Shallots launch China’s most expensive phone at $1960


shallots 24k gold phone

Yes, you read that right! Chinese phone maker Shallots have launched a phone made of 24K gold retailing at a whopping 12,888 Yuan!

In China there are very few phones that cost more than the iPhone (the iPhone is usually bought outright with no contract) but in the run up to the Chinese New Year we often see some interesting Chinese products with ludicrous price tags, the idea being you can buy the overpriced piece of tech to really impress someone.

Shallots are hoping to cash in on Spring Festival fever this year and have introduced a smartphone made of (or plated in were not sure) 24K gold.

Gizchina News of the week


shallots 24k gold phone

To be fair the 6-inch phone does pack a high-end specification list including a 2K display, 2.5D glass panel, Snapdragon 810 processor, 4GB RAM, 128GB internal memory (plus room for a 128GB SD card), an 8 mega-pixel front camera and 16 mega-pixel F2.0 rear with PDAF.

At 12,888 Yuan ($1960) it will be way too much for most customers, but keep your eyes on Shallots as they do plan to launch a more affordable 1999 Yuan phone with Snapdragon 820 later this year.

Disclaimer: We may be compensated by some of the companies whose products we talk about, but our articles and reviews are always our honest opinions. For more details, you can check out our editorial guidelines and learn about how we use affiliate links.

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94 Comments

  1. January 28, 2016

    Hhhhhhhhhhaaaaaauuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  2. January 28, 2016

    WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT???????!!!!!!!!!

  3. Tajwar
    January 28, 2016

    ….

    • Dante
      January 28, 2016

      your drawing skills are impressive sir , but insulting my religion of 1pm is gonna cost you…

      CONTAINS :
      1 – ONE PUNCH MAN BAD DRAWN PUN – LIFE

      COST : LIFE
      TAXES : 32 DAYS IN HELL
      TOTAL COST : – 1 LIFE
      OVERALL : DEATH

      THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING US FOR YOUR PURCHASE

  4. bassa
    January 28, 2016

    impressive

  5. Assefa Hanson
    January 28, 2016

    cheap

    • King
      January 28, 2016

      lol

  6. bassa
    January 28, 2016

    I am here to read mohommad yasir’s comment

    • King
      January 28, 2016

      he wouldn’t have read this article …. Andi should have drawn him in … without the price in the title. placed it at the end instead… like a climax. and Muhammad would have been all over this space now. 😀

      • Chico Migraña
        January 30, 2016

        I think he’s dead now he read the title.

        • Muhammad Yasir
          January 30, 2016

          hahaa … that would be too easy now , wont it ?
          still kicking … throat infection get me messed up tho.

      • Muhammad Yasir
        January 30, 2016

        +1 for pointing out shortcomings in the title 😀

        Andi , i hope you’re reading this !

    • Muhammad Yasir
      January 30, 2016

      hi there 🙂 .
      the local winter set me up with the flu so i was like out for sometime 🙂

      you can read my comment above 😀

  7. ;
    January 28, 2016

    No lanyard hole
    Not worth it

    • inquirercet
      January 28, 2016

      LoL

  8. Mobyspace
    January 28, 2016

    Hhhhhhhhhhaaaaaauuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  9. Michael Ogbonnaya
    January 28, 2016

    WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT???????!!!!!!!!!

  10. Tajwar
    January 28, 2016

    ….

    • Dante
      January 28, 2016

      your drawing skills are impressive sir , but insulting my religion of 1pm is gonna cost you…

      CONTAINS :
      1 – ONE PUNCH MAN BAD DRAWN PUN – LIFE

      COST : LIFE
      TAXES : 32 DAYS IN HELL
      TOTAL COST : – 1 LIFE
      OVERALL : DEATH

      THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING US FOR YOUR PURCHASE

    • Tajwar
      January 29, 2016

      And unlike elephone you have speedy customer service. (if they have one that is)

    • Tajwar
      January 29, 2016

      Yeah it came pretty bad looking, but when I’m into it I can do better

    • Dante
      January 30, 2016

      yea pretty good , im more of a digital cartoonist 😛

    • Dante
      January 30, 2016

      lol

  11. Assefa Hanson
    January 28, 2016

    cheap

    • King
      January 29, 2016

      lol

  12. Mesterio
    January 28, 2016

    Seriously 810.??????!!!!!!

  13. bassa
    January 28, 2016

    I am here to read mohommad yasir’s comment

    • King
      January 29, 2016

      he wouldn’t have read this article …. Andi should have drawn him in … without the price in the title. placed it at the end instead… like a climax. and Muhammad would have been all over this space now. 😀

    • Ricardo A.
      January 30, 2016

      I think he’s dead now he read the title.

