The Motorola RAZR V3 really started something in 2004. Being the oldest phone still on the shelves now, the one with the most dramatic price drop since launch (the special first edition packages cost over $1.4k then), and the one that started Motorola's current one model in many different colours strategy, it has inspired a slew of other slim phones that will flood the market this year. Below are some of the more significant ones.


Slimmest phone in the world
Redefine anorexic. If 66 grams and 2 megapixel camera haven't amazed you yet, the thickness of this thing is just 6.9mm. And except for the lack of memory expansion options, packs as much features as any other Samsung mobile phone now. Ladies, start saving up.


Slimmest 3G phone
This one should see the daylight. Samsung's Z150 measures 117 by 46 by 9.8mm and comes packed with a VGA camera, bluetooth, and 1.9" 18 bit screen.


Slimmest with QWERTY keyboard
Fans of mobile email will have slim choices very soon. The Samsung i320 and Motorola Q will show that 'busy executive' and 'sexy gadget' aren't mutually exclusive anymore. The i320 and Q both measure 11.5mm at the depth, and both comes with the new Windows Mobile 5 OS. Throw in a 1.3megapixel camera as well. Overall the Samsung is shorter and skinnier. There is however no guarantee that both will reach our shores. Samsung has a habit of not releasing much of its show phones, and the Motorola hasn't confirmed a version for GSM markets yet.


Slimmest 4 megapixel camera phone
VK Mobile may be unheard of in Singapore but until quite recently they had the slimmest phone in production. Now the tiny 2200 comes packed with a huge punch: 4 megapixel camera. 97.8 by 49.5 by 12.5mm, weighs 74g, has 128MB non expandable memory and 260k colour TFT display. Interested? Hop over to Malaysia to get one when it's launched in a few months.


Shortest slim phone
I've covered the Samsung P300 before and yes, it is still the slimmest production phone at 8.9mm thick. So owners who shelled out big money for this oh-so-cool looking device, don't worry, you still have a few months of bragging rights before the X820 arrives. But even till then, you can still argue that at 86mm long, it is still the shortest production phone available in Singapore.


Skinniest slim phone
Many slim phones have girths hovering around 50mm, but BenQ-Siemens' S68 and Nokia's E50 refuses the follow the trend at 44mm around the waist. The BenQ-Siemens is a basic but classy looking mobile that comes without a camera, while the Nokia's model, aimed at executives will ship with 1.3 megapixel camera, Symbian OS and quadband compatibility. The S68 is at 13.2mm thick, while E50 comes in at 15.5mm.


Slimmest rugged phone
At 18mm thick it may be pushing it a little to call it really slim, but for one that protects its innards from water splashes and dust, that figure is quite impressive. The Nokia 5500 Sport is finished in stainless steel and rubber grips. Other features include a 2 megapixel camera, microSD card slot and Symbian smartphone OS. Should arrive next quarter.


Slimmest music player-phone hybrid
Yes, I can't do any feature without mentioning Sony Ericsson. But if you think about it, 4GB in a phone 15mm thick is pretty amazing. It doesn't come with a camera, but the Walkman interface now supports album art like a proper MP3 player, uses more stable flash memory instead of a hard disk, can be touchscreen operated and is a Symbian smartphone. Sony Ericsson W950 will ship by next quarter.


Slimmest clamshell phone
NEC's n412i was launched several months ago. It remains the thinnest clamshell of all at 11.9mm thick. The battery may be non removable like an iPod, but it does have nice features like bluetooth, 1.3 megapixel camera and imode. Available at Starhub shops.


Cheapest slim phone
Motorola's L series candybars comes in 3 specs. L2 comes with a (poor by today's standards) CSTN 65k colour display, java (standard feature in almost all phones by now) and bluetooth. Other than that it's a basic call and sms device. L6 throws in a VGA camera module on top of the L2 feature set. The flagship L7 features a metallic body, 262k colour TFT display, transflash memory expansion but still a VGA camera. All measure 113 by 49 by 11mm. The L7 is priced at $88 with a 2 year contract at Singtel this week.

Other notable slim phones



Samsung Z540: slimmest 3G handset in Singapore (14.9mm), 1.3 megapixel camera, available now
Samsung D520: 15.9mm thick version of the fatter D500, available now
BenQ-Siemens EL71: 16.5mm slim slider, 240x320 pixel 18bit colour display (by far the best any Siemens user has ever seen), micoSD memory expansion, available from next month
BenQ-Siemens EF81: 15.9mm slim 3G clamshell, 2 megapixel camera, microSD memory expansion, 2.2 inch version of EL71 display, available now
BenQ-Siemens S81: 13mm slim 3G candybar, 1.3 megapixel camera, microSD memory expansion, coming soon
Motorola V3i: 98 x 53 x 13.9mm, 1.23 megapixel camera, iTunes, transflash memory expansion, available now
LG KG800 Chocolate: 15.2mm thick, Olympus m:robe style touch sensitive scrolling, 1.3 megapixel camera, should come soon
LG KG320: 95 x 46 x 9.9mm, 73 grams, 1.3 megapixel camera, 128MB memory (KG800 also), status unknown
Sony Ericsson M600: 15mm thick, touchscreen, QWERTY keyboard, symbian os, coming soon

Samsung's D820 was left out on purpose. Cos it's ugly. Ha.