The executive Vertu brand is never going to appeal to a wide audience, but it's looking to garner some new customers with the launch of its latest smartphone, the Constellation.
We saw the audaciously valued Vertu Ti launch earlier this year with prices starting at £6,700 (around $10,600/AU$10,300) and in comparison the Vertu Constellation is a steal at just £4,000 (around $6,500/AU$7,000).
The majority of Vertu's customers at the moment are male, so it's hoping that the Constellation - with a less garish appearance and a choice of coloured leather included "Raspberry", "Cappuccino" and "Mocha" (or pink, light brown and brown) - will appeal more to the female market.
How does Vertu go around justifying that price then? Well the specs certainly don't live up to the price tag with a rather average 4.3-inch 720p display, 1.7GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 32GB internal storage and 13MP rear camera.
Justify this
You also get a 1.3MP front snapper, NFC and a non-removable 1800mAh battery placing this Android 4.2.2 toting handset firmly in the middle market.
It's the handmade casing and the added services provided by Vertu where it attempts to justify the price point of its smartphones, with the Constellation clad in grade 5 titanium and wrapped in calf leather, while the Vertu shortkey on the side of the handset is made from a ruby.
Press the ruby on the left side of the Constellation and the phone will launch Vertu's own services application providing you with two options - Life and Certainty.
The former provides users access to some of the most exclusive clubs and events around the world as well as offering a high-class, Groupon style deals area, while Certainty provides various levels of protection from encrypting calls and messages to securing your documents and device.
If you're feeling flush the Vertu Constellation goes on sale this month, but if you want the best phone on the market, or simply value for money, we'd recommend getting pretty much anything else.
