The HTC Exodus 1, aka the ‘blockchain phone’, is nearly ready to enter the wild, with the company having now confirmed the specs of its forthcoming cryptocurrency handset.
It’s a bit of a beast, too, sporting a 6-inch HD+ display, Snapdragon 845 SoC, and IP68 water-resistance rating. The chipset is backed by 6GB of RAM, there’s 128GB of on-board storage for you to play with, and it packs a 3500mAh battery cell to keep things tickling along.
The Exodus 1 will ship with Android Oreo when it’s released later in the year – December 2018 has been mooted as the expected shipping date – and there’s a pair of 16-megapixel rear cameras and a duo of 8-megapixel front ‘selfie cams’ complete with bokeh effect, for all your snapping needs.
These are all 2018 flagship phone specs similar to the HTC U12+, though the Exodus 1 is potentially poised to be something of a niche device, as it can only be bought using cryptocurrency.
It’ll cost 0.15 BTC (Bitcoin) or 4.78 ETH (Etherum), which is about £735 or $960 (a 2018 flagship price) based on the current ‘exchange rate’. Availability looks to be pretty widespread, though, with the HTC Exodus 1 set to come to the UK, US, and a number of other European countries, as well as going on sale in Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand and Taiwan.
Security is obviously an important factor given the phone is designed to facilitate Bitcoin and other decentralised currency trading, so there’s a sandboxed area that exists outside of the core Android OS where your wallet will live. As part of the pre-order process, HTC is inviting the Exodus 1 community to help shape the phone’s custom software feature set.
Related: Best Android phones
Genesis Block. Exodus Phone.
This is official early access release to the EXODUS 1. We are inviting a community of developers and enthusiasts to work with us to keep building security. Join us in rebuilding trust together, one phone at a time. Get your early access now! pic.twitter.com/sPcNc7wnzj
— HTC EXODUS (@htcexodus) October 23, 2018
Whether the Exodus 1 turns out to be a success or not remains to be seen, but in an increasingly identikit mobile market, it’s nice to see HTC doing something that’s different.
Does a blockchain phone do it for you? Let us know over on Twitter @TrustedReviews.
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.
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.
