Vertu has offered up some more details on its latest expensive smartphone called the Aster, which we first talked about in late September. The new details include pricing and some additional tidbits on what the phone will use in its construction. Vertu calls the Aster the "Quintessentially English" smartphone.
Vertu says that the device will be handmade by a single craftsman using luxurious materials like ostrich skin, leather, and wood. Vertu will also engrave or monogram the smartphone for buyers. We already know that the smartphone will have a 4.7-inch full HD resolution screen, but we didn't know in the past that the screen will be covered with a sapphire crystal.
That sapphire crystal screen cover is a 5.1-inch unit made from a single 117-carat piece of sapphire. Aster will have GSM, 3G, and 4G LTE compatibility and feature Dolby Digital Plus virtual surround sound. Vertu also focused some attention on the 13MP camera of the phone with Hasselblad certified components.
The processor is a Snapdragon 801 quad-core running at 2.3GHz. The Vertu Aster will hit stores in the UK on October 2 and roll out globally later. Aster will start at £4,200, and it's safe to assume the price will increase significantly with customization of the device.
SOURCE: Vertu