The $17000 Apple Watch will help sell this $26000 Vertu phone

Of course, the real reason to own a Vertu phone is for status and design aesthetics – after all, you can expect to pay around £6,500 or more for the Signature Touch – and the new model is available in some quite spectacular styles. That’s a nice surprise and so is the 4GB of RAM that goes along with it. You’ll have plenty of power with the new Vertu Signature Touch, and there’s plenty of space as well with 64GB of internal storage.

Last week, we came across an unexpected entry in the FCC database, hinting that Vertu is working on a sequel for last year’s Signature Touch.

The handset is backed by a 3160mAh Li-ion battery, and features the Qualcomm QuickCharge 2.0 functionality.

NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, dual-band Wi-Fi and LTE (4G) connectivity is on-board, with the latter working on all United Kingdom networks and many others around the world. Speaking of the back- panel, there is a change in the new model, consisting in the round latch which can be twisted in order to flip open the new and dramatic gull- wing doors for accessing the Nano SIM slot and the microSD slot. Vertu’s new Signature Touch also includes the same scratch-resistant sapphire display found on the 2014 handset.

Its 21-megapixel rear camera shoots 4K video, while a 2.1-megapixel snapper graces the front. Vertu plans to release the phones exclusively in an upscale department store in London’s Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, called Harrods. It runs Android 5.1 Lollipop out of the box so you can get the mobile experience you’re already familiar with.

Does that mean the phone is actually worth its $9,000 starting price If you have to ask…

Phones made by Vertu aren’t for everyone, and so is the case with the highly expensive next-gen Signature Touch handset that has been launched by the British manufacturer. You get Vertu Concierge, the company’s 24/7 personal assistant service that is now free for use during the first 18 months after purchase, Vertu LIFE, which provides you with “unrestricted access to elite and invitation-only events” across the globe, and Vertu CERTAINTY, a security-oriented feature that encrypts all incoming and outcoming communications. There’s Jet Calf (at the top of this post), Garnet Calf, Grape Lizard, Pure Jet Lizard, Jet Alligator, Pure Navy Alligator (above), Clous De Paris Alligator, and Pure Jet Red Gold.