Gem of a Phone

Vertu is a smartphone with every key on its QWERTY keyboard ground from a solid block of sapphire, which is grown in a ring furnace at 2,000 egrees Celsius over two weeks. Sapphire is second only to diamond in toughness. So, you can rest assured that this keypad can withstand the most fervid typing.

Th e largest piece of sapphire is the 2.46-inch screen. It is laminated with an optical gel. As the gel has a higher refractive index than glass, there are fewer reflections, thus making it clearer and sharper than regular glass screens.

It’s also completely dust and scratch-proof.

A steel plate sits behind the LCD, giving it excellent shock-resistance. While testing, it was dropped 300 times onto a steel surface; you’d have to be spectacularly accidentprone to damage it.

Vertu’s 24/7 concierge service lets you know the best places to go that aren’t in the guide books, along with local customs and crucial insider information such as correct tipping rates.

Th e leather is the same kind that Aston Martin uses for its car seats. It’s the hide of northern European cows that have fewer burrowing insects, meaning fewer imperfections.  

Rs. 450,000, vertu.com

CONNECTIVITY 10.2Mbps HSDPA, G Wi-Fi; Bluetooth, micro USB, 3.5mm audio; MEMORY 8GB plus microSD up to 32GB; SCREEN 2.46-inch, 320x240; CAMERA 5-megapixel with twin LED fl ash; BATTERY 7.5 hours talk time, 349 hours standby (web browsing time not quoted); SIZE/WEIGHT 116x61x12.9mm/165g

(This material is reproduced from T3 magazine and is the copyright of or licensed to Future Publishing Limited, a Future plc group company, UK2010. Used under licence. All rights reserved.)