Vertu targets CEOs with $6,880 AI foldable phone featuring enterprise-focused AI capabilities

Vertu wants CEOs to run companies from an AI foldable starting at $6,880 | TechCrunch

Luxury smartphone brand Vertu on Thursday unveiled a foldable phone powered by an AI agent that connects with enterprise software and coordinates workflows. The company is targeting executives who manage business operations and communications on the move. Called the Alphafold, the foldable smartphone starts at $6,880 for the calfskin version. Higher-end models feature bespoke finishes including alligator leather, 18K gold, and natural diamond accents, along with customized detailing. This continues Vertu's long-standing strategy of positioning its phones as luxury status symbols aimed at affluent buyers. The company told TechCrunch that its highest-end standard model is currently priced at $46,800, with further customization options available. The launch marks Vertu's latest attempt to reinvent itself for the AI era after struggling to remain relevant in the modern smartphone market. The Hong Kong-headquartered company, once known for luxury handsets and concierge services popular among wealthy buyers before the rise of the iPhone, has changed ownership multiple times over the years as mainstream smartphone makers came to dominate the industry. Nonetheless, Vertu is betting the Alphafold can help reinvent the brand for the AI era by combining luxury hardware with enterprise-focused AI capabilities. Vertu's Alphafold comes with Hermes Agent, built on top of the open-source Hermes project by Nous Research. The agent can connect to enterprise systems like ERP and CRM, and coordinate tasks such as approvals, scheduling, sales tracking, travel planning, and operational reporting through natural-language prompts. However, the company said that its Phone-to-ERP and VPS deployments would be customized for each customer depending on their existing enterprise systems, with pricing varying accordingly. The Alphafold, Vertu said, can route requests across multiple AI models including OpenAI's GPT, Anthropic's Claude, Google's Gemini, and selected open-source models, while also integrating with more than 80 apps and dozens of native phone functions for cross-platform workflows. Existing AI features on smartphones from major manufacturers remain focused largely on consumer tools such as image editing and voice assistance, Vertu CEO Molly Ma said. This leaves room for more advanced AI-agent workflows tied to enterprise systems. She also pointed to earlier AI-agent smartphone experiments in China that gained popularity before facing challenges over data privacy and cloud-based data collection. The Alphafold, Ma said, aims to address those concerns through a privacy-focused architecture featuring a proprietary A5 security chip. This silicon is designed to isolate authentication keys, biometric credentials, and sensitive enterprise information from the main operating system, the company said. It added that commercially sensitive data can be processed locally on the device, while prompts sent to external AI models are redacted or tokenized before leaving the phone. While Vertu has emphasized the device's privacy and security architecture, including on-device processing and data redaction features, the company said the system has not yet undergone third-party security audits or independent certification. However, Vertu told TechCrunch that independent audits and certification remain on its security roadmap "as an explicit next-stage commitment," adding that it would "communicate the progress and the results publicly" once the product matures further. The Alphafold is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 processor and features an 8.05-inch foldable display alongside a 6.53-inch outer screen, a 6,500mAh battery, and satellite communication capabilities. The device also includes a triple rear camera setup with 50-megapixel primary and ultrawide cameras, as well as a 5-megapixel telephoto lens. Vertu said the phone's hinge uses metal, titanium, and carbon-fiber components and is rated for up to 650,000 folds. The Alphafold is not Vertu's first attempt to combine AI with foldable devices. The company last year introduced Agent Q, a clamshell-style foldable smartphone focused on AI-driven automation and productivity features. However, Ma told TechCrunch that Alphafold represents a significant step forward from Agent Q, arguing that AI-agent technology has matured rapidly over the past year, with improvements in memory, automation and app integration. Foldable smartphones remain a niche segment globally despite years of investment by major manufacturers including Samsung and Huawei. As many as 20 million foldable smartphones were shipped globally in 2025, accounting for less than 2% of total smartphone shipments, according to IDC data shared with TechCrunch. The research firm said foldables sold at an average price of about $1,300 last year -- roughly three times the price of non-foldable smartphones. Kiranjeet Kaur, associate research director for mobile phones research at IDC, said foldables could eventually benefit from AI-agent workflows because their larger displays are better suited for multitasking and productivity-oriented experiences. She, however, added that enterprise AI adoption on smartphones still lags behind computers, and that most enterprise smartphone decisions continue to be driven by ecosystem integration and device management support rather than AI capabilities. The first 115-unit batch of Vertu's Alphafold begins shipping this week across major markets including the U.S.

