source: techcrunch ai: vertu wants ceos to run companies from an ai foldable starting at $6,880
level: business
vertu introduced the alphafold, a foldable smartphone starting at $6,880 for the calfskin version, with higher-end models featuring alligator leather, 18k gold, and diamond accents. the device includes an ai agent called hermes agent, built on an open-source project, that connects to enterprise systems like erp and crm. it can handle approvals, scheduling, sales tracking, and travel planning through natural language prompts. the phone routes requests across multiple ai models, including openai's gpt, anthropic's claude, and google's gemini, and integrates with over 80 apps.
the alphafold runs on qualcomm's snapdragon 8 gen 4 processor and has an 8.05-inch foldable display, a 6.53-inch outer screen, a 6,500mah battery, and satellite communication. it features a triple rear camera setup with 50-megapixel primary and ultrawide cameras. vertu emphasizes privacy with a proprietary a5 security chip that isolates authentication keys and biometric data, and processes sensitive data on-device. prompts sent to external models are redacted or tokenized. however, the system has not yet undergone third-party security audits, though vertu plans to pursue them.
foldable smartphones remain a niche market, with about 20 million units shipped globally in 2025, less than 2% of total smartphone shipments, according to idc. the average selling price was around $1,300. idc analyst kiranjeet kaur noted that foldables could benefit from ai agent workflows due to larger displays, but enterprise ai adoption on smartphones still lags behind computers. vertu's first batch of 115 alphafold units begins shipping this week in major markets including the u.s.
why it matters: this device tests whether luxury hardware with enterprise ai agents can carve a niche in a market dominated by mainstream smartphones, potentially influencing how executives adopt ai for mobile workflows.
source: techcrunch ai: vertu wants ceos to run companies from an ai foldable starting at $6,880