Luxurious smartphone model Vertu on Thursday unveiled a foldable telephone powered by an AI agent that connects with enterprise software program and coordinates workflows. The corporate is concentrating on executives who handle enterprise operations and communications on the transfer.
Known as the Alphafold, the foldable smartphone begins at $6,880 for the calfskin model. Increased-end fashions characteristic bespoke finishes together with alligator leather-based, 18K gold, and pure diamond accents, together with personalized detailing. This continues Vertu’s long-standing technique of positioning its telephones as luxurious standing symbols geared toward prosperous patrons. The corporate informed TechCrunch that its highest-end normal mannequin is at present priced at $46,800, with additional customization choices out there.
The launch marks Vertu’s newest try and reinvent itself for the AI period after struggling to stay related within the fashionable smartphone market. The Hong Kong-headquartered firm, as soon as known for luxury handsets and concierge companies standard amongst rich patrons earlier than the rise of the iPhone, has changed ownership multiple times over time as mainstream smartphone makers got here to dominate the trade. Nonetheless, Vertu is betting the Alphafold may help reinvent the model for the AI period by combining luxurious {hardware} with enterprise-focused AI capabilities.
Vertu’s Alphafold comes with Hermes Agent, constructed on prime of the open-source Hermes venture by Nous Analysis. The agent can connect with enterprise programs like ERP and CRM, and coordinate duties similar to approvals, scheduling, gross sales monitoring, journey planning, and operational reporting by way of natural-language prompts. Nevertheless, the corporate stated that its Cellphone-to-ERP and VPS deployments could be personalized for every buyer relying on their current enterprise programs, with pricing various accordingly.
The Alphafold, Vertu stated, can route requests throughout a number of AI fashions together with OpenAI’s GPT, Anthropic’s Claude, Google’s Gemini, and chosen open-source fashions, whereas additionally integrating with greater than 80 apps and dozens of native telephone capabilities for cross-platform workflows.
Present AI options on smartphones from main producers stay targeted largely on shopper instruments similar to picture modifying and voice help, Vertu CEO Molly Ma stated. This leaves room for extra superior AI-agent workflows tied to enterprise programs. She additionally pointed to earlier AI-agent smartphone experiments in China that gained popularity earlier than dealing with challenges over data privacy and cloud-based information assortment.
The Alphafold, Ma stated, goals to handle these considerations by way of a privacy-focused structure that includes a proprietary A5 safety chip. This silicon is designed to isolate authentication keys, biometric credentials, and delicate enterprise info from the principle working system, the corporate stated. It added that commercially delicate information could be processed domestically on the machine, whereas prompts despatched to exterior AI fashions are redacted or tokenized earlier than leaving the telephone.
Whereas Vertu has emphasised the machine’s privateness and safety structure, together with on-device processing and information redaction options, the corporate stated the system has not but undergone third-party safety audits or unbiased certification. Nevertheless, Vertu informed TechCrunch that unbiased audits and certification stay on its safety roadmap “as an specific next-stage dedication,” including that it will “talk the progress and the outcomes publicly” as soon as the product matures additional.
The Alphafold is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 processor and options an 8.05-inch foldable show alongside a 6.53-inch outer display, a 6,500mAh battery, and satellite tv for pc communication capabilities. The machine additionally features a triple rear digital camera setup with 50-megapixel major and ultrawide cameras, in addition to a 5-megapixel telephoto lens. Vertu stated the telephone’s hinge makes use of steel, titanium, and carbon-fiber elements and is rated for as much as 650,000 folds.
The Alphafold is just not Vertu’s first try to mix AI with foldable units. The corporate final 12 months introduced Agent Qa clamshell-style foldable smartphone targeted on AI-driven automation and productiveness options.
Nevertheless, Ma informed TechCrunch that Alphafold represents a major step ahead from Agent Q, arguing that AI-agent know-how has matured quickly over the previous 12 months, with enhancements in reminiscence, automation and app integration.
Foldable smartphones stay a distinct segment section globally regardless of years of funding by main producers together with Samsung and Huawei. As many as 20 million foldable smartphones have been shipped globally in 2025, accounting for lower than 2% of whole smartphone shipments, in keeping with IDC information shared with TechCrunch. The analysis agency stated foldables offered at a mean value of about $1,300 final 12 months — roughly 3 times the value of non-foldable smartphones.
Kiranjeet Kaur, affiliate analysis director for cellphones analysis at IDC, stated foldables may ultimately profit from AI-agent workflows as a result of their bigger shows are higher suited to multitasking and productivity-oriented experiences. She, nevertheless, added that enterprise AI adoption on smartphones nonetheless lags behind computer systems, and that the majority enterprise smartphone selections proceed to be pushed by ecosystem integration and machine administration assist reasonably than AI capabilities.
The primary 115-unit batch of Vertu’s Alphafold begins delivery this week throughout main markets together with the U.S.
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