Most expensive phones in the world 2023

Luxury is being able to afford what is useless. Technical characteristics are revered by the typical smartphone user but not necessarily by the elite. In the eyes of the rich, the "best smartphone" should exude elegance and command respect, a reoccurring characteristic among the most expensive phones in the world.

With some inlaid with the most valuable gems, and others created in limited editions at the request of the world's billionaires, this page provides a comprehensive list of the most expensive phones ever produced:

The Boucheron-designed Vertu Signature Cobra, which has over 388 UK-coupled components, is the eleventh most expensive phone in the world.

The ultra-luxurious device is a conventional mobile phone, at least in terms of its features, with a distinctive appearance, owing mostly to the huge snake covering the entire front. 

Boucheron included 439 rubies in the Signature Cobra, with the snake's eyes composed of two emeralds and two diamonds.

The Signature Cobra is coated in gold and includes leather on the sides to transmit a high-quality grip, completing this very pricey phone's suite of luxury elements.

Being one of the most expensive phones in the world, the Vertu Signature Cobra places luxury and ostentation over utility and performance in a terminal that will have a very restricted distribution since only eight devices were manufactured for worldwide circulation.

As a bonus for purchasing one of the most expensive phones in the world, buyers will get a little medallion. 

However, with its 2-inch QVGA screen (240 x 320 px), 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of storage, Linux-based operating system (logically Symbian), Bluetooth 4.1 (with Qualcomm aptX audio codec for headphones), WiFi N, 3G, and lack of a camera and 4G, the Signature, unlike other products of the brand, is not a smartphone; rather, it resembles a conventional feature phone such as the Nokia 3310.

As one of the most expensive phones in the world, the whole Vertu Signature Cobra package, available solely in China on the JD.com website, is delivered by helicopter.

Made with 29-carat VVS-1 (carbon steel)-graded diamonds and 18 pink and white gold carats covering most of the body, the Goldvish Revolution is the tenth most expensive phone in the world.

As one of the world's most expensive phones, the Goldvish Revolution has highly integrated functions, as it saves over a thousand contacts and is coupled with a traditional Swiss watch at the bottom.

The $488,150 Goldvish Revolution, coated with diamonds and white and pink gold, was introduced at Baselworld 2009, which took place from March 26 to April 2 at the Basel Exhibition Centre in Switzerland, as one of the most expensive phones in the world.

The phone, designed by Emmanuel Gueit, and the clock, created by Frederic Jouvenot, are limited editions, with a total production of nine copies. 

Composed of 180 grammes of gold and 45.5 carats of black diamonds, the Gresso Luxor Las Vegas Jackpot is the ninth most expensive phone in the world.

Its 32-karat keypad consists of 17 hand-polished, laser-etched sapphires. Due to its high cost, only three Luxor Las Vegas Jackpot phones were manufactured.

The smartphone's body is composed of over 200-year-old African wood and pure gold, while the keypad is made of sapphire crystal.

Although it is one of the most expensive phones in the world, the Gresso Luxor Las Vegas Jackpot offers no technological advancement since the gadget focuses primarily on the luxury materials from which it is constructed.

Housing 18 carats of white gold and 120 carats of diamond handcrafted in a single, unique copy in 2006 by the Swedish firm Goldvish and designer Emmanuel Gueit, the Goldvish Le Million was once recognised by Guinness World Records as the most expensive phone in the world.

Created in a limited edition of three pieces, the name Le Million is naturally derived from its price, which is exactly one million dollars.

The first two editions of this luxurious gadget were obtained by two unnamed Russian businessmen for 1.2 million USD, while the third has remained unsold to date. 

With its unique cryptographic features, which include an encryption processor, a cryptophone call, crypto SMS, crypto E-mail, an encryption button, the essential power of 1107, a crypto algorithm with symmetric 256-bits, and a key distribution method, Ancort's Diamond Crypto Smartphone is the seventh-most expensive phone. 

Owing to its strong encryption, the Diamond Crypto Smartphone has the edge over its contemporaries as one of the most secure of its type.

Being one of the world's most expensive phones, the Diamond Crypto Smartphone has 18-karat rose gold, 64GB of memory, and a 1350 mAh battery.

The phone, available for $1,300,000, was manufactured by the Russian business Ancort and luxury accessory expert Peter Aloisson. The casing of the Diamond Crypto Smartphone is coated with rose gold and contains 50 diamonds, 10 of which are blue.

The iPhone 3G King Button, designed by Austrian jeweller Peter Aloisson in 2009, is the sixth most expensive phone in the world.

The home button of the ultra-luxurious smartphone is crafted from a rare 6.6-carat diamond, and its 18-karat yellow, white, and rose gold frame is encrusted with 139 diamonds.

This mobile was introduced during the Great Recession with a price of $2,517,346 and was the most expensive at the time.

