According to a comprehensive review published on TechCrunch by journalist Jagmeet Singh, British luxury phone manufacturer Vertu—known for its handcrafted devices that often cost tens of thousands of dollars—is attempting to enter the artificial intelligence market with its new Alphafold device. The device, which starts at a price of $6,880, primarily targets affluent buyers, especially senior executives and chief executive officers (CEOs). Unlike other smartphone manufacturers that compete on technical specifications or camera performance to attract the general public, Vertu focuses on selling status symbols that combine luxury materials with a built-in AI agent named Hermes Agent, designed to automate parts of an executive's workday. The TechCrunch review focused on evaluating the device as an executive tool, examining how the AI agent handles daily office tasks, document analysis, and travel planning compared to Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7 running Google's Gemini.
Premium Hardware with Familiar Roots in the Supply Chain
Physically, the Alphafold is designed as a luxury device in every respect. The review unit was wrapped in genuine calfskin leather with titanium accents, distinguishing it from common foldable devices on the market that rely primarily on glass or synthetic finishes. However, its weight is definitely noticeable: the Alphafold weighs 264 grams, significantly heavier than the 215 grams of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 used as a reference device during the testing. Despite the weight, the Alphafold's curved frame makes it easier to unfold compared to the flat edges of the Samsung device, although Samsung's design feels sleeker and more comfortable to hold when folded, making one-handed use easier. The Alphafold's packaging resembles a jewelry presentation box more than a standard smartphone box, featuring pull-out drawers that showcase included accessories, including a leather sleeve and charging cables, reinforcing the overall luxury experience.
Yet, beneath the premium materials, a different picture emerges. During TechCrunch's review, distinct similarities were discovered between the Alphafold and the ZTE Nubia Fold, which costs only $1,100—ranging from the hinge design and dimensions to the placement of the speakers, microphones, and fingerprint sensor. Furthermore, system information in the device's software revealed ZTE identifiers within the code. When questioned about this, Vertu confirmed to TechCrunch that the Alphafold was developed through a dedicated supply chain partnership involving ZTE/Nubia's hardware platform, component integration, and manufacturing engineering. However, the company emphasized that it is responsible for the luxury materials, software experience, quality control, and post-purchase customer service. ZTE did not respond to TechCrunch's request for comment on the matter. This collaboration is not new for Vertu: in a 2023 review of the MetaVertu published in Wired magazine, it was reported that the device was based on a ZTE Nubia device, using luxury materials and custom software.
Hermes Agent: Autonomy vs. Accuracy Against Samsung's Gemini
At the heart of the Alphafold's promise is the Hermes Agent, a pre-installed AI agent built on top of the open-source Hermes project. According to Vertu, the agent is capable of analyzing files, performing cross-app automation, remembering previous conversations, and escalating requests to a human concierge if necessary. Unlike standard AI assistants that only respond to specific prompts, Hermes is designed to execute multi-step workflows on behalf of the user.
During the testing days, the evaluation process encountered initial difficulties. Early software versions struggled with file uploads, image analysis, and connecting to the company's customer service. After these glitches were reported, Vertu released server-side updates that resolved the issues and allowed the tests to be completed. The testing revealed that Hermes shows a strong willingness to act autonomously, but this comes with trade-offs and consistent errors.
In the first test, designed to simulate a common executive scenario before heading to the airport, the Hermes agent was asked to send a message to a contact announcing a 20-minute delay, start navigation to the airport, switch the phone to "Do Not Disturb" mode, and set a reminder to call the hotel in 15 minutes. The agent sent the message, enabled "Do Not Disturb" mode, and opened the Google Maps app with directions to the airport, but did not actually start navigation automatically. Additionally, it scheduled the reminder for 9:08 PM, even though the request was made at 2:32 AM for a reminder 15 minutes later. Running the same task on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 yielded different results: Google's Gemini assistant asked clarifying questions, such as which airport the user wished to reach and whether to create the reminder in Google Tasks or Samsung Reminder. After receiving the answers, Gemini created the reminder for the correct time. While Hermes showed more willingness to act autonomously and completed a larger portion of the task, Gemini ultimately provided a more accurate result due to the detail-verification step.
