Customer Reviews

SANYO KATANA SCP 6600 BLUE SPRINT CAMERA CELL PHONE

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I bought this phone to replace my 2 1/2-year old Samsung Vi660. I've been a big fan of the Samsung line, and thought about buying their comparable version to the Katana (the A900) but the reviews of the Katana's superior battery life won me over. I am not much for the fancy features of cell phones - I just wanted a slimmer phone that had a lower radiation emissions level than the Vi660, a built-in speakerphone, and bluetooth connectivity. After using the phone for a few weeks, here are my impressions so far:

The good:

* Excellent sound quality (in each direction) and none of that "echo" effect I used to get with the Samsung
* Long battery life with many powersaving features
* Beautiful screen, and with web access, is capable of diplaying Google satellite/map info that is just as clear as it is on a PC
* Menu design is very functional, with Favorites and Contacts being directly accessable through the touch of a button
* The "Favorites" button brings up a customizable list of 12 shortcuts, which can be either web addresses or any tool/function/menu item within the phone's own menus (it's like having a programmed navigation button with 12 different options)
* This phone emits the least radiation of any phone in the Sanyo line, and is in the bottom half of the list when compared to other manufacturers (the top being the highest emitters).
* Did you lose your Katana? Send it a specific text message and upon receiving it, the phone will lock itself up, erase its contents, and display a "lost phone" message on the outside screen with the sprint customer service phone number
* The center navigation button links directly to the "Missed Alerts" feature, which keeps a running list of missed voicemails and text messages
* Bluetooth functionality is wonderful. It is easy to make and receive calls from the bluetooth headset, and the sound quality is almost better than that from the in-phone microphone
* The phone has four different types of vibration patterns that you can assign to different types of calls/text messages, and an easily accessable "silence all" feature (no rings, no button beeps, etc) that is ideal for business meetings
* There is a feature on the Katana that allows you to screen calls as the callers are leaving a message
* Menus and Contact information are arranged for easy text-messaging access and message drafting

The bad:

* The VGA camera is not the greatest, and pictures are usually come out with a blueish or orangish cast unless the color balance is adjusted manually beforehand (settings to do this are on the phone)
* Sound quality from the speakerphone is great but the microphone isn't sensitive enough, and my callers frequently complain that I sound too far away
* The only feature I sorely miss from the Samsung phones is their far-superior voice dialing capability, which is second-to-none. The Katana relies on user-recorded tags for its voice recognition capabilities, whereas the Samsung phones just recognized my voice without any prior setup. That functionality also let me dial any phone number by saying the digits; a feature lacking in the Katana. Voice recognition does work, however sometimes you must repeat the name a few times to get it to work. If good voice dialing capabilites are a dealbreaker for you, I'd stick with the Samsung line.
* the charging port on the Katana is on the side of the phone, covered by a rotating rubber insert that is a bit flimsy. This makes it awkward to talk on the phone while it is connected to a charger.
* The volume controls on the side of the phone are on the upper portion of the handset and they are *very* slim, making them a bit hard to use.

The Katana seems to be marketed towards a slightly less business-oriented demographic (it's available in cherry-blossom pink, that should be your first clue), and its features reflect this. This is more of a phone for the casual user who is interested in a stylish phone with good basic functionality, and doesn't need many of the fancier functions of its competitors.

6 MONTH UPDATE: Would I buy it all over again? Maybe, maybe not.
It's been almost 6 months since I bought my Katana, and I have to say, I'm on the fence about it. It isn't a bad phone, it gets STELLAR reception compared to the old Samsung, texting is a snap, and its got a great screen for web browsing. But I've given up a lot of great features on my old Samsung and I don't seem to have gained a whole lot of new ones. I don't ever use the speakerphone because everyone asks if I'm having problems with my connection. I am really missing the ability to digit dial by voice. Talking on the phone with the charger sticking out of the side (especially in the car) is pretty awkward, as is trying to connect the charger when you don't exactly have your hands free. Sprint gives you 2 weeks to make up your mind on the phone, I'd take a look at these issues during that time and try to decide how much of an issue these things really are.

