[Omniscient]

https://unplugged.com/products/up-phone

$989 for what appears to be a decent Android based phone using LibertOS.

I think once my current phone starts to die, I'll replace it with a privacy phone.

[G33K]

Been looking for a phone like this thats good, thanks Omni.

[kazuma]

It's the only phone I've seen with a hard kill switch to disconnect the sim card from the battery. Surprising considering how many privacy hardware start ups there are. I'd love to see a proper review/breakdown on how decent the security features are.

[Epic]

Nice find. I'll have to do some research and see how this phone/LibertOS compares to something like Graphene or Calyx. I haven't heard of Unplugged or LibertOS but it seems worth checking out.

[Tsar]

For no GMS tracking does it connect to more than one tower? I do not understand how after quick read

[ttbr0]

looks pretty sus to me. proprietary and "antivirus" are two major red flags imo. how can you properly and easily trust the quality and security of the proprietary code without it being open source? and ive never ever heard of antiviruses actually being a thing on a phone. malware should be mitigated by proper permissions (makes the concept of antiviruses entirely redundant) and being thoughtful about what you download. not to mention that they are plagued with a troublesome attack surface even traditionally on windows that are inherent to how and to what scope they operate in. would it also submit samples? would sample submission breach your privacy requirements? and they also expect to maintain their antivirus software? i dont believe it.

and of course with any android vendor that isnt google, what is the time for downstream security patches to reach the user? if ever?

it also looks like they have their own proprietary messenger app which sounds incredibly suspect. messenger apps are notorious for being attack vectors. i wouldnt trust anything that isnt official and battle hardened.

Unplugged has hired independent auditors to conduct periodic penetration tests on our platform's security.

If you're a cyber expert and still have doubts, we invite you to write to us or apply to participate in our White Hat Program, where you'll get a chance to win prizes if you are able to detect any vulnerabilities in our hardware or software.

We also give qualified professionals the option to visit us at our R&D offices and perform a white room code review, so that you can see for yourself that we have no back doors.

sounds like they are gatekeeping auditing attempts, or at the very least placing a very high bar to get into it. why dont they have a public bounty program like on hackerone or bugcrowd?

this looks like its just riding the privacy trend trying to make a quick buck, sacrificing quality and security for privacy. i would personally just stick with graphene os which seems to have a team of capable people.

[DramaKing]

I've never heard of the UP phone or LibertOS, so I'm a bit wary. Project could disappear overnight, plus there are open-source alternatives that are private enough. Does one really need a SIM card kill switch?

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The PinePhones and Librem 5 have modem kill switches. How is that worse?