Solana Mobile plans to capitalize on the unexpected success of its first crypto-enabled smartphone by launching a second smartphone, people familiar with the matter said.
The new model has the same basic features as its predecessor, the Saga, including a crypto wallet, custom Android software, and a dApp store for crypto applications, but at a lower price and with different hardware. Saga was initially priced at $1,000 (approximately 145,000 yen, equivalent to 145 yen to the dollar) when it was released last year, but the price was later lowered due to poor sales.
This could help calm the secondary market, which has heated up due to the existing Saga supply being so low. At the time of writing, an unopened Saga was selling for $3,200 on eBay, five times its price five weeks ago.
At the time, Saga supporters were preparing to move on from experimental smartphones. The company aimed to create a mobile-first platform for crypto traders and NFT collectors, but struggled because there wasn’t a large enough market to justify its existence.
That changed in an instant when crypto traders realized that Saga had an allocation of BONK tokens that exceeded the device price. Saga sold out in less than a week.
The next month continued to bring in profits for Saga owners, with various projects airdropping profitable tokens and NFTs to 15,000 Saga units in circulation. These airdrops strengthened the community around Saga and encouraged more Solana developers to consider building mobile applications.
Representatives for Solana Mobile have not yet responded to requests for comment.
｜Translation and editing: Rinan Hayashi
｜Image: Danny Nelson/CoinDesk
｜Original text: Solana Mobile to Sell Second Crypto Smartphone: Source
