Handmade in England Vertu Ti to cost $10,000

The super expensive, luxury Vertu Ti has been released and is steeply priced. The phone – calling the Vertu Ti just a ‘phone’ doesn’t quite cut it – is priced at a staggering $10,000, and that’s just the starting price.

The erstwhile high-end department of Nokia has released its first phone in ages and has gone and blown up everything in the name of luxury. The Vertu Ti is encased in titanium and has a sapphire crystal display and is handcrafted in England.

The newest Vertu Ti

Compared with older Vertu phones, the Ti has completely done away with buttons. The company has tried to keep in touch with the times by embracing Android as the OS for its newest phone, but it runs the 16-month-old Android version 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

While the world is waiting with bated breath for the release of Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, a $10,000 phone running ICS just does not cut it. The phone also features a 3.7-inch WVGA display and a dual-core SnapDragon S4 processor.

The phone also features an 8MP main camera with flash and 1.3MP front facing camera. It also has 64GB of internal memory.

The Head of Design for Vertu, Hutch Hutchison says that the company is not interested in being a tech pioneer. "Vertu will never be at the bleeding edge of technology," he said. "It has to be about relevant technology and craftsmanship - it's not a disposable product."

Ex-Nokia Vice President Anssi Vanjoki welcomed the newest Vertu phone on Twitter, “Hand-made, highest quality with up to date technology crafted with care. What a wonderful luxurious day and nothing will ever feel the same.”

Maybe the best bit about getting a Vertu Ti is the 24-hour Concierge service you get along with the phone. “Around the clock, you will receive expert assistance, recommendations and priority bookings. From creating bespoke gifts to accessing money-can't-buy events, experiences and everything in between. The Concierge team will do their utmost to fulfil every request and can be accessed directly from your handset with the touch of a single button,” reads the Vertu description of the service.

Specifications of the phone were leaked late last month by Russian blogger Eldar Murtizan. Murtazin posted on Twitter, “Vertu going to launch Android smartphones and reopen market with Nokia 8800 legacy (3000 euro, most affordable Vertu with Android).” Alleged product shots of the Vertu Constellation Ti have also been spotted all over Bluetooth SIG, GLBenchmark and telecom regulator databases in Singapore and Macau, reports Engadget.

A Russian retailer had already listed four variants of the Constellation Ti on its website: Titanium Black PVD black leather, Titanium Black Alligator, Red Gold Mixed Metal (with a search button instead of the recent apps one) and Titanium Black Leather.