Smartphones have become an integral part of our daily lives, and with the increasing amount of personal and sensitive information stored on them, security has become a top concern for many users. Fortunately, there are several options available for those who prioritize security in their smartphones. In the United States and elsewhere, the best secure smartphones offer advanced features to protect against hacking, malware, and other security threats.
When it comes to choosing a secure smartphone, there are several factors to consider. Some of the most important features include encryption, biometric authentication, secure boot, and physical kill switches. Let’s break these down for clarity.
Features Of The Best Secure Smartphones
- Encryption: A secure smartphone should have strong encryption to protect your data from unauthorized access. Look for devices that offer end-to-end encryption, which ensures that your data is encrypted from the moment it leaves your device until it reaches its destination.
- Biometric authentication: Biometric authentication, such as fingerprint and facial recognition, is a secure and convenient way to unlock your device. Look for devices that offer multiple biometric authentication options for added security.
- Secure boot: A secure boot process ensures that your device only runs trusted software, preventing malware from taking over your device. Look for devices that have a secure boot process in place.
- Secure enclave: A secure enclave is a separate hardware component that stores sensitive data, such as biometric data and encryption keys, away from the main processor. Look for devices that have a secure enclave for added security.
- Security updates: Regular security updates are crucial for keeping your device secure. Look for devices that receive regular security updates and have a good track record of providing timely updates.
- Hardware security: For all the talk about digital security, the most effective security requires physical controls. Hardware kill switches, for example, can let users disable their device’s network radio, Bluetooth, GPS, microphone, and camera, among others.
Because of these highly specialised features, secure smartphones are not as widely available as regular smartphones on the market. In addition, they often cost a lot more, so be ready to shell out the big bucks if you want one of the secure phones highlighted below.
List Of The Best Secure Smartphones Listed
Choosing the best secure smartphone is a critical decision for individuals and organizations that prioritize security and privacy. The market offers a variety of options. Listed below are the most secure smartphones of 2023.
Librem 5 USA
Hardware security is what stands out the Librem 5 and sets it apart as one of the most secure smartphones ever. The phone includes several hardware kill switches that allow the user to physically disconnect the camera, microphone, and wireless connectivity. This helps to prevent unauthorized access to the device’s sensors and data.
It also has a hardware security chip that is designed to protect the device’s cryptographic keys and other sensitive data. This helps to prevent unauthorized access to the device’s data and communications. And it uses a removable battery, so you can pull it out to make sure the phone has no power being used in the background to communicate behind your back.
On the software front, Librem 5 secure phone runs on the PureOS operating system, which is a fully open-source and auditable operating system. This means that the source code for the operating system is available for anyone to review and audit, which can help to improve security and privacy.
The Librem 5 includes several encrypted communication apps, including encrypted messaging and voice calling apps. This helps to protect the user’s communications from interception and surveillance.
Sirin Labs FINNEY
The FINNEY is a smartphone that is specifically designed for secure blockchain transactions. It is designed to be tamper-resistant, with several layers of physical and digital security. It includes a built-in hardware wallet that is accessed through a separate screen and is protected by several layers of security, including biometric authentication and a physical security switch to disable the hardware wallet.
FIINEY also comes with a suite of encrypted communication apps, including encrypted messaging and voice calling apps, to protect your communications from interception and surveillance.
Silent Circle Blackphone 2
The Blackphone 2 is the second generation of the Blackphone, a privacy-focused smartphone that includes several security features such as a custom version of Android with enhanced security, encrypted voice and text messaging, and remote wipe capabilities. This secure phone uses a custom version of Android with enhanced security features, encrypted voice and text messaging, and remote wipe capabilities.
Turing Phone
The Turing Phone includes several security features such as end-to-end encryption for voice and text messaging, a secure operating system, and a tamper-resistant design. It comes to the table with a Liquidmorphium Body, a metal alloy that is stronger and more durable than other metals used in smartphones. This helps to protect the device from physical damage and tampering.
In addition, there is a physical kill switch that can be used to disable the wireless connectivity of the device. And it has a feature that is a rarity among secure smartphones – an IPx8 rating that allows the device to be submerged in water for up to 30 minutes.
Other features of the Turing phone includes end-to-end encryption for voice and text messaging, which helps to protect the user’s communications from interception and surveillance, and a custom version of Android that includes secure boot.
Boeing Black
The Boeing Black is a smartphone designed for use by government agencies and other organizations with high security requirements. It is safe to call this the spy phone. It includes several security features such as hardware encryption, secure boot, encrypted messaging, encrypted telephone calls, and a physical kill switch to disable wireless connectivity.
What is a spy phone without a self-destruct feature? If you are cornered and it looks like you will fall into enemy hands, the self-destruct feature of the Boeing Black will “burn” the phone – wipe all data off the device. I doubt that you will be able to buy this secure smartphone anywhere, though. Still, it is fun including it on this list, so you know it is out there.
Bittium Tough Mobile 2C
The Bittium Tough Mobile 2C is one of the most secure smartphones for key management and secure communications for government officials and defense industry organizations. It has built-in authentication, encryption, and key management software.
KryptAll K iPhone
Every other secure smartphone listed on this page till now runs customised versions of Android OS. The KryptAll K iPhone uses a custom version of iOS that is designed to be more secure than the standard version of iOS. The operating system includes several security features such as secure boot, hardware encryption, and tamper-resistant hardware.
It also uses end-to-end encryption to protect all voice and data communications. This means that the content of the communications is encrypted before it leaves the device and can only be decrypted by the intended recipient. The KryptAll K iPhone also allows users to make anonymous voice calls by using a temporary phone number that is generated for each call. This helps to protect the user’s privacy and prevent tracking or surveillance.
Lastly, the K iPhone includes a remote wipe feature that allows the user to delete all data from the device if it is lost or stolen. This helps to protect sensitive data from falling into the wrong hands.
The Best Secure Smartphones: My Choice
All of the above devices are some of the best secure smartphones in existence today. Picking one for your use is a question of what you want or need. Personally, the multiple hardware kill switches and removable battery of the Librem 5 gives it an edge over the others, as far as I am concerned. If I have to buy a secure smartphone, it will likely be the Librem 5 USA.
