Luxury smartphone maker Vertu has unveiled its new foldable phone, the Alphafold, which is powered by an artificial intelligence agent. The company says it is targeting executives and managers who run businesses on the go.
The new model starts at $6,880 for a calfskin version. More expensive options include crocodile leather, 18-karat gold, natural diamond elements and custom design options. Vertu said the standard, most expensive model currently sells for $46,800, with additional customization options available.
The company is aiming to re-establish itself in the AI era with the product. Once popular with wealthy consumers, Vertu lost its market share after the rise of the iPhone and other big manufacturers. The Alphafold is a new take on the brand by combining luxury design with business-oriented AI features.
The phone is powered by an AI system called Hermes Agent. Built on the open-source Hermes project, the agent can connect to corporate systems such as ERP and CRM to manage approval processes, appointment scheduling, sales tracking, travel organization and operational reporting using natural language commands.
Vertu says the device can switch between OpenAI GPT, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini and some open-source AI models. In addition, the phone is integrated with more than 80 applications and numerous built-in functions.
The company’s CEO Molly Ma said that current smartphone AI functions are mainly limited to consumer-oriented services such as photo editing and voice assistants. According to her, Alphafold is focused on automating corporate workflows.
Vertu also announced a special focus on security and privacy. The phone is equipped with a special A5 security chip. This chip stores biometric data, authentication keys and sensitive corporate data separately from the main operating system. The company added that commercially sensitive data is processed on the device, while requests sent to external AI models are anonymized.
However, Vertu admitted that the system has not yet passed independent security audits and international certification. The company said that it will take steps in this direction in the future.
As for the technical specifications, the Alphafold is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 processor. The phone comes with an 8.05-inch foldable main screen, a 6.53-inch external screen, a 6,500 mAh battery and support for satellite communication. The camera system consists of a 50 MP main camera, a 50 MP ultra-wide-angle camera and a 5 MP telephoto sensor.
Vertu notes that the device's hinge system is made of metal, titanium and carbon fiber and can withstand 650,000 folds.
According to research firm IDC, about 20 million foldable smartphones will be sold worldwide in 2025, which is less than 2 percent of the total smartphone market. The average selling price of foldable models was about $ 1,300.
The first batch of 115 Vertu Alphafold units will be shipped to key markets, including the US, starting this week.
