Vertu, the luxury smartphone maker, recently unveiled the METAVERTU 2 at the Token2049 Singapore event. Like the first-gen METAVERTU, the new smartphone is designed for blockchain and Web3 enthusiasts, with a decentralized operating system (DOS) and enhanced security features. So let’s about the details here. 

VERTU METAVERTU 2 Overview

The METAVERTU 2 comes with a number of new security features over its predecessor. One feature that I’m particularly interested in is the “unhackable” Secure Element (SE) chip. This chip generates bank-level encryption for signing, decryption, hardware-based random number generation, and Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZK) capability.

This means that users can be confident that their private keys and other sensitive data are always safe, even if the phone is lost or stolen.

Another important security feature of the METAVERTU 2 is its separate Decentralized Operating System (DOS). This OS is isolated from the Android operating system, which means that Web3 apps are protected from any vulnerabilities that may exist in the Android OS.

In addition to its security features, the METAVERTU 2 also offers a number of other features that make it a great choice for Web3 users. These include a built-in MPC wallet, which frees users from having to memorize mnemonic phrases and a dApp store where users can download and install the latest Web3 apps.

There’s also a new identity system called I-DID. It essentially binds the user’s mobile IMEI number with their Decentralized Identifiers (DID) which eliminates the need for repetitive registrations when accessing Web3 dApps.

Vertu has also tried to make the smartphone developer-friendly. It supports programmability through open protocols and provides access to APIs for various Layer 1 (L1) and Layer 2 (L2) protocols.

Developers can also utilize the I-DID Protocol to enhance security and combat attacks such as Sybil Attacks. Additionally, developers can publish their dApps on the dApp Store to attract users.

Besides this, Vertu has not yet announced the hardware specifications of the METAVERTU 2. Or has shared actual images of the smartphone. However, it is scheduled to be released in October 2023. Users can make a reservation for the METAVERTU 2 now and get a chance to win a Bitcoin Blind Box. No deposits are required for reservations.

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Former Nokia sub-brand VERTU has released the METAVERTU new generation of mobile phones in London. The phones are touted as the first WEB3 devices and come with up to 18GB of memory on top of 10TB of storage as a Web3 device. VERTU aims to create an equal data rights ecosystem open to diverse demographics.

The METAVERTU has a 144Hz ultra-high-brush AMOLED panel and is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is a premium chipset even though it has been overtaken by newer and more efficient Qualcomm chips. The 18GB RAM of the phone provides performance ramifications for the phone, coupled with its 1TB storage. The METAVERTU also has a distributed storage of 10TB when used as a Web3 mobile phone.

The new VERTU smartphone has the IMX787 35mm humanistic main camera and an optical telephoto lens. The battery capacity of the machine is 4,600mAh and it can be recharged fully within 20 minutes via fast charging. The METAVERTU is not lacking in its security architecture as well. It has a built-in A5 security chip with SE+TEE technology. It provides anti-intrusion sensors and other security functions in line with top international financial institutions.

The METAVERTU has quite impressive security and privacy features in consumer devices. It features proprietary software and hardware for a secure user experience. The METAVERTU has a one-button switch that allows seamless migration from Web 2.0 to Web 3.0 operating systems. In the Web 3.0 mode, the METAVERTU has a copyright camera to generate digital collections and other applications. The phone features previous services like hotel reservations, gift purchases, and lots more VIP services like the new V PASS exclusive memberships.

The METAVERTU is billed for launch on November 3. Six options will be available with the entry-level carbon fiber model priced at 25,800 yuan (~$3,558). The premium-grade Crocodile leather model could cost up to 300,000 yuan (~$41,371). The METAVERTU will be simultaneously available globally and can be purchased via Tmall, as well as through its official website in China.

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(source)

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Xor, the spiritual successor of Vertu, is planning on launching its first phone in the first quarter of 2021. The brand aims at reviving Vertu’s heritage and is being run by a group of former employees.

