We’ve all seen them, we’ve all either wanted them or thought of them as ugly, and some of us may have even owned one, if we were lucky or simply rich enough – super luxury, decked out smartphones. The trend is normally relegated to the latest iPhones and Galaxy handsets, where incredible craftsmanship meets the most premium of materials in a daring, unironically opulent show of defiance against the existence of words like “necessary” and “reasonable”. Whether such phones are incredibly beautiful personal indulgences for the incredibly wealthy, status symbols for the shark-infested waters of high society or just plain ugly is purely subjective, but the fact is that they are made, and they are actually bought. The latest example, coming from Russian maker Caviar, puts a bit of a purpose to all of the luxury, however, and gives patriotic Russians something to be proud of displaying on their handset.
The tamest option, going for about $2,250, is a Samsung Galaxy S7 bearing a golden Russian coat of arms, complete with natural accents along the top and bottom of the device. Stepping up to the hardcore precious metal affairs, the next step up is about $2,400 for a Galaxy S7 with a yellow gold backing, bearing the Russian coat of arms on the bottom, and up top, the visage of Vladimir Putin, encircled by a raised gold dais bearing his name. The same handset is available with a mix of white and yellow gold, for about $2,550. If you’re willing to up the ante to around $30,000, however, you can treat yourself to the gold model with a tweak; around the Russian president’s face, you’ll find 190 tiny rubies. The precious stones sit within the raised gold circle. This particular model, however, will only be produced three times.
While there are tons of smartphones out there that are pricey for a range of reasons, from extra-high security to a luxury brand name, not many super high-end luxury phones can lay claim to being jewel-encrusted. Even less surround a world leader’s face with gems. Extremely few, if not only this one, bear a small army of jewels surrounding the visage of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
