Vertu Aster luxury smartphone – Hands On
An aster, for those who don’t know, is a pretty, daisy-like flower. It’s attractive and colorful, but not particularly rare, nor does it really stand out in the world of plants. In the UK, it’s a relatively common sight, and therefore not the name one would expect extravagant luxury smartphone brand Vertu to choose for its latest model.
However, after using the Vertu Aster for a week, it turns out to be highly appropriate. The aster is a flower which makes nature lovers smile, and like no Vertu phone before it, the Aster also attracted many admiring looks. Those who I showed it to made appreciative noises, caressed the metal and leather like they would a kitten, with some even making a vague attempt to justify the four-digit price tag to themselves.
Android 4.4.2 is installed on the Aster, and it’s almost standard, aside from a selection of Vertu’s own apps. Noticeable due to their classy black and white icons, the standouts are Concierge, Certainty, and Life. Concierge is Vertu’s personal assistant service, and it’s the full experience; you’ll speak to the same person whenever you call. It’s free for the first year, and a major benefit of ownership.
Certainty offers secure calls, messages, and a global Wi-Fi access pass. Vertu Life lists the events and exclusive offers which are available to owners. In a way, Life gives you a glimpse into what it’s really like have the means to own a Vertu. The phone kept offering me the chance to book a test flight in an Albatros training jet, or buy an exclusive Patek Phillipe watch – starting at a mere £90,000. It’s all very cool, and one phone call to the Concierge secures whatever has taken your fancy.
There is some dead weight, such as the Recommended Apps and shortcut link to Vertu.com, and sadly they can’t be deleted, only hidden. There’s 64GB of internal storage memory, and just under 3GB is used when the phone arrives.
A quad-core, 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with 2GB of RAM powers the Aster, and the 4.7-inch, 1080p screen is covered in a beautiful piece of fifth-generation sapphire crystal glass. A pair of stereo speakers are mounted beneath the display, while the phone also has wireless charging as standard, and worldwide 4G LTE connectivity.
It’s even, by Vertu’s standards at least, reasonably priced; starting at $6,900 for the black calf-leather version you see here. That’s still too rich for me, and while returning any Vertu phone after reviewing it is unpleasant, this is the first time I’ll actually resist. If you’ve got some money to blow on something extravagant, then you won’t regret choosing the Vertu Aster.
Read more:
