GranitePhone Security-Focused Android Smartphone Now Up for Pre-Orders

The security-focused smartphone segment has seen a couple of launches from companies such as Silent Circle and Turing Robotic Industries. The security-focused Blackphone 2 smartphone (from Silent Circle), which was introduced back in March at MWC, went on sale recently. Meanwhile, price of the 'unhackable, unbreakable, and waterproof' smartphone, the Turing Phone (Turing Robotic Industries), was also revealed recently by the company.

The latest in the series of secure phones is GranitePhone, from Sikur. The Brazilian security firm has announced availability of its new security-focused GranitePhone, which is being manufactured by Archos. Sikur's GranitePhone was initially announced at MWC and can now be pre-booked at a price of $849 (approximately Rs. 55,000) from granitephone.com.

The company in a press statement stresses that the GranitePhone received attention of government, defence agencies, as well as private companies and individual users concerned for their privacy, generating solid pre-sales via the GranitePhone website.

The GranitePhone runs Android-based Granite OS, which the company touts comes with "various authentication layers and high levels of encryption." The company also claims that the OS doesn't include any backdoors. The handset features a dashboard for calls, contacts, messages, and chats powered by Sikur platform.

For specifications, the handset comes with 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor coupled with Adreno 405 GPU and 2GB of RAM. It features a 5-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) display. The GranitePhone packs 16GB of storage and includes 2700mAh battery. There is 16-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front camera.

Announcing the availability, Loic Poirier, CEO of Archos said, "Archos, through its subsidiary Logic Instrument is pleased to have been selected as industrial and development partner for this project as the demand for secured mobile solutions is increasing."

"With GranitePhone, you can create a corporate digital environment, secure for the exchange of strategic information, without compromising productivity and speed offered by mobile devices," said Frederico D'Avila, CEO of Sikur.