Silent Circle

The BlackPhone 2 is an excellent secure handset but falls short as an actual smartphone, having under-powered hardware, poor battery life and a middling camera. If they had paired the fantastic software with an equally good handset, this could've been something very special indeed. As is stands, this would make an excellent work device but not necessarily a daily driver. A corporate tour de force that needs better hardware in order to appeal to consumers.

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The Blackphone 2 promises to be the most secure Android smartphone available. It’s not the most advanced, its cameras are weak and its design is rather plain, but it is surprising just how useable its software and services are. The Blackphone 2 keeps the bests bits of Android and doesn’t get in your way like a lot of privacy-orientated services do.

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Trustworthy and tight-lipped, the Blackphone 2 is like your most reliable confidante. Your sensitive information is safe, and you can tell it exactly what you want it to hear. But just like any friend, the Blackphone 2 has its flaws. It's slower than the average smartphone and doesn't last very long on a charge. Plus, its camera doesn't work very well in low light.

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Blackphone 2 is a pretty unique Android smartphone. It's expensive for its mid-to-high-range specs, but those looking for a secure, private device should definitely give it a look.

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The Blackphone is a fine device. It’s attractive, it’s fast. There’s a wonderful array of easy-to-use security settings, surpassing anything on the market, whilst much of the good work is done by the Silent Circle crew patching vulnerabilities and issuing updates. For dilettantes of the privacy and security spheres, or anyone who wants good protection from digital threats with little fuss, the Blackphone 2 is an ideal choice.

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The Blackphone 2 is an elegant handset that packs a privacy punch and a whole lot of potential.

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Performance lags a bit compared to the latest iOS devices and the big Android phones. The Blackphone 2 runs a Snapdragon octa-core processor and has 3GB of RAM, but I still experienced some lag when scrolling in Chrome, flipping through my Twitter timeline, and editing docs in Google Drive. It’s not a deal-breaker, but you should be aware that you’re trading some performance for the increased privacy.

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The Blackphone 2 delivers the most secure consumer smartphone for the privacy-minded, but it will have an uphill battle against more established players for government and corporate markets.

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