Sanyo Katana DLX Cell Phone Review - Value & Comparisons
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Alfredo Padilla Published on August 06, 2007 Comment on this |
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Value (7.0)
The Katana DLX is available for $129.99 with a two-year contract from Sprint's online store. Without a contract it will cost you $329.99. With a new contract, the Katana DLX is a good value given its feature set, especially for a brand new handset. But if you're buying a phone out of contract and aren't limited in terms of carriers, you can pick up a more capable smart phone for around $300, which we would recommend over the Katana DLX.
Comparisons
Nokia N75 - The Nokia N75 is a Series 60 smart phone that provides better functionality than the Katana DLX almost across the board. However, the 2-megapixel camera on the N75 is no better than the Katana DLX's, and the Nokia N75 gets significantly worse battery life. If you require a smart phone the Nokia N75 may be a better choice, but even then we would be hard pressed to recommend it over the Katana DLX.
Sprint Upstage - The Sprint Upstage is a music oriented handset with a unique "flip" form factor, while the Katana DLX has a much more traditional clamshell form factor. We liked the Katana DLX's interface and controls better than the Sprint Upstage's. Although the Upstage gets much better battery life when you use the included battery "wallet," without it the Katana DLX actually does better. Functionality is basically the same between the two, so it really comes down to which form factor you prefer.
Motorola Krzr K1m - The Krzr K1m is an aging design that nonetheless provides similar functionality to the Katana DLX. Its biggest drawbacks are a camera that's worse than the Katana DLX's and a lack of Bluetooth stereo support. We do have to admit, though, that the Krzr K1m looks nicer than the Katana DLX.
Sanyo M1 - The Sanyo M1 offers almost exactly the same software functionality as the Katana DLX, which is to be expected given they come from the same manufacturer. The user interface may be very similar, but the Katana DLX's control keys are significantly better than the Sanyo M1's. The M1 comes with a better selection of accessories however, and some may prefer the M1's 1GB of built in storage over fiddly Micro SD cards. The Sanyo M1 is no longer available from Sprint's online store, but you can still find one online for about $99 without a contract, which may be a better deal than the Katana DLX.
LG Chocolate VX8550 - The Chocolate VX8550 is a slider handset that, like the Katana DLX, is the newest iteration of an existing handset. The differences between the two in terms of functionality is slim, so it really comes down to hardware. The Chocolate is a smaller handset, especially when opened, and its unique scroll wheel/D-Pad provides a significantly different user experience than the Katana DLX's more traditional D-Pad. Both handsets use Micro SD cards, but the Chocolate VX8550 supports newer high-capacity cards. We have to admit we like the look of the Chocolate VX8550 better than the Katana DLX.
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