This is a quick look at how the Motorola Moto G Stylus 2021 smartphone could be used to mine VerusCoins (VRSC). The offer on Amazon currently has the Tracfone Motorola Moto g Stylus 2020, 128GB Gray - Prepaid Phone (Locked), available for only $49.99 USD. Note that even though the product page states 2020, you will receive the slightly upgraded version 2021 (model XT2115DL) instead. The Moto G Stylus has a 6.8-inch display and is powered by the Qualcomm SDM678 Snapdragon 660 (11nm) chipset. It also features a 128GB memory, 4GB of RAM and an 8-core processor. The device is locked, but it is still a great deal. It does seem like a reasonable idea. But the question is how it will perform for mining. The package includes a charger, not just the USB-C cable.
The Motorola Moto G Stylus is 64-bit hardware and 64-bit software. It's a great device for mining. This model requires the SIM card to be inside the phone during initialization. Most other Tracfone locked smartphones do not. After initialization, the device is not problematic and you do not need a Tracfone plan to mine crypto. What about the hashrate the Moto G Stylus can provide to mine VRSC? It is a very fast 4 MH/s. This is slightly faster than the Samsung Galaxy A03s. This larger display, coupled with the more powerful hardware, results in increased power consumption compared to the A03s and other smartphones that we've tested. The power consumption measured at the wall when the device is mining is around 3.7 Watts. This is not very efficient, even though performance is good.
VerusCoin Mining with the Samsung Galaxy A03s smartphone
The Samsung Galaxy A03s is one of the best and most affordable phones to buy if you're interested in mining VerusCoin. It is available at great prices from many no-contract operators and is easy to find. You can also use it to mine without having to activate a SIM and get a phone plan. It is possible to buy it at a discount. Tracfone, Simple Mobile, and Total by Verizon offer locked phones in the $50 range on Amazon. They are also available for $30 when they're in promotion. This is a great way to start mobile crypto mining, or to try it out before you decide whether you should get into it. It offers decent performance and low power consumption. Let's see what you can expect from the Samsung Galaxy A03s, if you want to mine VRSC...
The Samsung Galaxy A03s was launched in 2021. It is a low-end smartphone with Android 11 (updates for Android 13 are available currently) and decent hardware, but nothing too fancy. The Mediatek MT6765 Helio P35 12nm chipset has an 8-core ARM CPU (4x 2.35 GHz Cortex A53 and 4x 1.8 GHz Cortex A53 cores). It also has a USB Type-C interface that can support up to 15W of charging. Tracfone's model has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. However, there are other models with different amounts of memory, so be sure to double-check which one you get. This device is equipped with a 64-bit operating system and a 64 bit processor, unlike other phones like the Samsung Galaxy A13 (5G) that are not suitable for crypto mining. The price of the A03S locked devices is reasonable, and considering the specs and performance they offer.
What about the Galaxy A03s's performance? It is a great deal for a phone that can be purchased for as little as $50 USD, or sometimes even $30 USD. Of course, if the Samsung Galaxy A03s is not locked to any mobile operators, then it will cost more. However, you do not need an unlocked Samsung Galaxy A03s to mine with if this is all you intend to use it for. It is a very powerful device and has a great performance. The price is the most important thing, but the performance for the price is also very good. It almost makes you think about building a large-scale smartphone mining farm. Check out the Alcatel TCL A3 or TCL A3X smartphones as they offer similar performance at a similar price to the Samsung Galaxy A03s. However, these devices have their own unique features, so be sure to read our review.
Bitaxe MiniBit ASIC Single-Chip Bitcoin Miners MiniBit 1366, MiniBit 13,97
You may have seen the Bitaxe ASIC Bitcoin miner open-source hardware project. It is based on a Bitmain BM1397 ASIC that can achieve a hashrate up to 400 GH/s using only 15 Watts. The Bitaxe Ultra uses a Bitmain BM1366 ASIC for a better efficiency of 550 GH/s while still using the same 15 Watts. There are also pre-built versions of the Bitaxe that are ready to plug in and use. D-Central has gone one step further with their MiniBit designs, which are not only more convenient for crypto users or miners but also look better thanks to their 3D printer-like mini cases.
The MiniBit 1397 Powered By Bitaxe is a single BM1397 Bitcoin ASIC that can provide the same performance up to 400 GH/s as the regular Bitaxe but at a more stylish price of $148 USD. The Bitaxe v2.2 is fully assembled, along with a 15 Watt power supply unit and the Mini-S9 shell 3D printed. It's ready to configure and begin mining BTC. The MiniBit Ultra 1366 Powered By Bitaxe is slightly more powerful, but also more expensive. It comes with a single BM1366 Bitcoin-ASIC chip which offers a hashrate of up to 550 GH/s at the same level of power consumption. MiniBit 1366 costs $170.20 US dollars. The D-Central store also offers the Bitaxe DIY or pre-assembled version for $70.30 USD. Note that the company is based in Canada, and all shipping will be handled from there.
Remember that these Bitcoin miner are not intended for mining farms. They are designed to be used at home by miners who want a very affordable, not so powerful but still efficient ASIC to experiment with. It is because of this that there is no mention of profitability or return on investment. This was not the original goal. It is designed to be low-power and low hashrate, making it ideal for solo mining. However, you can also use the Bitaxe in a pool. The Bitaxe is a pretty standalone device, as it only requires a power cable to connect it to the internet. It's low-power, and it isn't noisy. However, you may want to experiment to make the cooling fan even quieter (hint: try Noctua). The Bitaxe is a Bitcoin mining "toy", which you can experiment with.
