The Solana Saga is set to be the first smartphone manufactured by OSOM, the new startup founded by former employees of Essential. So it has an interesting pedigree. But it’s also a phone with a very niche value proposition: it’s basically a phone for crypto enthusiasts.
In other words, the Solana Saga isn’t meant to compete with the latest flagships from Samsung, Apple, or even Google. But if you’re still interested in what it can do, Solana has posted updated specs for the phone ahead of a 2023 launch.
While the design looks pretty similar to what OSOM and Solana had shown off this summer, some key features including the size, weight, and display have been modified. The phone is a little less tall and wide than expected, despite having a larger screen. But it’s also a bit thicker and heavier.
Here’s the updated spec sheet:
| Solana Saga specs | |
| Display | 6.67 inches 2400 x 1080 pixels AMOLED 120Hz |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 |
| RAM | 12GB LPDDR5 |
| Storage | 512GB UFS microSD card reader (up to 512GB) |
| OS (at launch) | Android 13 |
| Cameras | 50MP Sony IMX7666 wide-angle (70 degrees) 12MP Sony IMX373 ultra-wide (120 degrees) 16MP Sony IMX481 selfie (80 degrees) |
| Battery | 4,100 mAh |
| Charging | Qualcomm Quick Charge 5.0 (wired) Qi (wireless) |
| Wireless | WiFi 6 Bluetooth 5.2 NFC GPS & GLONASS 5G (71 NR sub-6GHz) 4G LTE Ultra Wide-band (Channels 5 & 9) Dual Nano SIM |
| Security | Fingerprint sensor (rear) |
| Audio | 3 microphones mono speaker |
| Materials | Stainless steel frame Ceramic back Titanium accents |
| IP rating | IP68 |
| Dimensions | 164 x 75.3 x 8.4mm (10.2mm with camera bump) |
| Weight | 247 grams |
Overall the phone looks decent on paper. But it’s key selling points aren’t the specs or design. It’s that it’s coming from Solana, the blockchain company behind the Sol cryptocurrency.
The Solana Saga includes a “secure element” for storing private keys and the idea is that you can use it with crypto wallets to interact with distributed apps, web3, and a bunch of other buzzwords using the fingerprint sensor. Solana is also
The phone is sort of up for pre-order now: if you’re willing to put down a $100 deposit, you can reserve your right to spend another $900 when the $1000 smartphone is actually available for purchase.
If you really, really want this phone for some reason and don’t care about crypto stuff, it’s apparently optional and can be disabled. But I’m not sure why you wouldn’t just buy a different phone if that’s the case.
via @MishaalRahman
Reminder that HTC already went down this road and it flopped hard
Personally I think they screwed up by not selling a phone called the “exodus” without a de-googled ROM. And these guys should have really done that too, I’d imagine the blockchain nonesense could be installed on anything and having respectable hardware that works without (as much) spyware would be a selling point to some people. Then again if you use a desktop computer for everything except communications, the Teracube 2e I have is plenty enough for just about anything except taking photos. And dealing with obstinate jerks who refuse to talk to anyone who doesn’t use iMessage, but at least there’s Airmessage.
Sarcasm: But HTC didn’t have their own memecoin though! That could really make a big difference for these people!
I can’t see why anyone would want to buy this honestly.
You could probably buy a much better brand name device than this for that price.