SGP Technologies SA, the Switzerland-based joint venture of Silent Circle and Geeksphone behind Blackphone, announced the chipset for its smartphone and also confirmed that the device will start shipping to consumers in June.
Geeksphone, a Spanish smartphone maker, along with Silent Circle, an encrypted communications firm, announced the Blackphone at MWC. Meanwhile, the smartphone went up for pre-order at $629 in February. The official store now notes that the Blackphone is now sold out.
Nvidia Tegra 4i comes with 60 custom GPU cores; a quad-core CPU based on ARM's Cortex-A9 r4 CPU, alongside a fifth battery-saver core; and an integrated i500 LTE modem. The Blackphone is powered by a customised version of Android made by the company in association with Silent Circle, called PrivatOS and it is based on Google's Android 4.4 KitKat.
Commenting on the decision to use the Nvidia chipset, Toby Weir-Jones, CEO of SGP Technologies SA, said, "With Blackphone we have engineered a high-end smartphone rivalling the top devices on the market in terms of performance and user experience - and with comprehensive embedded privacy features as a crucial differentiator. NVIDIA's industry leadership and the compelling advantages of their Tegra 4i mobile processor make them a key partner in creating a disruptive product backed by the best components available."
Some of the hardware specifications already revealed for Blackphone include a 4.7-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) IPS display; 2GB of RAM; 16GB inbuilt storage; 8-megapixel rear camera; 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera; Bluetooth 4.0; LTE connectivity; Wi-Fi 802.11n, GPS and HSPA+. Other features of the Blackphone include a 2000mAh battery and the phone supports single Micro-SIM slot.
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