There's a new smartphone promising to protect your privacy: the Up Phone, from a company called Unplugged. Except it's not new. Unplugged has been around for a few years—the company was cofounded by Erik Prince, the founder of private military company Blackwater—and it originally announced the Up Phone in 2023. But this week, the company claims it's “relaunching” the phone, under new leadership.
Like the original, the Up Phone's UnpluggedOS (formerly LibertOS) is built on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and isn't connected to Google Mobile Services, which it claims prevents “backdoor data collection.” Unplugged's focus is on limiting who gets access to your data. There's an on-device Firewall app that blocks third-party trackers and a built-in “no logs” VPN. A kill switch separates the battery and cuts power to other circuits when the phone is turned off, and you'll find the Brave browser preinstalled.
Unfortunately, many of the company's early privacy claims were far-fetched, and it doesn't help that it was denounced by established player GrapheneOS in 2024. It's hard to take its renewed privacy claims seriously.
Worse yet, the specs haven't changed since its 2023 debut. That includes a MediaTek Dimensity 1200, a processor from 2021, and a paltry 8 GB of RAM. Also, considering the eye-watering $989 price, it doesn't match the specs you'll find on comparable phones.
More strangely, Unplugged claims it plans to bring manufacturing to the US later in 2025, “creating jobs domestically.” (The Up Phone is currently made in Indonesia.) This rhetoric is reminiscent of the Trump Mobile T1 Phone, which initially claimed would be made in the US, but later backtracked on that promise. Manufacturing the Up Phone in the US would likely skyrocket its already high price.
Don't forget that the privacy services are only free for the first year. After that you'll have to pay $13 per month or $130 per year to access them. The Up Phone ships in September and is available for purchase from Best Buy and Unplugged, but we don't recommend you snag one anytime soon.
Ultrahuman’s Ring Can Track When You Ovulate
Courtesy of Ultrahuman
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