If you like to be fashion-forward and the envy of everyone around you, then there is no cell phone for you other than the Samsung P520 Armani. Samsung partnered with a major designer fashion house, Giorgio Armani, to produce this sleek, sexy phone that makes a fashion statement. The Armani will certainly satisfy your desire for an attractive and glamorous phone, but you can't get it from a U.S. carrier. You'll have to purchase the unlocked version for around $580.



The Samsung Armani is absolutely true to its namesake. Housed in a glossy, black, steel case, the Armani has a very smooth and attractive design that gives it the fashion phone branding. Even the retail box epitomizes the Armani name with a fancy, black box treating it like a piece of jewelry. Measuring 3.44 inches tall by 2.14 inches wide by 0.41 inch thick, the Armani is one of the more compact touch-screen handsets available and it can easily be slipped into a jeans pocket.

The Samsung P520 Armani phone seems to be balanced between technology and looks. This phone that appears to be geared more for an accessory has a high-quality build. The Armani features a 2.6" touch screen TFT display with QVGA resolution, Micro SD memory card slot, Stereo Bluetooth, 3 megapixel camera, and Office documents viewer. The haptic feedback allows every touch on the display to produce a slight vibration so you know your command has been acknowledged. You can choose from three different levels of vibration strength.

The Samsung Armani phone is available in two retail packages, standard or extended. The difference between the two is that a Bluetooth headset comes with the extended package. The normal accessories in the retail box are a hard leather case, charger, data cable, memory card, a wired stereo headset, soft pouch as an alternative to the leather case and a cleaning cloth. Each of the box's contents is Giorgio Armani branded and continue the classy look of the phone. Even the user guide has an exquisite cover.

Like most touch screen handsets, the Armani doesn't contain any keypad buttons. All commands are done through the 2.6-inch diagonal touch screen display. The display is extravagant with 256,000 color support and 240x320 pixel resolution. Images look vibrant, and the screen really shows off the Armani's glowing menu interface. Fitting with the Armani brand, the menu icons have a subtle gold hue.

Navigating the Armani is fairly insightful for a touch-screen phone. There are two onscreen buttons along the top of the home screen that take you to the main menu, plus the onscreen dial pad. The music player, contacts list, messaging menu, call log, and main menu can be accessed with the five shortcuts found on the square button in the center of the display. You can also go back and forth between the calendar and clock display if you have the calendar toggled on the home screen. While on a call, sound is crystal clear but loud enough so you can hear your conversation.