Sikur launches $849-priced handset called ‘GranitePhone’

Still, if security is a top priority this is a device that might be worth considering.

The key feature comes in the software: GraniteOS, an Android fork that claims to encrypt your calls, chat and contacts using the Sikur platform.

The company is no longer silent though, with the release of the GranitePhone, a new entry to the small but growing niche market of security-focused smartphones. SIKUR is a company that focuses on encrypted communications applications geared towards businesses, and its expertise was put towards the development of the GranitePhone.

Archos (a big player in France, at least) isn’t putting its brand on the GranitePhone: It’s producing it through its contract-manufacturing subsidiary, Logic Instrument, leaving Sikur the only name on the box.

A few of the most noteworthy specifications of the Sikur GranitePhone include a 5-inch full-HD display; Qualcomm’s 64-bit, eight-core Snapdragon 615 processor; 2GB of RAM; 16GB of onboard storage capacity; a 16-megapixel rear camera; an 8-megapixel front camera; a 2700-mAh battery; and access to 4G mobile networks.

The phone, first shown at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, is on sale now, according to security software developer Sikur and the phone’s manufacturer, Archos. Within the operating system, Archos promises multiple levels of protection, with basically all the parts of the device having a form of encryption. There’s no mention of what version of Android was used to create Granite OS.

A device of the specifications nowadays would cost less than half the price of other smartphones that are in the midranged category.

These companies are now celebrating the announcement of the GranitePhone’s availability, as you can go directly to the official website and pre-order the device.