AI has become the smartphone industry’s latest battleground, with manufacturers racing to add AI-powered features to attract mainstream consumers. Vertu is taking a different path. The U.K.-founded luxury phone maker, known for hand-finished devices often costing tens of thousands of dollars, sells status instead of specs. Its Alphafold, a foldable phone, targets affluent buyers, particularly chief executives, pairing luxury materials with an AI agent designed to automate parts of an executive’s working day.
So I put that pitch to the test. Rather than focusing on benchmark scores, camera comparisons, and media consumption — the staples of most smartphone reviews — I spent a few days using the foldable the way Vertu says its customers would: managing documents, analyzing spreadsheets and contracts, planning business trips, automating routine tasks, and relying on its AI agent as a digital companion throughout the working day. The question wasn’t whether it was a good smartphone, but whether it was a good executive smartphone.
At the heart of the Alphafold is Hermes Agent, a pre-installed AI agent built on top of the open source Hermes project, which the company says can analyze files, automate tasks across apps, remember conversations, and hand off requests to a human concierge when needed. Unlike most smartphone AI assistants that largely just respond to prompts, Hermes is designed to execute multi-step workflows on users’ behalf, making it the centerpiece of Vertu’s pitch rather than the foldable hardware itself.
Physically, the Alphafold, which starts at $6,880, looks and feels every bit like a luxury device. The review unit I received was wrapped in genuine calfskin leather with titanium accents, setting it apart from mainstream foldables that largely rely on glass or synthetic finishes. It’s clearly built for buyers who see their phone as both a tool and a status symbol.
Compared with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, which I used as a reference device throughout this review, the 264-gram Alphafold feels noticeably heavier than Samsung’s 215-gram foldable. The extra weight is apparent during prolonged use, though it never feels unwieldy. The Alphafold’s curved frame also makes it easier to unfold than the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s flatter edges. Samsung’s design, however, feels sleeker and more comfortable to hold when folded, making it easier to use one-handed.
Vertu’s Alphafold with a Calfskin Leather back and Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 with a Glass Back
The Alphafold also arrives in packaging that feels more akin to a jewelry presentation case than a smartphone box. The oversized box opens to reveal neatly arranged drawers containing bundled accessories, including a leather sleeve and charging cables, reinforcing the sense that Vertu is selling a luxury experience rather than just a handset.
Beneath the premium materials, however, the Alphafold tells a different story. During the review, I noticed striking similarities between the device and the $1,100 ZTE Nubia Fold — from the hinge design and dimensions to the placement of the speakers, microphones, and the fingerprint reader. The most visible distinction is Vertu’s leather-clad rear panel, though. System information also revealed ZTE identifiers in parts of the software.
When asked about these observations, Vertu confirmed to TechCrunch that the Alphafold was developed through a specialist supply-chain partnership involving ZTE/Nubia’s hardware platform, component integration, and production engineering. However, the company said it was responsible for the luxury materials, software experience, quality control, and after-sales service. ZTE did not respond to a request for comments.
This isn’t new for Vertu. In a 2023 review of the MetaVertu, Wired reported that the device appeared to be based on a ZTE Nubia handset, citing hardware similarities and comments from Counterpoint Research that Vertu had been adapting existing ZTE models with luxury materials and custom software.
Still, focusing solely on the hardware misses the point of the Alphafold. Vertu’s real bet is not on building a better foldable but on whether executives will pay for an AI agent that helps them get through the working day more efficiently.
Can Vertu’s Hermes Agent replace an executive assistant?
One of the first tests simulated a common executive scenario before leaving for the airport. I asked Hermes Agent on the Alphafold to message a contact that I was running 20 minutes late, navigate to the airport, switch the phone to Do Not Disturb, and remind me to call the hotel in 15 minutes. The agent sent the message, enabled Do Not Disturb, and opened Google Maps with directions to the airport. It did not, however, automatically begin navigation and instead set the reminder for 9:08 p.m., despite the request being made at 2:32 a.m. for a reminder 15 minutes later.
Running the same request on Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 produced a different experience. Rather than attempting every action immediately, Gemini asked follow-up questions, including which airport I wanted to travel to and whether the reminder should be created in Google Tasks or Samsung Reminder. Once I made those selections, it created the reminder for the correct time.
Hermes was more willing to act autonomously, while Gemini preferred to confirm details before proceeding. As a result, Hermes completed more of the requested workflow, but Gemini ultimately produced the more accurate outcome.
Planning a business trip
A second test focused on a more open-ended task. I asked Vertu’s Hermes Agent to organize a business trip from Mumbai to Pune, including a morning flight, a hotel recommendation, and adding the itinerary to my calendar. The agent responded that there were no direct morning flights available for the requested journey and offered a Contact Butler button to escalate the request to Vertu’s concierge service. It also created a calendar entry for the wrong dates, scheduling the trip for 7 July instead of 18-19 July, leaving the workflow incomplete.
Gemini on Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 took a different approach. After determining that no suitable direct morning flight was available for the requested journey, it continued planning the trip by suggesting alternative travel options rather than handing the task off.
Working with business documents
Business documents revealed a mixed picture, too. I asked both Hermes Agent and Gemini to analyze a locally saved financial spreadsheet, summarize the quarterly results, and determine whether third-quarter sales figures were included.
During my original testing, Hermes analyzed an uploaded sales spreadsheet and correctly summarized the Q2 figures. However, when I returned to the same conversation days later, it no longer recognized the previously shared document, instead responding: “I cannot access files stored directly on your local device. Please upload or attach the Sales spreadsheet here in the chat, and I will gladly analyze the Q2 data for you.”
