Sirin Labs Finney Blockchain Phone
Description
Sirin Labs is shipping the Finney Blockchain Phone - a decked out android phone with a custom hardware wallet module. The phone even has a separate screen to confirm transactions and enter your pin -...
AI Analysis
The Sirin Labs Finney is a unique blockchain phone that integrates a full-fledged hardware wallet into an Android device, offering a new level of security for cryptocurrency on the go. While it boasts top-tier smartphone specifications, the main discussion revolves around its innovative security features—like a separate, unhackable screen for transactions—and the crucial question of whether its $899 price tag justifies its niche appeal to a very specific audience.
Here's a breakdown of what the Finney phone offers and its implications:
* First Look at a Blockchain Phone: This is the first blockchain phone reviewed, and the immediate interest is how it provides a novel way to secure and carry cryptocurrencies. However, there's an internal conflict: while it's exciting to see new hardware tech, the $899 price makes you question who would actually buy it—is it for the average consumer, crypto enthusiast, or a professional needing constant, secure access to large amounts of crypto?
* The Signature Security Feature: The "Slider": The most distinguishing feature of the Finney is a physical slider that reveals a separate, dedicated hardware device. This acts as a hardware wallet, complete with its own secure element, "brain," and storage for your cryptocurrency keys. The major advantage is that even if the Android operating system on the phone gets compromised by hackers, your private keys remain safe and inaccessible because they're stored on a completely separate, isolated component.
* Unhackable Input Mechanism: For added security, all sensitive inputs like your PIN and transaction confirmations are done on a separate screen and piece of hardware within the slider module. This prevents a compromised Android system from keylogging or otherwise stealing your password or transaction details, which is a significant security leap.
* Demonstration of Crypto Transactions: Sending Bitcoin is relatively straightforward. You initiate the transaction on the main Android screen, but when it comes time to confirm, the slider opens, and you enter your password on the tiny, separate touchscreen. It's a bit clunky to use with larger fingers because it's a small touch surface rather than physical buttons, but the touch area is actually more forgiving than it looks. The separate screen also displays the transaction address for an extra layer of verification, ensuring you're sending funds to the correct place. There's a slight concern that the slider mechanism might feel less durable if pressed too hard.
* Security Compared to Competitors:
* Sirin Labs Finney: This phone offers the highest level of security among blockchain phones because its hardware wallet is entirely separate, with its own screen and input method.
Exodus 1: While the Exodus phone has a separate storage area on the same board and a distinct operating system partition, it still uses the main phone screen* for input. This means there's a theoretical, albeit small, risk that a sophisticated hacker could duplicate the keyboard on the main screen to steal your input.
* Samsung Blockchain Keystore: This is likely just a software wallet solution integrated into Samsung phones. It won't have a separate hardware module like the Finney, making its security comparable to any other software wallet—good for convenience, but less secure for large sums than a dedicated hardware solution.
* Phone Performance and Build Quality: Beyond its crypto features, the Finney is a powerful Android phone. It's equipped with a Snapdragon 845 processor (top-of-the-line for 2018), 6GB of RAM for excellent multitasking, and 128GB of internal storage. It's described as "quite a beast" in performance, running 3D games like Hearthstone smoothly and featuring a very responsive keyboard. The phone feels very well-built and even survived a drop from half a meter without visible damage, though a case is still recommended due to its size and weight. It runs Sirin's own customized version of Android 8.1 Oreo, which includes a dedicated security center, though there were minor initial issues with Chrome crashing during APK downloads, possibly due to the security scanning.
* Addressing Common Questions (Q&A):
* Sirin Token (SRN) Necessity: You don't need the SRN token for the phone to function or to store Bitcoin, Ethereum, or ERC-20 tokens. SRN is only relevant if you want to use their internal exchange features.
* Earning Tokens from Educational Content/Airdrops: The phone does offer "automatic airdrops" when used. While a couple were received, they were not substantial and couldn't be traded at the time. Don't consider this a meaningful source of income; airdrops are more of a "2018 thing."
General Benefits of a "Blockchain Phone": For the Finney, the only* significant benefit is the integrated hardware wallet. Standard phone functions like calls are just regular Android functions and are not recorded on a blockchain.
* Who is this Phone For? (Value Proposition):
* Not for casual users: If you only carry small amounts of crypto (e.g., $10-$100) for occasional purchases, a free software wallet installed on any standard smartphone is perfectly sufficient and secure enough.
Ideal User: This phone truly shines and has no real competition if you need to carry a large amount* of cryptocurrency with you at all times and demand the absolute highest level of security. The Finney effectively provides a hardware wallet seamlessly integrated into your daily-use phone, offering peace of mind that no hacker can access your secure module.
Ultimately, the Sirin Labs Finney is a premium, high-spec Android phone with a unique, industry-leading security feature for cryptocurrency storage. If your personal needs involve carrying substantial crypto assets with maximum security, this device is a strong contender. Otherwise, a standard smartphone with a reliable software wallet will serve most users perfectly well.
Transcript
So I got this. This is a review unit for my first ever blockchain phone, the Sirin Labs Fini, as they call it. So I'm pretty interested in blockchain phones because it's providing a kind of a new way for people to store cryptocurrencies, especially if they can carry out on the go with them. So what makes this phone special is this little slider up here. So this slides up and it acts as a whole separate hardware device, kind of like a hardware wallet strapped onto your phone. But at the same tim...