Buying a smartphone off-contract isn’t cheap these days — especially not if you buy from luxury handset maker Vertu. The company’s latest offering is the Aster, an Android-powered device with a sapphire glass screen, front-facing Dolby stereo speakers, and an incredible $6,900 price tag.

With the Aster, Vertu is combining the high-quality materials it is famous for with cutting-edge specifications that allow the device to compete with the likes of the Galaxy S5 and the LG G3. So in addition to its titanium chassis and 117-carat sapphire glass, users get a 4.7-inch 1080p display, a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 801 processor, and a 13-megapixel Hasselblad-certified rear-facing camera with dual LED flash.

The Aster also offers a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera, NFC, Qi wireless charging, and a 2,250mAh battery.

Prices start at $6,900, but if you want to swap the leather back for snake skin, the price rises to $9,100. It goes up again to $9,700 if you want your device wrapped in ostrich skin. Vertu is launching an online customization service — kind of like Moto Maker for the Moto X — which will allow customers to choose which combination they want.

One of the reasons why the Aster is more affordable than siblings like the $10,300 Signature Touch is that it comes with just six months of Vertu’s concierge service as opposed to 12. If that doesn’t put you off and you feel the need to spend crazy amounts of cash on a phone, you can order the Aster now from Vertu’s online store.

• SourceVertu
• ViaAndroid Central