A Smartphone for Consumers Who Want Privacy
IF there’s a symbol for the idea that privacy is on people’s minds, it’s the Blackphone.
The Blackphone, which went on sale this week for $629, is billed as the first smartphone built solely with privacy and security in mind. It is definitely more secure than your average phone, but comes with trade-offs that most consumers might not need or enjoy. It’s probably best for reporters, dissidents and companies concerned with corporate security.
The phone is a collaboration between the Spanish phone maker GeeksPhone and Silent Circle, a communications security company. It offers a pleasingly subtle industrial design, is extremely lightweight and has impressive if not outstanding specs. And it sits between an iPhone 5S and a Samsung Galaxy S5 in size. But compared to those smartphones, the Blackphone offers a very different experience.