When HTC launched the HTC Exodus 1 smartphone last year - it took the markets by surprise. The company had introduced just the perfect smartphone for crypto and blockchain users. At the time of the launch, HTC Exodus 1 was available for purchase only via cryptocurrency payments. However, HTC has now announced that this smartphone can now be purchased via fiat money.
In the past, users needed to pay for the HTC Exodus 1 in Bitcoin or Ether. However, this smartphone can now be purchased for US Dollars - just like you’d buy any other smartphone! This announcement from HTC came during the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona. The company announced that their $699 smartphone is now available for purchase in exchange for US Dollars. However, the HTC Exodus 1 will remain an online exclusive for now.
HTC’s Decentralized Chief Officer commented on whether the phone would have any carrier tie-ups in the future:
“We’ve already had some conversation that’s preliminary but part of why we’re going to Mobile World Congress is to have those conversations.”
At the same event, HTC also announced that they are integrating the Opera web browser with the Exodus smartphone. This will allow the users to make micropayments over the Opera browser via the cryptocurrencies stored in their Zion wallet.
HTC Exodus 1 vs Samsung Galaxy S10
The timing of the decision to make the HTC Exodus 1 available for USD purchases is rather interesting. This announcement comes just at the time when Samsung Galaxy S10 came out. The latest Samsung flagship smartphone features a built-in crypto wallet, which we now know to be powered by Enjin Wallet. The phone also offers a Samsung Blockchain Keystore which will allow the users to download and run dApps on their smartphone.
However, while the HTC Exodus 1 offers many other crypto-focused features and is essentially a smartphone built for cryptocurrency and blockchain enthusiasts, Samsung’s Galaxy S10 is a regular smartphone which also happens to have a crypto-wallet. Moreover, the prices too vary. Samsung Galaxy S10 starts at $749 while the HTC Exodus 1 is priced in at $699.
MANA Spikes after Getting Listed on HTC Exodus 1
On another interesting note, Decentraland (MANA) token was officially announced to be supported by the HTC Exodus 1 smartphone. This announcement was made official via a Tweet which read:
We're excited to announce our new partnership with HTC! We'll be working with HTC to bring the Decentraland ecosystem to the Exodus 1, HTC's blockchain enabled phone, complete with an integrated hardware wallet.
Before the announcement, MANA was priced in at $0.0363. However, in less than 24 hours - the price jumped by 60% as it reached $0.0581. This is an interesting trend which was also spotted in the Enjin Token (ENJ) as it spiked by 200% after its tie-up with Samsung was announced.
Stay tuned with us at Cryptoground for more updates from the world of cryptocurrencies and the blockchain technology!
