{"id":1849,"date":"2023-04-18T23:57:25","date_gmt":"2023-04-18T23:57:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/solanacrypto.news\/2023\/04\/18\/solanas-crypto-ready-saga-smartphone-goes-on-sale-may-8\/"},"modified":"2023-04-18T23:57:25","modified_gmt":"2023-04-18T23:57:25","slug":"solanas-crypto-ready-saga-smartphone-goes-on-sale-may-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/solanacrypto.news\/2023\/04\/18\/solanas-crypto-ready-saga-smartphone-goes-on-sale-may-8\/","title":{"rendered":"Solana\u2019s Crypto-Ready \u2018Saga\u2019 Smartphone Goes on Sale May 8"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Solana Labs\u2019 crypto-forward smartphone Saga will go on public sale May 8, the company behind the Solana blockchain said Thursday. Pre-ordered devices are shipping now.<\/p>\n

The Android smartphone is a gamble on mobile being imperative to the future of crypto, employees at Solana-focused companies told CoinDesk. It was nearly 10 months ago that Solana first teased<\/a> the radical potential of a cellphone that doubled as a dedicated crypto hardware wallet, and the possibilities such a product could hold for its entire ecosystem.<\/p>\n

The new device from Solana Mobile costs $1,000 and is built on hardware from Bay Area smartphone company OSOM. It has 512 GB of storage, two versatile back camera lenses, a 6.67-inch OLED display and a fingerprint scanner. It will ship with the latest Android operating system installed.<\/p>\n

What makes the Saga different, according to Solana, is the \u201cSolana Mobile Stack\u201d (SMS), a lineup of custom add-ons that integrate crypto usefulness into the phone\u2019s hardware and software. SMS has ingrained security features to provide for sending, receiving, trading and storing crypto on the device.<\/p>\n

Saga\u2019s secure element \u2013 the hack-resistant part of the smartphone where confidential information lives \u2013 is customized with a \u201cseed vault\u201d that stores a crypto user\u2019s private keys. Keeping keys separate from the rest of the phone\u2019s data makes them more secure, Solana says.<\/p>\n

Saga has a custom \u201cdapp\u201d store that only lists crypto applications. Currently, over one dozen applications covering crypto trading, inter-wallet communications, music and digital collectibles were available for download, with more expected over time.<\/p>\n

Solana says it won\u2019t impose \u201cextractive fees\u201d on dapp store apps, a dig at the 30% tax Apple and Google charge on their respective storefronts. Its dapp store is separate from Android\u2019s \u201cGoogle Play\u201d (also on Saga).<\/p>\n

Phone maker names from the big \u2013 HTC<\/a> \u2013 to the small \u2013 Sirin Labs<\/a> have previously failed in their efforts to create a crypto-forward smartphone, setting an ominous precedent for Solana, a device built for and marketed to a single crypto ecosystem.<\/p>\n