Solana's Crypto-Integrated Android Smartphone 'Saga' To Go Live On May 8

Solana Labs has launched its first crypto-forward smartphone "Saga," which is set to go live on May 8.

The company behind the Solana blockchain first teased its Android smartphone about 10 months ago as a radical cell phone that can double as a dedicated crypto hardware wallet, TechCrunch reported.

Steven Laver, the lead software engineer at Solana Mobile, said the company is engaging with Web3 through a big screen.

"I can't remember the last time I went to anything but a phone...everything I do, I start with my phone, except for Web3," Laver said in an interview with Blockworks.

The Solana Saga mobile device is reportedly designed to serve the Web3 audience and keep them safe. Solana Saga buyers can connect their Web3 wallets or create a new seed vault that will be integrated into the smartphone and connected to all decentralized applications (dApps) on the app store to enable quick and secure transactions.

"The key custody is built below the layer of the Android — so they have all Android components — and the Android OS that runs on the phone is how we surface all of this information to users, through wallets they're already familiar with," Laver added.

The smartphone fosters an environment that allows users to have a self-custody of their assets.

"And they (users) need to feel comfortable bringing those assets with them on the go, so we want to make sure you have something that is more secure than a traditional pure software-based self-custody system," Laver continued.

The seed vault is encrypted to protect the phone from any form of decryption without user engagement.

"Whether that be through entering a password or through secure biometric touching the fingerprint sensor, all of that processing happens away from the Android, so if the Android was compromised, all your keys are still held securely away from the operating system," Laver said further.

Developed on hardware from Bay Area smartphone company OSOM, the new device is currently priced at $1,000, according to CoinDesk. It comes with 512 gigabytes of storage, a 6.67-inch OLED display, a fingerprint scanner and two back camera lenses.

Saga comes with "Solana Mobile Stack" (SMS), which is a custom add-on that integrates the potential of crypto into the hardware and software of the smartphone. There's a wide range of security features to provide safety for sending, receiving, trading and storing crypto on the device.

After setting up the device, users will also be able to claim a Saga NFT token, and the first few users will receive a welcome pack that will include cryptocurrencies and sticker packs.

At the time of launch, 16 dApps will be available for download on the Solana app store, including Ledger, Audius, Dialect and Jupiter Aggregator. The phone will begin shipping soon after its May 8 rollout.