New and improved Blackphone 2 from Silent Circle Comes With 5.5-Inch Display
In today’s world, privacy and security are the two things that hover over everyone’s mind. Blackphone, a joint venture between Silent Circle and Geeksphone, that was released last year, was the first Android phone manufactured for those who wanted more security and privacy.
Blackphone was intentionally made keeping in mind privacy and security at the forefront and is run on a forked version of Android previously called PrivatOS and now renamed “Silent OS,” which puts it more in line with the company’s other “Silent” products. Thanks to the encryption and special software, all calls and texts made with the phone are secure from all the inquisitive eyes.
Recently, Silent Circle who acquired Geeksphone’s share of the business released the Blackphone 2 earlier this year at Mobile World Congress. However, there was no clarity as to when would be the new phone available. The company quietly announced that you can preorder the BlackPhone 2 now, ahead of its September release.
The original Silent Circle device, the Blackphone, was very much a mid-range Android device when launched. However, Blackphone 2, the privacy-obsessed phone has more mid-range specs this time around.
The original Silent Circle device features a 4.7-inch, 720p display, a 2.0 GHz NVIDIA Tegra 4i processor and comes with 1GB of RAM. It includes a number of Silent-branded applications for secure, end to end, encrypted communication including voice, messaging and email. These applications work best when used in conjunction with another Blackphone. Customers also receive one year free subscription with the Blackphone.
On the other hand, Blackphone 2 comes with a 5.5-inch display with 1080p (1920×1080 pixels) resolution along with a Gorilla Glass 3 display. The device features a octa core 64-bit processor coupled with 3GB of RAM. It comes with an in-built storage of 32GB, which can be expandable with a microSD card.
The device is powered by a 3,060mAh battery and it will also have Quick Charge 2.0 capability. It will support 3G, GSM, WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth. On the camera front, Blackphone 2 will feature a 13MP rear camera, while the front-facing shooter will be 5MP.
Silent OS is a security-and privacy-focused OS that comes without bloatware, carrier software or other leaky data, according to the company. The OS supports “Spaces,” a feature that allows users and companies to create isolated operating system accounts that don’t interact with each other and therefore, remain more secure.
Each virtual phone can be customized to your liking and no data is shared between them. This is perfect not only for work but also for play and other family members. Blackphone 2 is also compatible with Google’s Android for Work program.
One advantage that Blackphones hold over other Android smartphones is that security patches can arrive much more quickly. Silent Circle promised to patch discovered security bugs within 72 hours, and in the past, the company has managed to live up to this promise.
However the Blackphone 1 was not so secure as Silent Circle claimed it to be. It was hacked in 5 minutes flat at the DefCon in 2014 and in 2015, it was reported that the Silent Circle messaging app called Silent Text was vulnerable to flaw.
The security flaw was present in Blackphone’s secure text messaging application, Silent Text, which is bundled with the phone and is also available for free on Google Play.
The pricing for the Blackphone 2 is unknown and Silent Circle directs the interested customers to contact Silent Circle’s sales team for more information or for a pre-order.
