Vertu Is Back With a Folding Phone Powered by—Surprise—an AI Agent | WIREDSkip to main contentMenuSECURITYPOLITICSTHE BIG STORYBUSINESSSCIENCECULTUREREVIEWSMenuAccountAccountNewslettersBest Power BanksBest Smart RingsRouters vs. ModemsChoose the Right LaptopSmart SprinklersDeals DeliveredSecurityPoliticsThe Big StoryBusinessScienceCultureReviewsChevronMoreExpandThe Big InterviewMagazineEventsWIRED InsiderWIRED ConsultingNewslettersPodcastsVideoLivestreamsMerchSearchSearchJulian ChokkattuGearMay 28, 2026 3:00 AMVertu Is Back With a Folding Phone Powered by—Surprise—an AI AgentThe beleaguered luxury phone maker is pushing the AlphaFold, which has decent specs and comes with Vertu’s new Hermes Agent on board, to wealthy would-be buyers.Courtesy of VertuCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyVertu is a company known for making extraordinarily gaudy smartphones with outdated technology, luxe materials, and eye-watering prices. Now the brand is here to meet the AI moment with its first-ever book-like folding phone, complete with an AI agent on board.The company announced the AlphaFold smartphone on Thursday—targeting business executives—which comes outfitted with the Hermes Agent. This agent can purportedly handle schedules and tasks on a user's behalf and “connect to enterprise systems.” Agents are big in the smartphone world right now, with companies like Google and Samsung offering ways for Gemini on Android smartphones to perform tasks such as booking an Uber or ordering DoorDash. Vertu is cashing in on that trend.But the company has a checkered past. Originally, Vertu was a Nokia subsidiary that made handcrafted luxury Nokia phones (in the UK!) in the early 2000s. Each phone came with access to a live concierge service. The company faced headwinds with the smartphone revolution and fell behind the times. Vertu then changed hands over several years, with various acquisitions, eventually shuttering its UK factory and laying off staff.Courtesy of VertuIn the last few years, the company has been churning out luxury Android smartphones again—it debuted a folding flip phone last year that starts at $4,300 (with a calfskin backplate, naturally). In late 2025, it unveiled the Agent Q, which it calls the “world's first AI agent phone for entrepreneurs.”While the company still claims a British heritage, its phones are no longer made in the UK, and according to its website, its head office is in Hong Kong. Vertu spokesperson Viki You tells WIRED that the phones are “still handcrafted,” but they're assembled in China. “We have different factories,” You says, noting that the company sources its high-end materials from other countries, like the full-grain calfskin from Italy.The AlphaFold has all the markings of a high-end Android smartphone. It's powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset from 2025 and is 11.8 millimeters thick when folded, 5.4 mm when unfolded. Not quite as svelte as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7, but not far off from competitors like the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Vertu says the hinge and screen architecture were tested to withstand 650,000 folds, which is more than Samsung's claim of 500,000 folds.Inside is a 6,500-mAh silicon-anode battery, an up-and-coming battery technology that's been making waves in Chinese smartphones and has only recently made its way into Western smartphones from the likes of Motorola. There's 65-watt fast charging, a 120-Hz screen refresh rate for the inner 8.05-inch screen, and a 6.53-inch outer screen. There's a triple-camera system with a 50-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultrawide, and a 5-megapixel telephoto.Naturally, in Vertu fashion, the company claims a mix of titanium and carbon fiber in the hinge mechanism, options for “rare exotic leathers” on the backplate, not to mention bespoke options in 18-karat gold or with natural diamond accents. Other hallmarks include the (still human-powered) 24/7 personal concierge service, two-way satellite messaging, and even the latest Wi-Fi and Bluetooth standards. Too bad it's running the already outdated Android 15, and the company did not provide a software update policy.Courtesy of VertuVertu claims its Hermes Agent can take your request, break it into steps, coordinate the process with relevant services, and come back with actions the user needs to confirm. One example the company offers in its press release is if a user asks the agent to “arrange tomorrow's Geneva trip, sync the flight, hotel, transportation, and meeting summary with my team,” and the Hermes Agent can handle it all, presumably after you provide it access to your emails and conversations.How well all of this will actually work remains to be seen. Google, which manages the Android operating system, recently said more actions can be automated via its Gemini assistant this summer on the platform with broader app support, so Vertu's claim feels lofty. Still, Vertu says the Hermes Agent supports 31 “Western ecosystem apps” (including apps like Gmail, TikTok, and Amazon Shopping) and 55 “Asian ecosystem apps” (like WeChat, Meituan, and Taobao), and that the agent can also control the phone's hardware and user interface. So, like Samsung's Bixby, you can also ask it to turn your phone's flashlight on or off.You says Vertu uses the open source foundations of the Hermes Project, associated with Nous Research, a New York City-based startup. However, this model is the brain, and Vertu has its own custom layer on top, which can handle legal, financial, and managerial tasks.The other big part Vertu says it developed is how its Hermes Agent can connect with enterprise resource planning (ERP) business management software through the Vertu Productivity Suite. If you're an executive, that means through the agent, you should be able to explore these systems on a mobile interface. Some examples include tracking sales targets across stores, detecting inventory shortages, and store performance analysis. Integrating ERPs will require additional configuration with Vertu.You suggested an executive could press the Hermes Agent button and ask it to pull up sales performance for the last three