“Leaks” Show Crypto Wallet on Rumored Samsung Phone

South Korean tech giant Samsung once again finds itself in another round of claims that its new phone will feature a crypto wallet.

Supposedly leaked images that were published by concept designer Ben Geskin and several other known tech leakers on Twitter show what appears to be the new Samsung Galaxy S10 phone with a built-in crypto wallet called “Samsung Blockchain KeyStore.”

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Judging from the posted screenshot, the description of the wallet functionality reads “Secure and manage your blockchain private key.” The screenshot also appears to suggest that the crypto wallet can be accessed using the phone’s biometric functionality. Another screen photo appears to only list Ethereum as “Supported cryptocurrencies.”

The rumoured phone is widely expected to be officially unveiled at a Samsung event in San Francisco on February 20. The event will be streamed live via Samsung’s website. So far, Samsung has not given any official statements on the existence of the phone or its functionality.

Moreover, in December, the tech giant rejected claims that it plans to release a cold storage crypto vault on its Galaxy S10 phone, saying it is nothing but rumors. However, there are different types of crypto wallets – an online (aka “hot”) and offline (aka “cold”) wallet. Also, Samsung has previously filed three trademarks to be registered with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). It includes “Blockchain key box”, “Blockchain Core” and “Blockchain KeyStore”.

In either case, leaked images like these, even if they are real, should be taken with a grain of salt. As pointed out during the Twitter discussion, a concept version is not necessarily the same as a final release version:

“Blockchain phones” have been a hot topic of discussion several times over the past months and years. Phones such as HTC’s Exodus 1, Sirin Labs’ Finney and Pundi X’s XPhone have been announced in recent months. In addition, another South Korean electronics firm, LG is also reportedly working on a secret crypto project.

Meanwhile, HTC has recently increased the price Exodus 1 by 20%-40%, depending on a cryptocurrency you pay. However, in US dollars, the phone, which is set to start shipping on January 31, is now cheaper than in October when it was unveiled.