Luxury mobile phone maker Vertu has announced the launch of its first Android smartphone in the form of “Vertu Ti” today. The smartphone will be available sometime this month in the US and Europe with a price-tag starting $9,600 and go all the way upto $19,900. The smartphone will be sold for 7,900 euros (£6,994) in Europe.

According to a press release issued by the company, this luxury smartphone packs Android 4.0, 1.7GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 64GB storage, 3.7-inch sapphire crystal display, titanium casing, 8MP rear camera, 1.3MP front camera, and NFC.

Company is clearly not planning to sell the Ti on the basis of specs.

“Vertu will never be at the bleeding edge of technology,” Hutch Hutchison, Vertu’s head of Design said. “It has to be about relevant technology and craftsmanship – it’s not a disposable product,” he added.

Here is the model specific pricing:

• Titanium Black Leather – $9,600
• Titanium Pure Black – $11,500
• Titanium Black Alligator – $12,800
• Black PVD Titanium Red Gold Mixed Metals – $19,900

“VERTU TI is the most rounded product that we have ever designed. The new Android platform and elegant physical presence combined with Vertu’s renowned curated benefits and services deliver a unique and exceptional proposition,” Massimiliano Pogliani, Vertu’s Global Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, said.

Vertu smartphone can only be purchased in 500 retail outlets around the world. <!–