NovaCustom · PrivacyGuard · Privacy smartphone
NovaCustom PrivacyGuard SHIFTphone 8.1
De-Googled SHIFTphone 8.1 running iodéOS with hardware kill switches for the camera and microphone. Built to be repaired rather than replaced — no glue, a removable battery, and separately replaceable cameras.
$889
$1,037 Sale NovaCustom US price — same here or directAvailable to order · drop-shipped from NovaCustom
Ships from the USA — US orders go out domestic USPS from a US warehouse. No customs, no import paperwork. Worldwide shipping free.
Lithium-ion battery installedUN 3481
Contains a lithium-ion battery, so it ships by ground or on approved air services only. We handle the dangerous-goods paperwork; nothing is needed from you.
Also on eBay
The only marketplace listings we operate for NovaCustom — sold by CISO Marketplace, the same stock and the same US fulfillment as this page. A listing from any other seller isn’t ours.
View this item on eBaybuyer protection · PO & procurement friendly Browse the CISO Marketplace eBay store →Buying here
- 🇺🇸 Ships from the USA — domestic USPS, no customs
- USD checkout with a US company — PO & procurement friendly
- US-based support · order lands in your CISO Marketplace portal
Buying direct
- Full custom configuration — RAM, SSD, keyboard, OS, coreboot options
- Pay by card, PayPal, or crypto (BTC / XMR)
- Same price either way — parity guaranteed
Carriers & cellular
Will it work on your network?
Broad US sub-6 GHz band coverage
Supported bands, as published by the manufacturer
5G NRn1 n2 n3 n5 n7 n8 n12 n20 n25 n28 n38 n40 n41 n66 n71 n77 n78 n79
LTE FDDB1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B7 B8 B12 B13 B17 B18 B19 B20 B25 B26 B28 B66 B71
LTE TDDB38 B39 B40 B41
WCDMAB1 B2 B5 B8
CDMA is no longer the question
The old GSM-vs-CDMA split is history — US carriers retired their CDMA networks, and everything now runs on LTE and 5G. Any unlocked LTE/5G handset can technically attach to all three major networks.
VoLTE provisioning is the real gotcha
With 2G and 3G shut down, voice calls ride VoLTE. Carriers maintain lists of device models they enable it for, and an imported or less common model is not always on them. Data may work perfectly while calls do not. Check your specific model with your carrier before you buy — this is the single most common problem with any imported phone, ours included.
Sub-6 5G only, no mmWave
These handsets do sub-6 GHz 5G. The very high-frequency mmWave tier some US carriers deploy in dense areas is not supported, so you get normal 5G rather than the headline speeds advertised in a stadium.
Bands are a per-model fact, not a brand fact
A phone sold into the European market does not necessarily carry the same band set as the North American variant of the same handset. Where a vendor publishes the band list we show it; where they publish a caveat instead, we show the caveat rather than guessing.
Radio hardening on this device
- Hardware kill switches physically disconnect the camera and microphone — not a software toggle a compromised OS can re-enable.
- Removable battery, so the device can be made verifiably inert.
Consider skipping the carrier entirely
Every one of these handsets runs perfectly well with no SIM and no eSIM at all — Wi-Fi only, with calls and messages over an encrypted app instead of the carrier network. For some threat models that is the stronger configuration, and it is worth understanding why.
It removes the cell-site attack surface
IMSI catchers — the devices commonly called stingrays — work by impersonating a cell tower, persuading nearby handsets to attach, and harvesting the identifiers they present. Many attacks depend on forcing a downgrade to older, weaker 2G or 3G protocols. A handset with no cellular connection has nothing to catch. Short of that, GrapheneOS LTE-only mode closes the downgrade path while keeping the phone usable on a network.
It removes the carrier as a data holder
A SIM ties a subscriber identity to a location history held by a company that can be subpoenaed, breached, or socially engineered. No SIM means no carrier record of where the device has been, because the carrier never sees it.
What it costs you, honestly
No cellular data away from Wi-Fi. Emergency calling behaves differently and may not be available without a carrier connection — verify how your device and jurisdiction handle this before you rely on it. Anyone expecting to reach you on a normal phone number will need another route.
What it does not do
This is not invisibility. Wi-Fi networks, the IP addresses you use, and the services you sign into all produce their own metadata, and an app-based identity can be just as identifying as a phone number. Removing the SIM narrows one specific channel — a significant one — rather than closing all of them.
Why the NovaCustom PrivacyGuard SHIFTphone 8.1
What this privacy smartphone does that alternatives don't.
Hardware kill switches, not software toggles
Physical switches cut the camera and microphone. A compromised OS cannot re-enable what is electrically disconnected.
De-Googled by default
iodéOS ships without Google services and with ad and tracker blocking at the OS level, so the baseline is private rather than something you harden afterwards.
Repairable on purpose
No glue, a removable 3820 mAh battery, and cameras that swap independently — a phone with a service life measured in years, not warranty periods.
Specifications
Full technical details.
Compliance framework mapping
Controls this product satisfies across 12 frameworks.
Mobile device access control
Hardened mobile OS with per-app sensor controls, verified boot, and no background telemetry. Satisfies mobile device management and bring-your-own-device security requirements.
Supply chain risk — hardware and firmware
Open-source firmware is publicly auditable and reproducibly built. EU jurisdiction hardware is not subject to US National Security Letters. Directly addresses hardware supply chain risk in CMMC and NIS2.
Compared to
Honest comparisons against the most likely alternatives.
vs. a NitroPhone
NitroPhones run GrapheneOS on Pixel hardware with the Titan M2 as the root of trust. The SHIFTphone trades that for physical kill switches, a removable battery, and genuine repairability.
vs. a stock Android phone
No Google services, no ad tracking, and switches that cut the sensors — none of which a stock handset offers at any setting.
Shipping & returns
What to expect after you order.
Shipping
Ships free worldwide, direct from NovaCustom — US orders via USPS from their US warehouse, everywhere else via UPS from the Netherlands. No import duties. We place your order with NovaCustom within 1 business day of payment and email your tracking.
Warranty & returns
3-year NovaCustom warranty with guaranteed firmware updates and spare-parts availability for years beyond that. Returns and RMAs are handled with NovaCustom's EU support — we'll coordinate on your behalf if anything goes sideways.
Want a custom build?
We stock the standard configurations. NovaCustom's own shop offers full customization — keyboard layouts, RAM/SSD upgrades, OS choice, coreboot options. Use the "Buy direct" button; the price is the same and they accept cards, PayPal and crypto (BTC/XMR).
Authorized partner
We are an authorized NovaCustom drop-ship partner and affiliate. Identical hardware, firmware and warranty either way you buy — on-site checkout is fulfilled by NovaCustom, and the "buy direct" link supports us at no cost to you.
