Blockchain company Solana on Thursday announced the launch of its first Android flagship smartphone made in collaboration with Osom. The phone formerly known as the Osmo OV1, created by a team of engineers and designers formerly of Essentials, has been renamed as Saga.
The Saga is going to be the first crypto-focused phone. The pre-orders for the $1,000 smartphone started after the announcement. Users need to deposit $100 when placing their order and the phone will start shipping in early 2023.
Specifications
The device is going to be a power-packed –
purpose-built for crypto
What makes Saga stand out from the market is its support of decentralized apps that rely on the Solana blockchain – something that the average smartphone misses. This tool is a great attraction for users who are well versed in the world of crypto wallets, web3 and NFTs.
Saga is also backed by NFT marketplace Magic Eden, Solana wallet maker Phantom and cryptocurrency exchange Orca to provide users with a better experience than other digital cryptos and NFT wallets from big names like Samsung.
The company also introduced the Solana Mobile Stack, an open decentralized application store that will house a large number of crypto-native applications, digital services, and digital goods. The store will run on Android and will be available for other Android phone makers as well.
Looking at the price point and specifications of the phone, it is pretty clear that it does not cater to the mass audience and just a select community of Web 3 enthusiasts. This is a new area to venture into, especially for a new company. Even experienced players like HTC have tested the waters here and failed miserably.
For now, we’ll let the numbers do the talking as the phone will begin shipping in early 2023.
