Push-Button Concierge

These days, smartphones are capable of almost as much as laptops, so setting even a high-end phone apart from the competition isn’t easy. Vertu took on the challenge. The U.K.-based company introduced its first phone in 2002. It has gained recognition not only for the high quality of its phones—which can be run over by a car and still work, according to the company—but its service plan. Owners of Vertu phones not only can make calls and send emails or texts, but with the push of a button they’re connected to a full-service concierge. The newest phone in the Vertu line is the Ti, an Android-powered smartphone with a titanium casing and a 3.7-inch, scratch- and impact-resistant sapphire crystal touchscreen. This model is equipped with a 1.7-GHz processor, an eight megapixel rear camera, a twin-LED flash, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video calls, 64 GB of memory and secure near-field communication. A feature new on the Ti is a key on the side of the phone that connects directly to the 24/7, internationally accessible concierge service. The retail price on the handcrafted Ti is just more than $10,000.

For more information:vertu.com