Solana Labs is expanding blockchain to the smartphone segment. Anatoly Yakovenko, the CEO of Solana Labs launched a software development tool for Web3 programmes called ‘Solana Mobile Stack’ (SMS) on June 23. During this event held in New York, he revealed details of the firm’s upcoming smartphone named ‘Saga’. This will be among the world’s first-generation of crypto and Web3-centric smartphones when it releases in the early months of 2023. As per Solana co-founder Raj Gokal, they chose the name ‘Saga’ because ‘the story of crypto is still being written’.
Supporting Google’s Android OS, the Saga smartphone will be priced at around $1,000 (roughly Rs. 78,300) and will feature Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, a 6.67-inch OLED display, 12GB RAM, and 512GB of internal storage.
The phone will be loaded with a pro-Web3, decentralised app store featuring dApps.
A crypto wallet called ‘Solana Pay’ will be pre-installed in Saga to process transactions via QR codes. A ‘seed vault’ will also be part of this phone to safely store all the private keys linked to the device.
“Almost 7 billion people use smartphones around the world and more than 100 million people hold digital assets – and both of those numbers will continue to grow. Saga sets a new standard for the web3 experience on mobile,” Yakovenko said in a blog post.
Yakovenko, who was formerly employed with chipmaker Qualcomm, structurised Solana Labs between 2017-2018.
Now Solana Labs’ ‘Saga’ smartphone is up for pre-order, making way for more smartphone players to experiment with Web3 integration.
Interested buyers can reserve their devices for a refundable deposit of $100 (roughly Rs. 7,830).
“Those who pre-order may be eligible to receive a Saga Pass, an NFT accompanying the first wave of Saga devices and the first ticket to influencing the direction of the SMS platform,” the post notified.
By combining Web3 with smartphone technology, the team at Solana Labs is aiming to drive crypto adoption on a mass level.
The public response to Solana’s smartphone offering seemed positive on Twitter.
What an unbelievable day. I’m thrilled I can finally share what a skunkworks group of engineers have been working on.
Introducing Solana Mobile Stack – the word’s first open-source Android framework for web3 development.
Oh, yeah, and Saga. A flagship web3 Android phone. pic.twitter.com/fiRyzz9a1b
— SMS Austin :cupcake: (@Austin_Federa) June 23, 2022
Is this Crypto’s iPhone moment?@solana co-founder and CEO Anatoly Yakovenko launched the Saga, world’s first Android web3 smartphone in New York.
The $1000 smartphone has a 6.67 inch OLED screen, 512GB storage and 12GB RAM, available from Q1 2023. pic.twitter.com/sHXufRO76I— Ankit.Today (@ankitv) June 24, 2022
Previously, other smartphone brands have also experimented with bringing together crypto and smartphones.
The Exodus line by HTC, Samsung’s KlaytnPhone, and the Finney phones by Sirin Labs also tried to make strides in the arena, but failed to make a big market splash.
