2137.jpgSanyo and Sprint launched two Katana flip phones a year ago, dubbed the Katana DLX and the Katana II. Both handsets followed the first Sanyo Katana released about two years ago, which was nothing more than a scaled-down Razr competitor. The Katana DLX saw a number of impressive feature upgrades, but the Katana II only saw slight design improvements. Well, the Katana II is now replaced with the Sanyo Katana LX, which debuted for Sprint in April 2008. The Katana LX looks very different from any of the other Katanas, complete with a reflective surface and translucent OLED display. Features include a VGA camera, Bluetooth, GPS location services, and not much else, so this is meant as an entry-level camera phone for those who don’t need a lot of fancy multimedia features. The Katana LX comes in Pacific Blue, Elegant Pink, and Liquid Graphite. It’s also very affordable at $49.99 after a two-year service agreement with Sprint.

Sprint has added the Sanyo Katana LX to its handset lineup, giving consumers a choice in colors with Liquid Graphite, Pacific Blue, or Elegant Pink. The fashion-oriented clamshell features a hidden external display and built-in speakerphone.

Other features on the Katana LX include a VGA-resolution camera and Bluetooth, in addition to support for Sprint Navigation, for GPS-like guidance. The 2″ internal display offers 65k color clarity, and a customizable favorites menu gives quick access to your most used features.

The Katana LX brings good looks to Sprint’s entry-level phone line. The mirrored, modern design in available in three colors and offers a basic feature phone package that includes voice dialing, a VGA camera, gaming, Bluetooth and aGPS. While the Katana LX is still a voice-centric phone, it does give you games, ringer and applications download over the air. But if you’re feature more than fashion consious, the Samsung M520 and LG Rumor on Sprint offer more for the same price.

Sanyo Katana LX - Liquid Graphite (Sprint) Reviews From mobiletechreview

Pro: Better looking than the last gen Katana phones. Good reception. Bluetooth works with all headsets and the phone has great battery life.

Con: VGA camera is dated. GPS has slow performance on Vision. Can’t send photos over Bluetooth, no microSD card slot.

Sanyo Katana LX - Liquid Graphite (Sprint) Reviews From cnet

The good: The Sanyo Katana LX has an attractive translucent OLED display and a mirror-finish exterior. Features include Bluetooth, voice dialing, and GPS functionality. It has excellent performance as well.

The bad: The Sanyo Katana LX has a lackluster screen and disappointing photo quality.

The bottom line: The Sanyo Katana LX is a decent entry-level camera phone for its price range.

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