If you thought Samsung’s $2,000 Galaxy Z Fold 7 is cheap, ugly and only fit for use by peasants with only four or five bedrooms in their house, then luxury-phone maker Vertu has the foldable phone for you. The Alphafold, as the company’s newest device is called, uses materials like calf skin, alligator skin, 24 karat gold and, sure, actual diamonds in its construction — and it starts at a mere $6,880.
Still too cheap and nasty for you? That’s fine, Vertu offers a complete customization service with pricing being “effectively uncapped.” Some of the company’s bespoke projects for the ultrarich have had six figure price tags attached. It sure puts the $800 Motorola Razr to shame.
Alligator skin and real gold? No problem here!
Vertu
So what do you get for all that money? Well, much of it goes on whatever wild materials you want Vertu to use on your phone. Each unit is made mostly to order and built by hand according to the specifications you’ve requested.
The Alphafold is a book-style foldable, with an 8-inch “crease free” inner display, a 6,500-mAh silicon-carbon battery and a rear camera setup consisting of a 50-megapixel main camera, 5-megapixel telephoto and 50-megapixel ultrawide. Vertu also says the device runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. It’s not clear at the time of writing exactly which model this is, but either way, it’s a step behind Qualcomm’s current flagship 8 Elite Gen 5.
Disappointed that the specs are kinda… meh? Yeah, me too, but Vertu’s probably rightly assuming that its hyper-wealthy clients will be too busy running their vast empires to want to spend much time taking artistic photos of whatever landscapes they’re being chauffeured through or achieving the best frame rates when playing Genshin Impact.
The camera specs might not be the best around, but they’re likely more than enough for any jet-setting CEO.
Vertu
To help those underappreciated CEOs achieve their definitely-well-meaning goals, the Alphafold is packed with agentic AI tools. Vertu claims that these tools will not only do things like analyze your company’s data but can even make strategic recommendations.
Unsurprisingly, Vertu is keen to make it clear that the AI will not operate wholly on its own, stating that it “should function as a trusted execution partner for decision-makers, not as an unrestricted autonomous system.” So no need to worry that your phone will decide to sell your company when its stock hits a high or opt to ironically vote you off the executive board because you’ve trusted decision-making to your phone.
There’s a whole load of other business-focused stuff and AI trickery on board, but as someone whose income is somewhat below the threshold of literally any of Vertu’s customers, my interest started to wane once I was done looking at the pictures of the luxury device — just like when I used to read in school.
The big internal screen is the best place to look at your company spreadsheets or whatever it is that business folk do.
Vertu
Still, I’m genuinely keen to see this thing in the flesh and take an opportunity to see what using such an elite handset is actually like. Then I guess I’ll have to come back down to earth with a bump when I have to return to my disgustingly cheap iPhone 17 Pro like I’m in some kind of Dickensian slum. Gross.
Forza Horizon 6 has already launched on Xbox Game Pass as a day one release, making May a big month for the subscription service. Still, what Microsoft gives, it also takes away, as two phenomenal JRPGs – Metaphor: ReFantazio and Persona 4 Golden – will leave the service at the end of the month.
Xbox Game Pass, a CNET Editors’ Choice award pick, offers a wide selection of games that you can play on your Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One and PC or mobile device for as little as $10 a month. And with a subscription to the higher-tiered Game Pass Ultimate ($23 a month), you can access hundreds of games, including new ones the day they’re released, each month.
Here are the games Microsoft plans to bring to Game Pass in May. You can also check out other games the company added to the service in April, including Hades 2, and more options in our list of the best gaming subscriptions.
Forza Horizon 6
On Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass now.
Forza Horizon 6 is the latest open-world racing game from Playground Games. This time, players can speed around Japan, from the busy cities to the countryside roads. More than 550 cars are available to collect via races, seasonal events and online challenges. The game continues the arcade-style racing the series is known for, and with more car customizations, a deeper progression system and dynamic weather changes affecting road conditions.
Dead Static Drive
On Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass now.