Trip Planning and Business Document Analysis
In the second test, Hermes was asked to organize a business trip from Mumbai to Pune, including finding a morning flight, recommending a hotel, and adding the itinerary to the calendar. The agent replied that there were no direct morning flights available for the requested route and offered a dedicated "Contact Butler" button to transfer the task to the company's human concierge service. Additionally, it created a calendar event for the wrong dates (July 7 instead of July 18 and 19), leaving the task incomplete. Samsung's Gemini took a different approach for the same task: after determining that no direct morning flight was available, it continued planning the trip and suggested alternative transportation options instead of handing the task over to a human.
In the area of business document handling, the results were also mixed. Both devices were asked to analyze a locally saved financial spreadsheet, summarize the quarterly results, and determine if third-quarter sales data was included in the file. In the initial test, Hermes analyzed the sheet and correctly summarized the second-quarter data. However, when the reviewer returned to the same conversation several days later, the agent no longer recognized the previously shared document, replying that it did not have access to files saved directly on the local device and requesting the file to be re-uploaded to the chat. In contrast, Gemini also required an initial upload of the file but maintained the context of the conversation. Even after several days, it was able to answer follow-up questions about the document, correctly identifying that the North region generated the highest sales volume without requiring the file to be uploaded again.
Specialized Agents, Information Security, and Daily Usability
In addition to general assistance, Vertu built Hermes around a collection of specialized AI agents for affluent business professionals, including agents focusing on legal advice and investment insights, alongside the option to escalate tasks to a human concierge service. However, in practice, it is recommended to treat these specialized agents merely as starting points and not as certified advisors. Their responses are AI-generated and must be independently verified before making legal, financial, or other high-stakes decisions. Additionally, the integration of the human concierge service highlights the current limitations of AI agents and the ongoing need for human expertise. The company also introduced an integrated ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system designed to allow executives to access business data and workflows from the device. However, testing was limited to a demonstration environment only, making it difficult to assess how the feature performs in daily use or how well it integrates with existing enterprise systems.
Information security is a critical factor for the Alphafold's target audience. Senior executives are unlikely to use an assistant that analyzes contracts, financial reports, and business plans without certainty regarding where the data is processed and stored. Vertu states that conversations with Hermes Agent are encrypted and are not used to train public AI models. According to the company, users can choose where their data is processed, with large enterprises supported by private infrastructure deployments to gain full control over sensitive information. Vertu backs these claims with a dedicated security chip called "A5," which it claims provides hardware-level protection for sensitive data, encrypted communications, and digital credentials. These claims could not be independently verified during testing, but they are central to the company's marketing efforts to executives and organizations.
In normal daily use, the Alphafold functions similarly to a modern foldable device. The device's battery easily lasted over a full workday during testing. However, the absence of wireless charging is a surprising omission for a device at this price, especially when Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7 supports convenient Qi wireless charging alongside USB-C wired charging. The camera app includes a document scanning mode under a "Smart AI" setting that detects paperwork and saves it with image enhancements—a useful feature for digitizing contracts and receipts, although Samsung offers a similar experience in its camera software, making this a parity feature rather than a unique advantage.
The Bottom Line and Value Assessment
The Alphafold is an ambitious attempt to build an AI-focused luxury smartphone, but the execution does not match its high price tag. Despite the premium raw materials and exclusive services, the underlying hardware offers very little beyond what can be found in significantly cheaper foldable devices. The Hermes Agent remains a platform in development and is not a sufficient reason to spend thousands of additional dollars. Ultimately, Vertu is asking buyers to pay a significant premium for branding, hand-craftsmanship, and an ecosystem of AI and concierge services built on top of an existing ZTE smartphone platform. According to the TechCrunch review, this price markup is hard to justify, especially when the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 offers a riper, more mature user experience with similar day-to-day functionality at a fraction of the price. In light of the expectation that Samsung's next generation, the Galaxy Z Fold 8, will launch very soon, the Alphafold's value proposition becomes even harder to defend.