    • Guest
      January 30, 2016

      hi there 🙂 .
      the local winter set me up with the flu so i was like , out for sometime 🙂

      you can read my comment above 😀

    • Guest
      January 30, 2016

      hi there 🙂 .
      the local winter set me up with the flu so i was like , out for sometime 🙂

      you can read my comment above 😀

    • Guest
      January 30, 2016

      hahaa … that would be too easy now , wont it ?
      still kicking … throat infection get me messed up tho.

    • Guest
      January 30, 2016

      +1 for pointing out shortcomings in the title 😀

      Andi , i hope you’re reading this !

  14. Guest
    January 28, 2016

    No lanyard hole
    Not worth it

    • inquirercet
      January 29, 2016

      LoL

  15. inquirercet
    January 28, 2016

    Here’s the clincher – it’s android 4.4!!!

    • Alexis T
      January 29, 2016

      Android 4.4 is not the problem IMHO. But seriously… no diamonds ? Only 24k Gold ? Can’t see any chinese richmen buying this cheap crap.
      Buff your game, Shallots !

  16. Wolvie
    January 29, 2016

    LOL.

    You will not believe how many rich people in this world willing to pay that hefty sum of money to buy extra premium gadgets compare to donate to those needy people that don’t even have enough money to have a decent daily meal.

    kind of sad to see what we human become now. Freakin’ capitalism in its glory !

    Btw if you got a lot of money to throw away, might as well buy this iphone
    LO and BEHOLD !! Specially designed iphone for those super moronic (but very darn rich) people LOL

    http://www.phonearena.com/news/Did-you-know-that-the-worlds-most-expensive-iPhone-6-costs-as-much-as-a-small-island_id74742

  17. Mesterio
    January 29, 2016

    Seriously 810.??????!!!!!!

  18. inquirercet
    January 29, 2016

    Here’s the clincher – it’s android 4.4!!!

    • NextHype
      January 29, 2016

      Android 4.4 is not the problem IMHO. But seriously… no diamonds ? Only 24k Gold ? Can’t see any chinese richmen buying this cheap crap.
      Buff your game, Shallots !

  19. Guest
    January 29, 2016

    LOL.

    You will not believe how many rich people in this world willing to pay that hefty sum of money to buy extra premium gadgets compare to donate to those needy people that don’t even have enough money to have a decent daily meal.

    kind of sad to see what we human become now. Freakin’ capitalism in its glory !

    Btw if you got a lot of money to throw away, might as well buy this iphone
    LO and BEHOLD !! Specially designed iphone for those super moronic (but very darn rich) people LOL

    http://www.phonearena.com/news/Did-you-know-that-the-worlds-most-expensive-iPhone-6-costs-as-much-as-a-small-island_id74742

  20. Ionut Johnny
    January 29, 2016

    This is a joke like all the phones that costs more than 400-500 $.

    • balcobomber25
      January 29, 2016

      Depends on the phone. I would pay $500 for a Vivo, they are worth every penny to me.

      • Ionut Johnny
        January 30, 2016

        For the perfect camera that I heard it takes photos so good I’d pay too 😀

        • balcobomber25
          January 30, 2016

          Xshot is still one of the best camera phones ever made.

          • Ionut Johnny
            January 30, 2016

            Shame it still has kit Kat…and I don’t know the price.

            • balcobomber25
              January 30, 2016

              Is there something specifically you need from Lollipop? There are community made updates for FunTouch OS.

              As for price, cheapest I have seen it online is around $459 on Aliexpress. In countries that officially sell Vivo you can find it for under $300.

            • Ionut Johnny
              January 31, 2016

              Indeed you are right if the os works ok you don’t need anything else, just watched a detailed video review made by Linus, the phone works perfect and I found it on :
              http://merimobiles.com/vivo-xshot-x710l-5-2-snapdragon-801-16gb.htm
              But in the specs of says it doesn’t have 4g, do you still recommend it over blu pure xl, maybe?

            • balcobomber25
              January 31, 2016

              Which country do you live in? I believe it has LTE for the worldwide networks (1800, 2100, 2600). I am enjoying the Pure XL and it is a well made phone but the Xshot is still better in my opinion. Vivo devices are just a step above the competition in fit and finish.

            • Ionut Johnny
              January 31, 2016

              România, 2600 is for 4g digi. I use it on redmi note 3 and in the past with k3 note.

  21. iKosh
    January 29, 2016

    Not bad at all, except the 810 which will melt of all the gold from the phone.

  22. Wizy
    January 29, 2016

    Too costly to buy. I will rather go for iPhone or Samsung S6

    http://www.wizytechs.com

  23. balcobomber25
    January 29, 2016

    Gold + SD810 = 2nd degree burns waiting to happen.