Dead Static Drive mixes road trip exploration, survival horror and action gameplay in a strange post-apocalyptic world filled with supernatural threats. Players travel across highways and down while scavenging supplies, upgrading vehicles and fighting bizarre creatures. The game combines tense combat with quiet exploration, creating an eerie atmosphere with retro graphics.
Pigeon Simulator is a sandbox game unlike any other. As a pigeon, it’s up to the player to create as much disruption as possible in order to complete objectives, annoying pedestrians out for a walk and making use of the game’s unique physics systems. Players can fly over streets, knock over objects and find hidden secrets in this absolutely absurd game.
Remnant 2
On Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass now.
The soulslike subgenre is popular among gamers, and the Remnant franchise does a little something different by replacing swords with guns. In Remnant 2, players will fight off monsters and giant bosses in a world filled with secrets and loot. The sequel improves on the original by having more ways to customize your character and larger-scale battles intended for solo or cooperative play.
Luna Abyss
On Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass now.
Luna Abyss is a fast-paced first-person shooter set in a mysterious underground colony. The sci-fi horror shooter has players descending deeper into a massive prison facility while battling enemies and learning the secrets of what happened here. The game offers stylish combat with fast movement as the story is told via the environments, which creates a tense and exciting experience built around shooting and exploration.
Escape Simulator
Coming to Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass on May 26.
Players work together to solve puzzles and uncover hidden clues in Escape Simulator. The cooperative escape room experience puts players in themed areas such as mysterious labs or fantasy dungeons. Each room introduces new mechanics and requires teams to work together to escape. The game’s online community can also contribute to the game by creating their own rooms with custom scenarios.
Echo Generation 2
Coming to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on May 27.
Echo Generation 2 continues the voxel-inspired RPG series with a new adventure focused on supernatural mysteries with turn-based combat. Players explore strange towns, investigate paranormal events and battle bizarre enemies. The sequel expands on the original game’s storytelling and combat system while keeping the colorful visuals and quirky humor.
The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition
Coming to Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass on May 27.
The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition is the complete, remastered version of the 2019 sci-fi RPG from Obsidian Entertainment. This version includes the previously released DLC, a higher level cap, better graphics, improved performance, additional animations and more improvements on the original game.
Crashout Crew
Coming to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on May 28.
A mix of party game chaos and cooperative action, Crashout Crew throws players into unpredictable arenas filled with traps, obstacles and physics-based mayhem. Players race to complete objectives while trying to survive the hectic action. Fast matches, colorful visuals and multiplayer gameplay make it easy to play online with friends or strangers.
Kabuto Park
Coming to Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass on May 28.
Collecting rare insects and exploring colorful outdoor environments are at the center of Kabuto Park. You have to search forests and parks to find new species while upgrading equipment to compete in bug tournaments. The cheerful art style blends with exploration and creature collection, making for a relaxing game about finding bugs.
Final Fantasy 6
Coming to Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass on June 2.
Final Fantasy 6 is not only one of the best Final Fantasy games, but it’s also one of the best games ever. First released on the SNES in 1994, the game follows a cast of characters out to save the world. This version is part of the Pixel Remaster for the older Final Fantasy 2D games that improves on the visuals, updates the audio and adds modern gameplay improvements so new and returning players can enjoy.
Jurassic World Evolution 3
Coming to Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass on June 2.
Building and managing a dinosaur theme park returns in Jurassic World Evolution 3. As the park manager, you’ll have to balance guest entertainment, scientific research and park security while also dealing with those giant dinosaurs just waiting to take over the island. Expanded customized tools, a new management system and improved creature behaviors improve on the previous games while adding more depth to the simulation gameplay, giving players a taste of what running a dinosaur park could feel like.
Watch this: Your Phone is Disgusting: Let’s Fix That
Games that are leaving the service
While Microsoft is adding the above games to Game Pass, it will also remove five games, including two amazing JRPGs: Metaphor: ReFantazio and Persona 4 Golden. If you want to finish either of these games before the end of the month, now is the time as these games take many hours to beat.
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