is great and really makes the phone look clean and very sharp. It feels sturdy, like it is going to last and not fall apart after one accidental drop! The menu was friendly and easy to learn along with the camera functions. Both the internal and external displays are clear and bright. Love the Bluetooth and won't buy another phone without it again! Like most new phones the battery has been great for the first few days that I have been using it, so let's hope it will stay that way. Cons: I can't speak of any yet. Summary: After a few days I have been impressed with the Katana. This is my first Sanyo and I am happy to say that so far I can't really think of anything that I would change.
IntroductionSanyo's new phone, the Katana, is named after the beautifully and brilliantly crafted swords used by Japan's legendary Samurai warriors. While comparing the design and workmanship of this phone to that of a Japanese master swordsmith might be a bit of a stretch, there are some areas of similarity. Katana swords are not about excessive detailing; they are about perfecting the general form to improve the function. In these areas,...
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4.6
The Katana is Sanyo's answer to the 
