Vertu's $10K Android Phone is Absurdly Expensive and Luxurious
Vertu, a former subsidiary of Nokia and maker of luxury smartphones with extravagant price tags, is back at it, this time with a device that runs 7,900 euros (around $10,600). The new Vertu Ti attempts to justify its price tag with a titanium frame and sapphire screen, along with polished ceramic and black leather accents, all hand-crafted from 184 parts. The name and signature of the person who built is inscribed to the inside lid of the SIM card holder.
The hardware specs are a little less obscene. It has a 3.7-inch touchscreen display, 1.7GHz dual-core processor, 64GB of internal storage, 8MP rear-facing camera with autofocus and twin LED flash, 1.3MP front-facing camera, and various other ho-hum tidbits, at least in reference to its exorbitant price, which can reach as high as $22,100 (if you purchase the "Red Gold Mixed Metals" version).
Vertu opted to go with Android for its first post-Nokia device, because it's a more established OS than Windows Phone.
"You need to be part of an ecosystem," Vertu chief Perry Oosting explained to BBC. "Your device will have to integrate with other devices. I think the Windows Phone [platform] will have success but it is still a relatively small market share. At the moment it doesn't have the global reach of Android -- which is about 60 percent of the market."
There's no 4G radio in the Vertu Ti, though there is a "concierge" button that links to a global team that can help out with localized advice or make restaurant reservations. But let's be real. People who purchase this device are doing so primarily for the status symbol.
The hardware specs are a little less obscene. It has a 3.7-inch touchscreen display, 1.7GHz dual-core processor, 64GB of internal storage, 8MP rear-facing camera with autofocus and twin LED flash, 1.3MP front-facing camera, and various other ho-hum tidbits, at least in reference to its exorbitant price, which can reach as high as $22,100 (if you purchase the "Red Gold Mixed Metals" version).
Vertu opted to go with Android for its first post-Nokia device, because it's a more established OS than Windows Phone.
"You need to be part of an ecosystem," Vertu chief Perry Oosting explained to BBC. "Your device will have to integrate with other devices. I think the Windows Phone [platform] will have success but it is still a relatively small market share. At the moment it doesn't have the global reach of Android -- which is about 60 percent of the market."
There's no 4G radio in the Vertu Ti, though there is a "concierge" button that links to a global team that can help out with localized advice or make restaurant reservations. But let's be real. People who purchase this device are doing so primarily for the status symbol.
