Luxury smartphone makers Vertu has announced the Vertu Aster, a “mid-range” luxury Android smartphone that is surely out of the reach of pretty much everyone in the middle class.
The Aster is actually a very powerful Android smartphone, despite the mid-range tag given by Vertu. It is powered by a 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor and has a sharp 4.7-inch Full HD sapphire crystal display. There’s no mention of the amount of RAM inside the Aster, but there is 64GB of internal storage, a 2275mAh battery, LTE Cat 4 and Qi wireless charging support. As for imaging prowess, the Vertu Aster packs a 2.1MP Skype-compliant front-facing camera and a 13MP rear sensor tuned by renowned camera company, Hasselblad.
But of course, with all luxury smartphones, specifications are secondary. The Vertu Aster is all about its craftsmanship: handmade in England from exceptionally premium materials including Grade 5 titanium, ruby, sapphire, and all kinds of leather for customisation options (calf and ostrich leather, snake skin, and colours from black to orange). And, as with every Vertu device, each purchase of the Aster grants the owner plenty of exclusive services: a six-month access to Vertu Concierge that provides 24-hour worldwide assistance, a six-month subscription to iPass WiFi that offers free Internet access from over 13 million hotspots around the world, a 12-month subscription to Silent Circle and its suite of secure apps…and a 12-month subscription to Kaspersky Mobile Security. There’s also an 18-month subscription to Vertu Life, granting the owner access to exclusive invite-only events, private-members’ clubs, and closed-door shopping experiences.
Retail prices of the Vertu Aster starts from $6,900 (about RM22,500) and goes all the way up to $9,700 (about RM31,600). Obviously, that’s the reason why Vertu is labelling it as mid-range: the Vertu Ti – launched a year ago – was priced from RM33,000 while the newer Constellation – the Aster’s spiritual predecessor – retailed from RM21,500 but without the Vertu Concierge service.
Ready to splash the cash? Head on to the official Vertu Aster product page here.
(Source: Vertu, Engadget)
