Holiday gift guide 2007: Our Christmas carol

More than expressive

The list of the most fashionable handsets is harder to compile every year. It's simply because, they are so many gorgeous looking mobiles nowadays. But in order to fit in the fashionable category they have to be at least a bit more expensive than the regular mobile phones. Otherwise they wouldn't make the statement their owners are after. And we are not talking bling-bling; we are talking stylishness in its pure form.

The Apple iPhone 8GB has created tons of hype this year. It's pretty much the most sought after device currently on the mobile phones market. Everyone wants one, and the guys over at Apple have taken good care that not everyone can have one. This has subsequently created a black market niche for iPhones that reinstated it as a high status device in places where it's not officially sold.

The LG KE850 Prada was among the first mobile phones with large touch sensitive displays and fully touch based user interfaces. Adding the fashionable Prada brand to the equation and you are almost sure to have a high-class fashionable device with a fat price tag. The LG Prada is sleek, stylish and overpriced enough to make you rob the local bank in order to get it for Christmas.

Apple iPhone 8GB (EUR 399) | review • LG KE850 Prada (EUR 300) | review

The Nokia 8600 Luna is another luxury device that can easily grab anyone's attention. With a fine stainless steel body and a smoked glass sliding cover it surely does look the part. The Nokia 8600 Luna is expensive however that makes it even more valuable as a fashion statement.

Nokia 8600 Luna (EUR 450) | review • Samsung Armani phone

You should also consider…

There is one other high-roller device that is still not available everywhere, but should be in the stores around Christmas.

The Nokia 8800 Arte was only recently announced however it should hit the stores by Christmas. The body of the Nokia 8800 Arte is again made by metal and glass much like the Nokia 8600 Luna. With "Arte" standing for "art", the new Nokia premium handset includes some new design solutions plus some software and hardware innovations. The black Nokia 8800 Arte has its panels covered by goat hide from Eastern India, which is manually embossed and has several protective coats to prevent the daily wear-and-tear. A unique silencing feature allows you to silence an incoming call just by turning the handset face down on the table thanks to the integrated accelerometer. A range of high-quality accessories is supplied with the Arte too.

Nokia 8800 Arte

Last year's tops were…

Last year our choice was as hard as this year's. Among the last year's highlights were the Nokia 8800 Sirocco and the LG KG800 Chocolate. The Nokia 8800 Sirocco is a handset that still holds its value and will be a great asset to your haute-couture arsenal. The LG Chocolate offers some vintage style and still manages to look sharp even with price that's way too low to make a real fashion statement of it today.

Nokia 8800 Sirocco (EUR 520) | review • LG KG800 Chocolate (EUR 130) | review

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All prices are strictly indicative. They are taken from various online resources and they do not include taxes or carrier subsidies. Your local street prices will probably differ.