Unplugged - UP Phone 256GB (Unlocked) - Privacy Gray

I’ve been using the UP Phone for a couple weeks, and I’m honestly impressed. The setup was way easier than I expected. I even had a quick customer support call to walk me through a couple questions, and they were patient, friendly, and actually knew the product. It already feels as convenient as my old iPhone, but without the weird data tracking that always made me uneasy. Day-to-day use has been super straightforward. Messages, calls, apps, photos and all the basics just work. But what really stands out is the peace of mind. It feels like a normal, modern smartphone experience without that sense of being monitored in the background. I wasn’t sure what to expect switching over, but so far it’s been great. If you’re looking for something that keeps all the convenience without the privacy trade-offs, I’d definitely recommend the UP Phone.

Switched to the UP Phone after getting fed up with constant tracking on my old iPhone—best decision ever! Setup was insanely easy: unbox, power on, and it auto-connects to their Liberty VPN for instant privacy. The automatic setup call from their US-based team popped up right away, walking me through everything in under 5 minutes—no tech headaches, just smooth sailing. Customer service? Unreal. When I had a quick question about the Encrypted Cloud, a real person answered immediately, super helpful and patient. It's like they actually care about you, not just selling a phone. I LOVE the Firewall dashboard shows trackers getting blocked in real-time and that SD card slot for offline storage If privacy matters, this is your phone. Effortless, secure, and supported like a pro. 5 stars all day!

Have you ever had the FBI boot your door in and hold the information on your device against you? My names Brian Preller & I have. That will never happen to me again. All I need is time to punch one code and it purges everything. If you're smart you'll use tellecomms systems that also self destruct & are encrypted. That will never happen to me again. Aside from that this phones actually pretty bad sweet. Its a learning curve to use because its been " degoogled " so you've got to navigate restricted apps and a system based on security which means its not going to be convenient i can tell you I've gotten 10 fold less spam calls since switching. The camera is nice but honestly I'm mostly intrigued and entertained and secure with the tightened security. I love this phone and when the next model comes out I'm 100% staying with this brand. As long as they don't sell out.

TLDR For a $1,000 smartphone, you receive hardware worth approximately $300, equipped with a functional kill switch. However, the device requires significant trust in the manufacturer. The phone operates on an outdated, rebranded version of Android 14, mandating an account with the company for basic functions like messaging, app downloads, or flashing the device. The company also promotes subscription-based services, such as its VPN. While you can use false information to create an account and unlock the phone for alternative operating systems, no other OS is currently supported, rendering this option impractical for most users. Despite effective marketing, the privacy community widely regards the company as untrustworthy, potentially operating as a data collection scheme. Until the manufacturer collaborates with the open-source community and supports third-party operating systems, it does not merit trust. For privacy-focused alternatives, consider the Fairphone or older Pixel phones running GrapheneOS.

I have had my eye on this phone for over a year. I finally needed a new phone and took the opportunity to switch to Unplugged's UP Phone. After about a week of owning it, I wish I had done it sooner. The external SD card storage allows up to an additional TB of physical storage—no cloud at all. This makes me feel much more comfortable with certain files. Additionally, the battery disconnect switch is a total game-changer. Beyond that, it's incredibly satisfying to watch, in real time, the firewall block attempts to harvest data from my device. Unplugged has a huge fan here!