I had Cingular wireless for over a year and after problems with my family line I was forced to switch plans to Sprint. The Katana had a cool design and I wanted bluetooth, camera, and flip phone. I was told and researched that Katana was one of the best.

I love the new phone--I have yet to have ANY dropped calls, with Cingular I had dropped calls all the time (even though Cingular claims publically that they have the fewest dropped calls). The battery life on this phone is amazing. It lasts about 2 and half days with me texting regularly and receiving/making about 3-4 calls (10 minutes max apiece).

One bone I do have to pick is the fact that it only vibrate+rings at Volume 1 and Volume 8. On all my previous phones (Motorola and LG) I am use to having vibrate+ring on any volume. But at the same time, when uploading ringtones the quality isn't the greatest (only accepts QCP), so having the volume at 8 works as far as hearing the ringtone.

On Sprint network, the phone isn't unlocked for Bluetooth to upload ringtones, however, Bluetooth for the handsfree set is unlocked. I am one for ringtones, so I had to upload ringtones online to download them.

All in all I'm a happy customer of the Sprint Katana. I do not hav eany other Sprint phone to honestly compare it to though, so I can't tell you that it is the best on the Sprint network at this time. However, if you're looking for a neat design similar to the Razr without actually getting the Razr, the Katana seems to do a nice job.

Purchased the phone wanting a thin flip. The 2 positives of the phone from my use is its screen quality/clarity and the hinge sturdiness. I find the earpiece is lacking. I have trouble hearing unless the phone is positioned perfectly on my ear. Also, the volume control doesn't seem to work too well. If I cannot hear a caller clearly, I up the volume one increment, and now the person on the other end sounds like they are screaming into my ear. The camera is not the best. May take a couple of tries to get the picture presentable. Blurry/red pictures is my main problem. The volume button is not in the best place in my opinion. It is placed on the upper flip. Its placement and size sometimes makes it difficult to accurately change the volume. The internal antenna works pretty well. I have not dropped any calls or had any connectivity issues due to the antenna placement. But it is humerous to see the antenna signal strength fluctuate if I place my hand around the bottom portion of the phone.

Overall, the phone is good quality, basically what I would expect from a Sanyo. Being a Sprint customer for 8 years, I usually look to Sanyo for a phone.

I read the reviews online before I purchased this phone and now that I own it, I do agree with the other reviewers about some of the phones "issues". Here are some notes (pros and cons)

1.If you're a casual user, like myself you will love the phone.

2.The camera does give your pictures an orange tint, BUT I have found that goes away if you tilt the camera down, a bit when taking the picture. Fool around with the angle and you will notice that orange hue lessens quite a bit.

3.The speaker phone, not the best. The other person doesn't hear me that well.

4.If you're on the phone while it is being charged, know that the rubber piece that covers the adapter outlet can be turned around, out of the way.

5. The earpiece volume on level 1 is loud, but I am usually in very loud enviorments and can't always hear the person with other phones, so score for me :)

That's all. I still love the phone. Nice battery life, different vibrating patterns and the ringer voice feature is great. Very satisfied

i just switched to sprint from verizon (verizon didn't get reception in my area). This phone is good. It's slim and unlike many reviews for sprint phones, it gets good battery life.

I was told about the a900, whatever the sprint version of the razr is. I was told it had really bad battery life. the sprint worker said to skip the a900 as they had a lot of returns and that the katana was a good phone.

my girlfriend has sprint and gets decent reception at my place. she has an older phone from sprint and I generally get about one bar better recpetion than her at anytime with the Katana.

The only bad thing so far is that if I have it set as ring and vibrate (in a bar/loud place) you can only set the ring on level 1 (low) with vibrate. I like having the vibrate ringer on at all times, but with this phone it appears that the only way to have both the audible ring and the vibrate ring is to have the audible ring on the lowest volume. I've called Sprint and that was the best that they could do.

Pros:

Small

battery is good

nice camera (for a phone)

Con:

only one; can't have regular volume ring at the same time as vibrate.

