Plugged:
- The thin, light body is superb: one of the few phones in recent years that doesn’t shy away from comparisons to an iPhone.
- The black-and-white design user interface won’t please everyone but we think it’s bellisima—and your app icons can be adjusted to monochrome, too.
- The bright NOVA touch screen is sensitive, reactive and large enough for two-thumb typing in Thai.
- Battery life lasts until the end of the day even when used intensively—unlike the iPhone.
Bugged:
- The 8MP can’t compare to the iPhone 4s camera. Shutter is slow, noise high, white balance sometimes off. And the iPhone 4s has better resolution.
- There’s an annoying lag between pages and when applications are running. Apparently, the dual-core processor is struggling to keep up.
- The plastic back cover featuring Prada’s Saffiano pattern would have been so much more fabulous in leather.
Verdict:
Even without a Prada logo (it has two actually; one in the front and one at the back), this would be one of the best Android 2.3 phones on the market. It can definitely hold its own when compared to a Samsung Galaxy S II. What about compared to the iPhone? Photographers addicted to Instagram should stick to Apple, but those of us who are both geeks, want to stand out from the Cupertino clones and want a bit of Italian class in our pockets won’t look back.

B19,900. 4.3-inch NOVA screen, 8MP camera with 1.3MP front camera, 4G compatibility, HD video, FM radio, Android 2.3. www.pradaphonebylg3.com