- Samsung has unveiled its latest Galaxy S10 device
- The device comes with storage capabilities for crypto keys
One of the most persistent rumors in both the tech and crypto industry in the last year was that Samsung would be adding some sort of official crypto feature to its latest Galaxy S10 device.
In January 2019, supposed leaked images flooded the internet that showed the alleged Galaxy S10 with a “Samsung Blockchain Keystore” and also supports for an Ethereum wallet.
However, the official press release for the Galaxy S10 has been released on February 20, 2019, and while there is no talk about a “Samsung Blockchain Keystore” or an Ethereum wallet, the new device supports the storage of private cryptocurrency keys.
“Galaxy S10 is built with defense-grade Samsung Knox, as well as a secure storage backed by hardware, which houses your private keys for blockchain-enabled mobile services,” the press release reads.
While it isn’t the official wallet support some had hoped for, it is still a step in the right direction. Private key storage is a hot topic in the industry at the moment, mostly due to the QuadrigaCX saga in which millions of dollars of customers funds are supposedly locked away in a cold wallet that only the company’s late CEO has access to.
Coinbase, for example, now allows the third-party storage of wallet keys to enable users to access their keys even if they forget their passphrase or lose their devices.
Blockchains, Bitcoins, and Phones
While blockchain and cryptocurrency have seen great adoption acceptance across the world, the mobile device industry is one place that hasn’t embraced it on a large scale. The reason mobile device acceptance is being so heavily pursued is that most of the free world is connected via these devices and having major device makers like Samsung show support for blockchain and crypto would be a big win.
However, there have been some hints of progress along the way. The official Google keyboard for IOS devices just added the bitcoin symbol to its roaster of symbols and emojis.
In 2018, HTC unveiled the HTC Exodus, the world’s firms blockchain-native mobile phone which will have support for various blockchains and will come with the Brave browser pre-installed.
The same year Sirin labs launched the Finney, which was touted as the world’s first blockchain phone.
