Vertu Ti Debuts, Swings with Subtle Hi-Tech Elegance
Looking at the price alone, most people would be turned off at the idea of buying a smartphone that's costs almost the same as a small car. It doesn't help that Vertu's Ti Android phone does not have groundbreaking features or specs. But, Vertu is not for everyone, it is for the lucky few, who prefers the uniqueness and style that Vertu handsets are known for these past years.
Although it seems technology has caught up with Vertu compared to more than six years ago that its marketers insist it go by its bare just-calls essentials, the company has embraced the beauty of the fastidious android technology these days.
Vertu Ti Specs
As Tech Radar reports, the Vertu Ti's Android smartphone is not for everyone-it's a luxury phone that caters to a specific market, particularly one that can easily shell out $11,000 for a smartphone.
The phone's case is titanium with a sapphire crystal screen and the ruby inset Vertu trademark. Inside, you have a 1.7 GHz dual-core processor (hardly a competitor for most mainstay smartphoes), a 3.7-inch display, 8 mega-pixels of camera, an Ice Cream Sandwich OS, and a 1250mAh battery.
Aside from the near basic specs, you can't even expect 4G connectivity. With regard to the size of the device, it's by no means the slimmest phone around, and it doesn't even try to be one.
But it does stand out from the sea of Samsung S3, Nexus 7, iPhone 5 users once it hits one of the 500 Vertu stores this month.
Exclusive phone for an exclusive audience
Everything about the Vertu Ti's specs shows exclusivity more than functionality or practicality, and even its makers admit it to being the case.
"We don't make massive numbers of phones and the price point is reflective of that." said chief executive Perry Oosting to BBC.
In fact, in the company's 10 years in the industry of creating phones, there is reported to be only 326,000 handsets worldwide, with each handmade and crafted like an art piece, by its maker, complete with a signature on the SIM card holder.
Personal service, especially for you
You'll certainly feel the luxury that the price tag brings thanks to the on-call concierge of the Vertu Ti. According to Digital Trends, the concierge is the on-hand and on-call assistant for Vertu Ti users, making it the top feature of the phone-and by the definition, the justification of the price tag.
For users, this means you have a 24/7 on-command assistant, helping you out to do any task you need done, and you can do this via text message, call, or instant message. What makes this different from your average task-based app is that everything is done by a real live person, so the service is very personal.
Aside from the Concierge, you also have Life and Certainty services, which cater to your lifestyle and security needs respectively, are reports Tech Radar.
So does all this boil down to a smartphone deserving of a $11,000 selling price? For its market, it may be a great piece of art and one that will surely propel its owners as a standout from the mass smartphone-wielding market. But for the rest of the world, it's a luxury phone that's something to aspire for but never really attain.