The Search for the Most Private Phone in 2025: Key Criteria + 5 Options Reviewed

A high-quality camera, durability, and long battery life are some of the most valued features in smartphones, but they mean little if your phone doesn’t keep your data private. With the amount of personal information we keep on our phones and the significant increase in malware attacks, privacy has become a major concern for many individuals.

Popular mobile operating systems aren’t immune. In the first half of 2025, Android saw a 160% surge in malware attacks compared to the previous six months.

This discouraging data has led many users to shift their priorities and seek devices that offer more privacy and data protection. But, is there a device that can guarantee that?

In this guide, we’ll discuss how to choose the most private phone by exploring relevant criteria and reviewing five top-rated devices.

The Best Private Phone: Key Characteristics To Look For

At the most basic level, privacy starts with the ability to protect your phone with a password, pattern, or fingerprint. This ensures nobody can access your data even if they get hold of your device. The best private cell phones typically have one or more of the following features:

The Most Private Phone in the World: 5 Best-Rated Options

We’ve analyzed dozens of phones advertised as private and cross-compared their features to shortlist the top five options:

1. 1. Google Pixel 9 Pro
2. 1. Katim R01
3. 1. Blackphone Privy 2.0
4. 1. Murena Fairphone
5. 1. Purism Librem 5

1. Google Pixel 9 Pro

Google Pixel 9 Pro may be a mainstream flagship, popular for its sophisticated design, high-quality camera, and robust AI capabilities, but that’s not the only reason many privacy-conscious users prefer Google Pixel devices.

The phone is powered by the advanced Google Tensor 4 processor, but all attention goes to the co-processor: Titan M2, which keeps resources such as memory or cache to itself. This isolation keeps your data safe in case the main processor is compromised.

Titan M2 has several important privacy-focused roles. It:

• • Checks the OS at boot to ensure attackers haven’t infiltrated the system
• • Stores decryption keys
• • Limits the number of login attempts at the hardware level to prevent brute-force attacks if your device gets lost or stolen

Another option that protects your privacy is the built-in VPN. You can access the internet without anyone tracking your location. You can also leverage built-in anti-phishing protections to receive alerts about potential threats that could jeopardize your privacy.

Google promises seven years of updates from when the device became available, so Google Pixel 9 Pro will be supported until 2031.

The main concern regarding the Google Pixel 9 Pro is that it’s manufactured by Google, which has a reputation for hoarding user data. If you’re worried about that, you can enhance your privacy by setting up GrapheneOS (a privacy-focused, hardened version of Android), which doesn’t include Google apps and services. This OS is available only on Google Pixel devices.

Here are some technical specs of this phone:

• • 6.3″ display
• • 16 GB RAM
• • 4,700 mAh battery
• • Triple rear camera system

Pricing starts at $749.

2. Katim R01

Katim R01 combines advanced privacy features with a rugged and durable design that can withstand even the most extreme conditions.

The device is powered by Katim OS, a hardened version of Android, with features such as:

1. 1. Secure booting: It verifies the software and hardware integrity.
2. 1. App sandboxing: It isolates apps from each other and the system to prevent data breaches and unauthorized access.

You also get a custom permission framework so that you can adjust permissions for each app and lower the risk of sharing in-app data with third parties.

Katim R01 offers robust encryption of all information you store on the device to support confidentiality and prevent others from accessing your data. To allow secure and private chat, video, and voice communication, the phone features the proprietary Katim Messenger.

There’s also the Shield Mode. This convenient option protects your privacy by automatically disabling the following:

• • Microphones
• • Camera
• • Bluetooth
• • Motion sensors
• • Location services

Katim R01 is rugged on the inside and the outside. It has a rigid aluminum structure protecting the inner components and a thermoplastic polyurethane outer layer. The tech specs are solid:

• • 5.65″ display
• • 4 GB RAM
• • 12 MP rear camera
• • Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor
• • 5,780 mAh battery

As the Katim phone isn’t a mass-market consumer device, it’s not available on platforms such as Amazon. The phone is designed for privacy-conscious individuals, particularly those working in the government or corporations with strict privacy protocols, so you’d have to contact the manufacturer for a quote.

3. Blackphone Privy 2.0

The phone’s design may not catch your eye, but the advanced privacy features will. Blackphone Privy 2.0 prioritizes your privacy and secure communications for sensitive data handling.

The phone is powered by Silent OS, a modified version of Android that doesn’t feature any Google services to prioritize privacy. Here are some of the features you get with Blackphone Privy 2.0:

• • Pre-installed Silent Phone app: It supports the privacy of your conversations through end-to-end encrypted calls and messages. There’s no IP address tracking or logging of communication between users.
• • Advanced app permission controls: You can manage what data each app can collect to have a greater control over your privacy.
• • App sandboxing: Apps are isolated from each other, so if one is compromised, others won’t be affected.
• • Remote wipe: If your device gets lost or stolen, you can remotely delete all data on it to ensure nobody can access it.

