Solana Mobile is developing a new crypto-focused smartphone to follow up on its Saga device, according to a person familiar with the company’s plans. The new phone will have lower pricing than the original $1,000 Saga phone while keeping the crypto-friendly features like a built-in wallet and decentralized app store.
The original Solana Saga phone was launched in May 2023 as a collaboration between Solana Mobile and OSOM. It included a built-in crypto wallet, decentralized app store, and custom Android software optimized for Web3 applications. While the $1,000 price tag on the Saga was seen as relatively high for a smartphone, initial sales were slow.
In response, Solana Mobile cut the Saga’s price by $400 just four months after launch. At the time, Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko said the company needed 25,000 to 50,000 Saga sales to attract developer interest in building apps for the device.
Sales picked up near the end of 2023, driven largely by demand from crypto traders who realized the Saga’s bundled tokens and NFTs were worth more than the phone itself. The 30 million BONK tokens originally bundled with the Saga, for example, briefly surpassed the value of the $1,000 phone last year.
Now, Solana Mobile is developing a lower-cost follow-up device aimed at a wider audience interested in crypto apps and features. While details are still limited, the new phone will likely retain the Saga’s focus on Web3 while removing premium hardware features to reach a cheaper price point.
The move could expand the potential market for crypto-native mobile devices as smartphone makers continue targeting the intersection of mobile technology and decentralized apps.
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