The top variant of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 costs a little over US$2,000, and that is considered expensive in many circles. It is more expensive than even the iPhone 14 Pro Max or iPhone 15 Pro Max. But do not be fooled: it does not rank among the most expensive phones in the world. You will need to be able to spend at least US$360,000 and as much as about US$50 million to own any one of the top 10 most expensive smartphones in the world today.
You read that right – three hundred thousand US dollars. These are phones that you won’t find in your average retail stores. You can only get one from one of the few luxury brands that cater to the creme-de-la-creme of the world’s richest spenders. Welcome to the world of luxury phones.
Why are these Luxury Phones so expensive?
What makes them so expensive? Is it that they possess amazing performance beyond what we see in the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5? Not at all. As a matter of fact, it will interest you to know that many of the most expensive phones in the world are feature phones and others are outdated smartphone models. In other words, none of them come close to today’s top mid-range smartphones and premium flagships in terms of features, specs, and capabilities.
As an example, let’s have a look at the Vertu Signature Cobra; shall we? It costs US$360,00 at last count. Vertu was the pioneer luxury cell phone brand and was originally owned by Nokia and Vertu phones ran Nokia’s now defunct Symbian OS. In 2014, it was acquired by EQT VI and then sold again to… Wait. You are not here for history lessons, so let’s see what the vertu Signature Cobra is all about; shall we?
The Signature Cobra is a feature phone with a tiny 2-inch screen and an old-school keypad. This luxury phone supports only 2G networks, so you can’t even use it in countries where 2G and 3G have been phased out. It has no camera and the only other wireless connectivity on it is Bluetooth. There is no Wi-Fi or GPS here. Which makes it great for those discrete meetings and rendezvous on yachts and in the world’s most expensive hotel rooms.
So, what is the allure? Why are Vertu phones so expensive? Why are luxury phones expensive? What is responsible for the insane prices? Answer: jewels, diamonds, rubies, gold, titanium, leather, and the like. Every single one of these dated but expensive phones are covered in precious metals and materials, hence the insane prices. And that is what is responsible for them being so expensive.
The Vertu Signature Cobra has been discontinued, but you can bet that owners of this piece are holding on to it. Who is going to discard a $400,000 cell phone just because the manufacturer stopped producing it? Anyway, hopefully, you now get the picture and now understand why luxury phones are super expensive despite not offering much functionality. Let’s have a look at the list.
The 10 Most Expensive Phones in the World
- Vertu Signature Cobra – $360,000
- Goldvish Revolution – $500,000
- Gresso Luxor Las Vegas Jackpot – $1million
- Goldvish Le Million – $1 million
- Diamond Crypto – $1.3 million
- iPhone 3G Kings Button – $2.5million
- Goldstriker iPhone 3GS Supreme – $3.2 million
- Stuart Hughes iPhone 4 Diamond Rose Edition – $8 million
- Stuart Hughes iPhone 4s Elite Gold – $9.4 million
- Falcon Supernova iPhone 6 Pink Diamond – $48.5 million
You will find the above phones only in the hands of the nouveau rich – wealthy oil barons in the Middle East, the extremely wealthy billionaires on every other continent – and members of their families. Chances are that you do not belong in that demographic and that your primary reason you want a phone is for what it can do for you, not how expensive it is.
If you do become an oil sheik one day, perhaps your priorities will differ, and you might then want to splurge on one of these most expensive phones in the world. Or the most expensive ones in your time, should this list have changed by then. Have a look at some photos of these bad boys and girls.
Gallery: Some of the Most Expensive Phones in the World
The rest of the models on the list of most expensive phones in the world are glammed up iPhone models from the past. You still remember what an iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 looks like; don’t you? Cool. Picture them plated in gold, diamond and the like.
There are expensive phones, and there are expensive museum pieces. These are clearly the latter, given they aren’t made currently and most don’t even function. Where is a list of the most expensive/luxurious 2024-made phones?