Vertu today took the wraps off of its latest luxury Android smartphone.
The new Constellation features a 5.5-inch 2560x1440 AMOLED display and is covered by sapphire crystal to help protect it from scratches. Around back lives a 12-megapixel camera with 1.55 micro pixels and support for 4K video, panoramas, and more.
Also included with the Constellation are dual SIM slots, making it the first Vertu to include that feature. To help make it even more of a traveller-friendly phone, Vertu has thrown global Wi-Fi access to the iPass network, too.
On the audio side of things, Vertu’s Constellation features dual front-facing speakers at the top and bottom of the device, as well as Dolby Digital Plus virtual surround sound processing. Calls will benefit from uplink noise cancelling and HD Voice support, and Silent Circle is securing the Constellation’s communications.
Other features of the new Vertu Constellation include a Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a microSD card slot, NFC, 3220mAh battery, USB Type-C, and wireless charging. On the software side, the Constellation runs a customized version of Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow.
As with many other Vertu smartphones, the Constellation also includes some luxury touches. Those include a leather case and a key cut from ruby that’ll give you quick access to Vertu’s Concierge and Lifestyle services.
The Vertu Constellation will launch in mid-February. There’s no word on pricing yet, but Vertu’s phones typically cost thousands of dollars, so don’t be surprised if the Constellation’s price tag is similar.
The Constellation looks like a pretty solid device from Vertu. It’s got many of the features that you’d expect from a flagship smartphone in early 2017, like a large Quad HD display, 4GB of RAM, and USB Type-C, though the inclusion of Marshmallow rather than Nougat is a little disappointing. If you’ve currently got a Vertu as your daily driver and you’re looking to upgrade, though, the Constellation looks like a good way to do that.