What’s the Turing Phone?

The World’s First “Liquidmorphium” Smartphone

The Turing Phone has received a good deal of publicity lately thanks to some clever branding and “Terminator” terminology. The device’s manufacturer has issued some bold claims about revolutionizing the smartphone, aiming to make communications more trustworthy and hardware more robust.

The unique Liquidmorphium chassis gives start-up Turing Robotic Industries’ hardware strength, but the phone isn’t particularly remarkable in terms of specifications. It runs a customized version of Android 5.1 on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, has a 5.5-inch HD display, a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera, an eight-megapixel front-facing camera, NFC and sensors for humidity and temperature. It also claims to offer “unhackable” end-to-end encryption, though this isn’t a completely new concept — Silent Circle’s Blackphone has a notably similar focus on security.

The device is expected to start shipping later in 2015, and is priced at about $700 depending on the internal storage configuration. Those interested can add their names to a list.

The Turing Phone is a niche device, but the creator’s use of new materials catches the eye. The company says that Liquidmorphium is stronger than steel or titanium, resulting in an unusually robust phone.

The marketing terminology suggests at least a touch of hyperbole, but such amorphous metal alloys or “glassy metals” are real and being developed for applications that require a high degree of robustness. These materials are denser than other metals thanks to the arranged order of the atoms, and such uses include for sporting goods like golf clubs and as a biomaterial for body implants.

In this age of commoditized devices, the Turing Phone is something just a little different. Its use of new materials is something that might trend, and reflects the necessity of differentiation in the homogeneous world of Android smartphones.

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