The worlds of cryptocurrencies and smartphones converge with Solana Mobile’s intriguing new product.
According to a report by CoinDesk, Solana Mobile, a subsidiary of Solana Labs, will publicly launch its blockchain-integrated Android smartphone, Saga, on May 8. The phone, which is already shipping to customers who pre-ordered it, is designed to make it easy and secure for users to transact in Web3 and manage digital assets like cryptocurrencies and NFTs.
The smartphone, priced at $1,000, is a collaboration with OSOM, an Android development company with experience building hardware for Google, Apple, and Intel. The device features a 6.67-inch OLED display, 12 GB RAM, 512 GB storage, and the latest flagship Snapdragon® 8+ Gen 1 Mobile Platform.
The Solana Mobile Stack (SMS) is unique to the Saga smartphone, a suite of custom add-ons that integrate crypto functionality into the phone’s hardware and software. With ingrained security features, users can send, receive, trade, and store cryptocurrencies on the device. The Saga’s secure element, which holds confidential data, is customized with a “seed vault” for storing private keys separately from the rest of the phone’s data.
Saga also features a custom “dapp” store with a curated list of crypto applications. Over a dozen apps are currently available for download, with more to be added in the future. Solana has pledged not to impose “extractive fees” on dapp store apps, in contrast to the 30% fee charged by Apple and Google on their app stores.
Back in June 2022, when Solana Mobile first introduced Saga, Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana Labs, stated that Saga aims to set a new standard for the Web3 experience on mobile devices. The Solana Mobile Stack SDK allows developers to create rich mobile experiences for wallets and apps on the Solana blockchain.
