IT looks like a namecard holder.
Or a cigarette case.
That is when it is encased in the sleek black sleeve that comes bundled in the box.
And when it is uncovered, the allure of the understated chic of the new Sony Ericsson T650i, retailing at $838, is undeniable.
It's a handsome phone, which makes you feel elegant and important just by holding it in your hand.
It packs a 3.2 megapixel camera, the latest video and music capabilities, and all the bells and whistles into a 12.5mm-thin body.
At 95g, it is no lightweight because of its high-quality materials. But it has a better hold and doesn't have a cheap plasticky feel.
The phone comes with a nifty desktop charger stand, which keeps ugly adapter wires out of sight. It has a non-slip base, and looks really cool.
And with its scratch-proof mineral-glass, the T650i is a godsend for those who shun handphone pouches and have a habit of chucking their phones into their pockets or bags with sharp objects like car keys.
However, it will be even better if the screen can be smudge-proof too.
Most phones can already be protected from scratches with ordinary clear film without needing special mineral-glass, but smudges?
The fingerprints show up as clearly as if CSI has got to them.
And how about making the stainless steel portions to be scratch-proof too?
One of the first things which caught my eye when I received the review set were the small scratches on both the back and front of the phone.
It marred the otherwise polished look.
Still, all considered, there are only two major downsides to this phone.
The first is the lack of WiFi capabilities.
It's still a puzzle to me why Sony Ericsson has yet to equip their non-smart phones with WiFi, especially when the T650i boasts the neat feature of photo blogging (which lets you upload handphone pictures to your live blog), and is clearly targeted at net-savvy executives.
The second has to do with something as fundamental and simple as the keypad buttons.
Having owned four Sony Ericsson phones, and tested a few more, I have to say that the keypad on the T650i is really not up to the mark.
The squarish buttons are so puny that it's not funny.
It is a pain contorting my thumbs to press the buttons, as their surface area is so small.
And the buttons keep getting under my thumbnails instead. Very frustrating.
Even though someone told me that the point of the tiny keys is to allow more spacing between them, thus making it easier for fatter thumbs, I can't say I'm convinced.