Aster is the new luxury smartphone from Vertu, which starts at £4,200 and comes with concierge services. Vertu Aster combines hand craftsmanship, luxurious materials, unique services and cutting edge technology in the ultimate lifestyle Android smartphone, with the ability to individually tailor your phone via Vertu’s personalization service.
The Vertu Aster has a 4.7-inch (473ppi) screen with quad-band GSM, 3G and 4G LTE capability, powered by Android 4.4 (KitKat). A single 117 carat, 5.1-inch piece of 5th generation solid sapphire crystal protects the display and camera lens from scratches. Impervious to anything less than diamond, solid sapphire crystal is strong, highly scratch resistant and optically perfect.
Aster’s exceptional acoustic profile delivers flawless sound through Dolby Digital Plus virtual surround sound. Call quality is assured via noise cancelling uplink and downlink and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 2.3GHz 801 Quad-core processor delivers stunning speed. High quality, integrated front facing stereo speakers are tuned for an extraordinarily pure and rich acoustic experience without distortion in any environment.
In addition to promising exceptional sound via its hands free speaker, Vertu Aster can be effortlessly linked, via Bluetooth v4.0 + LE and using CSR aptX high quality encoded audio support, to the Vertu V Speaker (SP-1V), a powerful room filling wireless speaker.
Vertu has once again worked with Hasselblad, the world’s most renowned professional photography brand, to perfect the image tuning of the Aster camera. The Hasselblad-certified 13mp rear camera has a sapphire crystal lens and anti-reflection coating, while the front facing camera facilitates video calling.
Aster delivers a very contemporary version of some of the signature elements found in Vertu phones. For example the traditional V pillow is made of titanium and uses clean horizontal lines and a simple geometry. The strong vertical sides are created by cutting a scoop into the titanium and using different finishes to bring the profile to life. This creates a surface that is a pleasure to hold. Edges are much softer to create a less masculine aesthetic. The soft, almost fluid lines of the handset are enhanced by the use of a grade 5 titanium casing, featuring a mix of brushed and polished finishes that sweep the sleek lines of the handset and contrast with its textured, natural grain leather, sourced from the finest tanneries in Europe.
Aster is hand-bound in leather sourced from tanneries that supply the world’s leading fashion houses. Each piece of leather is unique meaning no two Vertu Asters are completely identical and owners can further customize their Aster with Vertu’s personalization service.
Price and Availability
Vertu Aster will be available in stores in the UK from 2nd October 2014 starting at £4,200. The phone will launch in a palette of six, rich colors, across seven product executions: Onyx Calf, Blush Calf, Lagoon Calf, Caviar Karung, Tangerine Karung, Cognac Ostrich and Raspberry Ostrich. A range of eleven Aster cases, in three different styles, have been designed to complement the Aster handset collection.
Ownership Services
Aster ownership includes six months’ complimentary Classic Concierge service from a team of lifestyle managers available 24/7. Vertu Concierge is accessible via voice, email or Live Chat from anywhere in the world.
Vertu LIFE offers customers a personalised selection of exclusive privileges and unrestricted access to elite events, available directly on device. Features include complimentary entry to the most exclusive Private Members’ Clubs, spas and gyms around the world, access to invitation-only events and closed-door shopping experiences as well as recommendations based on your tastes and location.
Vertu CERTAINTY protects their Vertu phone and their data through best-in-class technology and expert partners. This includes encrypted communications, comprising voice calls, text and video, delivered in partnership with Silent Circle and complimentary to Aster owners for 12 months. A six month complimentary service provided by iPass offers unlimited access to secure WiFi globally via 13 million secure WiFi hotspots across 123 countries. Complimentary 12 month’s access to Kaspersky mobile security, including anti-virus and anti-theft protection protects the phone itself.
