Yes, Samsung is considering a crypto wallet

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About a month ago, it was revealed that Samsung had filed for several trademarks with the European Intellectual Property Office (EIPO) tied to blockchain-based phrases, including “Blockchain Core,” “Blockchain Keystore” and “Blockchain key box.” These trademarks got the rumor mills running in overdrive, leading to a popular Samsung reporting site, SamMobile, revealing that a cryptocurrency wallet could be included in the company’s upcoming S10 smartphone. Samsung later refuted that the S10 would provide a crypto wallet, but the tech giant definitely has some type of plan for a crypto offering up its sleeve. What that plan might be, or when it might be made available, though, still remain a mystery.

In its latest crypto-related move, filed in the middle of last month, Samsung has registered for a trademark with the Intellectual Property Office in the UK for the term “Samsung Crypto Wallet.” As the name suggests, and the trademark application confirms, the underlying system includes an application that would allow for the storage and exchange of digital assets. The application reads, “Smartphones; Tablet computers; Portable computers; Mobile telephones; Computer software; Computer software for use as a cryptocurrency wallet; Computer software for cryptocurrency transfer and payment using blockchain technology; Computer application software for smartphones, namely, software to allow users to transfer cryptocurrency based on blockchain technology and pay via 3rd party’s application software.”

Samsung is entering a market that currently only has a few players. Sirin Labs recently launched its “Finney” crypto smartphone, which contains a built-in cold storage wallet, a conversion service and a decentralized app (Dapp) marketplace. It was officially launched at the beginning of December with a price tag of around $999 and is reportedly going to be offered through Amazon this month, but that has not yet been confirmed.

Smartphone manufacturer HTC is also working on its own version of a blockchain-based phone, The Exodus 1. It has started to ship in limited quantities, at around $950, and offers a crypto wallet like the Finney, but the reviews have so far been less than impressive. One reviewer wasn’t even able to get it to connect to a network. If Samsung is able to get a crypto phone to market soon, it would almost certainly take control of the crypto smartphone industry.