HTC's new phone allows users to run a Bitcoin full node

Taiwanese electronics company HTC announced that its new blockchain smartphone, the EXODUS 1s, will have the capability to host a Bitcoin full node.

The budget version of the phone will retail under $300, as first reported by CoinDesk.

On May 11 at the Magical Crypto Conference in New York, Phil Chen, the decentralized chief officer at HTC, announced that the EXODUS 1s will feature software to run a full Bitcoin node.

The company has stated that it has been developing the crypto-focused phone since May of 2018.

The phone's main selling point is built-in hardware and software features that will allow users to manage their own private keys.

"The reason why you do a blockchain phone is for everybody just to own their own keys. Everything starts there. When you start owning your own keys, then you can start owning your own digital identity, then you can start to own data."

In December of 2018, HTC announced the EXODUS 1 would run Brave browser by default, the web browser preferred by crypto-enthusiasts-among other blockchain-first features.

The high-end version of the phone is selling via pre-order for roughly $850. Along with other integrations, the phone will allow users to securely store private keys on the device.

The phone will initially support bitcoin, litecoin, ether, and ERC721 crypto-collectibles through its Zion wallet integration.

The phone represents a major step towards mainstream crypto adoption.