Silent Circle has released an upgrade to its previous Blackphone at this year’s ongoing Mobile World Congress, the Blackphone 2 with upgraded hardware and software. It also announced the Blackphone+ tablet which will ship later this year. Blackphone is known for its best in class security and privacy features which cannot be found on any other phone.
The phone runs on a modified version of Android called PrivatOS, which means that it’s compatible with all Android apps. The latest phone is running on Version 1.1 of PrivatOS. The Blackphone 2 secures calls, texts, and contacts using its own apps called Silent Phone, Silent Text, and Silent Contacts respectively. The apps are available to anyone with a standard Android device for sending and receiving encrypted messages. One of the main selling points of the Blackphone is the different user profiles it supports through the “Spaces” feature. Each account is entirely isolated and it feels an entirely different phone upon switching accounts.
In addition to all this, the Blackphone 2 allows users to remotely wipe their phones in case it is ever lost. The Blackphone 2 is also great for enterprise professionals as it allows them to scan QR codes and set up their phones. The security settings on the phone allow users to manage the type of information coming and going from every single app, breaking down data into categories such as contacts, location, and more. Silent Circle has also announced a $128 bounty for anyone who finds bugs within the software.
In terms of the hardware, the Blackphone 2 comes with a 5.5 inch full HD display with Corning Glass 3 protection. It features an unspecified octa-core processor with 3 GB RAM. Additionally, the Blackphone 2 sports a 3,060mAh battery, which features quick charging. The Blackphone 2 is available from $649 and the phone’s price includes two years of security services that guards against unsafe WiFi networks, private browsing, and secure cloud file storage. The availability dates for the Blackphone 2 are still unclear but we expect it to ship in the later half of 2015.
With the launch of Blackphone 2, Silent Circle is planning to outpace BlackBerry and take its spot in the corporate world. Certainly, BlackBerry is not resting on its laurels and released the BlackBerry Leap at this years MWC. However, with limited availability we feel that Blackphone has still a long way to go if it wants to match the greatness of BlackBerry.
