Caviar is usually content with taking an iPhone or Galaxy and putting enough gold and gemstones on it so that it looks like it came out of King Tut’s tomb. However, it wanted to do something outside the (gilded) box with the Caviar Origin concept, which is something fairly unique.
The phone takes inspiration from the now-defunct
luxury phone maker Vertu. That is the classic Vertu phones, the ones before the
unsuccessful attempt to transition from Nokia S40 software to Android.
If you guessed “Android” you’d be right.
However, Android was chosen mainly for app support – WhatsApp emerged as highly
important among Caviar users, other apps will be featured as well. Android’s
touch-centric interface was not a consideration. In fact, we’re not even sure
whether the Origin has a touchscreen or not. Caviar redesigned the interface to
use soft keys like in the good old days. And, of course, there’s a standard
phone keypad for number and text input.
Well, as standard as a gold-plated keypad
can be. Speaking of, the company hasn’t decided what materials to use with this
phone, the unit you see in the photos and in the video is just a prototype. The
company says that the Caviar Origin will be available in the fourth quarter of
this year and that prices will start at $1,000. There’s no upper limit, of
course, because the cost of the precious metals and gemstones far outweighs the
cost of the electronics.
