Vertu wants executives to pay $6,880 for an AI agent — here’s how it actually performs

Vertu has begun shipping its Alphafold foldable smartphone at a starting price of $6,880, positioning the device less as a hardware showcase and more as a vehicle for an onboard artificial intelligence assistant called Hermes Agent. The phone comes preloaded with the tool, which the luxury phone maker built on top of the open-source Hermes framework, and the company is betting that busy professionals will pay a steep premium for software that can handle real work rather than just answer questions.

According to Vertu, Hermes Agent goes well beyond typical chatbot functions. It is capable of reviewing and interpreting files, coordinating actions across multiple applications on the device, and retaining the context of earlier exchanges so users do not need to repeat themselves. When a request falls outside what the software can resolve on its own, the assistant is designed to pass the task along to a live human concierge, blending automation with a white-glove support layer more common in luxury services than in consumer electronics.

That design marks a departure from how AI assistants typically function on smartphones. Most rely on users issuing a prompt and waiting for a single response. Hermes Agent, by contrast, is built to carry out extended sequences of actions on a person's behalf, effectively acting as a digital assistant rather than a search box. Vertu has leaned into that distinction heavily enough that the software, not the folding screen or the chip inside it, is the centerpiece of its sales pitch.

The hardware still signals its price tag, however. The test unit was finished in genuine calfskin leather with titanium detailing, a marked contrast to the glass and synthetic materials found on most mainstream foldables. The construction leaves little doubt that Vertu is chasing buyers who view a handset as much as a status object as a productivity tool, a niche the company has long occupied with its ultra-premium phone lineup.

Measured against Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7, which served as the benchmark comparison device, the Alphafold's heft becomes obvious. At 264 grams, it outweighs the 215-gram Galaxy Z Fold 7 by nearly a quarter, and that difference is noticeable after extended handling, even though the phone never becomes difficult to manage. The added mass appears to be a tradeoff for the denser materials used in its luxury casing.

The two devices also diverge in how they handle day-to-day ergonomics. The Alphafold's rounded chassis makes the unfolding motion smoother than the Galaxy Z Fold 7, whose edges are flatter. Samsung's design nonetheless comes out ahead once the phone is closed, offering a slimmer, more pocketable shape that is easier to operate with a single hand — a reminder that Vertu's craftsmanship-first approach carries real usability compromises alongside its aesthetic advantages.

The Alphafold arrives as interest in AI agents capable of autonomous, multi-step work is spreading from enterprise software into consumer hardware, with device makers wagering that executives will pay for convenience baked directly into a phone rather than assembled from separate apps. Whether a five-figure price gap over flagship Android and iOS devices can be justified by an AI layer alone remains an open question, and much will depend on how reliably Hermes Agent performs outside curated demonstrations as more units reach real-world users.

Source: TechCrunch