Vertu Is Back With a Folding Phone Powered by -- Surprise -- an AI Agent

The company announced the AlphaFold smartphone on Thursday -- targeting business executives -- which comes outfitted with the Hermes Agent. This agent can purportedly handle schedules and tasks on a user's behalf and "connect to enterprise systems." Agents are big in the smartphone world right now, with companies like Google and Samsung offering ways for Gemini on Android smartphones to perform tasks such as booking an Uber or ordering DoorDash. Vertu is cashing in on that trend. But the company has a checkered past. Originally, Vertu was a Nokia subsidiary that made handcrafted luxury Nokia phones (in the UK!) in the early 2000s. Each phone came with access to a live concierge service. The company faced headwinds with the smartphone revolution and fell behind the times. Vertu then changed hands over several years, with various acquisitions, eventually shuttering its UK factory and laying off staff. In the last few years, the company has been churning out luxury Android smartphones again -- it debuted a folding flip phone last year that starts at $4,300 (with a calfskin backplate, naturally). In late 2025, it unveiled the Agent Q, which it calls the "world's first AI agent phone for entrepreneurs." While the company still claims a British heritage, its phones are no longer made in the UK, and according to its website, its head office is in Hong Kong. Vertu spokesperson Viki You tells WIRED that the phones are "still handcrafted," but they're assembled in China. "We have different factories," You says, noting that the company sources its high-end materials from other countries, like the full-grain calfskin from Italy. The AlphaFold has all the markings of a high-end Android smartphone. It's powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset from 2025 and is 11.8 millimeters thick when folded, 5.4 mm when unfolded. Not quite as svelte as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7, but not far off from competitors like the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Vertu says the hinge and screen architecture were tested to withstand 650,000 folds, which is more than Samsung's claim of 500,000 folds. Inside is a 6,500-mAh silicon-anode battery, an up-and-coming battery technology that's been making waves in Chinese smartphones and has only recently made its way into Western smartphones from the likes of Motorola. There's 65-watt fast charging, a 120-Hz screen refresh rate for the inner 8.05-inch screen, and a 6.53-inch outer screen. There's a triple-camera system with a 50-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultrawide, and a 5-megapixel telephoto.

The World's Most Luxurious Foldable Phone Is Here for the 1%

If you thought Samsung's $2,000 Galaxy Z Fold 7 is cheap, ugly and only fit for use by peasants with only four or five bedrooms in their house, then luxury-phone maker Vertu has the foldable phone for you. The Alphafold, as the company's newest device is called, uses materials like calf skin, alligator skin, 24 karat gold and, sure, actual diamonds in its construction -- and it starts at a mere $6,880. Still too cheap and nasty for you? That's fine, Vertu offers a complete customization service with pricing being "effectively uncapped." Some of the company's bespoke projects for the ultrarich have had six figure price tags attached. It sure puts the $800 Motorola Razr to shame. So what do you get for all that money? Well, much of it goes on whatever wild materials you want Vertu to use on your phone. Each unit is made mostly to order and built by hand according to the specifications you've requested. The Alphafold is a book-style foldable, with an 8-inch "crease free" inner display, a 6,500-mAh silicon-carbon battery and a rear camera setup consisting of a 50-megapixel main camera, 5-megapixel telephoto and 50-megapixel ultrawide. Vertu also says the device runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. It's not clear at the time of writing exactly which model this is, but either way, it's a step behind Qualcomm's current flagship 8 Elite Gen 5. Disappointed that the specs are kinda... meh? Yeah, me too, but Vertu's probably rightly assuming that its hyper-wealthy clients will be too busy running their vast empires to want to spend much time taking artistic photos of whatever landscapes they're being chauffeured through or achieving the best frame rates when playing Genshin Impact. To help those underappreciated CEOs achieve their definitely-well-meaning goals, the Alphafold is packed with agentic AI tools. Vertu claims that these tools will not only do things like analyze your company's data but can even make strategic recommendations. Unsurprisingly, Vertu is keen to make it clear that the AI will not operate wholly on its own, stating that it "should function as a trusted execution partner for decision-makers, not as an unrestricted autonomous system." So no need to worry that your phone will decide to sell your company when its stock hits a high or opt to ironically vote you off the executive board because you've trusted decision-making to your phone. There's a whole load of other business-focused stuff and AI trickery on board, but as someone whose income is somewhat below the threshold of literally any of Vertu's customers, my interest started to wane once I was done looking at the pictures of the luxury device -- just like when I used to read in school. Still, I'm genuinely keen to see this thing in the flesh and take an opportunity to see what using such an elite handset is actually like. Then I guess I'll have to come back down to earth with a bump when I have to return to my disgustingly cheap iPhone 17 Pro like I'm in some kind of Dickensian slum. Gross.

