Katana vs A900

[sard]

Hi everyone,

I currently have a Samsung 8500, had it about 4 or 5 years now, or however long its been out.

I think its about time for a new phone, but Im not sure which phone to get either the A900 or the Katana.

What are the major differences you have noticed?

I did some research, and the major differences I have found are: Katana is tri-band, A900 has a better camera, and has a mp3 player, but the battery life has problems.

So Im not sure which phone to get.

Thanks

[RUSS]

Here is a good comparsion.
http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/compare.php?id%5B%5D=824&id%5B%5D=983&id%5B%5D=&id%5B%5D=&id%5B%5D=

[sard]

Here is a good comparsion.
http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/compare.php?id%5B%5D=824&id%5B%5D=983&id%5B%5D=&id%5B%5D=&id%5B%5D=

Yeah, I saw that before I came here.

But I was hoping for some "real world" experiences with the phones.

Like:
"When I used the A900 it used to overheat, but the Katana doesnt"
OR
"The charger for my Katana is badly placed, but its better on the A900"

etc...

thanks

[SusanMarie]

Depends on what you want i had the a900, and though i prefer samsungs voice dial, over all i was not impressed with the phone, to many "issues" I now have the Katana, and if your not that worried about the qcp ringers, its a great phone, small, keypads a little different and takes some getting used to but over all better then the 900, again though it is your personal preferance, I think the ringers are quite loud, and the ones from sprints site sound ok, but some people say they can sound distorted if turned up to loud, speaker volume for talking on my headset is hands down better then the 900 not to mention, no static lol
hope this helps some

[sard]

Thanks for the info.

What type of issues did you have the with A900?

[SusanMarie]

once i got an update that didnt crash the phone, lol the biggest issue i had was the bluetooth, it was awful!!!!
over all its a good phone, but i dont need the mp3 player, and im not that worried about the camera, again its personal preferance, most sprint retials now have the 30 day policy, as long as the phone is in new condititon and you have all the packaging, get one try it for a week or so then try another one

[PhoneFreak]

Yeah, I saw that before I came here.

But I was hoping for some "real world" experiences with the phones.

Like:
"When I used the A900 it used to overheat, but the Katana doesnt"
OR
"The charger for my Katana is badly placed, but its better on the A900"

etc...

thanks

I came from the A900 and switched to the Katana and I'm happy. Things that made me switch were the buggy behavior, annoying bluetooth problems and lack luster battery life. All of these things started the day I took it out of the box. My Katana has been rock solid so far after 2 weeks now. Judging by the handset you're coming from I think the Katana will be more than enough phone for you. If you are more about reliable/stable performance, analog roaming, and a slightly better battery life go for the Katana. If you want bells, whistles, and a cool form factor go for the A900.
Sounds like you need to make out needs/wants list and really decide what features matter most to you. If you want a phone that will last the long haul like your last one I would also stick with a Sanyo. I know your Samsung 8500 lasted for awhile, and my father has one right now that just quit charging on him recently, but that isn't the norm for Samsung phones in my experience. I would have to say that the 8500 did hold up well while they were around. Sanyo's have a very strong history of holding up very well over time, which I've seen first hand in the many phones that I've owned and dealt with them working for Sprint the 5+ years I was there. I would get both in your hand at a BestBuy or Sprint store and play with them or "testdrive" them a bit before committing. Hope this helps.

[sard]

I came from the A900.....lack luster battery life.

The salesman at Radio Shack said that the battery life on the two is about the same, he said maybe you get 20 more minutes of talk time with the katana.

>>If you are more about reliable/stable performance, analog roaming, and a slightly better battery life go for the Katana. If you want bells, whistles, and a cool form factor go for the A900.
>>

I would like all those things! lol.

Since I am using the Samsung 8500, I never had a camera, so I figure I would get one with a good camera. The A900 is 1.3 megapixel, while the Katana is VGA or something like that.

Also, I think a few mp3s would be cool.

I would like the A900 actually, but Im just concerned, I have heard/read complaints about the battery and the bugginess from a few places.

[sard]

ttt for more info

[Brooose]

If you are an avid text messenger (maybe not if you are coming from the 8500), the Katana is lightyears better than the A900. T9 on the Katana can learn and adding punctuation is a breeze. T9 on the A900 is horrible....to add a question mark, you have to insert a symbol and there is no way to add words to the dictionary. I don't know why Samsung released a high end multimedia handset with such an outdated T9 but they did.

[PhoneFreak]

If you are an avid text messenger (maybe not if you are coming from the 8500), the Katana is lightyears better than the A900. T9 on the Katana can learn and adding punctuation is a breeze. T9 on the A900 is horrible....to add a question mark, you have to insert a symbol and there is no way to add words to the dictionary. I don't know why Samsung released a high end multimedia handset with such an outdated T9 but they did.

I agree 100%
A900 + text messaging = :irked:
Katana + text messaging = :)

[sard]

If you are an avid text messenger (maybe not if you are coming from the 8500), .

You are correct, I dont even have text message setup on my account.

The only features I used on my phone are:
voice recorder - I like the button on the side that activates it, very convienent.
phone book
Alarm clock

Thats about it, lol.

But now that I can choose a new phone, I guess its human nature to want the one with all the options Ive been missing (mp3, camera, etc) even though I probably will not use them.