For those unaware, Vertu was a luxury brand that made hand made phones and smartphones. These devices were quite expensive but featured a unique design. Unfortunately, a sudden drop in consumer interest had the company go under and it final launch was the Aster P Android smartphone, which was exclusively launched in China.

According to a GSMArena report, the brand is pronounced “eggsor,” and is co founded by Hutch Hutchison, who was also the former design chief at Vertu. Hutchison is also joined by several of his ex-Vertu colleagues. Notably, a part of the brand was financed by former Vertu customers that have desired the revitalization of the brand, so they can buy the ultra premium phones.

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The company will be launching the Xor Titanium, which is a candybar phone that has been hand built in England. It arrives with an impressive price tag of 3,000 Pounds (roughly 3,973 US Dollars). As the name suggests, the device sports a titanium casing with leather on the rear and a classic T9 keypad on the front. The Xor phone runs on the custom built Linux based software.

Its battery can last for up to 5 days on a single charge and the device boasts modern features like active noise cancellation during calls and wireless charging as well. The company is also advertising the device’ssecurity as a feature, sporting end to end AES256 encryption that works on a hardware level. A remote secret key also immediately deletes all stored data if the Xor Titanium is lost, adding another last report measure of data security.

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A few days ago, an invite for the launch of a new Vertu phone surfaced online after more than a year since the company went bankrupt. The brand now has new owners and their first phone is the Vertu Aster P which was unveiled in China this night, and like previous Vertu phones, it is pretty expensive.

Design

The Vertu Aster P like all other Vertu phones is handmade in England, Each phone is built by one craftsman and his signature is engraved on the phone. The Aster P has a grade-5 titanium frame and the display is covered in a single piece of 133-carat sapphire crystal glass. Titanium is twice as strong as steel but weighs much less and sapphire is next to diamond when it comes to hardness.

The back is covered in leather types (crocodile and lizard) and colors, and the ruby red concierge button associated with the brand is still there. The Aster P has dual SIM support (nano only) and both SIM compartments open like gull-wing doors. Under the “door” is the signature of the craftsman that made the particular unit you purchase.

Vertu Aster P Specs

If you are familiar with Vertu phones, then the name “Aster” shouldn’t be strange. Back in 2014, Vertu launched the original Aster which had a Snapdragon 801 processor. The new Aster P is an upper mid-range phone as it has under its hood a Snapdragon 660 processor. There is 6GB of RAM, triple that of the original model; and 128GB of storage, double that of its predecessor.

The screen is a 4.9-inch AMOLED FHD panel. Above it sits a 20MP f/2.2 sensor and on the back is a 12MP camera. The Vertu Aster P runs Android 8.1 Oreo and packs a 3,200mAh battery with support for Quick Charge 3.0. It has a USB-C port, NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, and dual-band Wi-Fi with support for a wide range of LTE bands.

The ruby concierge button provides 24/7 access to a personal butler with British-level professionalism. Vertu will also provide owners access to exclusive invite-only events.

Aster P Price and Availability

The Aster P comes in Ink Black, White, and Dazzling Gold. The Ink Black and White variants are priced at ¥35,800 (~$5,167) while the Dazzling Gold is a whopping ¥98,000 (~$14,146)! It is already listed on JD.com and can be pre-ordered ahead of its October 30 shipping date.

The Aster P also has a special Baroque version which is available in brighter colors such as gentleman Blue, Twilight Orange, and Caramel Brown. There is no info on the price of these variants and when they would go on sale.

Vertu will also let you customize the design of the phone by adding gemstones and designs of your choice.

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Luxury phone maker, Vertu, is back! The brand which was originally owned by Nokia later changed hands a number of times before going bankrupt and eventually out of business last year.

After it shut down in 2017, the brand was sold to Baferton Ltd., a Turkish company based in Cyprus. It appears the new owners have revived the brand as they have sent out invites for an event on Wednesday, October 17.

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The invite doesn’t reveal any info about the device but does say the event is a global launch and mentions the tagline “Live or Die”. The event is slated to begin at 1730 hrs local China time and there is a dress code for those invited.

