Brax Wink de-Googled phone opens pre-orders with physical kill switch
Brax Technologies opened pre-orders for the Wink, a 4-inch Android phone running the de-Googled BraxOS with a configurable hardware kill switch and self-wipe triggers.
Summary
The Brax Wink is a compact smartphone with a physical QWERTY keyboard and 4-inch OLED display. It runs BraxOS, an Android fork without Google services, and offers a hardware switch to disable camera, microphones, location, sensors, or mobile network. Pre-orders start at $30 for batch 2 ($550 total) or $449 upfront for batch 1, with shipping targeted for July and September 2027.
What sets BraxOS apart
- BraxOS is built from Android but excludes Google Play Services and Google account sign-in; source files are in BraX3 repositories
- Physical kill switch on top of device can disable camera, microphones, location, sensors, or mobile network
- Dual setup modes: Omni (full Android experience) or Zero (stripped-down to encrypted messaging, calls, SMS, optional navigation)
- Self-wipe triggers: configurable for every restart, extended powered-off state, repeated failed unlocks, or duress password
- Update commitment until 2032
- SoC: MediaTek MT8875 (4 nm, octa-core with 4x Arm C1-Pro + 4x Arm C1-Nano, Mali-G625 MC2 GPU)
- Connectivity: global LTE/5G, physical SIM + eSIM, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4
- Ports: USB-C 3.2 Gen 1, 3.5 mm headphone jack, microSD up to 1 TB
Why it matters
The Wink joins a small but growing category of privacy-focused mobile devices that trade mainstream app compatibility for user control. Its open-source BraxOS build and long update commitment may appeal to users seeking alternatives to GrapheneOS or CalyxOS on more conventional hardware.
Original reference: feed.itsfoss.com →