By Julian Chokkattu
Publication Date: 2026-05-28 07:00:00
Vertu is a Company known for producing exceptionally eye-catching smartphones with outdated technology, luxurious materials and eye-popping prices. Now the brand is here to meet the AI moment with its first-ever book-like foldable phone, complete with an AI agent on board.
The company announced on Thursday the AlphaFold smartphone, aimed at business executives and equipped with the Hermes Agent. This agent can supposedly edit schedules and tasks on behalf of a user and “connect to corporate systems.” Agents are currently very popular in the smartphone world. Companies like Google and Samsung offer Gemini on Android smartphones to perform tasks like booking an Uber or ordering DoorDash. Vertu is benefiting from this trend.
But the company has a turbulent past. Originally Vertu was a Nokia subsidiary that manufactured hand-built luxury Nokia phones (in the UK!) in the early 2000s. Each phone had access to a live concierge service. The company faced headwinds…