Security-focussed Blackphone 2 now available to order, extra privacy and flagship specs at a premium price

Silent Circle has released its second privacy-focussed smartphone. The Android-powered Blackphone 2 boasts some of the best security features around, as well as some flagship specifications. But, all this does come at a fairly hefty price tag…

The phone’s security comes from its custom operating system. Silent OS is based on Android, but doesn’t have any bloatware, doesn’t leak data anywhere and gives users complete control of what information they share, and what they don’t. For instance, with ‘Spaces’ you can have separate ‘virtual phones’, giving you the option to have a personal phone and a work phone in one device. Information and account details aren’t shared between spaces, keeping work and life completely separate. For companies, there are enterprise spaces, letting corporations and business set and control a specific ‘space’ on their employees’ phones.

As well as that, there’s ‘Silent Phone’, which offers peer-to-peer encrypted audio and video calling as well as secure messaging. What’s more, it has ‘Smarter Wi-Fi’, helping customers avoid sketchy wireless networks. If that wasn’t enough, Silent OS has a ridiculously quick vulnerability management system. Silent Circle promises that any major vulnerabilities in the software are patched within 72 hours of discovery, with updates coming directly from the company without any delays from carriers.

Along with the enhanced security and privacy, the Blackphone 2 comes with some great sounding specs. It has a FullHD 5.5-inch display covered in Gorilla Glass. Inside is an unnamed octa-core Snapdragon processor (probably 810) as well as 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage, which can be expanded up to 128GB more via MicroSD. The internal 3,060mAh battery supports Quick Charge 2.0, and the 13MP camera on the back should easily be good enough for most customers.

It’s clear from the feature list that the device is aimed directly at the enterprise, and nowhere is that more obvious than when you go to purchase one and see the price tag. An unlocked, SIM-free Blackphone 2 will cost a princely $799. Only big businesses with a value for enhanced security would see a phone with this spec-list and believe it’s worth $800. If you want to order one, you can grab it direct from Silent Circle’s online store. If you want the privacy, without the price tag, the previous generation Blackphone is still available for $629. Or, you could wait for the BlackBerry PRIV which is due to be released very soon.

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