Nokia Hits a Stylistic High Note with 7205 Intrigue

The company has shown its design chops yet again with this attractive and lightweight clamshell.

There’s only so much you can do to dress up a classic clamshell cell phone. But as Nokia proved at this year’s CTIA, there’s also always room for improvement.

The Nokia 7205 Intrigue, a phone we already profiled when it was first announced, proved to be just as agreeable in real life as in Nokia’s packet of glossy press photos. It’s slim, slippery, and just distinctive enough to draw eyes without turning into a spectacle.

When closed, the Intrigue appears to have no external screen at all, but pressing a button on the side illuminates the hidden OLED display on the back side of the lid, which is as bright and practical as it is huge. There’s no way you’ll have to do a double-take to see the time with this thing, even in bright sunlight.

The hinge on the Intrigue protrudes somewhat unusually from the end of the closed phone, but opening it brings the two halves of the phone together around the circular hinge nearly without a seam. It’s an interesting design choice, we just hope it doesn’t result in any accidentally pinched fingers.

Inside, the pink or grey gradient (Nokia makes the Intrigue in two colors) stands out without becoming distracting, and the phone’s long shape really gives it some stature in the open position.

At $130 with a two-year contract, there’s no question that it falls on the pricy end of the clamshell spectrum, but we suspect those who are lured in by its good looks won’t have all that much of a problem shelling out a little more for the design.