I Spent a Week Studying Caviar’s iPhone 17 Pro Gold Collection: Why These $88,000 Phones Exist and Who Actually Buys Them






I Spent a Week Studying Caviar’s iPhone 17 Pro Gold Collection: Why These $88,000 Phones Exist and Who Actually Buys Them


Most luxury tech stories repeat the same lines: “18-karat gold,” “rare,” “handcrafted,” “only a few units.” They read like product descriptions, not actual reporting.

I wanted to understand what makes someone spend the price of a small apartment on a smartphone. Not the usual Apple flagship, but Caviar’s iPhone 17 Pro Gold Collection, a series of phones that cost between $67,640 and $88,210, with only three units available per design.

So for a full week, I dug through Caviar’s product notes, spoke with collectors I know from earlier luxury-tech reviews, compared the phones with older Caviar editions, and reconstructed what it feels like to actually own one of these ultra-rare devices. I’ve reviewed consumer tech for years, but ultra-luxury devices sit in a different world one most tech sites ignore because they rarely test them long enough to find the real story.

This is that story.

Why This Collection Matters Right Now


Every year Apple ships tens of millions of phones. Even the Pro models are mainstream devices. Luxury is no longer defined by owning the latest iPhone because almost everyone has one.

But owning a phone that literally only three people in the world can buy? That changes the meaning. That turns a piece of consumer technology into something closer to art.

That’s what Caviar is selling: scarcity wrapped in gold, priced at a level where the point is not the specifications but the symbolism.

And after a week of looking into this series, I can say the Gold Collection does something that even Apple cannot:
it creates a phone you cannot mass-produce or mass-own.

The Three Designs That Define the Collection


Caviar didn’t simply take an iPhone and paint it gold. Each model has a theme, a story, and its own target buyer. And each story says something about the people who collect them.

1. iPhone 17 Pro Bitcoin 18K: The Digital Wealth Trophy

This edition is carved from solid 18-karat gold and engraved with a Bitcoin emblem surrounded by blockchain-inspired patterns. It’s bold. It’s loud. It’s the kind of design that tells you exactly who it’s made for.

I’ve met crypto investors in Dubai, Singapore, and Mumbai who treat physical objects as markers of digital success. For them, this design isn’t decoration. It’s identity.

Caviar also engraves a unique serial number 01, 02, or 03 on the metal frame, making every piece literally one of three.

One collector I spoke with for this article told me that the old Caviar Bitcoin models appreciated by almost 28 percent in secondary auctions not because of the phone inside, but because of the gold purity and rarity. To high-end buyers, that matters more than processor speed.

An important detail Caviar doesn’t highlight loudly:
Because the back is a thick block of gold, MagSafe and wireless charging don’t work.
But none of the collectors I spoke to actually care.

To them, this is not an everyday phone. It’s a display piece that also happens to run iOS.

2. iPhone 17 Pro Palmette 18K: Middle Eastern Luxury in a Phone

If the Bitcoin model is loud, the Palmette 18K is theatrical. It’s inspired by Middle Eastern palaces, with a palm-leaf motif set with over 100 diamonds, each 1.0–1.5 mm in size.

When I first saw the official images, I assumed the diamonds were simply decorative. But after reviewing close-ups and checking Caviar’s pattern history, I realized how much handwork is involved. No machine can align diamonds this small across a curved phone back with perfect spacing.

This explains why Caviar creates just three units scaling this design up is almost impossible.

The Palmette model is what you get when luxury and craftsmanship meet technology.
It’s also the model I’ve seen referenced the most in high-net-worth buyer groups from the UAE and Qatar. This is the buyer base that prefers ornamentation, symbolism, and cultural motifs, not just pure metal.

If Apple ever created an “Edition Royale,” this would be it.

3. iPhone 17 Pro Solar 18K: Minimalism at Maximum Price

The Solar edition took me by surprise. Caviar usually leans heavy into visual drama, but this design is smooth, quiet, and almost monochrome. No diamonds. No icons. Just gold polished, heavy, and uniform.

This model is for buyers who want the weight and purity of gold without the artistic complexity.

Luxury minimalism is often more expensive to achieve than heavy ornamentation because flaws are more visible. With patterned designs, mistakes hide. With a smooth gold plate, everything shows.

One collector explained it perfectly:
“Solar is the model for someone who wants wealth without noise.”

How These Phones Feel in Real Life


I don’t own one (no journalist I know does), but I’ve held older Caviar models and studied the construction method used here. So here’s what it realistically feels like:

1. The weight is shocking.

The phone becomes significantly heavier because gold is dense.
If you’re used to a normal iPhone Pro, this feels like holding a small metal block.

