Vertu Aster: The best all-round luxury smartphone?

The luxury smartphone market is dominated by devices claiming to be the top performers, whatever their niche audience.

Take the recently released £9,500 Sirin Labs Solarin. It's a phone its creators claim is the most secure in the world. With 256-bit encryption at the flick of a switch, it could well be.

But it may not be the most appealing. A fat, heavy design and some sub-par features like the cameras make the Solarin look like a one-trick pony. The luxury smartphone market needs a jack of all trades.

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The Vertu Aster – the luxury smartphone maker's mid-range device – could well be the best option on the market. Digital Trends calls it a "no compromise, luxury smartphone," because it's pitched closer to the kind of smartphones you'll encounter every day.

"It's simple. If you are considering a Vertu phone, then buy the Aster," says the site. With a starting price of £3,000, it's the cheapest phone the company makes, but all things considered it's also the best all-rounder.

The Aster uses a 4.7ins full HD display with a sapphire crystal screen. It's a similar setup to the iPhone, but the sapphire crystal glass is a protective measure that Apple's latest smartphones lack.

Powering the smartphone is a Qualcomm snapdragon 801 chipset mated to 2GB RAM. Out of the box, the Aster runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat and the main 13 megapixel camera is joined by a 2.1 megapixel selfie snapper on the front of the device. The standard phone comes with wireless charging capabilities.

It's a two-year-old device. In the time between now and its launch in 2014, the Aster has been matched or surpassed by the likes of the iPhone 7 and Samsung Galaxy S7 when it comes to power, software and camera quality. But luxury smartphones are typically bought for two reasons – design and the perks you get with it.

At just over a centimetre thick, the Aster isn't a thin device but it's a beautiful smartphone with a luxury handmade body crafted out of titanium and leather. Digital Trends says that "not one angle is unattractive, not one screw, panel, or material used feels wrong".

It's Vertu's cheapest phone, but it still comes with the same concierge feature you'll find on the company's more expensive devices. Buy one, and you'll get a real life personal assistant thrown in, always on the line when you call, wherever you happen to be.

The service for the Aster is free for the first six months – you'll have to pay a subscription fee thereafter. Alongside having a concierge team at your beck and call, you'll get very exclusive offers too. Discounts on luxury watches and tables at the most exclusive restaurants are the norm with a phone like this.

£3,000 secures you access to Vertu's services, but some Aster models stretch up to £7,200. Extensive personalisation options are offered as well.