Samsung S10 leak shows blockchain and crypto plans

Samsung’s been pushing for government support for its blockchain and cryptocurrency technology for much of the past year, and early Galaxy S10 leaks suggest a built-in crypto wallet will be among the handset's planned features.

Samsung plans to formally unveil its Galaxy S10 on Feb. 20. As that date nears, images have begun leaking to technology blogs. One leak, picked up by Engadget and 9to5Google, among others, shows a Blockchain KeyStore that would support users’ existing cryptocurrency wallets or a new wallet. The KeyStore will allow users to send and receive cryptocurrency.

The leaks show only Ethereum but the sources Engadget quotes, mostly developers, say the wallet will also support bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, ERC20 and likely other cryptocurrencies. It’s unclear if the cryptocurrency wallet will be available at the S10's launch, or added at a later date. Samsung did not return a request for comment.

The South Korean electronics company in early January filed for a patent in the U.K. for blockchain payments and cryptocurrency technology. Samsung also filed for blockchain trademarks with the EU regulators several months earlier.

HTC in late 2018 unveiled its new smartphone, which supports crypto wallet keys. But not all wallets are meant to last; Microsoft has posted news that its Microsoft Wallet app will be "officially retired" on Feb. 28.