Gemini also required the spreadsheet to be uploaded initially, but retained the context of the conversation. Days later, it was still able to answer follow-up questions about the document, correctly identifying the North region as generating the highest sales without requiring the file to be uploaded again.
Taken together, the testing suggested Hermes Agent is an ambitious AI assistant rather than a finished one. Its willingness to act autonomously often made it feel more like an agent than Gemini on Samsung’s phone, but that same approach occasionally produced incomplete workflows, incorrect outputs, and inconsistent behavior. The pace of updates during the review also suggested Vertu is actively refining the platform, meaning today’s experience may not be the same one buyers encounter a few months from now.
Beyond general assistance, Vertu has built Hermes around a collection of specialist AI agents aimed at affluent professionals, including agents focused on legal advice and investment insights, along with the option to escalate certain requests to a human concierge. The idea is to position the Alphafold as more than a premium smartphone, instead presenting it as a digital assistant for executives.
In practice, however, the specialist agents should be treated as starting points rather than authoritative advisers. They can provide useful summaries and recommendations, but their responses remain AI-generated and should be independently verified before being relied upon for legal, financial, or other high-stakes decisions. The option to escalate certain requests to Vertu’s concierge service underscores the current limits of AI agents. Human expertise still matters.
Vertu is also positioning the Alphafold as a business platform rather than just a smartphone. The company demonstrated an integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) system designed to give executives access to business data and workflows from the device. My testing, however, was limited to a demonstration environment, making it difficult to assess how the feature performs in day-to-day use or how well it integrates with existing enterprise systems.
The security aspect
For Alphafold’s target audience, security may matter as much as AI. Executives are unlikely to use an assistant that analyzes contracts, financial reports, and business plans if they are uncertain where that data is processed or stored.
Vertu says conversations with Hermes Agent are encrypted and are not used to train public AI models. According to the company, users can also choose where their data is processed, with enterprise deployments supporting private infrastructure for organizations that require greater control over sensitive information.
Vertu backs those claims up with a dedicated “A5” security chip, which it says provides hardware-level protection for sensitive data, encrypted communications, and digital credentials. Those claims couldn’t be independently verified during testing, but they’re central to Vertu’s pitch to executives and enterprises.
Living with the Alphafold
Away from AI, the Alphafold behaves much like any modern flagship foldable. The battery comfortably lasted more than a day during testing. However, the absence of wireless charging is a surprising omission at this price, particularly when Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 supports convenient Qi charging alongside wired USB-C charging.
The camera app also includes a document-scanning mode under a “Smart AI” setting that can recognize paperwork and save them with enhancements, making it useful for digitizing contracts, receipts, and other business documents. Samsung offers a comparable scanning experience through its own camera software, so this feels more like a parity feature than a differentiator.
Vertu’s history adds context to this device. Founded in 1998 as a luxury mobile phone company, Vertu was owned by Nokia until 2012, then changed hands multiple times. The brand has often rebadged existing hardware with premium materials and custom software. This approach reduces R&D costs, but it also means that the Alphafold’s hardware is essentially a re-skinned ZTE Nubia Fold. Critics have pointed out that for $6,880, buyers could get a high-end Android phone plus a dedicated assistant or even a laptop. Yet Vertu’s target market — CEOs, diplomats, and ultra-wealthy individuals — may value exclusivity over value.
The AI landscape is also evolving rapidly. Competitors like Humane’s AI Pin and Rabbit R1 have attempted to create standalone AI devices, but both faced criticism for limited functionality and high prices. In contrast, Vertu’s approach integrates AI into a fully capable smartphone. However, the execution remains uneven. For example, the AI agent’s inability to remember past conversations and its occasional scheduling errors could be problematic for busy executives who rely on precision.
From a security perspective, the A5 chip and private infrastructure options are promising, but without independent audits, claims remain unverified. For enterprises, the ability to deploy Hermes on private servers could be a differentiator, but that requires additional investment beyond the $6,880 handset.
The Alphafold’s camera system is adequate but not flagship-level. It lacks telephoto zoom and struggles in low light. Video recording maxes out at 4K 30fps, which lags behind competitors like the Galaxy S24 Ultra. For most users, these limitations may not be deal-breakers, but for a device that costs more than many laptops, expectations are high.
Software updates are another concern. Vertu has a mixed track record of supporting its devices long-term. The MetaVertu, for instance, received few major Android updates after launch. The Alphafold ships with Android 13, and Vertu has promised two years of OS updates, but that’s significantly less than the four to five years offered by Google and Samsung.
Despite these drawbacks, Vertu’s branding and craftsmanship are undeniable. The calfskin leather back feels premium, and the titanium accents add a tactile elegance that mass-market phones lack. For executives who value these intangibles, the Alphafold may be worth the premium. Yet for most professionals, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 — or even the standard Samsung Galaxy S24 series paired with Google’s Gemini — offers a more reliable and cost-effective solution.
The question remains whether Vertu can convince enough executives to pay $6,880 for an AI agent that is still a work in progress. Early adopters may find value in the concierge service and the status symbol, but the average executive would likely achieve more with a cheaper phone and a human assistant. As the AI arms race continues, Vertu’s bet on Hermes may prove prescient — or it may be yet another luxury gadget that fails to deliver on its promises.
Source: TechCrunch News