NitroKey unveils privacy-focused NitroPhone 1

NitroKey is known for its security devices such as encrypted mobile storage, and physical security keys for secured login. Now, the German company has come up with an advanced mobile NitroPhone 1 with a primary focus on user privacy.

Mobile phones have become an intrinsic part of people's lives, more like an extension of a physical body, as it offers the convenience of getting a job done with a few simple taps on the screen. We can hire a cab, order food, get a plumber for housework, transact money, video chat with people on different continents, take classes online, store study certificates, driving license, and do work sitting at home. With the Covid-19 outbreak, smartphone adoption has accelerated faster than ever before.

With so much usage, there lies a risk, as the phone now houses more personal stuff than cupboards at home. What if it gets stolen or hacks to take control and steal sensitive information? Though, phone manufacturers and mobile OS platform owners such as Google and Apple say they are scaling security to thwart the ever-increasing threat of bad actors, who also are developing intelligent malware to conceal detection. Now, more and more people are falling prey to online frauds.

Here is where NitroPhone 1 comes into play. The company says it is the most secured Android handset on the planet.

It should be noted that NitroPhone 1 has the same hardware as the Google Pixel 4a such as the camera, display, build quality, processor, and battery capacity, but runs NitroKey's proprietary GrapheneOS that promises full security against any malware, zero-day exploits, and even physical tampering to extract information.

Note: Zero-day vulnerability is a software loophole wherein a solution is yet to be found. If left unattended, hackers can exploit it to modify programs, steal data from PCs or a network.

It offers a hardened browser, WebView and PDF viewer, regular fast distribution of security updates, protection against over-the-air exploits by isolating the baseband radio processor using IOMMU, and optional LTE-only mode to significantly reduce the cellular radio attack surface.

NitroKey also offers the option of physical removal of all microphones. A headset can be connected for voice communication.

As far physical tampering is concerned, NitroPhone 1 comes with strong encryption and a Titan M security chip, which promises to shield the device and data stored inside against sophisticated physical attacks.

The new NitroPhone 1. Credit: NitroKey

The new NitroPhone 1 supports the verified boot that ensures that the operating system has not been altered at any point in time.

The NitroKey phone also comes with an automatic kill switch, that makes the phone intuitively shut down after inactivity of the pre-set time period.

It also boasts a PIN layout scrambling feature, which enables users to enter PIN in public without being watched. It also comes with an integrated fingerprint sensor.

Also, another interesting aspect of NitroPhone 1 is that it has no cloud or Google Play service integration by default. If the users want to download third-party apps, they can be installed as sandboxed apps.

[Note: Sandboxed apps are isolated applications that have no connection with any other applications and this protects the app as well as the operating system of the phone from threats such as malware).

For extra storage, it offers end-to-end encrypted automatic backups to a USB drive or to any cloud storage ( such as Nextcloud).

The new NitroPhone 1 also promises that the apps won't be able to access critical details such as device IMEI and serial numbers, SIM card serial numbers, subscriber ID, MAC address, and more.

Furthermore, it boasts MAC(Media Access Control address) randomization, which prevents listeners (such as nearby WiFi scanners) from using MAC addresses to build a history of device activity.

Additionally, NitroPhone 1 comes with indicators to show the status of the active camera, microphone, and location tracking.

As mentioned above, the rest of the hardware is the same as the Pixel 4a.

It features a 5.81-inch full HD+ (1080 x 2340p) OLED-based screen, Google's proprietary Titan M security module, 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 octa-core (2.2 GHz x 2 cores + 1.8 GHz x 4 cores), Adreno 618 graphics engine, 6GB LPDDR4x RAM, 128GB storage and 3,140 mAh battery with 18W charger support.

Google Pixel 4a boasts a main 12.2 MP dual-pixel camera on the back with 1.4 μm pixel width, Auto-focus with dual-pixel phase detection, Optical + electronic image stabilisation, ƒ/1.7 aperture, and 77-degree field of view. It also supports 1080p at 30 FPS (Frames Per Second), 60 FPS, 120 FPS, 720p at 30 FPS, 60 FPS, 240 FPS, and 4K at 30 FPS.

On the front, it houses an 8MP with 1.12 μm pixel size, ƒ/2.0 aperture, Fixed focus, and an 84-degree field of view. It supports full HD 1080p at 30 FPS , HD 720p at 30 FpS and 480p at 30 FPS.

Must read | Google Pixel 4a review: Fantastic camera phone

The new NitroPhone 1 costs €630 (approx. 54,860) on the official NitroKey e-store. Additionally, the company charges €8 (around Rs 697) for shipping to global regions.

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