Vertu may be the best known (and most ridiculed) luxury smartphone manufacturer, but it’s certainly not the only one. This week, Mobiado, a Canadian luxury brand, has launched a new model in its Professional range. Like Vertu, Mobiado builds its phones using high quality materials and top notch components, and has been doing so since 2004. Sadly, unlike Vertu’s hardware, this device hasn’t moved with the times, and the tech inside the Professional 3 AF is from the same period.
Before we get to the underwhelming specs, let’s look at the phone itself, which is after all, the main reason one would decide to purchase a phone like this. Crafted from aircraft grade aluminum and stainless steel, with a super tough anodized coating, the 3 AF really looks the part. The screen is covered in strong sapphire crystal. It’s going to divide opinion as usual, but we like the styling.
- 1. Close up of the Mobiado Professional 3 AF’s screen.
- 2. Mobiado Professional 3 AF keyboard up close.
- 3. Rear panel of the Mobiado Professional 3 AF, in silver.
Mobiado says it’s the thinnest luxury phone ever made, but for some reason hasn’t provided the figures to back up this claim. For reference, the Vertu Constellation measures 11.2mm, which is just one of the phones it would need to beat in order to claim the title.
As you’ll have noticed from the images, the Professional 3 AF has – shock – buttons on the front panel. The operating system is a mystery, but previous Mobiado phones used Nokia’s Series 40 software, although the company has dabbled with Android on occasion. The specs include a 2.4-inch screen with a 320 x 240 pixel resolution, 3G connectivity, a MicroSD card slot, Bluetooth, and a camera. The megapixel count isn’t given, but if the screen tech is anything to go by, don’t expect it to challenge the Galaxy S4.
Mobiado ‘s Professional 3 AF phone is on sale now and has been priced at $1600, putting in similar company – cost wise – to the Porsche Design BlackBerry hardware.
