Gionee M6 could be your first affordable encrypted smartphone

Leaked images show that Chinese handset-maker Gionee is working on a new smartphone that tries to address the security problems as bring your own device (BYOD) to work becomes more popular and threats to security of personal and business information stored on smartphones rises.

Chinese handset-maker Gionee is working on a new smartphone that tries to address the security problems as bring your own device (BYOD) to work becomes more popular and threats to security of personal and business information stored on smartphones rises. (Gionee)

Have you been itching to buy a more secure smartphone after being solicited about your privacy issues? Mark July 26 on your calendar as that could be the day when you might just get the solution to your privacy problems.

Leaked images show that Chinese handset-maker Gionee is working on a new smartphone that tries to address the security problems as bring your own device (BYOD) to work becomes more popular and threats to security of personal and business information stored on smartphones rises.

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According to sources in Gionee, the product (to be named) -- Gionee M6 will carry a new encrypted chip that will solve the privacy issue via hardware and not software. The company justified its solution claiming that no other smartphone maker was working on hardware encryption.

"Most smartphone companies, such as those building Android phones, tend to focus their privacy and security efforts on the software side, while others, like Apple, do turn to hardware, where Touch ID is the flagship example, but lack some efficiency when it comes to what is stored on the smartphone - as soon as someone manages to pass through the lock screen, the information can be freely viewed," the source said.

Recently a sketch of a smartphone was leaked in the Chinese social network Weibo and shortly Gionee's vice-president Yu Lei confirmed that the rumors about the encrypted chip is true. Also, the actual smartphone photos showed up on China's Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center MIIT's website, China's certification entity, which provides concrete evidence for Gionee M6.

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Common knowledge dictates that hardware encryption is better. The operation in case of hardware encryption is completed in the security encryption chip, so it is equivalent to a black box, and the process won't be hijacked. In case of software encryption, the whole process takes place at the operating system, so it has more risks to be peaked or hijacked.

The source has also hinted that there could be another variant to the smartphone with a bigger screen or battery -- the M6 Plus. However, the phone will face competition from rivals like the Turing phone and Blackphone, Blackphone 2.

The price of the phone has not been revealed but given the competition in the market, the company is expected to price it relatively lower than the Turing phone to make it more available for customers. The phone is expected to launch in China on July 26. India launch dates or plans have not been disclosed yet.