February 21, 2019 9:42 PM
Samsung's move may put pressure on "blockchain phones" like the FINNEY and Exodus 1 to add features.
On Wednesday, February 20, Samsung unveiled[1] its latest smartphone, which it says has the ability to keep your private keys secure.
According to Samsung's press release, the Galaxy S10 delivers a number of snazzy features including an upgraded camera, intelligent Wi-Fi, and security software and hardware that "houses your private keys for blockchain-enabled mobile services."
The security is partially provided by Samsung Knox[2], "a defense-grade enterprise mobile security platform" that can "separate data and constantly check the integrity of the device…[and]… detect any tampering and ensure data is secure."
It's unclear whether the S10 will have other features of a cold wallet beyond private key protection.
Samsung certainly seems to be positioning itself to cut off potential blockchain-based phone competitors, namely the FINNEY and Exodus 1[3]. Although the latter phones, produced by Sirin Labs and HTC, respectively, do not have the same brand recognizability as Samsung, they do have a head start in terms of crypto functionality. The FINNEY, for example, comes with a cold wallet that uses separate hardware and a separate power system from the rest of the phone. While the physical features of the phone have received some criticism, the reviews[4] concerning the phone's operations, crypto-compatibility, and ease of use have been mostly positive.
The Exodus 1 phone also uses a hardware wallet that secures one's private keys using a "trusted execution environment" separate from the phone's operating system. The Zion crypto wallet is compatible with bitcoin, Litecoin, Ether, and a smattering of nonfungible tokens from the Ethereum network. The reviews[5] of the Exodus 1 phone
