Solana Seeker Preview: Everything We Know About the Next Crypto Phone

Solana Cellular’s first crypto smartphone struggled to achieve adoption at first, however the subsidiary of Solana Labs is urgent ahead with one other Android system after a dog-themed meme coin’s sudden rise turned the Saga into an in a single day hit final yr.

Solana Cellular confirmed off the Seeker final week at Token2049, a crypto convention in Singapore. It represented the general public’s most complete look at Saga’s successor since particulars surrounding a “cheaper,” crypto-forward smartphone had been teased in January beneath the “Chapter 2” banner.

In terms of Solana Cellular’s endeavors, the Solana Labs subsidiary is in search of to disrupt an business dominated by tech names like Apple, Google, and Samsung. Nonetheless, the telephone caters to crypto customers, packing proprietary custody options for digital belongings and decentralized apps (dapps). This is what it’s good to know.

When and the way a lot?

Seeker’s launch is slated for mid-2025, however with 140,000 of the handsets already pre-ordered, in keeping with Solana Cellular, selecting up the telephone may not be as straightforward as actually doing so.

The group said that Seeker orders are restricted to 5 telephones per family, possible an try to restrict the impression of would-be scalpers. On prime of that, Solana Cellular has stated in an FAQ web page for the Seeker that the telephone’s availability in several nations might change on account of demand.

Regardless, one of many largest variations between Saga and Seeker could also be its beginning worth. The Saga debuted to little fanfare with a price ticket of $1,000, and that worth was later slashed to $599 simply 4 months later. This time, Solana Cellular is striving for the other dynamic.

Folks had been be capable of pre-order the system for $450 throughout a “founder” window that ended on September 21, however that worth has now elevated to $500 through the “early adopter window.” A worth for Seeker’s “supporter window” hasn’t been launched but, however it’s cheap to anticipate that worth will probably be larger.

In whole, simply 20,000 items of the Saga had been produced. However the pre-order determine means that the smartphone could have a bigger neighborhood of customers incentivizing dapp improvement.

What are the specs?

Solana Cellular has revealed a few of the specs for the Seeker, which is billed as being smaller and extra pocketable than the unique Saga.

In a publish on Twitter (aka X), Solana Cellular said that its new Android system will characteristic 128GB of storage together with 8GB of reminiscence. That represents a reasonably vital drop in comparison with the Saga’s 512GB of storage and 12GB of RAM that gave it flagship muscle on the time, reflecting Seeker’s cheaper price tag.

Moreover, Solana Labs has not launched particulars but about what processor Seeker could have. The Saga, which was absolutely designed and had its specs locked in 2022, featured a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen1 processor that was highly effective, but barely dated by the point of launch the next yr.

However regardless of the cheaper price, Solana Cellular Basic Supervisor Emmett Hollyer advised Decrypt that the processor will signify “a significant step up” from the Saga, due partially to the period of time elapsed for the reason that Saga was created.

The Seeker can be getting upgraded cameras. The Saga featured 50-megapixel and 12-megapixels sensors, however that’s been bumped as much as 108-megapixel and 32-megapixel cameras. So, scanning QR codes whereas making transactions or connecting to dapps will probably be that a lot crisper. It should even have a brand new third digicam sensor, however we have not gotten particulars about that but.

Primarily based on renders launched to this point, the Seeker seems to characteristic a USB-C port, which has turn into customary throughout smartphone producers. Moreover, Solana states the Seeker could have prolonged battery life, signaling an enchancment over the Saga’s 4,110mAh cell that was accompanied by wi-fi charging.

The Seeker’s display is barely smaller than the Saga’s, shrinking from a 6.67” 1080p AMOLED show to a 6.36” AMOLED show. Hollyer stated it is going to be “brighter” than the Saga’s display and that it is going to be a “flagship show.” It seems just like the Seeker could have thinner bezels than the Saga, too, giving it a extra trendy look in comparison with its predecessor.

The Seed Vault custody answer returns within the Seeker with a custom-designed software program pockets created in collaboration with Solflare. And it has seen prominence on the Seeker, with Seed Vault branding that wraps across the again from what seems to be the side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

Airdrop ‘magnet’

The Saga didn’t discover many followers till the value of airdrops the telephone might declare surged, exceeding its discounted sticker worth. And Solana Cellular made clear that the airdrop development is more likely to comply with, describing the system as a “magnet for dapps, DeFi, video games, and extra” on Twitter.

The telephone’s maker described a soulbound token, which may’t be traded, as a “VIP move” for claiming related rewards. The token is being dubbed a Genesis NFT, very similar to that for the Saga, and Hollyer advised Decrypt that rewards will probably be community-driven. However he additionally anticipates that builders will prioritize Seeker house owners as a neighborhood for unique entry and experiences.

“After all, it is going to be a rewards magnet,” Hollyer advised Decrypt, “however it additionally goes to open some one-of-a-kind expertise doorways that I believe will probably be new to Seeker versus Saga.”

Solana Cellular has already proven off another Seeker-only advantages. That features a four-month subscription to the Helium Cellular wi-fi telephone service, and “restricted version belongings” for Parallel Studios’ sport Colony launching in Solana Cellular’s devoted dapp retailer.

Edited by Andrew Hayward