For years, Nextel's cell phones have been praised for their rugged, functional designs and scorned for their clunky size. With the Nextel i836, however, the company has found a way to make a sturdy work phone that can be beautiful and tough. Dubbed "an instant classic" by Nextel itself, the i836 offers essentially the same feature set as Nextel's i730 but in a smaller, sleeker form factor. Unfortunately, the less-than-stellar battery life keeps the i836 from achieving true greatness.

Nextel has released so many big, bulky phones that it's almost become a company trademark. However, the Nextel i836 may change that. First of all, the handset doesn't come in any ordinary paper box. Instead, Nextel packages it in a dark wooden box with felt lining. Open the hinged lid, and you're greeted by not only the i836 but also a Nextel pocket watch and a leather case for the mobile. While this presentation is eye-catching, it's a bit much for a cell phone, even if it's supposed to be "an instant classic." The handset is small, weighing just 3.6 ounces and measuring only 3.4 by 1.9 by 0.8 inches. It isn't the smallest phone we've tested, but it's the smallest Nextel phone we've seen. Even the compact Nextel i830 is larger.