Vertu, the high-end Nokia luxury handset company, released a flip version of their phone towards the end of 2009 and I finally got my hands on one! So this is the unboxing view, and I’ll come back in a few weeks and do a proper review of the phone whilst in use.
I purchased the unit from one of the jewellery stores here in Sydney after much haggling, and carried my plain brown box through the city back to the train stop. I found it a bit odd to carry a large shopping bag from a fine jewellery store through the city, so I opted to carry my new prize just in the box that grabs no attention!
The Vertu Constellation Ayxta has the following specifications:
Dimensions
- Volume: 74cm3
- Length: 100mm
- Width: 48mm
- Depth: 18mm
- Weight: from 174g to 175g
models
- Polished stainless steel, black ceramic keys, black leather
- Satin stainless steel, black leather
- Satin stainless steel, dark brown leather
- Polished stainless steel, pink leather
performance
- Up to 6 hours talk time (GSM)
- Up to 4 hours talk time (WCDMA)
- Up to 300 hours standby time
- Multiband GSM coverage worldwide*
- (WCDMA I/II/V/VI, EGSM 900, GSM 850/1800/1900 networks)
- GPS navigation with preloaded maps
display and keyboard
- 2.4″ HVGA display with 16 million colours
- Laser drilled and back-illuminated keypad
connectivity
- Bluetooth and USB
- PC & Mac synchronisation
user features*
- Multi-media messaging (MMS)
- POP3/IMAP 4 email client
- Multi-language predictive text input
- Web browser
- Audio/Video player
- Vertu Select exclusive downloads and content
- City Brief
- Worldmate travel application
- Auto dual timeclock update
- Removable memory card
- Alarm clock
- Calculator
- User memory: up to 2000 names in phonebook, 1500 calendar notes, 1000 SMS
*Some features are network and/ or service dependent
language support **
Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Danish, UK English, US English, Finnish, French, Canadian French, German, Hindi, Bahasa Indonesian, Italian, Norwegian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish, Traditional Chinese, Turkish, Ukrainian
** Language availability varies by region
The Vertu Constellation Ayxta operates on AT&T, T-Mobile and a host of other US GSM-Based Telcos in the US. This has been a big shift for Vertu, which started out being a dual band phone just supporting European bands. The Ascent Ti and the Ayxta now offer full 3G support, with the Ayxta covering the most bands.
The Constellation line is targeting international travellers and has styling based on aircraft. I’m interested in trying the Vertu Select, City Brief, and the time clock update function, as they distinguish the Ayxta from the other Vertu handsets that I’ve tried. The Ayxta also comes with Worldmate, Fortress (OTA Backup), and OTA firmware update functions that the original Constellation introduced.
Let’s have a look at the unboxing!
The Plain Brown Box
Vertu Constellation Ayxta in the Plain Brown Box
The Presentation Box
Vertu Constellation Ayxta Presentation Box
The two Leatherette Inner Boxes
Vertu Constellation Ayxta Leatherette Inner Boxes
Inner Boxes Unboxed (One contains the phone, the other Chargers and micro-USB Sync cables, one for power and one for Syncing)
Vertu Constellation Ayxta Inner Boxes
Documentation & CD (PC Sync, Mac iSync, Manual)
Vertu Constellation Ayxta Documentation
Accessories (Cables, charger, and Int’l tips, was a bit surprised not to see a US one, but then again I am in Australia!)
Vertu Constellation Ayxta Accessories
The phone
Vertu Constellation Ayxta Ayxta Closed
Vertu Constellation Ayxta Back
Vertu Constellation Ayxta Open
There are two basic versions of the Vertu Constellation Ayxta, one with the stainless steel keyboard and the other with black ceramic keys. Since the price difference was quite substantial, I opted for the stainless. I also didn’t opt for the pink leather!
I’ll be back in a couple of weeks to talk about how the Ayxta did for me!
