Sanyo Katana DLX

A more affordable alternative to Sprint's RAZR2 V9m, the $129 Sanyo Katana DLX offers a decent mix of fashion and function (view photo gallery). This clamshell sports a mirrored design with your choice of three colors: Champagne, Pink Satin, and Platinum Ice. And unlike the earlier Katana, this model features a sharper 1.3-megapixel camera and support for Sprint's multimedia services.
 
The DLX' shiny face is largely uncluttered, graced only by a one-inch square LCD that doubles as a self-portrait mirror and digital camera lens. On the left is a thin volume toggle with the power jack on the bottom. On the right, you'll find a thin camera button on the lid and a high-capacity microSD Card slot and 2.5mm headphone jack. The speakerphone is on the rear above the battery.
 
Behind the flip top is a bright two-inch LCD. The DLX' plastic-covered keys have etched alphanumerics that glow with a powder-blue backlight but are nearly flush without much tactile feedback. Key taps are accompanied by unusual tinkly tones (which we turned off). The navigation array has a second camera key but no buttons for direct access to the Web, Sprint TV, or music, nor are there any external music controls.
 
Inside the Katana DLX is an average set of Power Vision features. A 1.3-MP camera disguises its 12X zoom in a 12-step process and has no flash. Pictures, however, looked crisper and more colorful than what most 1.3-MP cameras provide, with above-average low-light performance but slightly muted colors. Captured video was choppy and pixelated-typical for a phone.  As with most Sprint Power Vision phones, you're forced to connect to the Sprint Music Store to access your own music, although the three-click access is speedier than on previous Sprint models. You still can't activate shuffle play until you choose a song from your list to start with. Songs from the Sprint Music Store download in 15 to 30 seconds, depending on length. MP3, AAC, and WMA files are supported. The Katana comes with a 128MB microSD Card, but the phone's high-capacity slot can accommodate new 4GB microSD Cards. The Katana is equipped with stereo Bluetooth for wireless music listening, but wired earbuds aren't included.
 
The Katana's strength is its strong and speedy EV-DO connection. The Web browser loaded in less than five seconds, and individual WAP news and sports pages sprang up in about two seconds. Sprint TV's menu took around 10 to 15 seconds to load, and television video started streaming in about 10. You can view video only in Portrait mode, which means it occupies only the top half of the Katana's screen.
 
Voice quality tended toward the thin side, and co-conversationalists reported the familiar Sprint echo, but there was plenty of volume-tinged with some distortion at the top setting-to overcome standard street noise and public area ambience. We had no trouble hearing and feeling the phone ringing through a pants pocket. We squeezed 13 minutes beyond the higher-than-average four hours of rated talk time and 13 hours of music listening.
 
The Katana's sturdy build quality, solid functionality, and elegant design trump some of our minor qualms. This phone is a pleasing alternative to the usual black testosterone-laden cells and not a bad choice for users who want to look stylish while chatting.

View: Sanyo Katana DLX photo gallery


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