Solana is Launching a Web3-Focused Smartphone ‘Saga’‍

Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko announced the forthcoming debut of Solana Labs' Web3 smartphone, Saga, on June 23rd in New York City. The phone will have 512 GB of storage, a 6.67-inch OLED display, and will be available for purchase in the first quarter of 2023.

During the announcement, Yakovenko stated that he believes crypto "fundamentally needs to do this." He stated that we live through mobile phones but not in Web3 since suitable technical linkages have not yet occurred.

“This is something that I fundamentally believe the industry needs to do,” said Yakovenko. “We didn’t see a single crypto feature at the Apple developer conference 13 years after Bitcoin was alive.”

People will bring out their computers in the middle of dates to avoid missing out on an NFT minting opportunity, Yakovenko joked. "I believe it is now time for crypto to become mobile," Yakovenko added.

Saga intends to add digital asset products and services so that customers may simply transact with their cryptocurrencies via the device rather than a laptop browser.

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In addition to Saga, Yakovenko announced the creation of the Solana Mobile Stack, or SMS, a web3 layer for Solana created on the phone.

“Web3 still feels like we’re in the year 2007,” said Steven Laver, mobile engineering lead at Solana Labs. “[SMS] can build experiences for the community … it will treat SMS devices as first-class citizens on Solana.”

According to Sam Bankman-Fried, a Solana supporter and CEO of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, smartphone accessibility for crypto products is now lacking. He went on to say that one way is to combine a mobile device with a hardware wallet, similar to what Solana is working on.

The device will cost $1,000 when it is released by Solana and is already available for pre-order with a $100 deposit. Following the announcement, the price of SOL cryptocurrency increased by 10% to approximately $40 per coin.

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