Nokia Wants To Dump Vertu Luxury Phone Line

Nokia has been selling their Vertu luxury line of mobile devices for more than a decade and now reports are circulating that that the company has plans to offload their high-end mobile line as they focus more on smartphones and cell phones for budget-conscious consumers.

Vertu has always been a strange side project for Nokia, moving away from their standard mobile phone and smartphone offerings to offer bold luxury designs that are typically embedded with gemstones and precious metals which can cost thousands of dollars to obtain.

Offered with Vertu devices is a “concierge” service which allows quick access to a live assistant who can book reservations and provide other help to users as needed.

The Vertu line was a popular offering among well off buyers for years however iOS and Google Android handsets have lately taken away most of the company’s market share with some designers creating luxury versions of iPhone’s that have eclipsed the Vertu line.

The company’s newest Vertu phone known as the Vertu Constellation (pictured above) sells for $27,000 and attempts to offer a more “smartphone” friendly setup with an AMOLED display, eight-megapixel cameras and alligator skin with sapphire crystal.

According to reports the companies divestment proposal has managed to find interest from several private equity groups.

Perhaps a move to Google Android based devices via the Vertu line could once again make the company the darling of the luxury phone market. One thing is for certain a WP7 Vertu phone (The OS Nokia is focusing on lately) just doesn’t seem as appealing as a more robust mobile OS when you’re paying thousands and even tens of thousands of dollars for beauty and technology.