Today at an event in London, smartphone manufacturer Vertu unveiled its newest product, Metavertu, a “Web3 phone” that can operate its own blockchain node and convert photographs and movies into NFTs with a single click.
The device is unabashedly aimed at the premium end of the market. All models have a ceramic body and Vertu’s trademark sapphire glass display, as well as a Qualcomm SnapDragon 8 Gen 1 cpu. The usual specifications include a 6.67-inch, 2400×1080 AMOLED display, a three-lens camera array, and a 4,600mAh battery.
The base model costs $3,600 and features a carbon fiber exterior, 12GB RAM, and 512GB of internal storage. The top-of-the-line model features 18GB RAM and 1TB storage, along with “Himalaya Alligator leather,” 18K gold and diamonds. The cost is an astounding $41,000.
However, if you’ve spent a million dollars on a Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT, you’ve been relatively moderate. Apparently, Vertu is counting on this. Prior to this, the smartphone manufacturer sold premium buyers cellphones with mid-tier specifications and absurdly pricey finishes.
With the development of a crypto nouveau riche for whom CryptoPunks and Azuki NFTs are the new Burberry and Louis Vuitton, the jet set has shifted its attention to the thrilling world of Web3, NFTs, and the metaverse.
Gary Chan, CEO of Vertu, stated at the phone’s launch event in London that Web3’s complexity is a deterrent for novice users. He stated, “We want to reinvent the smartphone to de-complicate Web3.”
In light of this, the Metavertu is capable of switching between Web2 mode and Web3 mode. Users can build a wallet in a few clicks, with private keys safeguarded by the phone’s trusted execution environment (TEE), and have access to a suite of decentralized applications (dapps) via an Android-like interface.
These dapps comprise VOS, which, according to a Vertu representative, enables the phone to function as a “validator, a light node, and a light client” on the Ethereum blockchain. Another decentralized application, Vshot, enables users to mint NFTs from photos or videos with a single click.
According to Chan, the phone also incorporates Vtalk, a peer-to-peer instant messaging system that “integrates decentralized social networking” elements such as DAOs.
On top of all that, users have access to 10 terabytes of distributed storage on IPFS and Vertu’s 24/7 “red button” concierge service. Even that service has been changed to fit in with Web3. “We have a special NFT investment team to help our users to better understand NFTs quickly,” said Chan.
The Metavertu will be available for purchase beginning on November 3 via the Vertu website and its brick-and-mortar stores, including a new Bond Street branch opening later in the year.
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