Manufactured by Stuart Hughes in Liverpool, United Kingdom, for over ten months, the Goldstriker iPhone 3GS Supreme uses 136 diamonds and 271 grammes of 22-karat gold to rank as the fifth most expensive phone in the world.

The iPhone is covered with 271 grammes of solid gold, around 53 diamonds encircle its screen, and its start button is crafted from a 7.1-carat precious stone. In addition, it is packaged in a carved granite chest lined with Kashmiri gold and leather.

Designed by Stuart Hughes, the iPhone 4 Diamond Rose Edition is comprised of rose gold and more than 500 diamonds weighing more than 100 carats, placing it among the most expensive phones in the world.

This highly expensive phone is distinguished by the Apple logo, is adorned with 53 diamonds on the back, and is limited to two copies.

The 8-million-dollar iPhone 4 boasts identical features to the ordinary model, including a Retina display, an Apple A4 CPU, a 5-megapixel camera, and 32 GB of storage capacity. The sole difference is that it is set with 500 diamonds, 53 of which form the Apple logo, for 100 carats.

The phone's rear is likewise rose gold, while the front button is platinum and includes a 7.4-carat single-cut diamond that may transform into a pink diamond depending on the user's preference.

Despite being the fourth most expensive phone in the world, this amazing iPhone is not for sale since it was custom-designed by Stuart Hughes for the mining mogul and wealthy Australian businessman Tony Sage.

Being two of the most expensive phones in the world, the phones were sent in a 7-kilogram box cut from a slab of pink granite and finished in imperial rose with a top-grain Nubuck leather interior.

Constructed with over 500 flawless diamonds contributing over 100 carats to its construction and sold for $9.4 million, the iPhone 4s Elite Gold is the third-most expensive phone in the world.

The Apple logo is encrusted with 53 diamonds, the rear cover is solid gold, and the home button and its borders are encrusted with diamonds. Just two productions of the 4S Elite Gold with 64 GB of internal memory have ever been issued.

This limited and personalised version of Apple's antique smartphone was presented in an equally magnificent chiselled platinum box inlaid with T-Rex dinosaur bone, raising its worth as one of the most expensive phones in the world.

Five hundred diamonds weighing one hundred carats are included in the device's design. Twenty-five of these five hundred gems comprise the Apple logo. The gold used is 24 karats, and the screen's button is composed of a single piece weighing 2.6 karats.

The gold and diamond-encrusted iPhone 5 Black Diamond, priced at 15 million dollars, is the second-most expensive phone in the world. The ultra-luxurious smartphone is a creation of famous British jeweller Stuart Hughes for a rich Chinese customer.

Although the chassis of this very rare iPhone 5 is composed of 26-karat gold and 600 "perfect" white diamonds, the device's moniker is derived from the 24-karat black diamond installed in lieu of the Home button.

The Apple logo was transformed into pure gold and given a 3D look by the inclusion of 53 small diamonds, making it one of the most expensive phones in the world. The iPhone 5 Diamond Black took nine weeks to build.

The iPhone's screen is covered with sapphire glass rather than the more conventional Gorilla Glass, which is a big factor in its designation as one of the most expensive phones in the world.

Sapphire makes it possible to build ultra-resistant glass, but since it is 10 times more costly than Gorilla Glass, it is reserved for sophisticated timepieces and luxury items such as a gadget classified as one of the most expensive phones in the world.

Stuart Hughes planned to build more Black Diamond iPhones for interested clients, but since Apple discontinued software support for the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c in 2017, the iPhone Black Diamond is now obsolete.

The American luxury firm Falcon's Supernova iPhone 6 Pink Diamond, plated in platinum, 24-karat gold, and rose gold with a beautiful pink diamond on the back, is the world's most expensive phone.

The ultra-luxurious smartphone is available in two variants: the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, each of which is adorned with a pink diamond and is offered in three body styles:

1. Falcon SuperNova Platinum Pink Diamond iPhone encased in 950 platinum
2. Falco SuperNova Rose Gold Pink Diamond iPhone in 18K Rose Gold
3. iPhone Pink Diamond Falcon SuperNova 18K Gold in 18K yellow gold

The Falcon SuperNova collection consists of the iPhone 6 (4.7-inch screen) and iPhone 6 Plus (5.5-inch screen), both of which feature 128GB of internal storage and are unlocked for international usage.

The phone purchase includes a 24/7 concierge service, a privacy-protecting mobile app, a 5-year guarantee against defects, and delivery by FedEx, the top US carrier.

The most expensive phone in the world is exclusively available at Dubai's flagship shops upon request; however, consumers can acquire an iPhone 6 Pink Diamond from one of two watered-down variants.

The first diluted version is priced at $42.5 million and has an orange diamond on its back, while the second version is priced at $32.5 million and features a blue diamond.