Welcome to Unbox’s “Viral Fridays” where we feature weirder than usual tech and geek related news to cap out the week.
Here comes another outrageous, crazy-luxurious piece of technology from China – the 8488 Titanium Mobile Palace Edition smartphone with a price tag of $2880 (~Php 145K). Why the insane pricing? Well, the 8488 Titanium Mobile Palace Edition is decked in 18-karat gold and features a screen made from sapphire glass. Too bad it doesn’t really contain titanium.
8488 Titanium Mobile Palace Edition
- Qualcomm octa-core processor
- 4GB RAM
- 5-inch FHD display, 1920 x 1080 resolution, sapphire glass
- 128GB internal storage
- 21-megapixel rear camera
- 30-megapixel front camera
- Dual SIM
- 18-karat gold-plated engraving
- Calf-skin leather cover
Chinese company 8848 Phones, known for manufacturing luxury gadgets, created the phone in partnership with the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City in China. Popular haute couture fashion designer Lawrence Xu also pitched in work on the smartphone. Only 999 units will be sold, making it a limited-time exclusive.
Not surprisingly, the whole gaudy debacle has caused an uproar on Chinese social media. Forumites on Weibo declared the phone “ostentatious” and a “stain on the sacredness of the imperial city.” “I always picture the Ancient Emperor strolling through the Forbidden City holding a smartphone,” said another poster, in begrudging sarcasm.
The Palace Museum, the most-visited museum in the world, now reeling from social media backlash, has recently backtracked on its support of the project, saying “We don’t sell mobile phones.” Too late for that, bro.
