Taiwanese electronics manufacturer HTC has launched its latest blockchain phone Exodus 1s. The company claims that users can run a full Bitcoin node on the device to support the Bitcoin network.
Blockchain phone in Berlin
The company unveiled the device at the Lightning Conference in Berlin. This is the first-ever smartphone that is capable of running a full Bitcoin node. The mobile phone can drive transactions and blocks from anywhere.
The chief decentralized officer at HTC, Phil Chen, noted that operating full nodes is the most important “ingredient” for Bitcoin’s perseverance. Now HTC has lowered the requirements for running a node. This move would allow any person to run a node.
Exodus 1s is listed in markets with a price of 224 euros (244 dollars). The price is almost one-third of its predecessor, the Exodus 1. HTC is selling the new version at the Berlin conference through Lightning network payments.
The device is capable of supporting a 400+GB SD card to expand its memory that can then be used to store the full Bitcoin Ledger. The current size of the ledger is 250 GBs. By default, the device has a memory of 64 GBs with 4 GBs of RAM and operates on Android 8.1.
Phil said that the company was creating tools for people to access universal basic finance. He stated that the tools would allow people to have a virtual “Swiss bank” in their pockets. Initially, the smartphone will be available across 27 countries in Europe and the Middle East. These include Germany, Greece, UAE, and Saudi Arabia. Notably, the smartphone will nor be launched in the United States.
Blockchain phone market
HTC is not the only company manufacturing blockchain phones as Samsung has launched Samsung S10 with a built-in wallet for Bitcoin and other ERC-20 tokens. Even LG seems to be interested in the sector and is rumored to debut in the markets with upcoming devices.
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