HTC, as was rumored recently, has finally launched the Blockchain-based smartphone, named the Exodus 1. Interestingly, the first of its kind device is going to be sold only through Cryptocurrency, and the pricing is fixed at 0.15 Bitcoin (BTC) or 4.78 Ethereum (ETH). If the current price of Bitcoin is taken into consideration, the cost of the Exodus 1 is around $975, and since the price of the phone is fixed in terms of Crypto, the value would keep changing in terms of fiat money.
The need to make a smartphone based on Blockchain is to offer security to the users, who wish to keep their Crypto portfolio safe in a hardware / cold wallet. The HTC Exodus 1 has a secured wallet that keeps itself in a secure area separate from the Android OS, and this wallet can keep not only the regular Cryptocurrency but also tokens. The wallet is called Zion.
Each Exodus phone would be acting as a Node to facilitate bitcoin trading among users. The company has made a social key recovery mechanism in case your phone is lost, stolen, or you misplace your key information. You will be able to keep the recovery details with a few trustworthy friends, who must then download a key management app. HTC will then use a secret sharing algorithm to send the info to your friends, which you can then piece together if needed. The phone is also being opened up for third-party developers to make their own key apps and wallets.
As for the specifications, the HTC Exodus 1 comes with the latest best specs, which are not compromised so that the users take advantage of it as a powerful device. It comes with the 6-inch HD+ display (1440 x 720 pixels), with the 18:9 aspect ratio, and internally there is Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, 3500 mAh battery, and the camera combination includes 16-megapixel dual rear cameras and 8-megapixel dual selfie cameras with a bokeh effect. The video recording is possible at 4K resolution with 60fps.
The HTC Exodus 1 is going to be available in 34 countries and regions, and it is already available for pre-order with the shipping to start in December 2018. The package would include HTC Rapid Charger 3.0 with USB Type-C Cable, HTC Clear Case, & HTC USonic Adaptive Earphones.
Why selling the Exodus 1 through Cryptocurrency?
According to HTC, bringing the phone and selling it through Crypto is to get it into the mainstream users who are already trading and know what this means for them. Phil Chen, head of HTC’s blockchain initiative said, “Selling it 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.”
This also would mean that the price of the Exodus phone won’t be constant but that is the case with the Crypto market as well.
