I may be the only person on the Web who defended the Vertu TI when it was announced. Much like a luxury sports car or wristwatch, I thought there could be merit to Vertu’s new $11,000 Android phone.

Vertu has launched a new smartphone, its second in 2014, following the Signature Touch back in June. The new phone is called the Aster, and it comes nearly twelve months after the announcement of the ...