Just how much would you spend on a luxury smartphone?

Just as Chinese smartphone makers are beginning to conquer their home turf and emerging markets such as India, some are also trying to enter the hugely competitive super-luxury market by copying what companies such as Vertu do – producing hugely expensive designer phones.

Vertu is a British maker of handmade smartphones, created by Finland’s Nokia originally.

China’s relatively little-known Gionee Communication Equipment recently unveiled an Android smartphone with a jaw-dropping 16,999-yuan price tag.

The Gionee M2017 boasts a 5.7-inch display with 2,560 x 1,440 pixel resolution, with prices going from 6,999 yuan up to 16,999 yuan for an Italian-made alligator-leather-backed device.

Typically, Gionee devices sell for between 399 and 2,999 yuan, but the company is certainly not alone in the rising trend of moving towards the ultra-high-end among China’s smartphone makers.

The Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Design range, for instance, starts at €1,395 (10,350 yuan) while another Beijing smartphone vendor, 8848phone, a company owned by Beijing Ereneben Information Technology, sells one limited-edition model for 19,999 yuan.