Your phone is your style statement

The Smartphones is the new “lifestyle accessory” for us to fl aunt as it is with us ubiquitously. It has transformed from a mere device we used to communicate with into a high-end camera, a loaded digital wallet and into a strong reflection of our personality and style.

Premium smartphones have been around for years, but now the “luxury quotient” of your phone is more important than ever. iPhones and Galaxies, once considered premium, now score quite low on the luxury quotient as they have become commonplace.

Meet the top luxury phones that could resonate well with your style, personality and status
-By Neil Shah

Adding shiny or cute cases on your phones won’t drive this quotient up. The smartphone which is visible on us more than our sparkling jewelry or state-of-art Swiss watches, is emerging as the new status symbol. The luxuriously designed slab in your hands should be able to leave a strong mark on your followers and observers.

Here are our top three luxurious picks for this important accessory which you wear day in and out, meriting a serious investment:

Vertu CONSTELLATION

“If money is no object, this could be the phone for you.”

Vertu is one of the top luxury phone makers since a decade with exceptional focus on craftsmanship, performance and services in its ‘boutique style’ phone collection. Apart from the standard collection, Vertu also offers a great level of customization helping you design a unique personalized offering aligned to your liking. Vertu’s boutique services range from a selection of leathers, colors, and designs to engraving your initials, thus, making it a signature accessory truly refl ecting your personality.

The latest Vertu Constellation, a handmade phone in England, blends a beautifully polished metallic frame sporting a ruby-cut key on a back dressed with fresh modern color palette of refi ned leather. The streamlined aesthetics are well balanced with the state-of-the-art 2K (double the Full HD resolution) 5.5-inch bright AMOLED display. The gorgeous color-rich display is protected with 140 carats of sapphire crystal on top which makes this beauty almost scratchproof.

There are no compromises on the hardware technology running underneath the gorgeous exteriors. The device is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, global 2G/3G/4G connectivity support, 128GB of massive inbuilt storage, 4GB of RAM, sapphire coated Fingerprint sensor, multi-SIM cards support for global travel, and a huge battery with the convenience of wireless charging.

Keeping in mind the high net worth status of its customers, the brand has also baked in an extra layer of data encryption for calls or messaging, Vertu lost phone service and other key security features to alleviate any privacy or security concerns for this Android powered phone. The phone also boasts a cutting edge 12MP camera sensor with twin dual tone LED fl ash plus High Fidelity stereo speakers with Dolby Digital Plus support for premium sound.

The highly desirable handcrafted Vertu Constellation ticks all boxes on design aesthetics as well as performance curves and is ideal for you if you are seeking a sexy, modern luxurious design along with all the usual smartphone bells and whistles. This beauty is estimated to be priced at a minimum of US$8000, looking at the pricing trends of its previous fl agship signature offerings.

Sirin Labs SOLARIN

“Privacy is Luxury”

Sirin Labs is a UK based startup trying to make its mark in the ultrapremium designer phones segment. Its offering, SOLARIN, comes with a value proposition of bling with quality craftsmanship and greater focus on embedded privacy and security technology compared to other luxury brands.

SOLARIN is designed by renowned industrial designer Karim Rashid. The device underneath is built using a sturdy aircraft-grade metal matrix composite chassis incorporating titanium panels on the inside. From the outside, the device fl aunts a fi re black carbon or crystal white Italian leather at the back with swiss-designed sophisticated deco panels on the side.

Apart from the military grade design and ultra-premium aesthetics, SOLARIN boasts of the strongest possible mobile privacy and threat protection worldwide, with its state-of-the-art Zimperium protection to thwart multitudes of cyberattacks on your device. SOLARIN also integrates a 256-bit chip-to-chip level AES encryption and with a dedicated “Security Switch” on the back which turns on a shielded mode for fully encrypted communication.

SOLARIN is powered by the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 with global 4G LTE compatibility, Gigabit WiFi, 128GB RAM, super sharp 5.5” 2K LCD display, Quick Charging and massive 4040 mAh battery. It also features a super high resolution 24-megapixel rear camera sensor and a snappy fi ngerprint sensor for phone security.

This highly secure, high-spec phone with head-turning design is a great buy for privacy-seeking, power users especially a smart cosmopolitan man or woman of the world. James Bond would for sure love it. This techno-luxurious phone comes with a premium price-tag ranging from USD13,800 to USD 17.400 (excl. taxes) depending on the fi nishing.

Goldvish ECLIPSE

“Swiss Design is a synonym for ultimate quality and style”

The Goldvish Collection of phones is custom handmade employing exquisite craftsmanship oozing classic Swiss design. Each part going into the unique bespoke design is made in La Chaux-de- Fonds, Switzerland ensuring the highest level of creativity, selection of materials and premium fi nishing.

The Eclipse is enswathed in alligator skin with polished stainless steel accents beautifully complementing the impeccable design. Goldvish offers luxurious customizations from a 18-karat gold or 316L stainless steel frame paved with 360 diamonds and so forth taking the pricing from the base price of USD 6000 to almost USD 36000 (excl. taxes).

The smartphone like the other luxurious fl agships runs Android powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 series processor, 3GB RAM+64 GB internal storage, 13-megapixel camera, 4G LTE, 3100 mAh battery and a 5.5” Full HD display for decent fl agship-grade performance.

Eclipse is truly meant for “Swiss design” lovers, preferring more of a masculine metal and leather design language.

Besides these top three picks, other premium alternatives include the Vertu Signature Touch collection and the Gresso Regal Gold.

In sub – USD 3000 range, the newly launched Leica Camera powered Huawei P10 Plus (Greenery or Dazzling Blue), Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Design Edition and Gionee M2017 (Chinese Edition) are also some great alternative buys for those seeking a break from the same old Apple and Samsung offerings.

If you still are an Apple or Samsung fan – go for Gresso iPhone 7 18K Gold Limited Edition or the gold-plated latest Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ fl agship phones exclusively from the London-based store. Truly exquisite, you won’t be disappointed!