READ MORE: Vertu Constellation X Goes On Sale For ¥39,800 ($6339)

The new Vertu phone will most definitely not deviate from the design language of its predecessors, so expect it to be covered in high-quality leather, adorned with jewels or precious stones, and handmade at its factory in England. Oh! Let’s not forget, it will have a pretty high price tag.

(Source)

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Before Vertu closed shop last year, it released the Constellation X in January. It was scheduled to go on sale in February but it didn’t. If you are still interested and have $6500 to waste, you can order for one starting April 12.

When the Vertu Constellation X was announced in January 2017, the specs were manageable but now, you are better off buying the Porsche Design Huawei Mate RS.

The Constellation X is a 5.5” phone with a QHD AMOLED display and a 140-carat sapphire glass covering it. There is a Snapdragon 820 processor with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage under the hood.

The primary camera is a 12MP sensor with a 1.55um pixel size. There is also a 4MP f/2.0 front facing camera. The phone runs Android Marshmallow, has NFC, a front-mounted fingerprint scanner, and dual front facing speakers.

It has a 3200mAh battery with support for Quick Charge via a USB-C 2.0 port. There is also support for wireless charging. The Vertu Constellation X is hand-crafted in England and is covered in Italian leather.

READ MORE: Vertu Puts Up Entire Catalogue of 105 Models On Auction, Bid Starts At $26,000

Like previous Vertu phones, the Constellation X also gives you a one touch access to a concierge service (1 year). This can be activated by pushing the ruby button on the left of the phone.

The Constellation X will be available in Walnut Brown, Rose and Gray-Blue starting April 12 for ¥39,800 (~$6,339). Orders can be made on JD.com.

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UK based luxury phone manufacturer Vertu has put up all the entire catalogue of phones in the Vertu museum on auction. This is all part of the company’s winding-up process and is by the order of the liquidator appointed to liquidate the company’s asset. The entire collection of the Vertu museum includes 105 iconic phones and appearance models. The phones that will be in the collection will include models from the Signature, Constellation & Ascent Range right from when the first model was launched in 1998. Some the phones contain finishing with 18 carat gold, titanium, stainless steel, diamond and other precious stones.  

The auction is coordinated by auctioneer G J Wisdom & Co and bidding starts at £20,000 ($26,000). This price is definitely a decent one for 105 phones considering that Vertu used to sell only a single unit for as high as $30,000 when the company was still booming. But now, the company is being liquidated and anything would do so that the creditors would recoup some of their money. The auction does not seem to include the recently launched premium models like the Signature Cobra priced at $360K.

Read More: Vertu SIGNATURE Cobra Limited Edition is Priced at $360K, Along with Delivery Via Helicopter

Vertu is well-known for rugged looking models with a premium design adorning ornaments such as gold, diamond and others on the body. The company has been in debt for a while now, with its debt burden estimated to be to the tune of 128 million pounds. The company was announced to have been bought by an exiled Turkish businessman but he has been unable to settle the huge pile of debt, hence the liquidation. The bid process will close by 7 pm (UK time) on today (August 11).

(source)

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Vertu, the luxury phone brand, has been in a debt of £128 million. Its current owner, Hakan Uzan who had planned to rescue the company from getting bankrupt could only manage to pay £1.9 million ($2.4 million) to the creditors. This has resulted in the shutting down of the UK manufacturing wing, leading to laying off of around 200 employees.

Few weeks ago, an issue had brewed up around the company and its transfer of ownership. Vertu was sold to Hakan Uzan, a Turkish business In March by Gray Chen who is a Hong Kong based hedge fund manager. Chen was supposed to receive £50 million ($61 million) for the deal. On the side, Uzan wanted to resurrect Vertu by investing £1.9 million ($2.46 million) on it.

When Vertu was sold to Uzan, the company was already had unpaid bills, pending salaries and debts of £128 million ($165.5 million). Both the parties threatened on filing legal case on each other. All this while, the jobs of around 200 employees in the U.K. manufacturing operation was in danger. Since the company has gone into liquidation, about 200 employees have lost their jobs.

