Vertu Launches £7,600 Lizard-Skin Smartphones

If you’ve ever thought that your smartphone is lacking that little bit of sophistication, the answer may well be here.

Luxury phone manufacturer Vertu has announced two new handsets (pictured below) in its Signature Touch collection featuring rear panels made of lizard skin – all for just £7,600.

The Night Forest (“a rich dark green”) and Dark Scarlet (“a beautifully woody chestnut red”) editions that make up the Vertu Signature Touch 2015 Lizard Collection join several other existing Vertu handsets with leather, alligator skin and lizard-skin backs.

Smooth

Under the reptilian shell, sourced from Water Monitor Lizards from Malaysia and Indonesia, there is some useful hardware inside.

Both devices are powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor which can run up to 2.3GHz, with the software provided by Android 4.4. KitKat.

The 4.7-inch 1080p screen doesn’t quite shape up to other high-end rivals, but there is 64GB of internal storage, LTE Cat 4 network connections, and a 2275mAh battery.

Thanks to Vertu’s reputation for extra quality, there is also built-in anti-virus and anti-theft protection from Kaspersky, alongside encrypted communications services from Silent Circle.

Where the devices do stand out is in sound and video.The devices feature Bang & Olufsen connectivity and high-fidelity 13mm x 18mm loudspeakers with support for Dolby Digital Plus surround sound decoding.

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The 13 megapixel rear and 2.1 megapixel front lenses are provided by world-renowned photography experts Hasselblad and the former supports autofocus and twin LED flash.

Alongside this, buyers will gain access to Vertu’s exclusive extras, including a 24-hour worldwide concierge service that offers a, “dedicated personal lifestyle manager” to deal with your event bookings and invitations. This includes access to cultural and VIP events hosted by Vertu and private members’ clubs.

Established by Nokia in 1998, Vertu has produced some of the most expensive phones in the world, with each device handmade at its factory in Hampshire.

Its phones can only be purchased from 500 retailers, including 70 of its own boutiques, but there are believed be more than 300,000 Vertu owners around the world. Nokia sold Vertu to a Swedish private equity firm last year in a transaction believed to be worth around £162.5 million.

Recent handsets by the company include the £10,700 Vertu for Bentley, the £4,100 Vertu Constellation and the £6,700 Vertu Signature Touch, which promises to encrypt users’ communications.

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