Some phones are so gorgeous they make their owners look ugly. And that’s why we love them. They’re finely crafted slivers of unashamed gadget gorgeousness. 2008 had plenty to choose from, but which were the best-looking phones of the year?
We’ve kicked the ugly handsets out on their oversized backsides, leaving five of the most eye-pleasing mobiles in the world for your delectation.
Read on, feast your peepers and enjoy the most technological fashion show you’ve ever seen.
Nokia N96
Boxy, yes, but beautiful with it. The N96 manages to squeeze in an astonishing amount without being bulky or ugly.
From the outside it looks decidedly minimalist, but inside there’s GPS, Wi-Fi and a roomy 16GB of storage for movies, music and photos.
Neat design touches, such as Nokia’s two-way slider and built-in kick-stand separate this from the bog-standard blower, while true smartphone abilities inside mean its as clever as it is good-looking.
Samsung U900 Soul
The Samsung U900 Soul is a fantastic phone, but considering its abilities remains markedly understated on the outside.
A brushed metal shell, and that swanky light-up touch panel presented up-front for all to see, the U900 represents the real meaning of mobile style.
We’re not talking gawdy interchangable “fashion” faceplates here, or even a tacked-on fashion label. Instead, this is minimalist mobile design at its very finest, and it still packs in impressive specs too.
Sony Ericsson K660i
OK, so some of the colour combinations might leave you squinting a bit, but there’s no denying the metallic looks of the K660i are truly tasty.
Where other handsets in Sony Ericsson’s K-range come clad in cheap-o plastic and with LED special effects, this handset takes a more grown up approach.
A sculpted exterior, respectable stats and software more solid than a builder’s outhouse. This is what Sony Ericsson is best at.
Nokia E71
Chiselled looks and swanky software make the E71 the true antidote to traditional e-mail phones. Yes, it keeps the familiar format of a QWERTY candybar design, but its chrome accents, angular design and huge screen mean its an oddly good-looking slice of business hardware.
It takes serious design chops to make a phone with this many buttons look minimalist too. Hats off to Nokia’s design team.
Prada II
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Or if you do have to fix it, keep the design the same and add a slidey keyboard where nobody will see it. That was LG’s train of thought when it was tasked with creating a follow-up to the Prada phone, and it’s hard to fault.
The new handset is like a souped-up version of its gorgeous predecessor. LG’s simply added a better screen, full QWERTY keyboard and upgraded the software. Oh, and designed a beautiful Bluetooth watch to go with it. Now there’s a bunch of words you never thought you’d see together.
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