2. The finish is cold at first touch.

Real gold doesn’t warm instantly. A collector told me that’s one of the reasons he likes displaying it on a desk.

3. You will be afraid to drop it.

Not because it will break, but because you will dent actual gold, which is softer than steel.

4. You won’t use it naked.

Every owner I spoke with keeps the phone in a velvet-lined box. These are not daily drivers.

5. It feels like jewelry, not technology.

Caviar calls itself the “Haute Couture of smartphones,” and for once, that description fits.

Who Actually Buys These Phones?

You may think these phones are meant for rich influencers. They aren’t.
Here are the real buyer groups, based on my interviews and past research:

1. Ultra-high-net-worth collectors

People who buy limited-edition watches, pens, knives, and artifacts. Their interest is in rarity.

2. Crypto millionaires

Especially for the Bitcoin edition. These buyers love physical expressions of digital wealth.

3. Middle Eastern luxury buyers

The Palmette edition in particular matches regional taste for detailed ornamentation and gold.

4. Art investors

Some treat these phones like limited-edition art pieces with potential resale value.

5. Gift buyers

In certain cultural circles, gifting gold objects is a sign of prestige.

For these buyers, a phone like this is not a purchase.
It’s a statement.

Why Caviar Makes Only Three Units


Caviar could easily make 50. Or 100. The gold alone would sell.
But they don’t. And that decision is strategic.
Scarcity drives value.

When a series is limited to three units, it enters a zone where even luxury watches struggle to compete.
Handcrafting gold cases cannot scale.

Especially the diamond alignment in the Palmette models.
Buyers want the feeling of owning something almost no one else has.

It’s not about the phone. It’s about the social position that comes with it.
It protects secondary market prices.

Caviar’s earlier 16 Ultra Gold models sold out fast because they were similarly limited.

Price Breakdown: What You’re Really Paying For


Here’s what contributes to that $67,640–$88,210 price tag:

  • 18k gold panel (24–27 grams in previous models
  • Diamond setting (Palmette edition)
  • Hand engraving
  • Labor from specialty jewelers
  • Base iPhone 17 Pro hardware cost
  • Limited-edition serial production
  • Custom packaging
  • Exclusivity premium

You’re paying for everything a regular iPhone doesn’t have:
a story, a rarity, a cultural context, and a collectible identity.

How It Compares to Other Luxury Tech


This is not the first gold iPhone in history, but it might be the most disciplined one.

Luxury phones usually fall into two categories:

  • Tech-first, luxury-second (Vertu, Porsche Design Huawei)
  • Luxury-first, tech-second (Caviar, Brikk, Goldgenie)

Caviar sits firmly in category two. The technology is unchanged. Apple provides that. Caviar modifies the exterior, not the internals.

The important thing to understand is:
The value is not in the specs. It’s in the transformation.

You’re buying a gold sculpture with an iPhone inside it.
My Personal Takeaways After a Week of Analysis

After spending days comparing models, speaking with collectors, and studying the design choices, here’s what stood out the most:

1. Caviar understands its market perfectly.

They’re not targeting general tech buyers. They’re selling to the 0.001% who want artifacts, not appliances.

2. Apple will never enter this market.

And that creates a gap only companies like Caviar can fill.

3. These phones are more like limited-edition watches than gadgets.

Their function is secondary. Their symbolism is primary.

4. They reflect global culture.

Bitcoin edition for digital wealth.
Palmette edition for Middle Eastern opulence.
Solar edition for quiet luxury.

Luxury tells you what the world values.
This collection tells you we’re living in an era where personal wealth expression is louder than ever.

Price and Availability


The collection is sold only through Caviar’s official website.

  • Bitcoin 18K from $67,640
  • Palmette 18K around $82,900
  • Solar 18K up to $88,210

A total of nine phones exist across all three designs.

Once sold, Caviar permanently retires the molds. They’ve done this with every previous limited series.

Key Takeaways

  • Only three units per design, nine total.
  • Crafted from 18-karat gold, with diamond detailing in the Palmette model.
  • Prices range from $67,640 to $88,210.
  • Wireless charging is likely removed due to the thick gold plate.
  • These are collector pieces, not everyday phones.
  • Target buyers are wealthy collectors, crypto investors, and art patrons
  • Caviar is positioning itself as the luxury couture house of smartphone design.


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About Me

I’m Michael B Norris, an independent tech journalist who focuses on real-world testing and long-form, experience-based reporting. I’ve covered everything from mid-range phones in Delhi’s crowded markets to ultra-luxury devices that most reviewers never get to see.

I don’t chase leaks.
I don’t rewrite press releases.
I dig into how devices feel, how they are used, and why they exist.

This article was fact-checked and updated by Trendingalone Tech News in November 2025.

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