Read More: Vertu SIGNATURE Cobra Limited Edition is Priced at $360K, Along with Delivery Via Helicopter

It is not known whether Uzan has managed to clear the debts. Vertu has been sold several times in past. Uzan is an exiled businessman from Turkey who is now living Paris acquired Vertu in March and has plans to resurrect it. He retains the ownership of the company, technology and licenses.

The U.K wing had several skilled employees that created phones decked with various materials such as jewels and precious stone. The phones manufactured by the company did not feature latest hardware, but because of the precious items that were used to designed, these phones carried exorbitant pricing as high as $10,000 for the Vertu Constellation smartphone that had released in January this year. Vertu allowed customers to speak to the people who have built their phone. It also provided round the clock concierge services to the users such as delivering the phone through helicopter.

Nokia had founded Vertu in 1998 and then it was acquired by EQT VI, an equity group in 2012. It was sold to Godin Holdings in 2015. Now the fate of the company is in the hands of Uzan. However, the future of the company seems bleak after the recent layoffs.

(source)

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Vertu SIGNATURE Cobra Limited Edition is the new “flagship” phone says Vertu that is known for marking most expensive and luxurious phones. According to the company, it is not a smartphone, but a regular cellphone. So, do not expect high-end specs from it. Since it is a limited edition phone, only eight units will be manufactured and sold exclusively through Jingdong Mall, the online retailer in China. Each unit is priced at $360k.

As the names goes, the phone is inspired by the original Vertu SIGNATURE phone. It is hand-assembled in the United Kingdom and is manufactured by a French-based brand called Boucheron that is famous for its royal jewelries. Hence, the phone is decked with 439 rubies that is designed such a way on the phone that it appears like a cobra around the front side of the phone. For its eyes, the French company has made use of two emeralds. However, the handset appears like a regular Vertu phone.

Vertu sells its phones through its branded stores in various countries. Some stories like Selfridges and Harrods that are in London provide the Vertu phones with concessions. Such an expensive phone is delivered through a special courier service. Vertu will be delivering the SIGNATURE Cobra Limited Edition through a helicopter to its customers. We hope that its limited edition 8 units reach safely to the respective customers

Vertu SIGNATURE Cobra Limited Edition can be availed with an upfront payment of 1000 Yuan ($145). Once the customer pays the remaining 2.47 billion, the Chinese firm will fulfil its promise of delivering the phone through helicopter. Here is the listing of the Vertu SIGNATURE Cobra Limited Edition phone on JD.com

Read More: Vertu Is Now Acquired By An Exiled Turkish Businessman

Vertu, known for making elegant and luxurious phones were established by Nokia in 1998. In 2002, it was sold to private equity in Sweden. In 2015, it was taken over by Godin Holdings. Now, it is owned by Cyprus-based Baferon Ltd that belongs to Hakan Uzan, a Turkish mogul. Each handset made by the company is individually crafted by hand at the factory that is situated at Hampshire, England.

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Vertu has established itself as a brand that manufactures and sells expensive luxury phones. Fresh reports have revealed that the British phone maker has been acquired by Baferton Ltd based in Cyprus for £50 ($61) million from its previous own, Godin Holdings, a holding company from Hong Kong,

Baferton Ltd is owned by a Turkish mogul, Hakan Uzan and after the acquisition Vertu will remain headquartered in the U.K. Hakan Uzan belongs to the dominant Uzan dynasty and he has been involved in legal battles with Nokia, Motorola and even President Donald Trump.

After borrowing funds from Nokia and Motorola, Uzan Group had established Teisim in 1994. During the dotcom crash, Teisim encountered financial troubles and it could not repay the loans. Reports claim that the Uzans used the loan amount to pay for its overseas properties and private jets. Nokia and Motorola were provided with multibillion dollar in damages.

