Vertu Unveils Signature S Design Ultra-Luxury Phone; Report Says People Actually Buy Them

Ultra-luxury cell phone maker Vertu is in the news again for two new reasons: they’ve just officially updated their flagship designer cell phone and a new report from ABI Research says people are actually increasingly buying these opulent cell phones.

Following my review of the Vertu Signature, which can cost thousands of dollars and isn’t technologically interesting at all, Vertu (which really is the designer cell phone arm of Nokia) just released the Vertu Signature S Design.

While they still cost thousands of dollars (because they’re crafted from precious metals and gems), the Signature S Design finally has 3G (for faster data speeds) and Wi-Fi, which is a first for Vertu.

Even more, people are actually buying these status symbols. A new report from ABI Research says the yearly revenue for high-end cell phones is expected to eclipse $41 billion in 2009 and could reach $43 billion by 2013.

With Vertu not spending a penny advertising to U.S. consumers and with many around these parts entirely unaware that the phones exist, ABI Research says most high-end cell phones are being sold in Western Europe followed by North America and then Asia.

The report says slightly less than 6 million “luxury handsets” are predicted to be sold in 2008. See my full Vertu Signature image gallery and read my full Vertu Signature review here.