The luxury end of smart phone

Lamborghini’s Tauri available in Korea

By Yun Suh-young

Ordinary people wouldn’t spend more than 1 million won ($1,000) on a smartphone. So, a phone priced at more than 5 million won would be out of the question, and no such phone had been available in the country anyway. That is, until now.

For those who are financially well-off and willing to buy a phone that can indisputably differentiate them from others, here’s the good news.

An Italian sports car brand’s luxury smartphone, the “Tauri 88,” will be sold in Korea for the first time. Tauri is the newest model launched by Lamborghini, and is an upgraded version of its previous model, the Antares. The Antares, however, had not been available for purchase in Korea.

The latest Tauri models were imported to Korea in January as the first Lamborghini phones to be sold locally, and will officially be on sale starting from April. The global price for Tauri is $6,000, which is about 6.7 million Korean won. The importer of the phone, Blusafir Korea, plans to sell 1,500 units in the country.

“Because the phone is handmade by craftsmen, the price inevitably rises. The phone is only available as limited editions,” said Kim Tae-chul, president of Blusafir Korea.

The Tauri is the most expensive smartphone currently available in Korea, and is made of leather and steel.

Other than Lamborghini, Bentley is the only other car brand that manufactures luxury smart phones.

“Vertu for Bentley” is a limited-edition model ― only 2,000 units are available worldwide ― made in collaboration with smart phone manufacturer Vertu. It is decorated with top-quality calf leather with diamond pattern stitches, and is by far the most expensive smart phone in the world priced at $17,100, or about 16 million Korean won. But this phone doesn’t have an official distributor in Korea.

The sales of Tauri mark the opening of the luxury smartphone market in Korea.

“Until now, the smartphone market was dominated by local conglomerates such as Samsung and LG. It had been closed to foreign brands, other than Apple. Now cheap Chinese brands are entering the market and even high-end foreign brands like Lamborghini are carefully making an attempt,” Kim said.

The launch of the luxury phone signals a growing demand for luxury smart gadgets among local consumers.

“When people buy smart phones, it’s not just because of the brand, but they also consider the specifications, price and design as well. Consumers purchasing luxury phones are those who want to differentiate themselves from others. These are usually celebrities or business people who can afford the price,” said Kim Tae-hoo, executive director at Blusafir Korea.

“Some may criticize the phone for its price, but I believe that there are people who have been waiting for such high-end phones. There is ‘luxury’ for various categories, including bags, cars, cosmetics and even gourmet food. It doesn’t make sense that there can’t be luxury smartphones, when it’s a gadget we expose the most to others.”