This Thursday, April 13, the Solana (SOL) team officially presented its first Web3 cell phone. Named “Saga”, this smartphone will host the main decentralized applications of the Solana ecosystem. Overview of the product
Saga: a Solana smartphone
The Web3 is increasingly interfering in the Web2, and in a rather unexpected way. After opening stores in the United States, Solana is now tackling the smartphone market and announcing its own cell phone. Called “Saga”, it is marketed by the subsidiary Solana Mobile.
Announced in the summer of 2022, the smartphone was unveiled in more detail during a Solana Mobile conference, broadcast live this Thursday, April 13. Find it in the tweet below:
Become legendary. Watch the official @solanamobile Saga Launch Event Livestream https://t.co/X70F1l3PwJ
– Solana (@solana) April 13, 2023
The Saga will be available for purchase starting May 8, 2023, at a price of approximately $1000. From a technical point of view, the smartphone will be based on the Android operating system and will have 512 GB of memory for a 6.67-inch screen.
Specifically, the device is designed to embrace Solana’s Web3 ecosystem. The dApp Store will allow downloading decentralized applications, DeFi protocols or NFTs marketplaces and using them directly from the phone. For the moment, the applications already compatible and available from the purchase of the Saga will be: StepN, Magic Eden, Audius, Mango Markets and Ledger.
One of the advantages is that Solana’s dApp Store will not apply excessive fees for payments within the future applications of its universe. Indeed, this is a real problem that Web3 developers currently face with Web2 app stores (like Apple Store) that charge very high commissions.
Also of interest, Solana Mobile unveils the “Seed Vault” to secure users’ digital assets without impacting the smoothness of their experience. This biometric solution will validate transactions using fingerprint recognition via a button on the back of the mobile.
Since the beginning of this week, Solana’s SOL has climbed 20% and is trading for $25. That’s 140% up since the start of 2023, a decent catch-up after suffering the full brunt of the FTX debacle.
