Vertu wants executives to pay $6,880 for an AI agent — here’s how it actually performs
Vertu wants executives to pay $6,880 for an AI agent — here’s how it actually performs
Vertu 希望高管们花 6880 美元购买一个 AI 智能体——它的实际表现如何？
AI has become the smartphone industry’s latest battleground, with manufacturers racing to add AI-powered features to attract mainstream consumers. Vertu is taking a different path. The UK-founded luxury phone maker, known for hand-finished devices often costing tens of thousands of dollars, sells status instead of specs. Its Alphafold, a foldable phone, targets affluent buyers, particularly chief executives, pairing luxury materials with an AI agent designed to automate parts of an executive’s working day. 人工智能已成为智能手机行业的最新战场，各大厂商竞相增加 AI 功能以吸引大众消费者。Vertu 则选择了不同的道路。这家总部位于英国的奢侈手机制造商以手工打造、动辄数万美元的设备而闻名，它卖的是身份地位而非硬件参数。其折叠屏手机 Alphafold 瞄准了富裕买家，尤其是企业高管，将奢华材质与旨在自动化处理高管日常工作流程的 AI 智能体相结合。
So I put that pitch to the test. Rather than focusing on benchmark scores, camera comparisons, and media consumption — the staples of most smartphone reviews — I spent a few days using the foldable the way Vertu says its customers would: managing documents, analyzing spreadsheets and contracts, planning business trips, automating routine tasks, and relying on its AI agent as a digital companion throughout the working day. The question wasn’t whether it was a good smartphone, but whether it was a good executive smartphone. 于是，我亲自对这一卖点进行了测试。我没有关注跑分、相机对比或媒体播放等大多数手机评测的重点，而是花了几天时间，按照 Vertu 所设想的方式使用这款折叠屏手机：管理文档、分析电子表格和合同、规划商务差旅、自动化处理日常任务，并在整个工作日中将其 AI 智能体作为数字伴侣。问题的关键不在于它是否是一部好手机，而在于它是否是一部好的“高管手机”。
At the heart of the Alphafold is Hermes Agent, a pre-installed AI agent built on top of the open-source Hermes project, which the company says can analyze files, automate tasks across apps, remember conversations, and hand off requests to a human concierge when needed. Unlike most smartphone AI assistants that largely just respond to prompts, Hermes is designed to execute multi-step workflows on users’ behalf, making it the centerpiece of Vertu’s pitch rather than the foldable hardware itself. Alphafold 的核心是 Hermes Agent，这是一个预装的 AI 智能体，基于开源的 Hermes 项目构建。据该公司称，它可以分析文件、跨应用自动化执行任务、记忆对话，并在需要时将请求转交给人工礼宾服务。与大多数仅能响应提示词的手机 AI 助手不同，Hermes 旨在代表用户执行多步骤的工作流，这使其成为 Vertu 营销的核心，而非折叠屏硬件本身。
Physically, the Alphafold, which starts at $6,880, looks and feels every bit like a luxury device. The review unit I received was wrapped in genuine calfskin leather with titanium accents, setting it apart from mainstream foldables that largely rely on glass or synthetic finishes. It’s clearly built for buyers who see their phone as both a tool and a status symbol. 从外观上看，起售价为 6880 美元的 Alphafold 在视觉和触感上都十足像是一款奢侈品。我收到的评测机包裹着真皮小牛皮，并配有钛金属装饰，这使其与主要采用玻璃或合成材料的主流折叠屏手机区分开来。显然，它是为那些将手机视为工具兼身份象征的买家打造的。
Compared with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, which I used as a reference device throughout this review, the 264-gram Alphafold feels noticeably heavier than Samsung’s 215-gram foldable. The extra weight is apparent during prolonged use, though it never feels unwieldy. The Alphafold’s curved frame also makes it easier to unfold than the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s flatter edges. Samsung’s design, however, feels sleeker and more comfortable to hold when folded, making it easier to use one-handed. 与我在整个评测中作为参考设备的三星 Galaxy Z Fold 7 相比，264 克的 Alphafold 明显比 215 克的折叠屏三星手机更重。长时间使用时，这种额外的重量感很明显，但并不会让人觉得笨重。Alphafold 的弧形边框也使其比 Galaxy Z Fold 7 更平直的边缘更容易展开。不过，三星的设计在折叠状态下感觉更纤薄、握持更舒适，单手操作也更方便。
The Alphafold also arrives in packaging that feels more akin to a jewelry presentation case than a smartphone box. The oversized box opens to reveal neatly arranged drawers containing bundled accessories, including a leather sleeve and charging cables, reinforcing the sense that Vertu is selling a luxury experience rather than just a handset. Alphafold 的包装盒看起来更像是一个珠宝展示盒，而不是手机包装。打开超大的包装盒，可以看到排列整齐的抽屉，里面装着包括皮套和充电线在内的配件，这进一步强化了 Vertu 卖的是一种奢华体验，而不仅仅是一部手机的印象。
