Encryption-focused, 100% private Blackphone 2 goes on sale

The second-generation Android smartphone focused firmly on security is now available to order.

And if it's considered purely on internal specifications, then its quad-core processor and HD display alone won't justify its $799 price tag.

If, however, you're one of a growing number of individuals or businesses rightly concerned about everything from data security to data theft, then this is one of the safest handsets at any cost.

As well as providing secure, encrypted communications, the new handset can create identities or partitions to keep business and personal use separate and to enable owners to use the handset for the sorts of things that most consumers need smartphones for -- social media and gaming. And all without running the risk of a predilection for cat videos leading to an inadvertent hacking of work emails.

The new smartphone is the world's first built from the ground up to be private by design.

Designed for individuals and corporations alike, the first Blackphone was originally presented at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona back in 2014 before going on sale for $629, which is right up there with the unlocked cost of most flagship smartphones. The original had a 4.7-inch screen.

The new version will upgrade to a 5.5 inch Gorilla Glass display and have a 1.7GHz octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, a 13MP camera, a micro SD slot and a quick charge battery.

Blackphone 2 is based on Silent OS, an Android-based operating system enhanced to address mobile privacy concerns, which allows users to create different 'Spaces' that act as separate virtual phones on one device.

Silent OS puts privacy in the hands of each individual user, allowing them to create different "Spaces" that act as separate virtual phones on one device, thereby enabling work life and personal life to stay securely compartmentalized. You can create up to four spaces on each phone and customize them any way you like.

Silent OS's "Security Center" also puts privacy settings at the user's fingertips. Not only are settings easily configurable for the phone, users can also fine-tune permissions for individual apps to decide the level of data access each app receives.

The Blackphone 2 comes preloaded with its own apps as well as third-party apps that enable encrypted communication.