This privacy-first smartphone draws a hard line between trusted apps and ev

[phillynews215]

Credit: Punkt


TL;DR

• Punkt has unveiled the MC03 at CES 2026, a privacy-focused smartphone built around a dual-environment software model.
• The phone adds Proton apps inside a locked-down Vault, while still allowing wider app access through a Wild Web section.
• Pricing starts at €699 with one year of service included, followed by a paid subscription for AphyOS features.

Swiss phone maker Punkt is back at CES 2026 with a familiar message and a slightly more refined pitch. The company has unveiled the MC03, its latest privacy-focused smartphone, aimed at people who want more control over how their phone behaves and how much data it shares. All without completely abandoning modern apps and services.

The MC03 builds on the idea behind the earlier MC02, but Punkt says this new model is more clearly split into two areas. There’s Vault, a locked-down environment designed for trusted, privacy-vetted apps, and Wild Web, a more open space where you can install practically anything, but with visible controls to limit permissions, background activity, and data flows. It’s a cleaner way of formalising something many privacy-conscious users already do manually by keeping safe apps separate from everything else.




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