Samsung Galaxy A Quantum has a cool name for a totally ‘random’ reason

Samsung’s new smartphone has Quantum in its name, but it’s not thanks to a Fallout or Ant-Man collab.

Instead, the Samsung Galaxy A Quantum features a quantum random number generator (QRNG) chip which will be used when critical data needs protection for subscribers on Korean carrier SK Telecom’s network.

“The technology encrypts transmitted data using special quantum keys, which, according to the laws of quantum physics, are impossible to intercept or steal,” Swiss crypto firm ID Quantique explained in a partnership announcement with SK Telecom back in 2018.

But back to the phone.

Beyond this neat addition, the Galaxy A Quantum is a 5G device based on the Galaxy A71 give or take a few millimetres and grams. It features the same camera array (64MP +12MP + 5MP + 5MP with a 32MP selfie camera), same battery size (4500mAh) and same display (6.7-inch AMOLED with 2400×1080 resolution).

Where it does differ is the chipest. It uses the Exynos 980 alongside that QRNG instead of the Snapdragon 730, and features 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.

The phone probably won’t be coming to South Africa. That quantum chip is largely enabled by South Korean carrier SK Telecom, but it’s an interesting look into how mobile networks could look to secure customer data in the future.

Feature image: Samsung Galaxy A71, by Samsung