YouTube influencer Marques Brownlee has taken a strong stance against the Vertu Agent Q, a luxury smartphone priced at over $5, 000 USD. Despite boasting a supposedly advanced 24/7 AI assistant, Brownlee found the feature lacking and far from user-friendly.

In the description of his January 10, 2026 video, Brownlee urged viewers, “Do not buy this phone, and don’t fall for their website slop.” His review focused on the extravagant features and exorbitant price of this “Ultra Luxury” device.

Brownlee evaluated the technical specifications of the Vertu Agent Q and suggested that, based on the hardware alone, a fair retail price should only range between $800 and $1, 000 USD. Instead, the phone set him back a staggering $5, 380 USD, excluding taxes and shipping costs.

Critique of the AI Assistant

Having extensively tested the device for several weeks, Brownlee acknowledged that some features were indeed superior to standard smartphones. He commended the phone’s design and certain internal components, but his optimism waned when scrutinizing the camera’s advertised capabilities.

Virtu Agent Q phone
Virtu

As stated on Vertu’s website, “Time is the ultimate luxury, ” but Brownlee cautioned not to squander time or money on this model.

The issue became particularly evident when testing the AI assistant feature. A dedicated red button activates the Vertu Life app, which promises round-the-clock assistance for a variety of requests, from dining reservations to travel planning.

Initially, Brownlee used the AI to order a t-shirt from his own website, and the process seemed to operate smoothly. The assistant inquired about his shirt size and preferred shipping address. However, discrepancies arose when the AI quoted a price of $20.30 USD for a shirt listed at $29 USD on his site.

Additionally, the AI instructed him to wait until 10 AM Beijing time to complete the order. This inconsistency prompted him to question whether he was interacting with a human or an AI. The response, “It’s real man, ” left much to be desired, both in content and grammar.

Beneath the surface, Brownlee delved deeper into the Vertu product lineup, uncovering luxurious items such as phones priced at $55, 600 USD and even a toothbrush costing $370, 000 USD. He remarked that the website felt like “AI slop, ” filled with marketing jargon that lacked substantive meaning and coherence.

In an era where premium devices are competing on quality and value, Brownlee’s critique sheds light on the disparity between luxury marketing and actual product performance.

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