Punkt.MC02 5G Secure phone, Smartphone with Apostrophy OS, Built-In VPN, Swiss, Threema Messenger, Data Privacy, Digital Security, 128 GB Storage, 6 GB RAM, Unlocked - Black

This is the best phone I've had although a slight lag when listening to music other phones I've had were worse ie general browsing internet or jumping around apps while listening to music but is minimalWhat I like about the phone is the inbuilt VPN but it needs more locations but its valuable and I'll say whyThe secure area is great and the less safe area where regular apps are is covered by the VPN encrypting data and the ability to alter permissions via the ledger crucial combination with the VPN in making this phone secure and with an inbuilt VPN it can't be stopped by a third party.I've had 3 or more vpns on my previous phone and grew increasingly concerned when they would turn off and the auto restart wouldnt work I would reconnect every 5minutes or settings on my phone would change.The app user permissions allow governments to access your data even watch your screen on real time. When my phone speeded up using a VPN and when they kept disconnecting I realized it was time for a more secure phoneSo this phone is great for my peace of mind where being critical online of a governments political stance can get your phone monitored. Or not, it isn't like you'd ever find out, it may slow down and your VPN may disconnectI thin US uses app permissions to enter phones and other countries trackcyout data I worried I was being tag teamed therefore.I mean I do repeatedly get banned online from sites for no reason after I criticized IsraelAnother great thing is zero apps installed on yhis phone have you noticed regular phones come with pre installed apps you can't even delete with pre installed user permissions to access everything in your phoneSo this phone is great.

Punkt. MC02 5G Secure phone, Smartphone with Apostrophy OS, Built-In VPN, Data Privacy and Digital Security, 128 GB Storage, 6 GB RAM, Unlocked – BlackThis is a solidly built phone even if a little plastic feeling. But seems like it'd hold up to a few knocks here and there. It comes very well-packaged and feels like a semi-premium product.The idea of this phone is that all data is encrypted and sent via servers in Switzerland, and keeps any third-party services 'walled off' internally from the rest of the phone. A year subscription is included but after that, you will need to pay to take advantage of the phone security featureHowever, this key selling point of this phone - its super-secure tin-foil-hat level of data protection is also its downfall. As a result of wanting to distance itself from Google (despite being Android-based, despite what the OS name would lead you to believe), it doesn't come installed with the Google Play Store. You can jump through many hoops until you have it installed, but it feels a bit hacker-ish in its process. Without the Google Play Store, it barely feels like a smartphone, which is what almost everyone will be expecting when they buy a phone of this price (£599 at the time of review). Even with Google Play Store installed, you quickly realise that this is a low-mid tier spec phone dressed in a secret-service uniform. It's generally a bit sluggish in day-to-day use. The OS is extremely drab and devoid of all colour (you might even mistake it for a monochrome screen). The camera is appalling given what else is available at this price point.The spec and performance would be fine on a sub-£250 phone, but it's just not acceptable for one that costs more than double that - even with its super-paranoid security features.If you're the kind of person who despises modern technology and is constantly worried about which companies have your data (spoilers - they all already have your data) then this is for you. For the rest of us, I wouldn't bother with this one. Unless it's heavily discounted on sale.

I have recently been hacked and have had to go through the painful process of changing email address, passwords and ordering a new debit card. No idea how it happened, but it did and it's been a nightmare.I was intrigued by this phone after that incident and was hopeful this would be the phone to protect my identity online.On one hand, it does give me that, it has a built-in VPN which protects your identity and data with its advanced security. There's a cost though, right? Of course there is. You get one year of this advanced security for twelve months and then you have to start paying a subscription. In some ways, I would be OK with that. However, the rest of the phone is too restrictive. No access to the Play store is the biggie for me. I like to just install the apps I want. There is a way around this, but it is such a faff that it put me right off the phone.Why can't I have the best of both worlds? Advanced security, yet have the convenience of installing the apps I require for my everyday life: maps, music, banking, etc.While I admire Punkt for giving this a go, I do think they have got their modelling wrong.The other disappointment for me is the phone itself. This isn't a £600 phone. It's a phone worth half that or less. One of those you get off Argos because you've broken your "proper" phone.I like the idea of advanced security, but ultimately this phone disappoints.