Luxurious smartphone model Vertu on Thursday unveiled a foldable cellphone powered by an AI agent that connects with enterprise software program and coordinates workflows. The corporate is focusing 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. Larger-end fashions function 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 aimed toward prosperous consumers. The corporate advised TechCrunch that its highest-end commonplace 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 trendy smartphone market. The Hong Kong-headquartered firm, as soon as known for luxury handsets and concierge providers common amongst rich consumers earlier than the rise of the iPhone, has changed ownership multiple times through the years as mainstream smartphone makers got here to dominate the business. 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 high of the open-source Hermes venture by Nous Analysis. The agent can connect with enterprise techniques like ERP and CRM, and coordinate duties akin to approvals, scheduling, gross sales monitoring, journey planning, and operational reporting by way of natural-language prompts. Nevertheless, the corporate stated that its Telephone-to-ERP and VPS deployments can be personalized for every buyer relying on their present enterprise techniques, 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 cellphone features for cross-platform workflows.
Current AI options on smartphones from main producers stay targeted largely on client instruments akin to picture modifying and voice help, Vertu CEO Molly Ma stated. This leaves room for extra superior AI-agent workflows tied to enterprise techniques. She additionally pointed to earlier AI-agent smartphone experiments in China that gained popularity earlier than going through challenges over data privacy and cloud-based information assortment.
The Alphafold, Ma stated, goals to deal with 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 data from the primary working system, the corporate stated. It added that commercially delicate information will be processed regionally on the machine, whereas prompts despatched to exterior AI fashions are redacted or tokenized earlier than leaving the cellphone.
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 advised TechCrunch that unbiased audits and certification stay on its safety roadmap “as an specific next-stage dedication,” including that it might “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 main and ultrawide cameras, in addition to a 5-megapixel telephoto lens. Vertu stated the cellphone’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 gadgets. The corporate final 12 months introduced Agent Q, a clamshell-style foldable smartphone targeted on AI-driven automation and productiveness options.
Nevertheless, Ma advised TechCrunch that Alphafold represents a big step ahead from Agent Q, arguing that AI-agent expertise 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 complete smartphone shipments, in accordance with IDC information shared with TechCrunch. The analysis agency stated foldables offered at a mean worth 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 finally 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 choices proceed to be pushed by ecosystem integration and machine administration assist moderately 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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