Solana Saga: A Review of The First Web3-Native Smartphone

If you already have a smartphone equipped with a cryptocurrency exchange app, a secure crypto wallet, and all the necessary components installed, you may wonder why you need a blockchain phone that comes with a hefty price tag of $1000. How is this Solana Saga different from a regular smartphone? How does it function and how can you trade cryptocurrencies using it?

What is Sonala Saga?

Solana has launched its first blockchain smartphone, Solana Saga, collaborating with OSOM, a smartphone manufacturer company. Previously named Osom OV1, the collaboration between Solana and OSOM to develop the Solana saga started when Anatoly Yakovenko, founder of Solana, and Jason Keats, founder of OSOM, met last year in June.

Solana Saga works just like a regular smartphone with additional features such as in-built access to Solana DeFi, NFT and other DApps, as well as crypto assets. Built on the Android 13 operating system, Solana Saga provides a seamless crypto experience with a secured crypto wallet and a seed wallet to keep track of all your sensitive information.

According to Emmett Hollyer, head of business operations at Solana Labs, the ultimate purpose of developing Solana Saga is to provide users with a seamless Web3 experience, and not to compete with the mobile industry giants like iPhone and Samsung.

“Our goal is not to compete directly with Apple and Samsung, but to prove what is possible for a great web3 experience on mobile. We want to push the entire space forward by creating and curating unique experiences that are mobile-first and will feel native to a web3 audience”, said Emmett Hollyer.

The basic specification of Saga include:

• 6.67-inch, 1080p resolution AMOLED screen and a 120Hz display
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen1 Processor
• 12 gigabytes RAM
• 512 GB inbuilt memory
• 4110-mAh longer lasting battery
• Fast charging 66W

How Solana Saga is different from regular smartphones

The primary objective of the Solana Saga smartphone is not to make calls, use social media, or do photography. Rather, it is a part of Solana’s mission to make crypto apps more mobile friendly and to make crypto accessible to everyone. Here we discuss what makes Solana Saga different from regular smartphones.

Seed Vault

Solana Saga stands out with its unique “seed vault’ feature. On a special hardware security component known as a secure element, the seed vault keeps your private keys and seed phrases. The finger sensor allows you to access your wallet and carry out transactions using your fingerprint for additional security.

The seed vault runs on separate, independent security layers that are independent of all other DApps. If your Android system gets hacked or compromised, your private keys will still be safe in the seed vault. It's like having a fortified fortress within a city.

Solana Mobile Stack (SMS)

Solana Mobile Stack (SMS) is a comprehensive set of tools that includes the tools, frameworks, and libraries that enable developers to create mobile applications that interact with the Solana blockchain.

“Developers have been blocked for too long from creating truly decentralized mobile apps because the existing gatekeeper model just doesn’t work anymore,” said Anatoly Yakovenko.
“We live our lives on our mobile devices – except for web3 because there hasn’t been a mobile-centric approach to private key management. The Solana Mobile Stack shows a new path forward on Solana that is open source, secure, optimized for web3, and easy to use.”
The Solana Foundation also announced $10 million to encourage developers to create DApps, expand the Solana DApp store, and drive the adoption of the Solana Network.

Solana DApp Store

Like Google Play and Apple App Store, Solana has its own app store that is specially designed for Solana Saga devices. It is the first web3 app of its kind and has a lot of distinctive features that differentiate it from other app stores.
Here are some of its standout features.
• No commission fees for developers
• Crypto-friendly policies
• App metadata accessible on-chain
• Censorship-proof.

The primary and most notable feature of the Solana App Store is its developer-friendly policy of being fee-free. It does not charge any commission for app sales or in-app transactions and allows developers to maximize their revenue and profitability.

Furthermore, the Solana App Store enables direct transactions between users and developers, eliminating the need for middlemen. Because of these peer-to-peer transactions, all revenue generated from app sales goes directly into developers' accounts, with no deductions or intermediaries charging commissions.

Setting up and software

Solana Saga is not much different from traditional smartphones and setting it up is a pretty quick process. All you have to do is to create a Solana wallet and a seed wallet to store your crypto keys.

Other additional apps can be downloaded from its own DApp store. When the phone was initially launched, it had a modest selection of just 12 apps in its store. However, the number has now grown to 25.

Solana Saga: Pros and Cons

Let's have a look at the Pros and Cons of this smartphone.

Pros

i. Streamlined Web3 Experience

Solana Saga offers a streamlined web3 experience with the help of the Solana DApps store. Accessing all the DApps through your smartphone has never been this easy before.

ii. Secure Hardware

Solana stores all of your private keys and other sensitive information in a separate layer of security. This feature makes it immune to all hacks and unauthorized accesses which are unfortunately all too common in the crypto world.

iii. Exclusive Rewards

Solana Saga users receive a unique non-transferable NFT through which they can claim rewards and additional gifts.

iv. Advanced Security features

Solana Saga is equipped with advanced security features such as fingerprint authentication and encryption which make their crypto keys even more secure.

Cons

i. Limited App Selection

The Solana Saga venture is still in an early phase and the users have a limited app selection as compared to Google Play Store and Apple App Store. However, it is expected that more applications will be added in the future as Solana Saga gains widespread adoption.

ii. Expensive

Not every user will be comfortable paying $1000 for Solana Saga mobile given its limited app availability and lack of brand confidence.

iii. Performance Issues

This mobile may experience performance issues such as lagging and bugging as the product is still in its developmental stage and not many users have used it.

Conclusion

Solana Saga is truly a great phone for crypto enthusiasts seeking extra security, and this phone is a significant milestone in the blockchain and web3 era. However, it still has a long way to go before posing even a slight threat to established brands like iPhone and Samsung.