Solana made waves in April 2023 with the launch of its groundbreaking Web3 mobile phone, known as Solana Saga. This innovative device combines the standard features of a smartphone with a seamless Web3 experience. Users can access a decentralized application (DApp) store and enjoy smooth integration with crypto wallets and DApps. With its unique offerings, Saga has been dubbed the “phone that keeps on giving.”
The phone was available for pre-order for several months, and early adopters were treated to airdrops like the “Saga Pass.” Holders of the Saga Pass also received exclusive art airdrops in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) leading up to the phone’s official launch on April 13, 2023. Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana, took the stage to announce the phone’s release and highlight its features.
Initial reactions to the phone were positive, although European users experienced delays due to supply chain challenges. While American users began receiving their phones in April, it took until May for those across the Atlantic to get their hands on the Saga.
In terms of design, the Saga boasts a form factor that is reminiscent of an iPhone. It features green buttons, a ceramic backing, and a stainless steel frame, giving it a mainstream appeal. The phone runs on the Android OS and is manufactured by OSOM, who presented it alongside the Solana co-founder at the launch event.
The Saga comes equipped with impressive hardware elements. It sports a 6.67-inch, 1080p resolution AMOLED screen with a 120Hz display. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen1 processor and 12 gigabytes of RAM, the phone offers a robust performance. Additionally, it provides ample storage with 512GB, a feature not commonly found in smartphones. The phone’s 4,110-mAh battery outperforms that of a typical iPhone 14 Pro, offering extended usage time.
One notable feature of the Saga is the fingerprint sensor located on the back of the phone, which provides an intuitive unlocking experience for users. The phone’s camera captures high-quality images, although a detailed comparison with iPhone or Samsung cameras is beyond the scope of this article. The built-in speakers could offer better sound quality.
Setting up the phone is a swift process. Users are required to create a Solana wallet and a seed vault to store their seed phrase. With the convenience of biometric authentication, users can unlock their wallets and sign transactions using their fingerprints. The seed vault is a crucial component that sets the stage for the Web3 experience.
While the basic setup of the phone is similar to that of any other Android device, the Saga comes with a Solana-powered DApp store. This app store provides access to various DApps on the Solana network, spanning categories such as games, NFTs, decentralized finance (DeFi), and social applications. Initially, the app store featured only a dozen apps, but by April and May 2023, more apps were added, bringing the total to over 25.
Setting up the popular Phantom wallet, commonly used on the Solana network, is seamless and straightforward. However, some users encountered difficulties when attempting to download other applications onto the phone. The DApp store underwent a few updates during April and May 2023, which resolved these issues.
The Saga offers exclusive experiences to users, introducing them to a range of DApps. Upon acquiring the phone, Saga users receive a genesis token, which identifies them as loyal users within the Solana DApps ecosystem. These users are then rewarded over time.
In terms of practical usage, transactions using the Phantom wallet to swap USD Coin (USDC) for Solana (SOL) were effortless thanks to the fingerprint sensor. This type of crypto transaction resembles a fintech contactless payment, offering a mechanical and effortless experience.
Several notable applications are worth mentioning. Dialect, a Web3 messaging app, incorporates NFT stickers and leverages Solana’s compressed NFT technology to make minting NFTs cost-effective. The Dialect app gamifies NFT sticker collections, which can be used within messages.
The Mintify app enables users to mint NFTs directly from their photos. By connecting with the Phantom wallet, the app charges a fee in SOL (approximately 0.01 SOL per mint). Once the user approves the minting process, it occurs instantly, with the pictures uploaded on-chain and an address provided immediately.
The Saga app store has also seen the inclusion of DApps that were previously only available on the web. For instance, Squads, a multisig wallet on Solana, made its mobile debut with the Saga release. This may indicate a future trend where Web3 apps align themselves with their parent chain’s ecosystem infrastructure. However, this could limit their distribution capabilities and restrict their user base.
In addition to these integrated experiences, the Solana Mobile team has announced significant airdrops. Claynosaurz, one of the top NFT communities on Solana, has conducted an airdrop for users who pre-ordered the phone.
Other Web3 apps also function seamlessly on the Saga, utilizing the Android ecosystem. However, they do not offer the same level of integration as Saga DApps.
Despite its impressive features, the Saga comes with a hefty price tag of $1,000, making it a significant investment for liquidity-drained Web3 users during a bear market. This device primarily appeals to Solana loyalists, liquidity-rich individuals, and those interested in exploring Solana’s potential.
While the Saga’s fingerprint sensor is useful and intuitive, it lacks the instant and intuitive experience of facial recognition. Additionally, the phone does not support e-SIMs, which could be beneficial for frequent travelers who need to use multiple mobile numbers on one device.
Feedback on the DApp store experience has been mixed, with some users encountering technical glitches. Gaming, a sector expected to attract 1 billion users to Web3, is currently underrepresented in the DApp store, featuring only three games as of May 26, 2023. Despite these challenges, the Saga marks a promising start for the industry’s much-needed development.
Looking to the future, it is highly unlikely that the Saga will surpass iPhones or Android devices in popularity. Instead, this experiment aims to provide a specific user experience and its benefits to converted Web3/Solana users, offering others a glimpse into the future.
While some may view it as mere coincidence, Apple’s approval of Uniswap, Axie Infinity, and in-app sales on StepN indicates that the Saga is influencing broader trends in the industry. However, the 30% Apple tax remains a burden on creators’ revenue, and any changes to this policy may be prompted by external forces. For now, Saga users serve as the guinea pigs for this underrated Web3 experiment.
Please note that this article does not provide investment advice or recommendations. Readers should conduct their own research before making any investment or trading decisions.