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 partially 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 following 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 following Android handset onstage at Token 2049 in Singapore Friday.
And it’s totally different. The beforehand introduced $450 pre-order value—lower than half that of the Saga—may need already instructed that, however Solana Cell Common Supervisor Emmett Hollyer informed Decrypt that we shouldn’t choose the Seeker by its a lot cheaper price level.
“We have priced it very aggressively as a result of we would like it to be accessible for progress,” he mentioned, “not essentially as a result of we see this in any manner of a step down.
Full {hardware} specs haven’t been launched but, however Hollyer mentioned that the Solana Seeker could 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 by way of efficiency, he instructed that it will likely be a “significant step up from Saga,” partially as a result of it’s been so lengthy for the reason that Saga’s specs have been set in early 2022. The Seeker {hardware} can be “lighter and smaller” than the Saga was, partially as a result of they consider that many customers plan to make use of it as a secondary machine fairly than changing their major cellphone.
That’s a shift in kind in addition to a pivot in messaging, which Hollyer mentioned was based mostly partially on suggestions to Saga and rising use instances, such working node software program and mining tokens for decentralized bodily infrastructure networks (DePINs). The Seeker identify, he defined, was impressed by the thought of customers making an attempt to “discover new alternatives,” whether or not that’s rewards, experiences, or connection.
“Persons are always in search of 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 might have been complicated by way of its crypto focus. However with 140,000 folks 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, fairly than most of the people.
“I do not anticipate this to be a tool that we’re simply pitching to the plenty, like, ‘Hey, use an Android cellphone and perhaps attempt 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 be taught from our customers earlier than we are able to begin to pull within the plenty.”
Solana Telephone 2.0
Amid all of the adjustments, nevertheless, some components of the Seeker are very very similar to the Saga. The crypto integration is once more pushed by the Seed Vault, a customized custody answer 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 precise 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 at present accessible on the Saga.
They’ve additionally seen considerably extra curiosity from Solana builders and builders in launching cell 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 sources to cell.
“We have now 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 without end tied to the proprietor’s pockets. The Saga pioneered this mannequin, and it rapidly proved to be a “rewards magnet” for house owners, as Hollyer framed it, due to the BONK meme coin airdrop surging in worth late final 12 months and different initiatives rewarding house owners as properly.
All of these incentives have been community-driven, he mentioned, and there’s been an enormous 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 house owners.
“In fact, it will likely be a rewards magnet,” mentioned Hollyer, “however it 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
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