    • Tajwar
      January 29, 2016

      + bonus = liquid Gold!!!!

    • Muhammad Yasir
      January 30, 2016

      epic comment !

  24. careeste
    January 29, 2016

    Shallots 24k Liquid Gold ,proudly powered by SD810

  25. Ionut Johnny
    January 29, 2016

    This is a joke like all the phones that costs more than 400-500 $.

    • balcobomber25
      January 29, 2016

      Depends on the phone. I would pay $500 for a Vivo, they are worth every penny to me.

    • Ionut Johnny
      January 30, 2016

      For the perfect camera that I heard it takes photos so good I’d pay too 😀

    • balcobomber25
      January 30, 2016

      Xshot is still one of the best camera phones ever made.

    • Ionut Johnny
      January 30, 2016

      Shame it still has kit Kat…and I don’t know the price.

    • balcobomber25
      January 31, 2016

      Is there something specifically you need from Lollipop? There are community made updates for FunTouch OS.

      As for price, cheapest I have seen it online is around $459 on Aliexpress. In countries that officially sell Vivo you can find it for under $300.

    • Ionut Johnny
      January 31, 2016

      Indeed you are right if the os works ok you don’t need anything else, just watched a detailed video review made by Linus, the phone works perfect and I found it on :
      http://merimobiles.com/vivo-xshot-x710l-5-2-snapdragon-801-16gb.htm
      But in the specs of says it doesn’t have 4g, do you still recommend it over blu pure xl, maybe? Its în the same price point.

    • balcobomber25
      January 31, 2016

      Which country do you live in? I believe it has LTE for the worldwide networks (1800, 2100, 2600). I am enjoying the Pure XL and it is a well made phone but the Xshot is still better in my opinion. Vivo devices are just a step above the competition in fit and finish.

    • Ionut Johnny
      January 31, 2016

      România, 2600 is for 4g digi. I use it on redmi note 3 and in the past with k3 note.

  26. iKosh
    January 29, 2016

    Not bad at all, except the 810 which will melt of all the gold from the phone.

  27. Wizy
    January 29, 2016

    Too costly to buy. I will rather go for iPhone or Samsung S6

    http://www.wizytechs.com

  28. Wizy
    January 29, 2016

    Too costly to buy. I will rather go for iPhone or Samsung S6

    http://www.wizytechs.com

  29. balcobomber25
    January 29, 2016

    Gold + SD810 = 2nd degree burns waiting to happen.

    • Tajwar
      January 29, 2016

      + bonus = liquid Gold!!!!

    • Guest
      January 30, 2016

      epic comment !

  30. careeste
    January 29, 2016

    Shallots 24k Liquid Gold ,proudly powered by SD810

  31. Muhammad Yasir
    January 30, 2016

    could have used the 820 or waited like patient fucks … and go for Helio x30 but noo… a $2000 phone with a built in microwave oven and covered with melt-prone gold will do just fine !

    • Joel Adames
      January 30, 2016

      Someone’s angry

      • Muhammad Yasir
        January 31, 2016

        duh !

  32. Guest
    January 30, 2016

    could have used the 820 or waited like patient fucks … and go for Helio x30 but noo… a $2000 phone with a built in microwave oven and covered with melt-prone gold will do just fine !

    • Joel Adames
      January 31, 2016

      Someone’s angry

    • Guest
      January 31, 2016

      duh !

  33. Cellular Barn
    February 1, 2016

    Interesting, I would love to see a silver one

  34. Cellular Barn
    February 1, 2016

    Interesting, I would love to see a silver one

  35. Kamog
    November 5, 2017

    That’s too costly, i would rather buy Samsung Galaxy s8 or the iPhone x

    Kamogtech.Com

    • Kamog Techs
      November 18, 2017

      That’s too costly, i would rather buy Samsung Galaxy s8 or the iPhone x

      http://www.Kamogtechs.com

  36. Guest
    November 5, 2017

    That’s too costly, i would rather buy Samsung Galaxy s8 or the iPhone x

    Kamogtech.Com

    • Kamog Techs
      November 18, 2017

      That’s too costly, i would rather buy Samsung Galaxy s8 or the iPhone x

      http://www.Kamogtechs.com

  37. UcheTechs
    January 31, 2018

    The phone is very nice and has cool features, but its price tag is much.. Samsung s6 will be ok.

    http://www.uchetechs.com

  38. UcheTechs
    January 31, 2018

    The phone is very nice and has cool features, but its price tag is much.. Samsung s6 will be ok.

    http://www.uchetechs.com