Nokia 7205 Intrigue

A disappearing exterior display, visual flourishes and unusual controls set this Nokia apart.

With all the shenanigans and gimmicks different companies have concocted to make their phones stand out, it’s hard to make anything unique anymore. But Nokia make have succeed – subtly – with the Nokia 7205 Intrigue.

The Finnish clamshell phone doesn’t demolish any previously held design standards, but a number of interesting design flairs set it apart from the usual stable of boring folders. For instance, the phone’s large exterior OLED display offers more than the usual vitals, but remains discrete. You can read incoming texts instantly, or control music with built-in touch controls, but when the lights go off, it’s an ice rink of black with no sign of a display underneath.

Depending on which model you buy, the 7205’s interior keypad has been dressed in either a grey or pink gradient fading into black, and the directional pads also vary with each model. The grey model uses a pad shaped like a plus sign, calling to mind an original Nintendo controller, while the girlier pink model gets petal-shaped rockers.

On the features side of the ledger, this fashion phone includes all the basics, including Bluetooth, a 2.0 megapixel camera, 2.2-inch display, media player, and a microSD slot which will accommodate up to an additional 8GB of storage.

Verizon will sell the Intrigue for $130 with a two-year contract, or $199 for less committal types looking to sign for just one year. You’ll also be able to pick up a contract-free version for $299. More information is available from Verizon.

Nokia 7205 Intrigue