14 DAY TRIAL // Android has always been bashed on the matter of security and the things clearly won't improve in the immediate future. At least, not as long as software companies knowingly put backdoors inside Android phones without customers' consent.
Although Google is trying to patch all the exploits and bugs that are discovered each month, currently it's almost impossible to make Android bulletproof when it comes to security.
Nevertheless, Google's Nexus lineup has always been among the safest Android devices available on the market, and with the launch of the new Pixel phones, the search giant has boosted the security even further.
According to a recent blog post, both Pixel smartphones benefit from enhanced encryption implementation, which is supposed to improve the user experience, performance, as well as the security of the device.
There's a lot going on under Pixel's raw Android experience, especially when it comes to security and safety of data. Most of the new security features implemented in the Pixel phone are possible thanks to Android 7.0 Nougat, so they will possibly be added to other phones as well.
The new Pixel phones are encrypted by default
Google notes that the new Pixel and Pixel XL phones are encrypted by default. One of the many security features introduced in Nougat is the file-based encryption, which means different files are encrypted with different keys that can be unlocked independently.
Also, the Pixel phones have been enhanced with TrustZone security. Basically, the most recent processor “provides a means to execute code in a mode than remains secure even if the kernel is compromised.”
Android Nougat has introduced a new feature that allows all disk encryption keys to be stored encrypted with keys held by TrustZone software.
Moreover, the Pixel phones benefit from an inline hardware encryption engine, which is supposed to allow them to write encrypted data at line speed to the flash memory. Be sure to check Google's blog post for more details on Pixel security.