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Samsung Armani phone: Hands-on with the compact catwalker

The Samsung Armani phone might sound like a phone with too much gel in its hair, but it turns out it's a lovely device -- we've been lucky enough to get our hands on one

Andrew Lim

Crave tends to cringe when a fashion house teams up with a consumer electronics manufacturer, as it usually means some abomination is about to be exposed that offends both style freaks and geeks alike. The idea of a Samsung Armani phone was no exception.

But it hit the Crave doormat this morning, and our fear was replaced with a sigh of relief as we unboxed a rather lovely looking handset. It's small, it's solid and most importantly, it's not garish. The Armani logo is subtle and the casing comes in a stylish Italian-footwear brown. Better yet, the touchscreen is very responsive.

When you touch the screen a small vibration lets you know you've done something and unlike certain phones with this feature, the Armani phone vibrates exactly when you touch it and not a mite later. Factor in the quality feel of the casing and the Armani phone is a delight to hold.

In terms of features and the interface, however, it's not hugely impressive. There's no 3G or Wi-Fi, but you do get a 3-megapixel camera and a music player. The Samsung Armani phone is available to buy on a variety of networks from free on a monthly contract. Expect a full review soon. -Andrew Lim

Update: Read our full Samsung Armani review