The device includes its own data-only SIM card that enables you to connect to major networks worldwide.

When it comes to tech specs, here’s what Blackphone Privy 2.0 offers:

• • 6.53″ display
• • 4 GB RAM
• • 4,500 mAh battery
• • Triple rear camera setup

Unfortunately, the original manufacturer no longer sells the device, so it’s only available through certain online marketplaces or authorized resellers. The key privacy component, the Silent Phone app, can be purchased separately for any Android or iOS device.

4. Murena Fairphone

Murena Fairphone combines a sleek appearance with powerful privacy options. The phone runs on /e/OS, a de-Googled version of Android. No Google apps or services are pre-installed on the device.

By default, the device comes with some privacy-first apps, but you can download all your favorite Android apps on it through the App Lounge. For every app you consider downloading, /e/OS can offer a privacy score on a scale 0–10 to help you assess its privacy practices.

Murena Fairphone displays trackers found in apps to help you choose whether a particular app suits your requirements. For additional privacy protection, you get features such as:

• • IP address and geolocation hiding: It limits tracking and lowers the risk of online surveillance.
• • Built-in ad blocker: It improves the user experience while using apps or browsing the internet.

The device is unique because of its modular design. You can swap out any of the 12 modules within minutes to extend your phone’s durability. You also get a five-year warranty at no extra cost.

Murena guarantees at least five years of software updates and security patches, so you can be sure your device won’t become obsolete any time soon.

Here are the phone’s key tech specs:

• • Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
• • 8 GB RAM
• • Dual rear camera
• • 4,415 mAh battery

Pricing starts at €649 (~$760).

5. Purism Librem 5

Librem 5 is built with your privacy in mind. It runs on PureOS, an open-source operating system that isn’t based on Android or iOS but on Debian (the most popular GNU+Linux OS). This means you don’t have to worry about Google or Apple tracking your data or monitoring your activity, but you’re also limited in terms of apps you can download.

One of the best-known privacy features you get with the Librem 5 is the set of three kill switches located on the side of the device for the following components:

1. 1. Modem
2. 1. Wi-Fi & Bluetooth
3. 1. Camera & Microphone

You can switch any of these switches individually—for instance, you can disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to shield your device from tracking. If you disable all three switches at once, you’ll enter Lockdown Mode, which turns off the three components and cuts power to GNSS, IMU, ambient light, and proximity sensors for additional and instant privacy.

Purism Librem 5 also offers full disk encryption to keep your data and all system files secure and private. Calls are encrypted, so you can communicate with minimal risk of interception.

Libre 5 offers lifetime updates—privacy improvements as well as bug fixes and security updates are guaranteed.

Here are the phone’s key tech specs:

• • 5.7″ display
• • 3 GB RAM
• • 4,500 mAh battery
• • 13 MP single rear camera

The phone’s price starts at $799.

Go Beyond Device-Enabled Privacy

Choosing the right device contributes to your overall privacy, but even the most secure and private phone can’t guard against network-level threats. A cyberattack occurs every 39 seconds, and these threats are only expected to rise in the future.

Mobile carriers are supposed to guarantee network security, but that’s hardly the case today. Most carriers, including big telcos, rely on legacy infrastructure that isn’t enough to shield you from sophisticated attacks. The consequence? Numerous data breaches in recent years that have compromised the identity and personal information of millions of users.

To enhance your privacy, you need to consider the infrastructure that your data travels through. In other words, you should combine your private phone with a privacy-oriented mobile carrier such as Cape to retain full control of your data and prevent breaches.

Cape: Privacy With No Compromise

Cape is a privacy-first mobile carrier with a unique stance on data collection, storage, and sharing. Contrary to major carriers that expect you to blindly trust them with your data, Cape’s motto is “Don’t trust us”—the entire system is built on minimal trust requirements with the goal of protecting your information, even from Cape itself.

Cape only needs your phone number to provide service, and any data it collects is deleted after 60 days. We will never sell your information to third parties. Your personal details won’t be used for advertising purposes or “improving your experience.”

Here are the key privacy-oriented features we offer:

Take Control of Your Privacy With Cape

Cape is available on all eSIM-compatible devices. You can set up your account by visiting cape.co/get-cape.

Our $99/month plan provides unlimited 4G and 5G data and unlimited texts and calls. There are no hidden costs or extra fees and taxes.

If you want the best private phone at a discounted price, visit the Cape Shop to explore eSIM-compatible options and get $500 off your first six months of service.

To further support your online privacy, Cape partnered with Proton. All Cape subscribers can get Proton Unlimited or Proton VPN Plus for only $1 for six months.