Siemens
SL55

The Siemens SL55 was a beautifully designed device that proved unexpectedly popular by virtue of its small size. When it was announced at the CeBIT trade fair in Germany, it was considered a more premium phone that was designed to expand Siemens' product range beyond the entry-level in Western Europe as its business became more stable.  The SL55 took design cues from the Siemens SL10 slider phone which had been launched several years before. It was designed by "Designafairs" - a third-party company that employed designers that had previously worked for Siemens. This company also designed the Siemens C45, S45 and ME45. Siemens described the SL55 as being "the ultimate in glamorous communication, with its attractive slider design and jewel-like keypad" and the company claimed it combined "ease of use and elegance". When it was announced the SL55 cost between €450 to €500. The Mobile Phone Museum collection includes several variants of the SL55 including the "standard" ruby/silver variant as well as two limited edition variants - the all-black "piano edition" (pictured here) and also a walnut/silver version.