- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 15 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
-
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
4.0 stars
"Attractive flip phone with impressive features"
Pros: LED illumination effects, good call quality, loud speakerphone, impressive featute set for midrange flip phone
Cons: Slightly smaller screen and less colors than other flip phones, mirror finish easily shows fingerprints, Flimsy charger connection cover, external player controls difficult to operate
Summary: This is just an initial first impression review of the new Sanyo Kantana Eclipse for Sprint. The phone was released yesterday and replaces the discontinued Katana DLX. The Eclipse is very attractive looking at first sight. However, the face of the phone features a mirrored finish which shows fingerprints extremely easy. This phone features a strong feature set for being a midrange model. I haven't had a chance yet to experience most of its features but I've seen everything listed in the menus. One thing that has always impressed be about Sanyo's flip phones is that they have a very sturdy "click" action when you flip open the phone. It's not loose or flimsy feeling. Now about the pros: the phone features a cool external LED illumination feature that is customizable, I chose to disable this feature because it's just one more thing to drain the battery but some people might want to keep it enabled for the wow factor. The phone has cool call quality which is clear and loud, no complaints there. The speakerphone is loud and clear as well. All phones have their disadvantages and this phones isn't an exception. Compared with similar priced phones on the market the Eclipse has a smaller screen (2") with less colors (65,000). Surely you'd think that Sanyo would have upgraded to a better screen by now. The small piece of plastic that covers the charger connection on the side is flimsy and will more than likely break off over time. I prefer phones with a charger connection on the bottom which makes it easier to handle the phone while it's plugged in. The charger connection is located on the top left side of the Eclipse. Finally, the external music player controls on the outside of the phone are difficult to operate because they are flush with the face of the phone, they don't protrude out. I can see why they probably designed it this way, to prevent inadvertent key presses, but that's why you have the key guard setting. Overall this phone is a much needed addition to the Katana line and Sprint lackluster midrange phone selection. My last phone was a Sanyo that I used for over two years. It held up well and never gave me issues. Hopefully the Eclipse will follow suit.
%20user%20review%20and%20rating%20-%20CNET%20Reviews&srcUrl=http://reviews.cnet.com/cell-phones/sanyo-katana-eclipse-silver/4864-6454_7-33200329-2.html){kind=small}