When last we looked at Vertu, it was to look at their first full touchscreen smartphone, the Vertu Constellation –this was back in September of 2012, and the announcement of the handset corresponded with another series of announcements from Vertu –most significantly, that the company was moving forward no longer going to be part of its erstwhile parent firm –the troubled giant, Nokia, which was in the process of weaning itself from Symbian and taking the leap of faith that is Windows Phone 8 –but would henceforward be an independent firm, thanks to the intervention of private equity group EQT. The Constellation was classic Vertu –a beautifully made and styled handset crafted of premium materials; a pleasure to hold (and have, I presume) that ran the latest version of Symbian, and whose most important identity lay in its combination of seductive visuals and tactility with a suite of Vertu specific personal services.
Nonetheless, there was no doubt that the handset was handicapped to some degree by its antiquated OS, which, while sufficient to the task did not quite rise to the level of transparency to the user that would have let the Constellation really reach its full potential –it was as if one were living in a grand mansion, with a full complement of highly trained staff, with which one could only communicate through a Victorian era speaking tube; the fact that one had to go through the Symbian Ovi portal to access social networking sites was particularly irritating.
Time marches on, however, and not only is Vertu now out from under the shadow of its former owner, it has embraced, at long last, a state-of-the-art open source operating system that lends itself admirably to customization and whose stability and speed, in combination with upgraded internals (Qualcomm Snapdragon S4, dual core 1.7 ghz processor, 64 MB internal memory) gives the always physically beautiful Vertu smartphone exterior the brains to match its beauty.
The Vertu Ti is powered by Android Ice Cream Sandwich, but with a suite of Vertu specific apps and portals that make it a very different value proposition than any other Android phone. I hope to bring you a more extensive hands-on review once a review handset becomes available for extended use, but at an early demo courtesy Vertu USA, I watched the phone get put through its paces by Vertu’s Global Chief Marketing Director, Massimiliano Pogliani, and it was extremely snappy –fast, no lag at all going from app to app, with a wonderfully organized seamless integration between the standard Android front end, and the custom Vertu services offerings (accessible through a dedicated button in the case flank.) Build quality is as gorgeous as ever, with the phone taking its cues from what in my opinion is the most beautiful Vertu phone of all time — the Signature S (Vertu USA’s president has been carrying one for four years and brought it out during the visit, and it’s lost nothing in beauty with the passing of the years. It remains as desirable as ever, which just goes to show you that even in the here-one-minute, gone-the-next world of mobile handsets, beauty endures.)
Available in titanium and black, a “pure black” model, titanium and black alligator, or a very swank black titanium and red gold version, the Vertu Ti starts at €7900 and as with the Signature S, the least expensive model is in some ways the most attractive –there is a purity to the titanium and black version that’s delightfully understated. Stay tuned for more when we’re able to really go hands -on with the smartest Vertu yet.
PS One thing worth mentioning is that Vertu’s partnered with Bang & Olufsen for the phone’s speakers and I’ve never heard sound like this out of a phone –not just in volume but in clarity and richness, you won’t believe your ears; and they give movies watched on it a presence out of all proportion to the size of the screen (which is a gorgeous slab of synthetic sapphire.)
Nonetheless, there was no doubt that the handset was handicapped to some degree by its antiquated OS, which, while sufficient to the task did not quite rise to the level of transparency to the user that would have let the Constellation really reach its full potential –it was as if one were living in a grand mansion, with a full complement of highly trained staff, with which one could only communicate through a Victorian era speaking tube; the fact that one had to go through the Symbian Ovi portal to access social networking sites was particularly irritating.
Time marches on, however, and not only is Vertu now out from under the shadow of its former owner, it has embraced, at long last, a state-of-the-art open source operating system that lends itself admirably to customization and whose stability and speed, in combination with upgraded internals (Qualcomm Snapdragon S4, dual core 1.7 ghz processor, 64 MB internal memory) gives the always physically beautiful Vertu smartphone exterior the brains to match its beauty.
The Vertu Ti is powered by Android Ice Cream Sandwich, but with a suite of Vertu specific apps and portals that make it a very different value proposition than any other Android phone. I hope to bring you a more extensive hands-on review once a review handset becomes available for extended use, but at an early demo courtesy Vertu USA, I watched the phone get put through its paces by Vertu’s Global Chief Marketing Director, Massimiliano Pogliani, and it was extremely snappy –fast, no lag at all going from app to app, with a wonderfully organized seamless integration between the standard Android front end, and the custom Vertu services offerings (accessible through a dedicated button in the case flank.) Build quality is as gorgeous as ever, with the phone taking its cues from what in my opinion is the most beautiful Vertu phone of all time — the Signature S (Vertu USA’s president has been carrying one for four years and brought it out during the visit, and it’s lost nothing in beauty with the passing of the years. It remains as desirable as ever, which just goes to show you that even in the here-one-minute, gone-the-next world of mobile handsets, beauty endures.)
Available in titanium and black, a “pure black” model, titanium and black alligator, or a very swank black titanium and red gold version, the Vertu Ti starts at €7900 and as with the Signature S, the least expensive model is in some ways the most attractive –there is a purity to the titanium and black version that’s delightfully understated. Stay tuned for more when we’re able to really go hands -on with the smartest Vertu yet.
PS One thing worth mentioning is that Vertu’s partnered with Bang & Olufsen for the phone’s speakers and I’ve never heard sound like this out of a phone –not just in volume but in clarity and richness, you won’t believe your ears; and they give movies watched on it a presence out of all proportion to the size of the screen (which is a gorgeous slab of synthetic sapphire.)
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