You know the drill, by now; I wheel out another luxury phone for us to look at, we point and laugh at the price, I mither about them having rubbish features then say “er, no thanks,” and we all go home happy. Think back to the Vertus I’ve looked at, and the Motorola Aura, if you need reminding how I feel about this particular class of phone…
However, this may be the part where I eat my previous words, because at long last, after 8 years in this business, I’ve found a luxury mobile phone I actually like the look of!
Now, I could go on about its features, because unbelievably for a luxury phone, it has some. It does appear to be a proper smartphone, with a 2.8 inch, multitouch screen, full email and internet clients, plus WiFi, and a 5 megapixel camera that appears to have an LED flash. Sure, it’s no Sony Ericsson Idou, but if you compare it to phones like the Vertu, it wipes the floor with ‘em.
I could go on about the build quality, that looks to be better than most other mobile phones I’ve come across. It really does come across as the Bentley of the mobile phone world (but one of the good Bentleys, not one of those where the wheels fall off).
But no, I’m not going to.
Instead, I’m going to use a phrase I never, ever thought I’d use in my entire life, ever. The Ulysse Nardin Chairman appears to be a luxury phone that will actually save you money in the long run.
Hang on, I need a minute to get my head round that idea…
The reason it may actually save you money is because it’s charging cycle isn’t entirely reliant on it being plugged in the wall. You know those watches that have a little kinetic rotor thing inside, that produces energy to pump into the battery when you move the watch? Same thing here, with a kinetic rotor thing inside the phone. Look, you can see it on the back of the phone, peeking through that window above the battery cover.
Therefore, it shouldn’t need charging form the socket as much (since moving the phone will give it some power), and therefore, it’ll save you a bit of money on your electricity bill. Not a lot, but every little helps, as the famous philosopher Bob Hoskins said in them adverts. Oh, and it’d probably help you reduce your carbon footprint, yadda yadda, and so on.
So, now, I’m forced to get my head round the concept of an eco-luxury-smart phone, that I actually like, and that I actually reckon could be a good buy, and that looks gorgeous.
I think my head’s going to implode…
Still, you can guarantee it’ll be out of my price range (as they say, if you have to ask how much it is, you can’t afford it), but hey, pipe dreams, and all that…
Do you like the look of the Ulysse Nardin Chairman? Or do you think it’s flashy, ostentatious rubbish? Leave us a comment and have your say!