HTC releases a new smartphone designed for metaverse and supporting Ethereum and Polygon

The HTC revealed Desire 22 Pro smartphone that is specifically designed for Web3. The device comes with Viverse apps and Vive digital wallets, through which users can create virtual avatars and manage assets, including NFT and cryptocurrencies on Ethereum and Polygon. The smartphone can also run 2D and 3D content on extended reality (XR) devices. 

The HTC Desire 22 Pro has an FHD+ (1080 x 2412) 120Hz 6.6-inch screen size with damage-resistant Gorilla Glass cover, 8 GB RAM, and 128 GB ROM with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G Mobile CPU, 4520 mAh battery, 64 MP main, 13 MP ultrawide, and 5 MP depth-sensing back cameras or the 32 MP front-facing camera (with features like video stabilization, night mode, and 120 fps slow motion). Size and weight: 166.3 x 76.9 x 9.4 mm, 205.5 g.

The phone costs from $403 to $487. Pre-orders are already available in Taiwan, Japan, and Europe.

Last month Solana Labs also announced its first Web3 phone — Saga — with shipments in 2023. Initially, it is an ex-OV1 designed and manufactured by OSOM, a startup founded by former Essential employees. To pre-order, you need to connect your wallet and make a $100 USDC refundable deposit. The deposit amount will be deducted from the final purchase price of the device of $1k.

However, Saga turned out not to be very popular. There have only been about 2.5K pre-orders so far.