The Vertu Aster is a Smartphone On a Bentley Budget

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It’s likely when most small business owners go shopping for a smartphone, they won’t be looking for one in the $7,000 range. That’s right, $7,000. That’s nearly the asking price of British luxury phone retailer Vertu’s latest entry in the smartphone market, the Vertu Aster.

In fact, another of the company’s phones, the Signature Touch, retails for $21,900 here in the U.S.

So why are we talking about Vertu’s products at all? Well, like all well marketed products, Vertu’s success hinges on its ability to identify a specific market and cater directly to it. And that should be of interest to all small business owners and entrepreneurs.

The Vertu Aster, judging only from its internal specs, is not much more special than say, the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus. It’s stocked with a 4.7-inch, 1080p HD display and a 2.3 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor. There is a 13.1-megapixel rear-mounted camera and a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera. It has 64GB of internal storage and a 2,275 mAh battery, according to a first look from Engadget.

What makes the Vertu Aster start at $6,900 is what’s on the outside. And for those who may be in the market for a posh device like the Vertu Aster, that is more important than any processor or amount of flash storage.

The phone has a titanium case. The so-called basic model has a calf skin covering. A more expensive model comes in snake skin. And there’s even an ostrich-skin cover of the Aster that sells for about $9,700.

Vertu also offers more than just a phone when you purchase one of the devices. The company calls it the Classic Concierge service. According to the Vertu website, the Concierge gives phone owners access to a 24-hour social guide, as it were. These guides can find gifts, get access to exclusive events and other benefits for the phone’s owner. Six months of this service is included with an Aster purchase.

The company also has WiFi hotspots around the world where Vertu phones can stay connected. Vertu also throws in some extras like a year of Kaspersky mobile security. The company is working on a line of wearable technology too.

So for small business owners on a tight budget, Vertu Aster may not be the first choice when looking for a smartphone. But for any entrepreneur seeking to target a very specific niche market without the need to compete on cost – the company may be a perfect role model.

Image: Vertu

 

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The Vertu Aster is a Smartphone On a Bentley Budget