Vertu makes some ridiculous “luxury” smartphones. In years past, you would pay crazy amounts of money to own gadgets made out of exotic materials, but often with lagging tech. Their newest handset ‘Constellation’ marks the first time their penchant for high end materials has also moved the tech industry forward a bit however.
While never the point of a Vertu, the specs feel “nice” but a bit dated. Constellation is powered by a dual-core Snapdragon and comes with 32GB of storage. The 4.3″ screen has a 720p resolution, but the actual excitement comes from what that screen is made out of. A 5.1″ slab of Sapphire protects the front face of the phone. Not some BS “Saffire” branding, nope the actual gem, and sapphire is almost as hard as diamond. This screen should be virtually scratch proof (unless you rub a diamond against it), and should prove a bit more durable for bumps and drops.
Color me impressed. I usually mock Vertu handsets, but this is one “fancy” material I hope will eventually filter down into the phones we plebs use…
Constellation should be available in stores later this month at a price of €4,900 (about $6600).
Full PR after the break.
VERTU REVOLUTION GATHERS PACE WITH CONSTELLATION LAUNCH
- Vertu launches the new Constellation smartphone; handmade in England, combining premium materials and contemporary styling
- Launch supported by ‘extraordinary’ advertising campaign, shot by leading fashion photographer, Kristian Schuller
- Launch follows 12 months of transformation at the world’s foremost luxury mobile phone manufacturer
- Constellation available in stores from October 2013, priced from €4,900
Vertu Constellation
Constellation is a modern smartphone that combines all of Vertu’s expertise in fine materials, craftsmanship, technology and services. Its sleek, contemporary form has been designed and engineered to appeal equally to male and female customers.
Vertu Chief Executive Officer, Massimiliano Pogliani, said: “This is a vibrant time for Vertu. This is our second major product launch of 2013 and it helps define a clear segmentation strategy which identifies distinct product lines in the Vertu portfolio. This will broaden Vertu’s appeal, attracting new customers to the brand as well as increasing the choice for our existing global customer base.”
Vertu’s Head of Total Product Offering, Ignacio Germade, said: “Constellation moves Vertu design into a contemporary realm. When we created VERTU Ti, we used a very elegant design language that visually connects to our heritage and that gives the product a timeless quality. Conversely, in Constellation, we have designed a modern, minimal phone that is sleek and understated. While Constellation takes Vertu in a new design direction, materially it embodies everything for which the brand has become renowned – tactile materials, outstanding engineering and craftsmanship and modern technology.”
Sapphire crystal is a well-established part of the Vertu story. Constellation uses a 5.1 inch piece – weighing more than 100 carats – to cover the entire front of the phone and under which sits a 4.3 inch 720p high definition screen. The sapphire is resistant to scratching from anything other than diamond, ensuring that the screen remains virtually flawless throughout the life of the phone.
Surrounding the sapphire crystal is an engineered grade 5 titanium casing, a material two and a half times stronger than stainless steel yet only half the weight. It is the durability and lightweight nature of grade 5 titanium, coupled with its immaculate finish once polished, that makes it a perfect material for Vertu handsets.
Constellation is swathed in high quality calf leather. Vertu has carefully selected the finest hides available from the Alps region of Europe, working with a tannery with more than 150 years’ experience. Constellation will launch in five exquisite colours that make stunning use of the single piece of leather used – Cappuccino, Black, Orange, Mocha and Raspberry.
Technically, Vertu Constellation offers everything for the modern smartphone user: Android™ 4.2 Jelly Bean, Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ dual core 1.7 GHz CPU, 32GB of internal memory, 13MP rear-facing camera with full HD video (1080p), a front-facing Skype™ compliant 1.3MP camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC.
Constellation also features a portfolio of melodic ringtones especially composed for Vertu and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. The portfolio also includes a set featuring English bird song. All of these ringtones benefit from Vertu engineers’ meticulous approach to mobile audio engineering, resulting in unparalleled acoustic clarity. Constellation also features uplink noise cancellation software, as well as aptX® support, which guarantees superior playback quality when streaming audio to Bluetooth® headphones or speakers.
Alongside Constellation’s comprehensive technical offering, sits Vertu’s range of exclusive services, grouped as Vertu LIFE and Vertu CERTAINTY.
Vertu LIFE offers customers a personalised selection of exclusive privileges and unrestricted access to elite events available directly on device. Features include complimentary entry to the most exclusive Private Members’ Clubs around the world, access to invitation-only events and closed-door shopping experiences.
Vertu CERTAINTY protects the customer, their Vertu phone and their data through best-in-class technology and expert partners. This includes encrypted communications in partnership with Silent Circle, global Wi-Fi access via iPass, personal and corporate security with Protector Services Group and anti-virus by Kaspersky.
VERTU CONSTELLATION
PHYSICAL SPECIFICATION
| Length: 142.2mm, Width: 70.4mm, Depth: 11.2mm Weight: 179g |
SERVICES†
| Vertu Life. Vertu Certainty |
OPERATING SYSTEM
| Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) |
HARDWARE CHARACTERISTICS
| Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ Dual-core 1.7GHz processor |
| 4.3” 720p, brilliant, high contrast display, protected by sapphire crystal |
| 13 MP main camera with AF and twin LED flash 1.3MP Skype™ compliant front camera |
| 32GB of internal memory |
| High-fidelity 11mm x 15mm loudspeaker |
| Gyro and accelerometer for orientation and game play |
| Battery†: Internal 1800mAh Li-ion Talk time: Up to 14 hrs 30 mins (WCDMA) Stand-by: Up to 405 hrs |
CONNECTIVITY
| Quadband GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz WCDMA Bands I, II, IV, V, VIII HSPA+, Cat24, 42Mb/s Downlink, Cat6 5.76Mb/s Uplink WLAN 802.11 a,b,g, n, inc. WAPI for PRC |
| Micro USB system connector 3.5mm audio socket Bluetooth® v4.0 + LE CSR aptX® support NFC + support for embedded and SIM based secure elements Wi-Fi hotspot (tethering & portable hotspot) |
APPLICATIONS
| Vertu applications†, including Life, Certainty, Recommended apps & Remote assist |
| Google Mobile services#, including Google Play™, Gmail™, Google Chrome™, Google+™, Google Maps™, Google Drive™ cloud storage, YouTube™ and other services. Calculator, Calendar, Camera, Clock, Downloads, Email, Gallery, Messaging, Movie Studio, Music‡, People, Phone, Settings Baidu App Search‡, Baidu Input‡, Baidu Search‡, AutoNavi Maps‡ |
USER INTERFACE DISPLAY LANGUAGES
| Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, Czech, English (GB), English (US), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish (ES), Spanish (US), Thai, Traditional Chinese (Twn), Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese |
NOTES
| † Some features are location, network and/or service dependent |
| # RoW (Rest of the World) software build only |
| ‡ China software build only |
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