Would you pay a million dollars for these cellphones?

The concept of an expensive mobile phone, for the average consumer, is limited to flagship smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge and Apple iPhone 6s. Priced at approximately `50,000, these phones feature high-resolution displays, powerful processors, oodles of storage and memory, sophisticated cameras, precision construction and the latest versions of iOS or Android. These smartphones, however, don’t even amount to loose change in the world of luxury mobile phones, where coughing up a few hundred thousand dollars, or even a few million, isn’t uncommon.

While these phones keep pushing the envelope with technical specifications, ultra-expensive luxury phones don’t have to work as hard. Case in point—Vertu's cellphones, which until a couple of years ago used its parent company Nokia’s modest Symbian, or the even more spartan Series 40 operating systems. This was true for almost all other luxury phones, which were essentially glorified feature phones or in other words, simple phones that don’t support apps and multitasking.


All that glitters, are diamonds
It may not seem logical spending thousands of millions of dollars on these high-end phones, but there’s a method to this madness. Ultra-luxury phones don’t trifle with specifications for a good reason. Cutting-edge processors, high-resolution screens and umpteen megapixel cameras become passé in a matter of months, in the fast-paced world of smartphones. While cutting-edge technology and high engineering works for smartphone manufacturers, ultra-luxury brands have carved a niche by making their devices exclusive and expensive. 

 

Gresso's Luxor Las Vegas Jackpot


For those who yearn for one-of-a-kind gadgets, Swiss luxury phone maker Gresso, uses rare and exotic materials in the construction of its best phones. The company’s aptly named Luxor Las Vegas Jackpot comprises 180 gm of solid gold, embellished with exotic African Blackwood taken off 200-year-old trees. Priced at a million US dollars, you might just need to win a jackpot to buy it. Those who love blinged-up phones will fancy the deceptively named GoldVish 'Le million' Piece Unique, actually priced at $300,000 north of a million, and with good reason too; this white-gold phone is encrusted with 120-carat VVS-1 graded diamonds. Or take for example, Vertu's mother-of-pearl signature phone; which features natural mother-of-pearl inlays, carefully set under the sapphire face pieces. The handset is finished with a princess-cut diamond select key. These examples lie at the very top of the luxury phone price chain, but all of these brands sell more accessible variants in the $5,000 to 10,000 range.


Money can buy you exclusivity

Vertu Cobra


It’s not just about gold, diamonds and rare materials. The reason a phone such as the jewel-encrusted Vertu Signature Cobra, cost as much as it does, is exclusivity. Your phone may have a quad-core processor and 4G, but can it get you entry to that swanky restaurant where Hollywood stars have trouble getting a reservation? This is exactly what Vertu offers through its concierge service, which allocates a team of eager experts to do anything you desire—from getting you access to exclusive events to hunting down that elusive gift for your wife or girlfriend. For that little extra uniqueness, you can customise or even build your Vertu phone from scratch, by choosing from a selection of colours, leathers and designs, or even adding your initials. Once that's done, a single master craftsman in England will create your perfect Vertu phone.

For those who still prefer the latest technology, there's a large number of luxury iPhones. British luxury electronics brand Stuart Hughes takes iPhones and replaces everything that doesn’t channel electricity through it, with gold, diamonds, gems or other exotic materials. How much will you have to shell out for these blinged-up, feature-loaded smartphones? Just a few million dollars!
 

Stuart Hughes' iPhone


Interestingly, the sale of Nokia’s luxury phone arm Vertu to Chinese investors has led to the brand embracing Android. That means Stuart Hughes' swanky iPhones now have competition from Android-powered luxury handsets. At the end of the day, details such as the choice of operating system or technical specifications may matter little. This is a realm where a phone's worth isn't measured by how many million units it has sold, but its limited production and the exclusive services that come with it.


Content Lead at http://www.MySmartPrice.com by day and avid gamer/DIY geek at night, Nachiket Mhatre channels a decade of experience writing about consumer technology, PC hardware, audio/video, and videogames.