Phones are far from a meagre investment. However, there are expensive phones, and then there are gold-plated bejewelled art installations.
What is the Most Expensive Phone in the World?
In a bid to win the battle of lofty opulence, collectible phones dressed in gold leaf and diamonds have been populating the market. A thriving nexus between technology, business, and luxury artistry has unfurled ostentatious creations, boasting precious gemstones, mind-boggling creative vision, and eye-watering price tags. Read on to discover the ten most expensive mobile phones in the world.
10. GoldVish Revolution: $488,150
Sweeping in at nearly half a million dollars, only nine units of the GoldVish Revolution have been manufactured. It is the brainchild of Swiss luxury mobile manufacturer GoldVish and Swiss watchmaker Frederic Jouvenot. A slender oval-shaped handset, the body is enveloped in 18 carats of pink and white gold and embedded with 29 carats of VVS-1 diamonds. The bottom portion of the mobile bears a detachable mechanical watch by Frederic Jouvenot, an award-winning luxury watch designer.
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9. Gresso Luxor Las Vegas Jackpot: $1 Million
Gresso, the luxury smartphone and eyewear brand, certainly teased the boundaries by creating a million-dollar phone back in 2010. Plated with 180 grammes of gold, 45.5 carats of black diamonds symmetrically border the phone screen. 200-year-old African blackwood encases the back of the handset, and laser-engraved crystal sapphires dot the keypad. Inspired by the heady excess of Las Vegas, the handset embodies decadent opulence. The black and gold colour palette is highly reminiscent of an Egyptian luxury resort located on the Las Vegas strip, known for its cash-deluged casinos.
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8. Goldvish Le Million: $1.2 Million
Created by the aforementioned Swiss luxury smartphone brand Goldvish, Le Million was released in 2006 and soon became a Guinness World Record holder for being the world’s most expensive phone at the time. Its defining feature is its distinctive shape, having been described as a “boomerang” and a “thumb.”. The grand facade contributed to the awe-worthy net worth. Designed by Emmanuel Gueit, the handset is made with 18 carats of white gold and encrusted with 120 carats of VVS-1-graded diamonds. Only three units of the eccentrically shaped phone were ever made, two of which were bought by unnamed businessmen.
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7. Diamond Crypto Smartphone: $1.3 Million
Created by JSC Ancort in 2006, the Diamond Crypto Smartphone gained notoriety in the early 2000s for its sheer exorbitance. Designed by Austrian jeweller Peter Aloisson, the brick-like body is made with 18-carat rose gold and platinum. Over 50 diamonds are embedded on the phone, ten of which are rare blue ones. Unlike other phones of its time, it was the most secure phone in the world, as any data coming into and leaving the device could be encrypted by the owner. It was marketed as a device that would protect the powerful from “kidnapping, technological blackmail, and financial extortion.”.
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6. iPhone 3G Kings Button: $2.5 Million
The iPhone 3G Kings Button is a blinged-up iPhone 3GS. Created in 2009, the handset was ornamented by the aforementioned Austrian jeweller Peter Aloisson. The device is enveloped in 18-carat yellow gold, white gold, and rose gold and decked in 138 brilliant-cut diamonds. The crown jewel (quite literally) is the phone’s home button, which is a 6.6-carat diamond.
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5. Goldstriker iPhone 3GS Supreme: $3.2 Million
Sweeping in at $3.2 million is another bejewelled iPhone 3GS, crafted by the late luxury British designer Stuart Hughes. His design company, Goldstriker, was known for its outlandish creative ventures, which entailed bedazzling objects with precious metals. With a 22-carat gold casing, the model is studded with 136 diamonds. The Apple logo is encrusted with 36 diamonds. The home button is a rare, single-cut 7.1-carat diamond, and its protective case is a seven-kilogramme granite block ornamented with Kashmir gold and Nubuck leather lining. It took ten months to create this masterpiece, which was allegedly sold to an unidentified gold mining businessman.
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4. Stuart Hughes iPhone 4 Diamond Rose: $8 Million
A labour of love by the aforementioned Liverpool-based designer Stuart Hughes for renowned Australian businessman Tony Sage, the Diamond Rose edition of the then voguish iPhone 4 earned the title of the world’s most expensive phone in 2010. Conceptually, it is strikingly similar to the 2009 Goldstriker iPhone 3GS Supreme. Dripping in startling rose gold, the bezel is lined with over 500 diamonds, which cumulatively amount to 100 carats. 53 diamonds carve out the Apple logo on the phone’s back. The navigation button is a 7.4-carat pink diamond set in platinum, which can be swapped with an eight-carat single-cut diamond.
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3. Stuart Hughes iPhone 4S Elite Gold: $9.4 Million
Coming in again with a $9.4 million-worth blingy iPhone, Stuart Hughes certainly left behind a legacy of unabashed extravagance. A quintessential Stuart Hughes model, 500 diamonds line the edges of the phone, which amount to a total of 100 carats. 24 carats of gold encase the rear side. The gold-leafed Apple logo boasts 53 diamonds. A 7.4-carat single-cut diamond acts as the phone’s navigation button. The fragile luxury of the phone is protected by a solid platinum chest embellished with bits of real T-Rex bone, opal, pietersite, charoite, rutile quartz, and star sunstone. With a mere two units having been manufactured, only one was snagged by an anonymous business tycoon.
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2. iPhone 5 Black Diamond: $15.9 Million
Another gem by the glitzy creative genius Stuart Hughes, the iPhone 5 Black Diamond edition was created in 2013. An unnamed Chinese businessman commissioned the iconoclastic designer to incorporate his coveted 26-carat black diamond into his iPhone 5. An elevated take on Hughes’ classic methodology, the phone was encased in solid gold and adorned with 600 white diamonds. The Apple logo was dazzlingly traced with 53 diamonds. The businessman’s black diamond was laid in place of the navigation button. The screen was crafted with premium sapphire glass.
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1. Falcon Supernova iPhone 6 Pink Diamond: $48.5 Million
Handcrafted in 2014, the Falcon Supernova iPhone 6 has steadfastly remained the world’s most expensive phone for a decade. This exclusive edition of the iPhone 6 will set you back a whopping $48.5 million. Created by American luxury brand Falcon, the Supernova iPhone 6 models are available with 24-carat gold, rose gold, and platinum coatings. Enveloped in one of the three precious frontages, the emerald-cut pink diamond nestling on the phone’s rear steals the spotlight. Marginally cheaper versions of this model are available – the Falcon Supernova with an orange diamond is priced at $42.5 million, and the model outfitted with a blue diamond is priced at $32.5 million. The phone’s add-on is a pair of earpods worth $300,000. For an additional $4.75 million, the Falcon Supernova will be festooned with a blue sapphire on the back.
Exclusivity, excess, and extravagance epitomise the world’s most expensive phones. Beyond simply an ode to life’s opulent beauties, these phones are undeniably incredible collectibles. An unparalleled status symbol, it’s time to consider adding one of these unabashedly bejewelled phones to your luxury kitty.
