Vertu Signature Touch updated with high-end Android phone spec, still costs £6,500

Luxury smartphone brand Vertu is not one to hold back when it comes to decking its hardware in the fanciest finishes and finest materials, however it can sometimes take longer to upgrade its handsets to feature the latest technologies when compared to Samsung and Apple.

It has been selling the previous Signature Touch for the last couple of years, so it will come as great news to users of executive gadgetry to know that a new model will be available on pre-sale from tomorrow, 25 September.

The new Vertu Signature Touch now comes with an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor and 4GB of RAM. Its rear camera has a 21-megapixel PDAF sensor (f/2.2) with a dual tone LED flash, while the front "Skype-compliant" camera is 2.1-megapixels.

The screen is a 5.2-inch Full HD 1080p phosphor LED powered LCD, protected by sapphire crystal, and there is 64GB of internal storage and an addition 64GB is provided through microSD. The latter card can be removed and replaced by one that is capable of expansion of up to 2TB.

The handset comes with Qi wireless charging, Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0, and the battery is 3,160mAh.

NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, dual-band Wi-Fi and LTE (4G) connectivity is on-board, with the latter working on all UK networks and many others around the world. And the phone runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop with specific Vertu services available at the touch of a button, including a dedicated concierge, which is complimentary for 18 months. Vertu Life gives the user access to private members clubs and elite events, while Vertu Certainty handles security, including encrypted communications.

Of course, the real reason to own a Vertu phone is for status and design aesthetics - after all, you can expect to pay around £6,500 or more for the Signature Touch - and the new model is available in some quite spectacular styles.

Models can be decked in colours and leathers with names like "Jet Calf" and "Grape Lizard". A particular favourite is "Pure Navy Alligator". The phones can also be personalised with engraving.

Harrods has the UK exclusive for pre-sales, from 25 September to 8 October, so even if you can't afford one, you might want to head there to have a gander.