Close
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
eWEEK.com
Search
eWEEK.com
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Mobile

    Vertu Luxury Smartphone Maker Founded by Nokia Shutting Down

    By
    TODD R. WEISS
    -
    July 17, 2017
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      Vertu Liquidation

      Vertu, a British company which has been designing and selling high-end luxury smartphones starting at $6,900 for more than a decade, is being liquidated after failing to sell enough high-priced phones to pay its bills.

      The demise of Vertu was revealed in a July 13 story by BBC.com, after the company was bought by a new owner in March who was unable to turn the company around. The BBC report said the company has gone into liquidation.

      The company was sold in March to Hakan Uzan, a Turkish exile in Paris, the story reported. Uzan is retaining the Vertu brand, technology and licenses after the liquidation. However, the Vertu website that displays all of its smartphone models was still online as of today.

      The Vertu phenomenon began with the company’s original Vertu Signature luxury phones more than a decade ago. The Signature models were available in more than 25 variants using stainless steel, zirconium and other materials, starting at $16,150.

      According to Wikipedia, Vertu was founded by smartphone maker Nokia in 1998. It operated Vertu until the Finnish company sold all but a 10 percent interest to a private equity firm EQT VI for an unspecified price.

      In late 2014, Vertu introduced its Aster smartphone, which featured a 5.1-inch solid sapphire screen, an HD display and a titanium case. Running on Android 4.4. KitKat, the phone included a Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core CPU, 64GB of internal memory and a 13-megapixel Hasselblad camera. Prices began at $6,900.

      Not only did the company’s Aster phones include quality components, but they also came with six months of Vertu’s “Classic Concierge” services, which allowed users to receive 24/7 personalized help from a team of “lifestyle managers.” Also included was six months’ complimentary access to unlimited global WiFi at more than 13 million hotspots.

      The company also had offered several models of luxury Vertu for Bentley phones, which were aimed at Bentley automobile owners to give them a smartphone to complement their hand-built luxury vehicles. Starting at $16,500 and limited to 2,000 examples, the phones even offered exclusive Bentley-themed content to their users and were swathed in the classic Bentley shade of Newmarket Tan calfskin leather.

      Vertu also offered its Signature Touch smartphone line, which started at $10,800 and climbed to about $22,000, featuring a 4.7-inch HD display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 2.3GHz quad-core CPU, and a range of five colors and eight leather and metal combinations, giving owners wide customization capabilities.

      Other vendors have also tried marketing high-end smartphones, with varying levels of success. In May of 2016, Sirin Labs launched its own line of ultra-secure, luxury phones priced from $10,000 to $20,000 each.  

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      CHRIS PREIMESBERGER - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      CHRIS PREIMESBERGER - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      EWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      ZEUS KERRAVALA - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      WAYNE RASH - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more
      eWeek


      Contact Us | About | Sitemap

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      Terms of Service | Privacy Notice | Advertise | California - Do Not Sell My Info

      © 2020 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×