Samsung I9010 Galaxy S Giorgio Armani review: Fashionware

Introduction

It’s not the suit that makes a man and it’s certainly not a big fat logo that makes a phone. To be honest, the last thing Android needs to boost its credit with users is a big designer name. But for a change, this is one of the rare examples when a smartphone is not being eclipsed by a fashion phone.

Samsung I9010 Galaxy S Giorgio Armani official photos

What we have here is a limited edition fashion item – there’s no doubt about that. But it’s got a better purpose than blind you with bling. The phone has it all: impressive hardware, commanding looks and excellent build. The important thing though is you don’t care if it’s the Galaxy S or Armani taking credit.

Super specs combined with beautiful finish, a dazzling Super AMOLED display in an impressively thin package – a combination like that simply cannot go wrong. The Galaxy S line has long been committed to delivering high performance. With the Armani touch, looks and build quality are catching up. You can have anything you want as long as you are willing to pay the price. The Samsung I9010 Galaxy S Giorgio Armani is anything but cheap.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM and tri-band 3G support
• 7.2 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA support
• 4" 16M-color Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen of WVGA (480 x 800 pixel) resolution
• Android OS v2.2 with TouchWiz launcher
• 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird platform; 512 MB of RAM
• 5 MP autofocus camera with face, smile and blink detection
• 720p HD video recording at 30fps with continuous autofocus
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g, n
• GPS with A-GPS connectivity; Digital compass
• 16GB internal storage, microSD slot
• 9.9mm slim
• Excellent build quality
• Full Flash support for the web browser
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v3.0
• 1650 mAh Li-Ion battery
• Great audio quality
• Document editor
• Swype text input
• Access to the official Android app repository and Samsung Apps repository

Main disadvantages

• Pricey
• No flash for the camera
• No dedicated camera key
• Average loudspeaker performance
• No FM radio

Samsung didn’t need perhaps Italian craftsmen working on the I9010 Galaxy S – they already had the design tested on the AT&T Captivate. However, someone at Armani must have had a say on the choice of materials: the appearance and hand feel are first class – being subtle is no small part of that by the way. That’s another – surprising – point in favor.

Samsung I9010 Galaxy S Giorgio Armani views

Anyway, contrary to the stereotypes about designer phones, the Galaxy S Armani doesn’t boil down to a logo – or lack thereof. What’s important here is that you are getting an all-inclusive deal: a full-featured smartphone with the latest technology available and an exquisite fashion item. Whether the logo implies Armani-approved or Armani-designed is irrelevant – as long as the phone has the looks and the brains.

Now let’s get past the exquisite packaging and see the Armani droid in its full glory. Join us after the break.