Humans have a natural inclination to constantly explore the limits of craftsmanship. There is a significant cultural phenomenon where individuals seek out diamond-studded watches or embellish various items with gold plating and rare gemstones. Many people enjoy transforming ordinary everyday objects into extravagant status symbols through the addition of precious metals and stones. Therefore it is not surprising that this culture extends to our most utilised possession – our phones.
World's Most Expensive Phone
Picture regular mobile phones studded with precious gems, plated in exquisite metals and encased in the finest materials known to man. Diamond-studded exteriors, ruby stone keypads, and gold casings are what make these gadgets the most expensive phones in the world.
1. Falcon Supernova iPhone 6 Pink Diamond — $48.5 million
I doubt many gadgets in the world can even come close to comparing to the Falcon Supernova iPhone 6 Pink Diamond. When it was launched in 2014, the phone commanded a price tag of $48.5 million, making it the most expensive phone in the world. But what makes this phone so expensive ?
As the name suggests the phone has a huge pink diamond on the back. We don’t exactly have details on how many carats is the diamond but since they claim it to be very rare, pink diamonds can go up to almost $700,000 per carat for a deep, rich pink tone which seems to be the case for this phone.
And looking at its size, it's fair to suggest it makes up for most of its price tag. Apart from that, the phone is coated with 24-carat gold, and buyers had a choice of having it coated in rose gold or platinum. Although the phone is worth more than a beachfront mansion in Palm Jumeirah, on the inside it is still an old iPhone 6. Still, it is the most expensive phone in the world and probably will stay that way for the foreseeable future.
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2. Stuart Hughes iPhone 4S Elite Gold — $9.4 million
$39 million cheaper than the Falcon Supernova, the Stuart Hughes iPhone 4S Elite Gold is the second most expensive phone in the world. Stuart Hughes is a British designer, famous for making customised luxury items out of gold and this phone is his crown achievement and the most expensive phone he’s ever made. Priced at $9.4 million, the phone features almost 500 flawless diamonds around its edge, totalling over 100 carats.
The bezel of this phone was handmade from rosewood and the rear was redone in 24-carat gold. The Apple logo at the back featured 53 diamonds, but what took this phone a step ahead of his other creations was the use of a beautiful single-cut 8.6-carat diamond for the home button and came with an additional 7.6-carat single-cut flawless pink diamond as a spare home button.
Only 2 of these excessive phones were ever made, and they came in a solid platinum box which was topped off with polished pieces of T-rex bones and other precious gemstones like opals, charoite, pietersite and more.
3. Stuart Hughes iPhone 4 Diamond Rose - $6.3 Million
Stuart Hughes is a name that will appear a few times on this list, just because he is the master of making some outlandishly priced phones on the market. Before the iPhone 4S Elite Gold, his most expensive creation was the iPhone 4 Diamond Rose which still holds the title of the third most expensive phone in the world. Similar to the iPhone 4S Elite Gold the phone featured 500 diamonds that add up to over 100 carats.
The rear of the phone is made of solid rose gold and the Apple logo features 53 diamonds. The navigation button is made of platinum and holds a single-cut 7.4-carat pink diamond. As with most ultra-expensive phones, this one came in a unique chest made from a single block of granite in imperial pink.
4. Stuart Hughes iPhone 3Gs Supreme - $3.2 Million
The iPhone 3Gs was launched back in 2009 for $299, with a million being sold within the first week of its launch. One Australian businessman thought he needed something that stood out amongst the crowd, which is when he commissioned the iPhone 3Gs Supreme from none other than Stuart Hughes. The phone took 10 months to make and the whole casing was made from 271 gm of 22-carat solid gold.
The front bezel houses 136 flawless diamonds of colour F which totals a massive 68 carats. As with his other creations the Apple logo on the rear features 53 diamonds and is made of solid gold as well, while the home button houses a rare single-cut 7.1-carat diamond. The chest is made from a solid block of granite in Kashmir Gold and weighs 7 kg. The manufacturer also sent images of how the phone was brought to life.
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5. iPhone 3G Kings Button - $2.41 million
Designed by Austrian jeweller Peter Aloisson, this extravagant phone was crafted in a combination of solid 18-carat yellow gold, white gold and rose gold. The white gold goes around the border of the phone and is embellished with 138 diamonds. The home button is replaced by an exquisite 6.6-carat diamond adding to its extravagance and making it one of the most expensive phones ever made.
6. Stuart Hughes iPhone 3Gs Supreme Rose - $1.93 million
In 2009, Stuart Hughes launched the iPhone 3Gs Supreme Rose. The phone featured a handmade bezel made of platinum with 75 flawless diamonds, totalling 97.5 carats. Also set within the phone are 4 pink baguette diamonds each weighing 2.5 carats.
The rear of the phone was built with 112 gm of 18-carat rose gold along with a rose gold apple logo with 53 diamonds. A signature of Stuart Hughes, the navigation button came fitted with a single-cut 7.1-carat diamond in an 18-carat rose gold mount. The phone also came with a handmade wallet made from real ostrich feet.
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7. Diamond Crypto Smartphone — $1.3 million
Another masterpiece by jeweller Peter Aloisson, the Diamond Crypto Smartphone,-- unlike the name may suggest – had nothing to do with cryptocurrency but a phone that employed powerful encryption technology.
The phone was a Windows CE-based smartphone developed by firm JSC Ancort to provide secure protection of information against kidnapping, technological blackmail, financial fraud and corrupted state officials. Peter bejewelled this state-of-the-art phone with 50 diamonds out of which 10 were blue diamonds bringing its price up to $1.3 million.
8. Goldvish Le Million — $1.3 million
The Goldvish Le Million is a unique dagger-shaped phone made with 18-carat white gold and studded with 120 carats of VVS-I graded diamonds. Goldvish kept this phone very exclusive and limited to just 3 units worldwide. The phone had won the Guinness World Record for the most expensive phone in the world at the time, and it still holds a strong place on that list despite being launched back in 2006.
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9. Gresso Luxor Las Vegas Jackpot — $1 million
Inspired by the luxury and traditions of ancient Egypt mixed with the glamour of Las Vegas the Luxor Las Vegas Jackpot was a remarkable phone featuring some of the most exclusive materials one can find. The case was made from pure gold and weighed about 180 gm while the rest of the phone was adorned with black diamonds and 18-carat gold. The wood used for the back panel comes from a 200-year-old African tree and each keypad was embellished with beautiful gemstones.
10. Vertu Signature Cobra — $504,000
Limited to just 8 pieces worldwide, the Vertu Signature Cobra is an exclusive phone by one of the most renowned luxury phone makers in the world, Vertu. This phone was a collaboration between the brand and French royal jewellery house Frederic Boucheron. The body of the snake is staggered with 439 rubies and set with a round 1.02-carat diamond. Its head was set with a 2.02-carat diamond along with 2 emeralds set for its eyes.
The phone’s keypad took 8 designers 4 years to make and is covered with jewels. Owners could opt for a specialised aircraft delivery, adding to the exclusive experience. These phones were limited to 8 units only and they still have one left.
As it stands with every super expensive asset, they mean more than what they appear on the surface. The actual value of these phones lies in the rare gems, diamonds and precious metals used in the making of these phones, and it is already well-known that they serve as a form of investment. So why not acquire a gadget that can serve both as a phone and also as a rare piece of art symbolising expert craftsmanship and grandeur?
