The first Web3 phone: Solana’s founders unveil their own smartphone for $1k

Solana Mobile, a subsidiary of Solana Labs, announced its first mobile phone. The Saga device was developed for more accessible and more secure transactions in Web3 and for managing digital assets like tokens and NFTs.

Shipments will start in 2023. 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.

“Almost 7 billion people use smartphones around the world, and more than 100 million people hold digital assets — and both of those numbers will continue to grow. Saga sets a new standard for the web3 experience on mobile,” said Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana.

Developers can already get an SDK. Solana Mobile Stack is a framework for Android allowing developers to create rich mobile experiences for wallets and apps on Solana and create a “Secure Element” for private key management. The Solana Mobile Stack SDK is available to developers now, and Saga is available for pre-order starting today, with delivery in early 2023.

Originally, Saga was ex-OV1 designed and manufactured by OSOM, a startup founded by former Essential employees. The company has confirmed that the OV1 and Saga are the same.

“Asom is incredibly excited to partner with Solana in building the Saga. The world needs novel hardware companies to support the future that is Web3. Building out an ecosystem that looks to the future without being burdened by past legacy ecosystems is hugely exciting,” said OSOM founder and CEO Jason Keats.

Specifications: 6.67″ 120Hz OLED display, 12 GB RAM, 512 GB storage, Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Mobile Platform, 50-megapixel primary camera, and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide shooter.