18-carat solid gold cell phone going on sale later this year

Are you a fan of $60,000, 18-carat solid gold phones that can’t do just about anything more reasonably-priced phones can do? Well, obscenely rich person, allow me introduce you to the Aesir AE+Y.

The AE+Y features a 18 carat solid gold case with a keypad that is equally ridiculous as the phone itself – with “advanced LED backlighting”, whatever that means. As for what it doesn’t feature, the AE+Y comes sans email, games, apps, built-in camera or GPS navigation. It does come with speed dial, call forwarding and a calculator, though.

To be fair to Aesir, the lack of features and absurd design are, well, by design. This isn’t a phone for your normal Joe – Aesir is designing it for the ultra-wealthy, fashion-forward elite of the world. It’s both a fashion statement and proof, should it be required, that you’re filthy rich.

“It’s a collector’s item. People are used to collecting, say, watches, while designer phones is a practically empty niche,” Aesir founder Thomas Jensen told Reuters.

For the rich (as opposed to the obscenely rich) Aesir will also be introducing a stainless steel version of the phone, which comes with a more reasonable price tag, relatively speaking, of around $10,000.

Aesir will be crafting the original run of the phone in limited quantity, reportedly around 5,000. The AE+Y, and the stainless steel version, will debut in Europe this fall, with a US release expected sometime shortly thereafter.

via Reuters