We’ve seen some mighty expensive smartphones in our time, many of which Vertu has been responsible for. If you’re wondering why that brand name rings a bell it’s most likely because you’ve seen some of their creations before – decadent, exotic devices crafted from solid metals, encrusted in whole precious stones and wrapped in the finest leathers. They’re also known for featuring godawful technical specifications.
It seems that someone at Vertu has raised the point, though, that just maybe the demographics of “staggeringly rich enough to buy a £6,000 smartphone” and “wants a smartphone which doesn’t run like complete crap” aren’t mutually exclusive. And thus, the world’s first objectively desirable Virtu is born: the Vertu Signature Touch.
Let’s get one thing clear nice and early – you can’t afford this phone. Pricing starts at £6,750, and not without justification. Its 4.7-inch display lays underneath a 5.1-inch 118-carat sapphire display. Bang & Olufsen and Dolby catered to the audio components, whilst Swedish photographic manufacturers Hasselblad crafted the 13-megapixel camera. The device’s chassis is forged from titanium and zirconium. The ringtones exclusive to the handset were performed live by the London Symphony Orchestra. You can choose which leather/skin and colour you wish for the device to be clad in too: Jet Calf, Claret Calf, Pure Jet, Seaspray Lizard, Pure Navy Lizard, Jet Alligator, Pure Jet Red Gold Mixed Metals and Damson Lizard – as in, “Dam son, this phone is outrageous”.
And yet, the most incredible thing about the Vertu Signature Touch is that it’s actually a remarkably good smartphone. Looking at the specs, we’d wager it to be capable of going up against some of the best in class. For a start, that 4.7-inch display has the highest PPI of any same-sized device – 473 at 1080p full HD.
It has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 2.3 GHz quad-core processor, just like the one found in the HTC One M8. It also runs Android’s latest version, 4.4 KitKat.
It’s 4G capable, and even has Qi wireless charging in-built. It’s drop-proof, and can weather temperatures as cold as -45 °C and as hot as 80 °C.
Of course there’s also the standard accompanying Vertu services: free global Wi-Fi, an on-demand concierge service and Silent Circle technology to ensure totally secure, private calling.
So if you just happen to be one of the fortunate few who can can afford a handset like this, but have been holding out due to their woeful capability as an actual communications tool, it looks like you’ve finally been redeemed.
Source
