The competition to bring Web3 to your pocket is heating up. Following the launch of Solana’s Seeker phone, Freedom Factory has officially begun shipping dGEN1, the world’s first Ethereum-native smartphone built for a fully on-chain lifestyle.
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The $549 device runs on ethOS v4, a custom operating system exclusive to Ethereum. Unlike traditional smartphones, dGEN1 emphasizes contracts over calls and features a hardware wallet embedded directly in the chip and no reliance on centralized app stores or intermediaries.
“dGEN1 is not meant to replace the iPhone. It is intended to replace your reliance on a centralized system. It is your on-chain companion.”
Marcus Haas, Freedom Factory CEO and co-creator
Every part of the dGEN1 experience revolves around blockchain interactions. From biometric signatures and local transaction decoding to gasless transactions with account abstraction (ERC-4337) and a built-in paymaster, this device brings the full functionality of Web3 into an elegant and portable format.
Users can access decentralized apps like Camelot (Arbitrum’s top DEX), Inky by Kraken, Huddle01, Towns, and Fungi, as well as play Web3 native games like Dot and Yuliverse. All of this can be done from your phone’s decentralized app store.
A mobile phone’s trusted execution environment (TEE) ensures that private keys never leave the device, providing hardware-level protection for crypto assets. It is primarily Wi-Fi enabled, but users can add cellular service via SIM or eSIM for full connectivity.
Vitalik backing and Ethereum ecosystem support
According to Arkham data, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin personally donated 199.9 ETH (approximately $517,000) to Freedom Factory’s Gnosis Safe wallet, which supports ethOS development. The project also includes Balaji Srinivasan, NounsDAO, and Optimism Foundation as backers. This is a clear sign that the Ethereum giants are betting on the next wave of decentralized hardware.
dGEN1 taps into the growing market of blockchain-native devices aimed at unifying finance, identity, and communications into one on-chain hub. Solana’s Seeker phone, launched in August, sold 150,000 units in 50 countries during the initial pre-order phase, proving the global demand for decentralized smartphones.
But Freedom Factory’s approach is more about practicality than novelty. dGEN1 is not designed to replace your everyday smartphone. A Web3 workstation that fits in your pocket. It bridges Ethereum’s large ecosystem of wallets, DAOs, and DeFi protocols without sacrificing self-control or privacy.
A glimpse into the future of personal finance
In the Web3 era, the smartphone wars are no longer about megapixels and processors, but keys, controls, and connectivity. With dGEN1, Ethereum joins the race to make crypto-native computing as mobile as messaging.
In a world where Solana, Sui, and XProtocol are already rolling out their own devices, Freedom Factory’s Ethereum-first hardware positions itself as a strong contender in the new decentralized mobile ecosystem.
As Web3 becomes more popular, the next billion users may not download it. They might unpack Web3.
