HTC Reveals ‘Exodus’, the First Blockchain-Powered Phone

HTC has revealed HTC Exodus, which will launch with support for multiple blockchains, including bitcoin and Ethereum networks. HTC Vive creator Phil Chen announced the forthcoming project at the Consensus conference in New York City.

The HTC Exodus will feature a native cryptocurrency wallet that would enable users to make and accept crypto payments to other devices. This applies while each device would also act as a node to allow cryptocurrency trading among users.

“Through Exodus, we are excited to be supporting underlying protocols such as Bitcoin, Lightning Networks, Ethereum, Dfinity, and more,” Chen said. “We would like to support the entire blockchain ecosystem, and in the next few months we’ll be announcing many more exciting partnerships together.”

Additionally, the smartphone would also support decentralized apps through the phone’s hardware. It claims it would be more secure than standard apps.

“Our vision is to expand the blockchain ecosystem by creating the world’s first phone dedicated to decentralized applications and security,” HTC said on a website dedicated to the new phone.

“With the release of the HTC Exodus, we can now make this a reality… we believe we can help reshape the internet.”

Furthermore, Chen did not specify either the estimated price of Exodus or the expected release date. But the company may consider cryptocurrency as a means of payment for the upcoming smartphone.

According to Chen, the company aims to start distributing the device in short order.

“We’re looking to ship by the end of this year,” Chen told CoinDesk.

HTC’s global market share in mobile devices declined from nearly 11% in 2011 to less than 1% last year. The company’s high-end smartphone production could reach 500,000 to 1 million this year.

However, those figures were smaller in comparison to Samsung. It’s Korean counterpart reportedly shipped 20 million units of the Galaxy S8 in 2017.

HTC Exodus wasn’t the first blockchain-powered smartphone

Despite HTC’s claim of its phone, the Exodus is not the world’s first blockchain phone.

In April, the blockchain-oriented OS developer and supplier Sirin Labs found a manufacturer for its blockchain smartphone. FIH Mobile, subsidiary of Foxconn Technology, has agreed to help develop the phone. Foxconn’s clients include Apple, Google, Huawei, and Amazon.

Moreover, Sirin Labs recently raised $157 million in an initial coin offering to produce the “Finney.”

Sirin Labs’ $1,000 blockchain smart phone, which was announced September, is scheduled to be released in October this year. The phone allows users to store and spend digital currencies without transaction fees.

The Finney features a 6in 19:9 display, a Snapdragon 845 CPU, 6GB RAM, 128GB storage, and a 3,000mAh battery.

There’s no announcement yet as to when the HTC Exodus will go on sale.