Vertu chooses Luxury Android has £7,000 price tag

Luxury Smart phone producer Vertu has launched its first Android operated handset. The Vertu Ti costs 7,900 euro 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, supposed its designer Hutch Hutchison. Until last year the business was owned by Nokia and specialized in highly priced handsets intended for the Symbian operating system.

Each device is assembled by hand. The name and signature of the person who assembled the phone is laser inscribed onto the inside lid of the SIM card possessor. Vertu handsets can only be purchased in 500 retail outlets, 70 of which are the company's own boutiques in the world. Some experts believe the wider marketplace is moving towards lower end smart phones. Huawei has just launched a budget Windows device in Africa and there are rumours of a cheap version of the iPhone 5.