This luxury phone brand's new foldable makes the Galaxy Z TriFold look cheap

The foldable bets big on AI, with an agent that can control dozens of apps, including popular ones from Google. Vertu, the luxury phone brand that made headlines in the early 2000s for its shockingly expensive phones studded with precious stones and featuring exotic leather backs, hasn't been very active lately. It hasn't truly called it quits, despite declaring bankruptcy, but it hasn't quite transitioned to smartphones as easily. In the last decade or so, Vertu's portfolio has been bejeweled by only a handful of phones, including one made for Web3. Its most recent launch was a luxury flip phone rocking a Snapdragon 8 Elite, the same iconic leather back, and an eye-watering $7,300 price. Now, it's launching another foldable, but in a different form factor.

Why Vertu's new $6,800 Alphafold made me realize luxury phones are still stuck in the past

Vertu's latest smartphone is called the Alphafold, and rather than being a games machine, social media portal, or camera phone, it's all about putting AI into the hands of bosses everywhere. Unlock Personalized Content & Exclusive Features For Free Engage in discussions in Threads Follow and Like top authors, topics, and trends Browse with fewer ads across the site Personalize your profile to showcase your activity Get a content feed tailored to your interests By creating an account, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive our newsletters; you can unsubscribe any time. Keep Reading Log In Forgot your password? Create an account Please provide your email address to finish creating your account. Create An Account *Required: 8 chars, 1 capital letter, 1 number Create An Account Continue withGoogle Continue withOpenPass or Continue withEmail Continue By creating an account, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive our newsletters; you can unsubscribe any time. Remember Vertu? Long-term mobile fans may remember the Vertu name, which became synonymous with high-cost luxury mobile phones in the early 2000s, and continued on after it parted ways with Nokia, until it closed its UK manufacturing doors in 2017. The brand has subsequently relaunched, and continues the tradition of producing expensive smartphones, this time with more emphasis on tech trends including NFTs, the blockchain, and now, AI. Instead of just another AI assistant, the Alphafold uses a business-orientated AI called the Hermes Agent, which taps into the growing trend around agentic AI. For the uninitiated, it means the AI can act autonomously and complete tasks for you. Inside the Alphafold, the Hermes Agent will do things like compile sales data, manage workflows, organize schedules, and oversee business tools. The phone runs Android, and the Hermes Agent interacts with a selection of well-known apps including all Google's tools, most social apps, and other platforms such as Expedia, Booking.com, and Amazon Shopping. It's not clear what security systems are in place for such sensitive tasks, although Vertu says there are device-level security systems, data will be processed locally where possible, and anything deemed "high risk" requires a person to confirm it. What about the phone? It's impossible to say how effective the Hermes Agent will be at organizing business life, and whether the CEOs Vertu wants to attract will be prepared to leave their dealings to an AI at all, so has the hardware got what it takes to seal the deal? The hardware is made up of an 8.05-inch, 120Hz inner screen with a 2480 x 2200 pixel resolution, and a cover screen measuring 6.53-inches with a 2748 x 1172 pixel resolution. The body is covered in real leather and equipped with a titanium hinge apparently rated to 650,000 folds. On the back is a 50-megapixel main camera, a 50MP wide-angle camera, and a 5MP telephoto camera, while inside the phone is a 6,500mAh silicon-carbon battery with both wired and wireless charging. Vertu's hardware specs were never designed to impress, and this continues with the choice of processor in the Alphafold. It's the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite (listed as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4), a chip used in flagship phones from 2025. It's an odd decision, considering the emphasis put on AI here, as newer chips boast upgraded AI capabilities. How much does it cost? Vertu sold its phones on them being made in small numbers, out of true luxury materials, and finished by hand at a small factory in the south of England. The signature of the person who made the phone was hidden inside it. According to Vertu, the signature is still a part of the deal (although the UK factory is not), as are intricate manufacturing methods, materials like alligator leather, diamonds, and 18K gold, plus a degree of hand finishing too, although exactly what was hand finished isn't clear. All this adds up to a typically Vertu price. The standard model with calfskin leather is $6,800, the alligator leather version is $8,800, and a custom model made with gold and encrusted with diamonds is an eye-watering $43,800. The Vertu Alphafold is available to buy from May 28. Close Thread Sign in to your Android Police account This space is open for discussion. Be the first to share your thoughts. Terms Privacy Feedback Recommended Samsung's best smartwatch might get a cheaper variant this summer A single video generation prompt maxed out this Gemini subscriber's entire 5-hour limit Android 16's Desktop Mode is finally a Windows-style powerhouse Police unleashed with privacy-invading smartglasses that track voices, faces, and plates Join Our Team Our Audience About Us Press & Events Media Coverage Contact Us Advertising Careers Terms Privacy Policies Android Police is part of the Valnet Publishing Group Copyright © 2026 Valnet Inc.