Update March 15th, 1:30PM ET: In a statement to The Verge, Sirin Labs says the Solarin “has at least another year ahead” and the company will make devices that are more accessible to the mass market. Sirin Labs also noted that it will “re-hire engineers” to “support the new line of products” that it plans to build. The original post remains below.
Last May, at a launch event with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy in attendance, Sirin Labs launched the Solarin, an ultra-secure Android smartphone that cost the same as a brand-new Kia Forte. Ten months later, the Solarin is dead.
Sirin Labs has discontinued its phone, according to Business Insider, and the company has let go 30 of its 90 employees, according to Israeli publication Calcalist. Given the $16,000 price tag, the Solarin was largely doomed from the start — it’s a ridiculous price to pay for any smartphone, and if security is your main concern, the Blackphone 2 costs $799, or less than the tax on the Solarin.
If you’re one of the select few who dropped nearly $20,000 on a Solarin, the company says it will continue to support the devices going forward. As for the future of Sirin Labs, it told Business Insider in a statement that it is “pursuing new directions to a new product line.” Maybe a $20,000 tablet?
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