Related: Vertu Launches Constellation Smartphone: QHD AMOLED Display, Snapdragon 820, & Dual-SIM Slot

In 2004, over 200 firms that belonged to the Uzan Group were seized by the Turkish government. Apart from Teisim, the Uzan Group once owned a bank, several power plants and broadcasting companies. After opposing the President of Turkey, Recep Erdogan, Uzan’s family has exiled from the country since 2009. The current whereabouts of the family is not known, but the family has allegedly receive political asylum in France.

After the foundation of Vertu in 1998 by Nokia, it was taken over by Sweden’s private equity group EQT VI in 2002 and in 2015, it was acquired by Gold Holdings. Since the acquisition of British manufacturer in 2015, Godin Holdings had never filed financial reports. Hence, a financial report from 2014 states that Vertu suffered a loss of £53 ($64) million on sales of £110 ($132) million. In 2015, Vertu had sold 450,000 phones with an average selling price of about $6,000.

There is no confirmation on why Vertu was bought by Uzan. Moreover, Vertu does not seem to be in a stable financial position. Hence, it remains to be seen whether the company would be able to earn profits under its new owners.

(source)

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Luxury phone maker Vertu released a new phone yesterday. The new device called Constellation (not to be mistaken for the 2011 model) actually sports high-end specs which we believe might be a way to justify whatever price tag the company decides to slam on it.

The Vertu Constellation is a 5.5-inch phone with a QHD AMOLED display which Vertu says is protected by a 140 carat sixth-generation sapphire crystal. There is 4GB of RAM, 128GB of storage and the option to further expand it via SD card.

The rear camera is a 12MP sensor with 1.55um pixel size that can record in 4K. However, there is no information on the front camera. The Vertu Constellation has a front-mounted fingerprint  scanner and also sports dual SIM slots which is a first for a Vertu phone

The device however disappoints in its choice of OS and processor. The Constellation ships with Android 6.0 Marshmallow and has a Snapdragon 820 processor. There is no mention of a Nougat update and we would have liked the device a bit more if it came with a Snapdragon 821 processor instead.

Vertu however makes up for the shortcomings by throwing in a NFC chip and dual-front facing speakers with “exceptional acoustic performance achieved with Dolby Digital Plus virtual surround sound processing”. You also get a 3220mAh battery with support for wireless charging.

The Vertu Constellation is hand-crafted in England. It features  a combination of anodized aluminium and  leather “sourced from a specialist family-run tannery in Italy”.  The signature 24-hour concierge service is available on the Constellation and can be accessed via the inset ruby button positioned above the SIM tray.

READ MORE: Leagoo Venture 1 competes against Vertu Aster 1

Vertu says the Constellation will be available in boutiques by mid-February but has failed to announce a price. Though we know it will cost a lot more than the Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Design and the Gionee M2017. One of the perks of buying the Vertu Constellation is that you get access to iPass which is the world’s largest WiFi network.

(Source)

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Luxury phone maker, 8848, has announced a new phone called the 8848 Titanium M3 with a starting price of 9999 Yuan ($1493)!!!

The founder of the company, Du Ying says the company’s aim is to make secure and high-taste phones for business folks. He also mentioned that a sale of 100,000 units a year is a win for the company.

The M3 is made of hand polished titanium, sapphire glass, high- tech ceramic, and calfskin from Netherlands. It has a 5” FHD screen, 4GB of RAM, 128GB of built-in storage, a 21MP rear camera, 3MP front facing camera, and an unspecified octa-core snapdragon processor. The phone also has full network support.

On the software side, the phone’s encryption prevents calls from being traced; mobile banking is secure, and that the OS is ”isolated” from the call history, contacts, and messages.

This isn’t the first phone from the company which is sometimes referred to as Vertu of China; last year they released a model called the 8848 Ti Mobile.

The base version of the Titanium M3 has a price of 9999 Yuan ($1493), there is also a 12,999 Yuan ($1941) fashion edition, and a high-end version that costs 15,999 Yuan ($2389).

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As you can see, the manufacturer has released another luxury smartphone that comes with a hefty price tag. Still, there is a niche of consumers, who buy these devices. Any takers?

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