Solana’s New Phone Promises More for Less—And Already Seeing Huge Demand

Final 12 months’s launch of the Solana Saga smartphone was an enormous wager by Solana Labs that didn’t initially seem to repay. However a year-end surge in demand across the then-discounted cellphone, thanks partly to the surging worth of token airdrops tied to it, cleared out the remaining inventory and prompted questions on what’s subsequent.

Enter “Chapter 2.” Revealed in January, simply weeks after the airdrop craze that revitalized the Saga’s fortunes, the subsequent Solana cellphone is about to launch in mid-2025 because the Solana Seeker after already attracting 140,000 pre-orders.

Solana Cell, the Labs division behind the {hardware}, revealed the official branding and a primary take a look at the subsequent Android handset onstage at Token 2049 in Singapore Friday.

And it’s completely different. The beforehand introduced $450 pre-order value—lower than half that of the Saga—might need already prompt that, however Solana Cell Basic Supervisor Emmett Hollyer informed Decrypt that we shouldn’t choose the Seeker by its a lot lower cost level.

“We have priced it very aggressively as a result of we would like it to be accessible for development,” he mentioned, “not essentially as a result of we see this in any approach of a step down.

Full {hardware} specs haven’t been launched but, however Hollyer mentioned that the Solana Seeker may have a brighter “flagship show” and a longer-lasting battery than the Saga, plus “higher cameras”—together with a brand new third sensor packed onto the again.

And when it comes to efficiency, he prompt that will probably be a “significant step up from Saga,” partly as a result of it’s been so lengthy because the Saga’s specs have been set in early 2022. The Seeker {hardware} can be “lighter and smaller” than the Saga was, partly as a result of they imagine that many customers plan to make use of it as a secondary gadget slightly than changing their major cellphone.

That’s a shift in kind in addition to a pivot in messaging, which Hollyer mentioned was primarily based partly on suggestions to Saga and rising use instances, such operating node software program and mining tokens for decentralized bodily infrastructure networks (DePINs). The Seeker identify, he defined, was impressed by the thought of customers attempting to “discover new alternatives,” whether or not that’s rewards, experiences, or connection.

“Persons are consistently searching for these issues out,” he mentioned, “and so it simply got here to us very, in a short time.”

He admitted that messaging across the Saga could have been complicated when it comes to its crypto focus. However with 140,000 individuals already plunking down deposits for the Seeker, they’re assured that there’s a rising group of potential customers—and that this cellphone shall be targeted on new and entrenched crypto customers, slightly than most of the people.

“I do not anticipate this to be a tool that we’re simply pitching to the lots, like, ‘Hey, use an Android cellphone and possibly strive a number of the crypto options,’” Hollyer mentioned. “I might like to be there, however I feel we have to actually, actually get this proper, and actually study from our customers earlier than we are able to begin to pull within the lots.”

Solana Telephone 2.0

Amid all of the adjustments, nonetheless, some parts of the Seeker are very very similar to the Saga. The crypto integration is once more pushed by the Seed Vault, a customized custody resolution constructed inside a safe surroundings on the cellphone. It’s referred to as out visually within the cellphone’s design this time, as seen within the product pictures, in a shiny cutout wrapped round the proper aspect of the body.

Along with the Seed Vault itself, Solana Cell has designed a customized software program pockets for the Seeker in collaboration with Solflare, promising what Hollyer described as a “higher person expertise” in comparison with the wallets presently accessible on the Saga.

They’ve additionally seen considerably extra curiosity from Solana builders and builders in launching cellular decentralized apps (dapps) alongside the Seeker. Simply 20,000 models of the Saga have been produced, however with Seeker pre-orders already hitting a 7x a number of of that, he mentioned that builders have extra incentive to commit time and assets to cellular.

“We’ve been frankly inundated by ecosystem outreach,” he mentioned.

Lastly, just like the Saga, every Seeker cellphone will ship with a Genesis NFT—a soulbound token perpetually tied to the proprietor’s pockets. The Saga pioneered this mannequin, and it rapidly proved to be a “rewards magnet” for homeowners, as Hollyer framed it, because of the BONK meme coin airdrop surging in worth late final 12 months and different initiatives rewarding homeowners as effectively.

All of these incentives have been community-driven, he mentioned, and there’s been a large wave of curiosity from Solana builders in tapping into the Seeker viewers too. Whereas there’ll little doubt be rewards, he additionally expects initiatives to supply unique entry and experiences to homeowners.

“After all, will probably be a rewards magnet,” mentioned Hollyer, “but it surely additionally goes to open some one-of-a-kind expertise doorways that I feel shall be new to Seeker versus Saga.”

Edited by Guillermo Jimenez