Blockchain technology is changing the world! Over the years, there have been several innovations which have come out in this sector - and blockchain smartphones are all the rage these days! HTC has been working towards this for quite some time and their blockchain smartphone has finally arrived: the HTC Exodus 1. The device comes with a blockchain-integration and also supports a cryptocurrency wallet.
This phone was announced by the company back in May - and was finally unveiled in Berlin, Germany yesterday. Shipments of the HTC Exodus 1 will begin in December. The phone has been priced in at 0.15 BTC and 4.78 ETH for early buyers. The amount is closely equivalent to $960. The phone can be purchased via the HTC Exodus website.
HTC Exodus 1 comes out into the markets with a built-in cryptocurrency wallet called ‘Zion’. This wallet was developed by HTC and it runs from a secure enclave on the phone’s chip which is different from where the Android OS runs. HTC’s Decentralized Chief Officer Phil Chen said in a comment to CNBC:
“Think of [the enclave] as a micro OS that runs in parallel with Android. It basically is a wallet, but the wallet, what it does is hold your private keys. The reason why you do a blockchain phone is … for everybody just to own their own keys. Everything starts there. When you start owning your own keys, then you can start owning your own digital identity, then you can start to own data.”
HTC’s blockchain-based Exodus 1 smartphone comes out into the markets with a 6-inch Quad HD+ display which offers an aspect ratio of 18:9. It comes with fast charging support as well as a massive 3,500 mAh battery which ensures that the phone lasts longer. HTC Exodus 1 features a 12MP+16MP dual camera setup on the back, as well as an 8MP+8MP dual camera setup on the front.
The HTC Exodus 1 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor and comes along with a 128 GB built-in UFS 2.1 storage. It features 6 GB of RAM and offers IP68 protection against water and dust. It runs on the Android Oreo Operating System. The phone is a single-SIM device which supports VoLTE as well as Wi-Fi calling.
The phone will be made available across 34 countries, including Hong Kong, Singapore, the United States, the United Kingdom and other European countries. This phone will not be available in China because of their clampdown on cryptocurrencies.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Chen commented:
“Selling [the phone] in crypto only and being the first to do so means we are bringing this directly to the core audience and those who will want this device – the blockchain community. It reflects our belief in cryptocurrencies – in fact we had to recreate and overcome many processes internally, as well as find new distributors, so that we can achieve the goal of only accepting cryptocurrencies as the form of payment.”
It is common knowledge that HTC has been struggling to survive and stay afloat in the markets over the past few months. The company has been facing a major financial crisis and their sales have been hitting a rock-bottom. About a year ago, Google helped bail out HTC by acquiring their Pixel division for $1.1 Billion. However, the company continues to be in troubled waters since then - but continues to experiment with such unique devices. It will be interesting to see how the crypto-community reacts to HTC Exodus 1, the blockchain smartphone.