Vertu Ti Android Sports Design and Craftsmanship That Would Make Apple Cringe

Apple likes to tout that it's iPhone 5 features diamond-cut beveled edges and other fancy amenities, but when you're talking about luxury phones, Vertu is a name that quickly comes to mind. One of Vertu's newest creations is the Vertu Ti, which is powered by Android, driven by a 1.7GHz quad-core processor, and is the company's fastest handset to date.

The casing is crafted from grade 5 titanium, a material Vertu chose for its strength, low weight, and overall elegance. It's about five times strong than other smartphones, Vertu says.

Vertu Ti

It also has a 3.7-inch display, a size that seems rather pedestrian next to today's 4-inch and even 5-inch handsets, but the beauty is in the material. Vertu uses a sapphire crystal screen that's virtually scratchproof and tested to be four times stronger than other smartphones.

Vertu Ti Display

It's the same material Apple uses on its iSight camera, boasting that its hardness is second only to diamond on the scale of transparent materials. At 3.7 inches, it's actually the largest sapphire crystal screen Vertu has ever produced.

Vertu Ti Side

The Vertu Ti is hand crafted from 184 parts in England by a single craftsman. That's pretty remarkable in and of itself, though the high price tag (around $10,000 to over $22,000) undoubtedly helps him keep up with demand.

Vertu Ti Speakers

As for the actual hardware specs, in addition to the processor named above, the Vertu Ti also features 1GB of RAM, 64GB of built-in storage, 8MP rear-facing camera, 1.3MP front-facing camera, and acoustics that have been "meticulously tested at Bang & Olufsen."