Beneath the premium materials, however, the Alphafold tells a different story. During the review, I noticed striking similarities between the device and the $1,100 ZTE Nubia Fold — from the hinge design and dimensions to the placement of the speakers, microphones, and the fingerprint reader. The most visible distinction is Vertu’s leather-clad rear panel, though. System information also revealed ZTE identifiers in parts of the software. 然而，在高端材质之下，Alphafold 的故事却有所不同。在评测过程中，我注意到该设备与售价 1100 美元的中兴努比亚折叠屏手机（ZTE Nubia Fold）有着惊人的相似之处——从铰链设计和尺寸，到扬声器、麦克风和指纹识别器的位置。不过，最明显的区别在于 Vertu 的皮革后盖。系统信息也显示，部分软件中存在中兴的标识。
When asked about these observations, Vertu confirmed to TechCrunch that the Alphafold was developed through a specialist supply-chain partnership involving ZTE/Nubia’s hardware platform, component integration, and production engineering. However, the company said it was responsible for the luxury materials, software experience, quality control, and after-sales service. ZTE did not respond to a request for comments. 当被问及这些观察结果时，Vertu 向 TechCrunch 证实，Alphafold 是通过与中兴/努比亚在硬件平台、组件集成和生产工程方面的专业供应链合作开发的。不过，该公司表示，他们负责奢侈材质、软件体验、质量控制和售后服务。中兴通讯未回应置评请求。
This isn’t new for Vertu. In a 2023 review of the MetaVertu, Wired reported that the device appeared to be based on a ZTE Nubia handset, citing hardware similarities and comments from Counterpoint Research that Vertu had been adapting existing ZTE models with luxury materials and custom software. Still, focusing solely on the hardware misses the point of the Alphafold. Vertu’s real bet is not on building a better foldable but on whether executives will pay for an AI agent that helps them get through the working day more efficiently. 这对 Vertu 来说并不新鲜。在 2023 年对 MetaVertu 的评测中，《连线》杂志报道称该设备似乎基于中兴努比亚手机，并引用了硬件相似性以及 Counterpoint Research 的评论，称 Vertu 一直在用奢侈材质和定制软件改造现有的中兴机型。尽管如此，仅仅关注硬件就忽略了 Alphafold 的重点。Vertu 真正的赌注不在于制造更好的折叠屏手机，而在于高管们是否愿意为能够帮助他们更高效地完成日常工作的 AI 智能体买单。
Over several days, I used the Alphafold as my primary smartphone, replacing routine prompts with real executive-style workflows. Instead of asking Hermes to write emails or answer trivia questions, I tasked it with analyzing spreadsheets and contracts, planning business trips, managing my schedule, and automating actions across multiple apps. I then compared the experience with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 running Google’s Gemini. 在几天的时间里，我将 Alphafold 作为主力机使用，用真实的高管工作流取代了常规的提示词。我没有让 Hermes 写邮件或回答琐碎问题，而是让它分析电子表格和合同、规划商务差旅、管理日程，并跨多个应用自动化执行操作。随后，我将其体验与运行谷歌 Gemini 的三星 Galaxy Z Fold 7 进行了对比。
The testing evolved as I went. Early software builds struggled to upload files, analyze images, and connect to Vertu’s concierge service. After I reported these issues to Vertu, the company rolled out server-side fixes that restored the missing functionality, allowing the remaining tests to be completed. What emerged over days of testing was a more nuanced picture than the company’s claims might suggest. 测试过程随着我的深入而演变。早期的软件版本在上传文件、分析图像以及连接 Vertu 礼宾服务时存在困难。在我向 Vertu 反馈这些问题后，公司推出了服务器端修复程序，恢复了缺失的功能，使剩余的测试得以完成。经过几天的测试，呈现出的结果比该公司宣传的要复杂得多。
Hermes impressed when analyzing local files and spreadsheets, areas where Gemini on Samsung’s foldable still relied on manually uploaded documents during my testing. It was also more willing to automate actions across apps and complete multi-step workflows. But that greater autonomy came with trade-offs, raising questions about when an AI should act independently and when it should ask for clarification. Can Vertu’s Hermes Agent replace an executive assistant? One of the first tests simulated a common executive scenario before leaving for the airport. I asked Hermes Agent on the Alphafold to message a contact that I was running 20 minutes late, navigate to the airport, swi Hermes 在分析本地文件和电子表格时表现出色，而在我的测试中，三星折叠屏上的 Gemini 在这些方面仍依赖于手动上传文档。它也更愿意跨应用自动化执行操作并完成多步骤工作流。但这种更高的自主性也带来了权衡，引发了关于 AI 何时应独立行动、何时应寻求确认的问题。Vertu 的 Hermes Agent 能取代行政助理吗？最初的测试之一是模拟高管在前往机场前的一个常见场景。我让 Alphafold 上的 Hermes Agent 给联系人发消息说我会迟到 20 分钟，导航到机场，swi…