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The Sanyo Katana is the latest in a long string of phones copying Motorola's popular RAZR.

Sanyo is clearly not being shy about copying the RAZR. First is the name: "Katana" is basically Japanese for "sword". Then there's the hinge and housing surrounding the keypad and display: it's made of magnesium, exactly like the RAZR. The internal antenna also protrudes from the bottom of the phone, exactly as it does on the RAZR.

The Katana does have Bluetooth and a gorgeous QVGA main display. Unfortunately, that's where the list of impressive features ends. Like the original RAZR, there is no memory card slot. Also, the camera is only VGA, and there is no EVDO high-speed data, both of which are actually steps down from the first CDMA RAZR.

While the inner housing is magnesium, and feels solid enough, the outer housing is all plastic. On such a thin phone, that gives the phone a distinctly cheap feel. In fact, pretty much everything on the outside of the phone seems a bit cheap. The outer display is small and low-quality, and the keys and connector covers do not seem well-designed.

A900 vs Katana

With that said, the Katana doesn't feel like it will fall apart, and it does seem to offer a decent cheaper alternative to the Samsung A900 in Sprint's lineup. The various color options are another selling point. The different versions vary not only in color, but also finish. The black and pink have a matte finish, while the blue version is glossy. My favorite was the white, which will be exclusive to Radio Shack.

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