On January 14, HTC finally began the shipments of the long-awaited "blockchain smartphone" Exodus 1, which had been planned back in December. The main difference between the Exodus 1 and ordinary smartphones is that it runs on the Exodus blockchain and has a built-in cryptocurrency wallet. And although having a cryptocurrency wallet is an advantage of this smartphone, nevertheless, since the Exodus 1 will be used as a smartphone far more often than for receiving or sending cryptocurrency, it is necessary to understand what features it can offer compared to flagship Android-based device models such as the Goggle Pixel 3 ($799) or the Samsung Galaxy S9 ($720).
The HTC Exodus 1 smartphone is hard to confuse with anything else. Even if you have very large hands, holding the device in one hand will not be easy. Here the Edge Sense 2 technology proves more useful than ever, providing the ability to operate with one hand when double-tapping either side of the device. The cost of the device, measuring 157x74x9.7 mm and weighing 188 grams, is $750 (or the equivalent of this amount in BTC, LTC or ETH).
The functionality built into the Exodus 1 smartphone:
- 6-inch Quad HD+ display with an 18:9 aspect ratio
- 3500 mAh battery
- 12 MP + 16 MP main camera with high-quality zoom
- 8 MP+8 MP dual front camera with bokeh effect
- Audio recording with 4k/60fps 3D quality
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor
- 6 GB of DDR4x RAM
- 128 GB of storage
The Exodus 1 has twice the internal memory compared to the Galaxy S9, which has the same processor and cameras with similar resolution. The Exodus 1's battery size is similar to the battery of the larger S9+, which has the same 6 GB of RAM. However, the thickness of the Samsung S9 and S9+ devices is 1.2 mm less than the HTC phone. The Google Pixel 3 smartphone has only 4 GB of RAM, a smaller battery capacity, and the same processor as the Exodus 1. On the other hand, the Pixel 3 has a number of advantages – its main camera, although with a lower resolution, significantly surpasses the Exodus 1's camera. In addition, it is much thinner (7.9 mm), has a built-in eSIM card, and runs on a newer version of Android.
Thus, the new Exodus 1 smartphone model from HTC, except for being slightly clumsy, is, in its main parameters, not inferior to the leading models of its competitors Samsung and Google, although it is unlikely to impress iPhone owners with its aesthetics. However, if you are an Android user, you should like the new blockchain smartphone. The phone's screen adjusts to any position, even if the user is lying down. The Edge Sense function ensures that the phone does not go into standby mode while it is in your hand, and the fingerprint scanner located on the back panel is very sensitive and convenient.
Now let us turn to the exclusive feature of this mobile device from HTC – the built-in hardware crypto wallet, and try to figure out whether this exclusive feature is worth choosing the Exodus 1 for.
The Exodus 1 comes with the Zion crypto wallet application preloaded. Despite its limited functionality, the application works quite well. The key to the cryptocurrency wallet is stored in a special "secure enclave" isolated from the device's other components and its operating system. The Zion wallet supports the digital currencies BTC, LTC, ETH, some ERC721 and ERC20 tokens (for example, BAT – the native token of the Brave browser, which is also installed on the device).
The process of sending and receiving cryptocurrencies is quite simple, and the wallet's user interface is clear. The wallet section for storing downloaded collectibles is not very convenient – for example, after downloading a Cryptokittie cat, you will only have access to its small image, without the ability to view it in full-screen mode or read its characteristics (cattributes). This is annoying. In terms of privacy, the wallet lags a little. For example, the device lacks the ability to create new cryptocurrency addresses, so the user ends up tied to the same three wallets for BTC, LTC and ETH, unless of course they decide to create a completely new seed phrase and install a different wallet.
Very useful is the availability of so-called social recovery, which allows you to choose trusted friends who will help restore the wallet in case the phone is lost. Although this presents an additional attack vector, cryptocurrency users will be willing to make this compromise in exchange for access to their funds. Undoubtedly, owning a blockchain smartphone has its downsides. The very fact that you are the owner of such a device indicates that you have crypto, which instantly turns you into a target for attackers. And if you are also lazy and access the phone via the fingerprint scanner, any criminal or law enforcement representative will be able to easily turn on your device.
It is also worth mentioning the shortcomings present in the new smartphone from HTC. The biggest shortcoming of the Exodus 1 is the not-good-enough cryptocurrency wallet, which, however, can be improved with a few software updates. On the other hand, even if the phone has advanced features and support for more cryptocurrencies, you are unlikely to want to store a large amount of funds in the Zion wallet. Whether it is a secure enclave or something else, the Exodus 1 is hardly likely to be more reliable than any other cryptocurrency wallet.
Summing up, it can be said that overall the Exodus 1 smartphone from HTC significantly surpasses Sirin Labs' Finney blockchain phone and may lay claim to the title of leading smartphone in a still practically empty niche. Also, whatever the further fate of the Exodus 1, smartphone manufacturers will most likely continue their attempts to enter the crypto industry. Given Samsung's recent actions, it is quite possible that this tech giant could become the next company to join the ranks of blockchain phone manufacturers.
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