I just got this phone and I love everything about it!! It's the closest Razr "mimic" that Sprint offers. It's really great.

To correct the other reviewer who said that you can't have it on the loudest ring + vibrate...yes you can. As you turn up the volume with the button on the side, it's one up from level 8 (which is the loudest). It's level 8+vibrate. That's what I keep mine on.

My biggest complaint with this phone is the battery. We have owned two of these phones for about 8 months and neither phone can hold it's charge for even 48 hours...never had this problem with any other phone before. The battery was even replaced once and after about a month it no longer held it's charge.

This phone is uncomfortable to hold and does not flip open easily. There is a several second delay once the phone does open, so 'hello' is always cut off. It also picks up breathing sounds you don't even know you're making and drives the listener on the other end crazy.

I lost this phone in a snowbank. 5 months later, when the snow melts, someone finds it. It fires right up.

I don't know how much I like this phone.... but you have to admit that's pretty amazing.

This is a very good phone, not only is it loud, but it has dropped many times and nothing is wrong with it!!

Oh, it's cool blue and all, and it has a nice display inside. But I found it could not keep a steady signal, and I live in LA where we have more cell towers than BMWs. From the very first call it was dropping calls, and setting it for Home - to keep it on Sprint towers instead of jumping to other carriers' - did no good. Sprint told me they don't guarantee the signal, but they market the phone as maintaining a strong signal. They told me my house could interfere with the signal and maybe I should get near a window or go outside. That's ridiculous - I usually phone near a window, and having to go outside to use it is just dumb. I've used Nokia and Motorola phones and never had such a problem with dropped calls. I could sit on the bed and watch the signal go from 6 bars to none, then back up to 3, then 2, then 4, and so on. Meanwhile, my wife is sitting next to me with her LG 125 - no bells, no whistles - and she's saying, "Oh look honey! I've got 6 bars! Is that good?" and I'm like "grrrr...."

I got the phone for the promised signal strength, the Bluetooth, the voice dial, and the camera.

Well, signal strength? Strike 1.

Bluetooth? It paired instantly with my computer and the Plantronics headset, but Sanyo doesn't let you import ringtones, either from your computer or online, and the instability of the signal makes using the headset an exercise in frustration. Plus using the voice dial with the headset is maddening - worked maybe 10% of the time. Strike 2.

Voice dial? Worked very well most of the time using just the phone, not the headset - just one time when it called my mother instead of my wife (very different voice tags) when the last thing I wanted to do was talk to my mom. But overall I'll give it a passing grade.

Camera? Sprint forces you to go through their website photo manager to upload the photos so you can download them to your computer. It costs $15.99 or something like that! The photos are not of the quality you'd want to pay that kind of money and hassle to get. Strike 3.

Another problem having to do with basic utility: I found the phone almost impossible to open with one hand - there's nothing to grip with your thumb or finger to flip the cover back, and even if you're lucky enough to get it started opening the spring is so strong that it just snaps shut on you again. Maybe someone with smaller hands could manage it - I couldn't, and I had no problems with my Motorola. This is REALLY stupid design - it's form over function, a hallmark of bad design; Sanyo chose looks over utility. This simple function is one of the most basic a flip phone should have.

And ringtones: Like I said, Sanyo doesn't let you download them (at least not on a Mac; don't know about PCs), and the ringtones that come with the phone are the sorriest excuse for ringtones I've ever heard in a phone. My Nokia from 5 years ago did much better. There are like 16 tones and tunes, and that's it, and all but one or two are junk that you really don't want to listen to - embarrassingly bad, like Celine Dion singing Smells Like Teen Spirit. Kill me now.

OK - signal instability causing dropped calls; can't download ringtones; Bluetooth operates at a fraction of its potential because of the signal, ringtones and camera limitations; the camera is useless unless you pay even more to Sprint to get your own photos onto your own computer.

Thankfully, I can turn the phone in - I'm trying an LG150, comes with Bluetooth (so I can use the Plantronics, I hope) and voice dial. It can't be worse, and it doesn't have a camera frustrating me with its unusable presence.

(grumble-grumble!)