Ultra-luxury smartphone brand Vertu has just refreshed its Android lineup with the all new Signature Touch Android handset.

The device is built around a 5.2-inch full HD panel which is protected by a layer of sapphire crystal. The internals is composed of a Snapdragon 810 chip with an octa-core processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable memory.

The main camera at the back has a 21MP sensor with an f/2.2 lens, dual tone LED flash and phase detection autofocus. On the other hand, the front-facing camera has a 2.1MP sensor and is Skype compliant. The phone also comes with a 3160mAh battery, LTE connectivity, Bluetooth v4.0 with LE, NFC and dual-band Wi-Fi.

As with other Vertu phones, the new Signature Touch is constructed using exquisite materials like leather. Moreover, the handset will be supported by Vertu’s elite services including its Concierge, LIFE and CERTAINTY services.

The smartphone will be available for pre-order in select Vertu stores from September 28 to October 8 for around 6500GBP to 13700GBP (approximately $9800 to $20700).

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Remember that phone that Vertu and Bentley announced October last year? Well, the two companies are back with a new release, this time it’s a feature phone that takes cues not only from Vertu’s Signature line but also from Bentley’s Mulsanne Speed.

Design-wise, the phone is undoubtedly a Signature model featuring the same design cues, button layout and form factor as other members of the Signature family. The choice of materials is different though, with this particular model sporting carbon fiber and the same type of leather found on the Mulsanne Speed’s interior.

As with other Vertu models, users can customize their phone with a variety of leather options, gems and colors. The phone will be on display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Concourse d’Elegance for the elite’s viewing and will be available by September 18 for around 14,000 GBP or $22,800.

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Back in July, luxury brands Vertu and Bentley announced that they are going into a partnership to produce smartphones with a promise to bring the first model in October. And today the two companies have kept their word and announced the first phone under the Vertu for Bentley line.

And just like other phones from Vertu’s factory, the Bentley phone is made from exquisite materials including grade 5 titanium and quilted calf leather to reflect Bentley’s styling. In terms of equipment, the smartphone is packing a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset with a 2.3GHz quad-core processor, a 13MP Hasselblad camera with LED flash and sapphire crystal lens, Bang & Olufsen speakers and 64GB of built-in storage.

There’s also LTE connectivity, Qi wireless charging, ringtones created by the London Symphony Orchestra and of course a number of Vertu exclusive services including a 24-hour worldwide concierge, iPass-optimized Wi-Fi connectivity, 24/7 technical support, Silent Circle encrypted communication services, Kaspersky Anti-virus and anti-theft protection, and exclusive access to cultural events and clubs.

The Android KitKat-powered Vertu for Bentley phone will be available before the end of the month for around $15,800.

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If the $11,000 price tag of the Vertu Signature Touch is just too much for your bank account to handle, then you might want to consider the recently announced Vertu Aster priced at around $6,900-$9,700.

The ultra-luxury phone can be had in different finishes including your choice of leather (calf, snake or ostrich). The handset is handcrafted from hardened titanium and protected by sapphire crystal.

There’s a 4.7-inch Full HD display, front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby Digital Plus tuning, a Snapdragon 801 chipset with a 2.3GHz quad-core processor, 64GB of internal storage and Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box.

In terms of imaging and connectivity, Vertu is employing one of Sweden’s top optics manufacturers with a 13MP+2.1MP camera combo that’s tuned by Hasselblad. There’s also LTE Cat-4 connectivity, NFC, noise-cancellation and aptX for Bluetooth audio streaming, a 2250mAh battery and Qi wireless charging.

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Luxury smartphone maker Vertu and car maker Bentley have announced that they are currently working on a new line co-branded phones called “Vertu for Bentley”.

The first model will reportedly be announced in October followed by four more models over the next five years. There’s little information about what kind of smartphones the two posh brands will churn out but it’s very likely that these phone will be running on Android with specs similar to the recently announced Vertu Signature Touch.

The phones will be designed by both Vertu’s and Bentley’s design teams and will be offered as special edition phones, that provide Bentley specific content to its users. It’s also very likely that the phone will be offered as a complementary gift for customers who will purchase a new Bentley car.

This isn’t the first time that Vertu has worked with a carmaker for a special edition handset. The company has previously worked with Italian sports car manufacturer Ferrari in its Ascent feature phone.

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Corning’s Gorilla Glass panels is now almost synonymous to mobile phone screen protection, which has made it the top choice for manufacturers when it comes to providing a scratch resistant shield for mobile devices’ displays. However, if a recent rumour turns out to be true, a new breed of tough glass may soon nudge Corning off its laurels.

According to reports from South Korea, LG and Samsung are now considering putting Sapphire crystal into its products and are reaching out to manufacturers of the crystal panel for samples.

The material has been mostly used in the production of watches although it has been used before in smartphones but only in ultra-luxury handsets like those from Vertu and Tag Heuer. Sapphire crystal is incredibly tough (only diamond is known to be harder) but is also very expensive, which is the reason why most manufacturers settle for Gorilla glass.

Corning Gorilla Glass 2

The upcoming iPhone 6 is also reportedly getting a sapphire crystal panel, which might be the reason why the two Korean companies are now considering using the expensive glass (although earlier reports say that the two have looked into using sapphire crystal in the past but backed out due to high costs) into their products. 

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Fans of luxury mobile phone manufacturer Vertu will be delighted to know that there is now a cheaper alternative to the company’s Ti smartphone, which was announced back in June.

Today, Vertu unveiled its second Android smartphone – the Vertu Constellation. Although it is designed to be the Ti’s more affordable sibling, the Constellation sports better specs including a 4.3-inch 720 p screen protected by a scratch-resistant sapphire glass. It also sports a 1.7GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chip and Adreno 320 GPU.

The phone will pack a 13MP snapper at the back and a 1.3MP front-facing camera. The company’s elite group of consumers will be able to choose from either 32GB or 64GB storage. The Constellation will have an 1800mAh battery and will be offered alongside other Vertu-exclusive services including unlimited Wi-Fi worldwide courtesy of iPass, an advanced version of Kaspersky anti-virus app, optional security company PSG to enable personal tracking and encrypted VoIP call service and instant messaging from Silent Circle.

The Vertu Constellation still won’t offer LTE as the company’s active markets still don’t support LTE. The handset will be made from Grade 5 titanium and calf leather in different colours including black, dark brown, light brown, cherry and orange and will sell for US$6,630. 

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