Sirin Labs unveils ultra-secure Solarin smartphone

Some people value their privacy a lot, and this is the main reason that keeps the market of ultra-secure handsets afloat. Obviously, these devices are not as popular as regular flagships, and their specs are often nothing more than mid-range since they focus on security above anything else. Sirin Labs Solarin is such a device and, at least at first sight, it looks like its price has nothing to do with its specs and features.

Priced at more than $14,000 USD, Solarin is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 SoC, has 4 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage. It has a 5.5-inch IPS display with 2,560X1,440 pixels. The microSD slot is not present, unfortunately, since its existence might turn out to be a security risk. This handset also supports up to 450 Mbps downlink and 150 uplink speeds, next to support for 24-band LTE compatibility, thus "setting a new benchmark in global usability." Even its WiFi capabilities are superior to standard smartphones - 802.11 ac 2X2 MU-MIMO (multi-user multiple input, multiple output). 

Powered by a 4000 mAh battery, Sirin Labs' Solarin weighs a bit more than 0.55 pounds and has a special button that activates a super-secure mode which turns on hardware encryption for outgoing calls and all messages, also shutting down some features that might make it vulnerable. Next to the Nexus lineup and the BlackBerry Priv, Solarin is the only handset that comes with the latest Google security patches pre-installed.

The color choices available at launch include fire black carbon leather with titanium/diamond-like carbon/yellow gold, as well as crystal white carbon leather with diamond-like carbon. Prices start at £9,500 GBP without taxes, which is currently almost $14,000 USD.