The Turing Phone will reportedly start shipping to its Kickstarter backers on July 12. According to a report by Android Police, Turing Robotics Industries sent an email to all its backers in which it stated that the device will be an “evaluation model”, and the users will be upgraded to a Snapdragon 820-powered variant for free by the end of 2016. This step would make sense, considering that the original Snapdragon 801-powered variant could be considered slightly dated for backers who paid more that $600 for the device. Further, the company has also ditched Android in favour of Jolla’s Sailfish 2.0.
To recall, Turing Robotic Industries had announced reservations for the phone in August 2015, and had initially said that the device would start shipping in December 2015. However, as December came, the company stated that the phone was delayed and would be released “no later than the end of Q1 2016.”
The highlight of the Turing Phone is its security features. Besides having a fingerprint scanner, the phone features a decentralized authentication system in imitation key chipset for added security. For added security, the phone doesn’t feature a micro-USB port or even a headphone jack, instead comes with a proprietary Wallaby Magstream port. The phone is built using a liquid metal alloy called called Liquidmorphium, which the company claims to be tougher than steel. Specifications-wise, the phone sports a 5.2-inch Full HD display and has 3GB of RAM. The device is equipped with 13MP and 8MP cameras, and is available in 16GB, 64GB and 128GB storage variants.