months, and the agent will take a few minutes to craft a detailed dashboard, and could even suggest improvements to the sales operation. It's not all business, though. If you order a coffee through a supported app every morning, the Hermes Agent can supposedly recognize that pattern and handle the order for you, so all you have to do is confirm and pick it up (or have your human assistant get it for you).But that all depends on whether you want to hand your sensitive business data to Vertu. The company says sensitive credentials are protected on the device level, and that private information is processed locally “where possible.” Things like financial transfers and critical data operations require human confirmation.How much will all of this cost? The standard Calfskin Edition costs $6,880. Want Italian Alligator? That'll be $8,800. Go for the bespoke models with gold or diamonds, and you're looking at $46,800. (With the AlphaFold, you only get a one-year warranty.)Francisco Jeronimo, vice president for data and analytics at research firm IDC, says Vertu’s opaque private ownership raises eyebrows. “I think the current business is very different from the original one, which was targeting wealthy individuals who wanted a device in line with their status, and there was a market for that,” Jeronimo writes in an email to WIRED.The last Vertu phone we tested in 2023, the Metavertu, scared us with its privacy missteps. We'll have to see if the AlphaFold will spark the same fears. It's on sale today, but availability depends on the market.CommentsBack to topTriangleYou Might Also LikeHow to find us: Add WIRED.com to your preferred sources in GoogleHow the Canvas hack threatened thousands of schoolsBig Story: I've covered robots for years—this one is eerily lifelikeOrbs, saucers, and flashes on the moon—here’s what’s in the UFO filesTake our survey: What does “home” mean to you?Julian Chokkattu is Senior Editor, Gear at WIRED, overseeing personal technology, gadgets, and gizmos. He has been reviewing consumer products for a decade, specializing in mobile—from smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches to smart glasses and virtual reality. This is his sixth year at WIRED. Previously, he was the mobile and wearables ... 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Vertu has introduced the AlphaFold smartphone, positioning it to target wealthy business executives by integrating a folding design with an embedded artificial intelligence agent, the Hermes Agent. Vertu, a brand previously known for extravagant luxury smartphones, is leveraging the current trend of AI agents in mobile technology. The AlphaFold is built on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset from 2025 and features a compact physical design, measuring 11.8 millimeters when folded and 5.4 millimeters when unfolded, boasting a hinge architecture tested to withstand 650,000 folds. Internally, the device incorporates a 6,500-mAh silicon-anode battery, 65-watt fast charging capabilities, a 120-Hz screen refresh rate on the inner 8.05-inch display, and a 6.53-inch outer screen. The camera system is a triple setup featuring a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 50-megapixel ultrawide lens, and a 5-megapixel telephoto lens. Furthermore, Vertu emphasizes its luxury positioning through materials such as titanium and carbon fiber in the hinge, options for rare exotic leathers, and bespoke finishes in 18-karat gold or with diamond accents. The device also includes traditional luxury features like a human-powered 24/7 concierge service, two-way satellite messaging, and support for current Wi-Fi and Bluetooth standards, although it runs on the already established Android 15 without a defined software update policy.

The core innovation of the AlphaFold is the Hermes Agent, an AI entity designed to manage complex tasks and interact with external systems on behalf of the user. This agent is claimed to manage schedules, coordinate logistics, and connect to enterprise systems. The agent’s functionality involves breaking down broad requests into actionable steps and coordinating the necessary services, as exemplified by the ability to arrange complex travel itineraries and sync meeting summaries with team data. Vertu asserts that the Hermes Agent can interface with both Western and Asian ecosystem applications, supporting over 31 Western and 55 Asian apps, and also controls the device's hardware functions. The agent’s underlying architecture utilizes the open source foundations of the Hermes Project from Nous Research, overlaid with Vertu’s proprietary layer designed to handle legal, financial, and managerial tasks. A significant feature is the integration capability with enterprise resource planning or ERP software through the Vertu Productivity Suite, allowing executives to access data such as sales targets and inventory analysis directly on a mobile interface, although this integration necessitates further configuration.

Regarding data handling, Vertu maintains that sensitive credentials are protected at the device level, with private information being processed locally wherever feasible. However, operations involving financial transfers or critical data require explicit human confirmation. While Vertu projects that the agent can manage routine requests, the actual efficacy of coordinating complex, multi-system tasks remains an open question, especially when compared to advancements already seen in platforms like Google’s Gemini assistant. This raises potential concerns about the opacity of Vertu's private ownership, as noted by Francisco Jeronimo, who suggests the business model diverges from its earlier focus on status-driven luxury goods. The pricing reflects this high-end positioning, starting at $6,880 for the Calfskin Edition and escalating significantly for bespoke options, reaching prices up to $46,800. The transition of Vertu from a UK-based entity to a globally sourced manufacturing model, with materials sourced internationally, underscores a complex operational structure where the technological ambition of the folding phone intersects with high-end luxury branding and sophisticated, yet guarded, AI functionality.