As MWC 2018 draws to a close, we start to see some of the more weird and wonderful devices on show – like the SIKURPhone aka the ‘Bitcoin phone’ that promises to keep your cryptocurrency safe from hackers.
It might not have the looks of the Galaxy S9, but the 5.5-inch SIKURPhone is one MWC’s most interesting devices in that it promises to keep your Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, Ripple and other coins safe.
SIKUR, the company behind the phone (and its predecessor, the GranitePhone), claims the $800 device is ‘unhackable’ – we didn’t quite have the time to test this on the ground in Barcelona, but we can say that it’s one of the most intriguing devices we’ve ever gone hands-on with.
It’s an Android phone that technically runs version 7.0 Nougat, but honestly, it might as well be from Mars. I’ve never seen a more heavily customised mobile OS, but its native cryptocurrency wallet and price monitoring feature certainly help it standout from the crowd.
There are still a few things SIKUR need to iron out. The ~$5000 Bitcoin price the SIKURPhone showed me during my demo was a throwback to the pre-Trump years, leading me to believe it was a pre-production sample. Here’s to hoping it ages gracefully.
There’s also only going to be some 20,000 units available, and the $800 price tag places it firmly in iPhone X territory, which means it’s not exactly a casual buy, .
More consumer-friendly specs include 4GB of RAM and 64GB of on-board storage, a 2800mAh battery cell, a 13-megapixel primary camera and a 5-megapixel front snapper.
You can pre-order a SIKURPhone now, but the company doesn’t expect to start shipping them until at least August 2018 – and there’s no word of UK network availability, either.\
Still, at least it wasn’t the LG K10…
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
