Want CNET to notify you of price drops and the latest stories?
No, thank you Accept
X
7 Sleep Myths DebunkedSony Xperia 1 V ReviewApple Watch Ultra DealBest Credit CardsFind Movers You Can TrustBest Solar CompaniesGmail's New AI FeatureVerizon 5G Home Internet
CNET logo Why You Can Trust CNET

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement

Luxury phone maker Vertu bought by exiled Turkish businessman

Hakan Uzan is a mysterious figure who's battled Nokia, Motorola and Donald Trump in court.

katie-collins_1.jpg
katie-collins_1.jpg
Katie Collins Senior European Correspondent
Katie a UK-based news reporter and features writer. Officially, she is CNET's European correspondent, covering tech policy and Big Tech in the EU and UK. Unofficially, she serves as CNET's Taylor Swift correspondent. You can also find her writing about tech for good, ethics and human rights, the climate crisis, robots, travel and digital culture. She was once described a "living synth" by London's Evening Standard for having a microchip injected into her hand.
See full bio
Katie Collins
vertu-new-signature-touch-2015.jpg

Vertu's phones are a whole different kind of high end.

 Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Advertiser Disclosure
Advertiser Disclosure
This advertising widget is powered by Navi and contains advertisements that Navi may be paid for in different ways. You will not be charged for engaging with this advertisement. While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, this advertising widget does not include information about every product or service that may be available to you. We make reasonable efforts to ensure that information in the featured advertisements is up to date, each advertiser featured in this widget is responsible for the accuracy and availability of its offer details. It is possible that your actual offer terms from an advertiser may be different than the offer terms in this advertising widget and the advertised offers may be subject to additional terms and conditions of the advertiser which will be presented to you prior to making a purchase. All information is presented without any warranty or guarantee to you.

British phone maker Vertu has long been considered unique because it designs and makes all of its devices on site at a small plant in the Hampshire countryside.

Now the luxury tech company has been snapped up by exiled Turkish businessman Hakan Uzan for £50 million ($60 million), the Telegraph reported Monday.

Vertu is known for making phones with sapphire screens, titanium frames and leather cladding that can cost up to £40,000 apiece. Included in the deal is a concierge on speed dial.

The company was created by Nokia in the 1990s, but was sold off in 2012 and subsequently changed hands multiple times.

Now it's in the hands of Baferton Ltd., a company owned by Uzan, who has endured legal wranglings with Nokia, Motorola and President Donald Trump. Uzan's family has opposed Turkey's president, Recep Erdogan, and have been exiled from the country since 2009. The family received political asylum in France, but its whereabouts are unknown.

"Vertu is a powerful brand with an acknowledged market niche," a spokesman for Uzan told the Telegraph. "I look forward to working with the team and providing the investment to enable Vertu to realise its full potential."

Baferton Ltd could not immediately be reached for additional comment.