The history began on July 14, 2021, when the so-called “youngest Bitcoin millionaire,” Erik Finman, announced something that first looked interesting. This idea was called Freedom Phone. Just as the name implies, it’s a phone when everything is seamless, borderless. The app store installed within won’t have any censorship for all apps inside, regarding the political situation in particular areas. The phone has pre-installed apps, which most wouldn’t be familiar with, such as DuckDuckHo, Minds, and Rumble.
Of course, when you combine “smartphone” with “privacy,” all become arbitrary. It’s a complicated relationship that can’t be solved with one absolute answer. Though we have our phones in hand, our privacy may not be safe at all. But, we’re consciously willing to let some apps with specific permissions do something.
As Erik Finman promised, these will change with this shady phone. Even when the creator himself stated the phone to be politically free, you can notice that it’s ironically untrue. On the website, he won’t just make America great again but also make smartphones great again.
If you think that the phone may give what you want, a fully protected security, better look somewhere else because this creation by Erik Finman already has a lot of red flags.
The “Specialized” App Store
The founder promises one thing, a particular app store that won’t ban anything despite political conditions or simply because of censorship. The OS was created specifically for this phone; Freedom OS is also not too far from his original idea, “privacy.” He previously stated that this OS could protect your privacy at any given time.
In an event introducing the phone, Erik Finman himself showed the actual product. It is too far from the word “Premium.” At this point, he held a phone that looked like a generic budget Chinese phone that sold probably less than a hundred dollars.
The phone controversy began to thicken. A page was created on Monday, sharing any details about the phone’s specifications. Sadly enough, the technical details of the phone are nearly on par with $200 phones and too far from the known flagships such as iPhone 12 Pro Max or Galaxy S21 UItra. The first big lie.
Even when the phone itself is ready for the market, the information surrounding the privacy and safety features is none. It seems like the Freedom Phone controversy won’t end pretty soon.
What is Freedom Phone?
Now, if you want to forget a bit of the whole controversy and want to look deeper into what the product is, let us tell you about this phone. The interesting aspect of this device is the idea of free speech without limitation. There will be no censorship, allowing all users able to use all kinds of software they want freely. This sure seemed great; first, most people would welcome it with open arms.
Alas, the dream stays meaningless to the end. It all started into bubbling into a big bubble of lies waiting to pop. Erik Finman said that the phone would have the exact specifications and be comparable to the recent best smartphones in the market. The truth is, it’s far from reality. The device’s specs are not comparable to known budget phones priced around $100-$200.
Does it Work?
This question will remain unanswered for some time. A little information is still unobtainable. Many reviewers and press have been asking for so long, all with zero response from the creator. We still don’t know if the phone works or not because even in the launch video, the phone itself turned off the entire time.
What Makes It Controversial
Every time a brand claims about what their smartphones are capable of, it’s its obligation to fill the gap full of questions with demonstration and explanation about it. With this device, however, the same scenario is not happening. The website, launching video, or even the founder’s posts only give little to no details about the phone. This red flag became the reason why there’s so much Freedom Phone controversy.
The doubt even heightened when the company opened a pre-order for this thing. When the information is still minimal, the company likely couldn’t meet the orders.
The Price
The price for each unit is around $500, which is in-level with Galaxy A52 5G and iPhone XR. It’s ridiculous.
Even with the tagline for this product is “made for conservatives by conservatives,” this device is created by Umidigi, a Chinese company based in Shenzen. The phone is indeed a Chinese phone with the model name Umidigi A9 Pro which has a price of around $119 originally.
So, the Freedom Phone controversy will go on until there’s indeed a bold explanation along with the tests and reviews for this product.
