Luxury smartphone maker Vertu has launched its first Android-operated handset. The Vertu Ti costs 7,900 euros (6,994 Pounds) and is made at the firm’s headquarters in Church Crookham, Hampshire. The device had a titanium frame and sapphire screen but was not 4G-enabled, said its designer Hutch Hutchison. Until last year the company was owned by Nokia and specialised in highly priced handsets designed for the Symbian operating system, reports the BBC. Vertu had chosen Android over Windows as an operating system because it was more established, chief executive Perry Oosting told the BBC.
“You need to be part of an ecosystem,” he said. “Your device will have to integrate with other devices. I think the Windows phone will have success but it is still a relatively small market share. At the moment it doesn’t have the global reach of Android – which is about 60% of the market.” Head of design Hutchison said that Vertu was not interested in being a tech pioneer. “Vertu will never be at the bleeding edge of technology,” he said. “It has to be about relevant technology and craftsmanship – it’s not a disposable product.”