If you are fed up with the “boring” appearance of today’s smartphones and just happen to have between $10,000 and $20,000 burning a hole in your pocket, you can kill two birds with one stone thanks to a new luxury smartphone from British designer Vertu.
Among today’s top smartphones, the entry-level Vertu Ti falls short in the specifications department. It includes a 3.7-inch display, a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 1GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage and an 8-megapixel camera. The handset runs a dated version of Android – Ice Cream Sandwich, to be exact.
The company ships the phone with a standard array of accessories like a carrying case, charging cables and a wired stereo headset. What makes the line so expensive is the materials used to build it. For starters, all phones are handmade by a single craftsman in England from 184 individual components. A sapphire crystal glass screen and Grade 5 titanium are common across all models.
The entry level unit is constructed of black leather while more expensive models contain materials like alligator and 18 carat red gold. Expect to pay just south of 20 grand for the most expensive version.
It’s a tough pill to swallow for sure, especially when you consider that many people feel an unsubsidized iPhone at $650 or the just-released BlackBerry Z10 at $999 is highway robbery. But in the same respect, the mobile phone industry has seen people shell out a boatload of money and received far less in return.
Look no further than the I Am Rich app that hit the App Store back in 2008. Eight iPhone owners reportedly paid $999.99 for an app that did nothing more than display a red gem when activated. That’s it – for a grand. Apple removed the app shortly after it was published.
