UK smartphone company Wileyfox bundles free DNA testing kit

Bundling has long been a tradition in the technology sector. The idea is that two companies see a cross-over appeal and decide to partner with each other to boost their desirability/sales etc. Traditionally, the bundle might take the form of a free cooler with a CPU plus motherboard or a triple A (i.e. famous) game with a graphics card or gaming monitor. British smartphone manufacturer Wileyfox has taken the rather unusual step of partnering with a company called Muhdo in order to bundle a DNA testing kit with a Swift 2 X Android phone. Unique stuff.

Puzzled by the connection, we dug a little deeper. It turns out that Muhdo is a company incorporated earlier this year by Nathan Berkley, who previously spent 6 years running publications like Men's Fitness, Yoga and Inside Fitness for Women. He then spent 3 years as creative director for a company called SFP Media that specialises in creating apps for iPhone and Android. The connection between DNA tests that target your health and a mobile phone company now make more sense.

Front and centre for Muhdo's web site is a chap called Eddie ‘The Beast' Hall who was crowned ‘World's Strongest Man' in 2017.  Eddie believes that affordable/accessible DNA testing that profiles and analysis over 180 genetic areas has actually allowed him to increase his health, performance and recovery – while also avoiding illness.  That may or may not be so, but the area certainly promises a lot going forward.

Muhdo will be launching an app for Wileyfox owners that will help deliver fitness, weight loss and training plans to your smartphone which – they claim – will be tailored to your needs, based on the DNA test. Naeem Walji from Wileyfox said, “We believe the world is a better place when everyone can get access to information that improves their well being. This information could come in all forms, and there is perhaps none more vital than one’s own DNA profile”.

The Swift 2 X phone has a 1.4GHz octa-core Snapdragon 430 processor from Qualcomm, 3GB memory and 32GB storage – along with an HD display that packs 424ppi (34 less than the Galaxy Note 8, but 98 more than the iPhone 8). It runs Android Nougat 7.1.2, has a finger print scanner, 5.2″ screen and two cameras, 16mp at the front and 8mp at the rear.

KitGuru says: Given that the phone retails at £220, while the DNA kit is £250, then the bundle could be quite persuasive if you've always wanted a detailed, 78 marker snapshot of your own genetic make up. 

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