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10 most expensive phones ever made — they make the Note 9 look cheap
The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 didn’t make the list of the most expensive phones ever made. Although the handset starts at a whopping $1,000, it’s actually a bargain when compared to devices from companies like Vertu and Goldvish. For example, the most affordable phone on this list costs as much as 100 Galaxy Note 9s.
Our list of the 10 most expensive phones in the world includes handsets from luxury manufacturers that designed them from the ground up. It does not, however, contain regular phones customized by jewelers — like an iPhone featuring diamonds, emeralds, and other precious materials.
10. Dior Reveries Haute Couture — $100,000
This smartphone was assembled by hand in France — only 99 units were produced. It’s made from 18-carat white gold and features 1,539 diamonds as well as 46 pieces of mother of pearl. It doesn’t offer anything special in the specs department, featuring things like a 5MP camera, GPS, and Dolby Sound technology. The device was released back in 2011 and retailed for 78,000 pounds in the U.K., which translates to roughly $100,000 based on today’s exchange rate.
9. Goldvish Eclipse – Desiring Arcadia — $105,000
Goldvish is a Swiss-based company with loads of expensive phones on offer. The one with the highest price tag is called the Eclipse – Desiring Arcadia, which is currently listed on the company’s website at 92,900 euros (~$105,000). Its back is covered with premium alligator leather and studded with 320 diamonds. In the specs department, it offers a 5.5-inch display, a 13MP camera, and a 5MP selfie snapper. Other things like the battery capacity, the amount of RAM, and the display resolution aren’t listed on the website — I guess rich people don’t care about specs.
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8. Ulysse Nardin Chairman – Diamond Edition — $130,000
This phone is made by Ulysse Nardin, a luxury Swiss watch manufacturer. The Diamond Edition of the Chairman is powered by Android Gingerbread and sports a physical keyboard below the display. But what makes it one of the most expensive phones in the world is that it features 3,000 17-carat diamonds that are hand-cut. Exactly 1,846 units of the device were made, which is a tribute to the year the company was founded. Not only did you have to pay $130,000 to get one, you also had to wait seven months for delivery due to high demand and a lengthy production process.
7. Vertu Golden phones — $180,000
There are four phones in Vertu’s so-called Golden series: Kinko (above), Kikusui, Nanten, and Daigo. All of them offer identical specs and features in addition to a price tag of 20 million yen, which is around $180,000 based on today’s exchange rate. The only difference between them are the designs on the back, with each one representing a different season of the year. They were only available in Japan in limited numbers and made of gold — which kind of explains the high price. They didn’t impress in the specs department but did come with free domestic calls, according to TechCrunch.
6. Savelli Emerald Insane — $185,000
The Savelli Emerald Insane was released in 2014. Targeted at women, it’s made of precious materials including 18-carat white gold, 75 baguette-cut emeralds, and 900 brilliant-cut diamonds. It has a very unique design that stands out, although it definitely isn’t to everyone’s liking. Only eight units were made, with each one costing 145,000 pounds (~$185,000) — placing it sixth on our list of the most expensive phones ever made.
5. VIPN Black Diamond — $300,000
A company called VIPN released the Black Diamond phone back in 2007, which is based on the design created by Jaren Goh for Sony Ericsson. The Windows Mobile device features two diamonds — one at the back and one at the front — that can easily be removed and implemented into a different piece of jewelry. Speaking with Pocketnow, a company representative said that the phone is the accessory to the diamonds, and not the other way around. Only five units of the VIPN Black Diamond were made, with each one retailing for $300,000.
4. Vertu Signature Cobra — $360,000
Last year, Vertu launched its most expensive phone called the Signature Cobra. The reason for the name is clear when you look at the device — there’s a freaking snake wrapped around the edges up front. It’s studded with the majority of the 439 rubies you’ll find on the device and also features two emeralds that serve as the snake’s eyes. The Signature Cobra was designed by the French jewelry company Boucheron and assembled by hand in the U.K. Only eight units were made, with each one going for around $360,000.
3. Gresso Luxor Las Vegas Jackpot — $1 million
Gresso’s luxury phone has black diamonds on the front and 200-year-old African Blackwood on the back — one of the most expensive woods in the world. The keys are made from sapphires, while the rest of the phone is manufactured from gold. Only three units were produced, each one with a unique number engraved at the back. It was announced in 2010 and retailed for $1 million. A cheaper version was also available for $20,000, which looked pretty much the same but didn’t feature those fancy black diamonds.
2. Goldvish – Le Million — $1.14 million
The second Goldvish phone on this list is also the second most expensive phone in the world. It retailed for one million euros, which translates to around $1.14 million based on today’s exchange rate. The reason for the high price tag is that the Le Million is made of 18-carat white gold and studded with 120-carats of VVS-1 graded diamonds. Only three of these luxury phones were made, which look extremely tacky in my opinion.
1. Diamond Crypto Smartphone — $1.3 million
This device was made by a Russian company called JSC Ancort in partnership with Austrian jeweler Peter Aloisson. It’s entirely made from platinum with the exceptions of the Ancort logo and the navigation key, both of which were created from 18-carat rose gold. The device also sports 50 diamonds — 10 of which are blue — and is garnished with expensive Macassar ebony wood on the sides. The Diamond Crypto Smartphone was aimed at Russian VIPs, not only because of its high price tag but also because of its encryption technology that makes sure all the data on the device is safe.
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There you have it — these are the most expensive phones ever created. Which ones do you like the most? Let us know in the comments.