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reviews · sprint · cell phones · sanyo · michelle ruhfass
Hands-on with Sanyo's Katana Eclipse X for Sprint
Review by Michelle Ruhfass on Monday November 03, 2008.
 Sanyo Katana Eclipse X |
 Sanyo Katana Eclipse X |
 Sanyo Katana Eclipse X |
 Sanyo Katana Eclipse X |
The clamshell styled Katana Eclipse is a 3G CDMA handset for Sprint that offers a 1.3 megapixel camera with video recording, Bluetooth stereo support, an MP3 player, and speaker independent voice activated dialing - among many other things.
Using Sprint's EV-DO network, the handset supports Sprint's applications such as Sprint Navigation, and also features Sprint's new One Click menu system, which was not avalable on the original Eclipse. One Click provides quick access to most everything you will need right at your fingertips, including call logs, web browsing, music, and messaging. It even has a dedicated Google shortcut that will take you right to Google's Gmail client and Maps.
Our pink review unit feels quite light in the hand and seems to be solidly constructed. Offering two color displays and external music keys, the Eclipse X will be sure to please those looking for a media device on a budget. The handset's main visual attraction is its ability to light up for various functions. With lighted racing stripes down its front, the Eclipse illuminates with bold colors down when certain functions are set in motion, such as receiving a message or phone call or even dialing a phone number. Users will be sure to never miss a meeting or call as long as the lights are enabled.
The inside of the Eclipse X features a large keypad with with rectangular keys that seemed a bit stiff during use. The phone offers dedicated back, speaker, and camera buttons, but it should be noted that none of the keys located around the d-pad cluster can be read in the dark, even when the backlight is on. That makes the phone a bit harder for novices to use when the lights go down.
In terms of call audio, the Eclipse seemed a bit muddled during our test calls and wasn't as clear as we had hoped. The speakerphone, on the other hand, provided us with audio that was easily as good as we heard on non-speakerphone calls. 3G browsing data rates on the Eclipse X were fairly slow, typically coming in at about 350Kbps. But the Eclipse's browser performed poorly not only in speed, but also did not format sites correctly, even many mobile specific sites.
Overall we found Sprint's Katana Eclipse X quite enjoyable in terms of aesthetic features, like the ultra cool lighting effects and quick access to media related functions. But under its hood, the Eclipse seemed to fall short of the mark.
Sprint's Katana Eclipse X by Sanyo is available now in Sprint retail shops, including www.Sprint.com, for just $99.99 with a two-year service agreement and $50 mail-in rebate.
 Sanyo Katana Eclipse X |
 Sanyo Katana Eclipse X |
 Sanyo Katana Eclipse X |
 Sanyo Katana Eclipse X |
 Sanyo Katana Eclipse X |
About the author
Michelle Ruhfass
Michelle is MobileBurn.com's Managing Editor, and is responsible for sourcing devices for reviews.
Ruth @ 8:13:02PM EST on Thursday February 26, 2009
The Katana Eclipse X is one of the worst phone that sanyo has put out, it is only pretty, but the features do not work properly, and when someone calls you, it is not clear at all. I have had to return mine three times and it is till not working properly, i would not advise anyone to buy this phone.
heather @ 11:02:42PM EST on Wednesday March 4, 2009
thanks for the warning, i was thinking about changing it from my katana dlx. I love my phone, its survived falling underwater for 10 minutes without a single glitch. Theres no way I'm trading it in for one that can't work properly sans water.
Cody @ 10:00:38PM EDT on Tuesday April 7, 2009
Horrible phone. Not clear and sometimes I do not receive calls at all and get texts hours late.
DJ @ 6:08:17PM EDT on Wednesday April 22, 2009
I have only had this phone for 3 months and it is shutting down. It powers back up with: An error has occurred, please restart the phone. But when I do it doesn't work at all. So I leave it in the error state. It also has a continuous hum in the ear-piece when I use the voice service. It is only a nice looking phone with a horrible performance. I hope it gets recalled. The one time I did not get phone insurance. The previous model of this phone was absolutely great.
thise @ 12:46:25AM EDT on Saturday May 2, 2009
this phone is aweful. i had a regular katana prior to it and loves it. i was so excited to get the new viersion because i thought it'd be just as good. SORRY big let down. it glitches all the time, sounds horrible, and i've had so many problems with the screen. it's a waste of my upgrade!!!
Jazmin @ 4:51:58PM EDT on Friday May 8, 2009
This phone is annoying. I had the KATANA 2 and i loved it, but it didn't have video and stuff like that so i figured this would be an awesome phone for my upgrade, but it freezes constantly, especially, when I am using my navigation which is a horrible time to freeze. It also has an annoying feature for text messaging. When you send a text to a contact it saves that contact to "Recent" folder, but the manual doesn't tell you how to delete them so almost all my contacts are in there which makes having a contacts list pretty ridiculious. Overall, I'm not very satisfied with it!!
britt @ 12:57:02PM EDT on Saturday May 16, 2009
i love my phone! the only problem with it i have it sometimes with the gps it stops and i cant delete my recent texts...other than that no problem at all i love how it lights up!!
melody @ 9:51:28AM EDT on Saturday June 13, 2009
freakin sweet! Awesome!
sapphire @ 3:35:28PM EDT on Monday July 27, 2009
I thought i wanted that phone so bad it was cute and had all the features i wanted. When ordering it later on we were told it was out of stock. I was disappointed but, after reading everyone elses comments they were later on dissapointed to. I'm glad we didnt waste money on that phone. Looks are decieving.
Ryan @ 12:46:31AM EDT on Wednesday July 29, 2009
I've had this phone since November and I have not had any problems with it. I love this phone and all its features!!!
sdzon @ 12:37:53PM EDT on Saturday August 8, 2009
This phone is pretty, thats it. waste of upgrade for sure. texting changes from t9 to abc in middle of text and just dissappears, i took to sprint they reset to factory settings, and still does it. it freezes constantly. they wont change it to a different phone, i have been a customer for over 15 years, with 4 phones on my line. my whole entire family !!! the phone sucks. texting is important to me. frustrating when it all goes away after typing a complete message ! other issues too...
jason @ 5:19:50PM EDT on Sunday August 30, 2009
some of the time when i play music, i get the infamous " error has occured, please restart your phone" message." and it doesnt work again. ive had this model since christmas, and ive had to exchange it 3 times already. its good for simple stuff like calling... thats about it. if your looking for a phone with a lot of cool features that work, this is the wrong phone for you.
Jessie @ 10:52:15PM EDT on Thursday October 8, 2009
I just went in for my second replacement. When I got my new phone I asked the rep to call it to make sure it worked. He laughed; it worked. I guess he won't be laughing tomorrow, because it didn't even make it home! First it gave the common 'error: please restart'. Then it now it gives the worst behavior I've seen on this phone yet, and starting tomorrow I'll be on my fourth phone.
ELIZABETH @ 7:28:01PM EST on Friday January 22, 2010
Does anyone know how to reset a katana x? mine has been getting harder and harder to get a charge, its not connecting to the carger properly or something else isnt working and its about dead so i might as well try something. any ideas?