Solana Seeker phones are not your average smartphone and you don't want them. The Saga, the latest device from Solana Mobile, is built on its predecessor, Saga lessons. Seeker aims to improve the user experience while double the mobile-first encryption potential.
It's clear who this device is intended from the box. Active Solana users who regularly trade on-chain with a design that focuses on all Crypto-First. With 150,000 calls pre-ordered from over 50 countries and at a price range of $500, Seeker wants to offer Solana Ecosystem participants the ability to trade on the go in seconds.
If you're someone who uses Solana frequently, you may feel that the Seeker was built specifically for you. However, this phone is not for casual Crypto users.
“Frankly, if you're someone who trades at least once a week, you might not be full of power users, but at least you're the normal user where seekers make sense,” Emmett Hollyer, general manager of Solana Mobile, told Coindesk in an interview.
One of the biggest criticisms of Saga was that it was a little too far to focus on the security aspect at the expense of ease of use. “We learned that we were focused on building a safe experience for the first time, and we got out of our way with ease of use,” Hollyer said.
Security is still there. All devices work like wallets that are always on-chain, but the process of signing transactions is greatly streamlined. Currently, a single click and fingerprint check allows users to approve the transaction and mark notable changes from multiple steps required.
specification
According to the slide deck shared by Solana Mobile, the Seeker phone comes with 8 GB of RAM, a 128 GB for storage, a 6.36-inch display and a 4500 MAH battery.
I use an Octa-Core MediaTek Dimenity 7300 processor. This is slightly less powerful than Apple or Samsung's flagship phones, but it's a big line with the Exynos 1580, a chip powered by Samsung's Mid-Range A56 smartphone. The phone runs on Android 15.
Review devices were notIt comes with a headphone jack and an SD card slot for expandable storage.
The device also has four cameras. Megapixel main camera 108 main camera with three on the back (optical image stabilization, 50mp telephoto sensor and 13mp ultra-width 13mp) and front (32mp).
- Complete specifications:
- Processor: MediaTek Dimenity 7300
- Memory: 8GB RAM
- Storage: 128 GB
- Display: 6.36″ AMOLED; 2670X1200 PX (460 PPI); 120 Hz Dynamic Refresh
- Battery: 4500 mAh
- Supports 1 Nano Sim Card + 1 ESIM. Available in Bluetooth, WiFi and 5G wireless support
Seeker test phone (Margaux nijkerk/ coindesk)
Seed Vault Wallet, ID, Token
At the heart of the seeker is a seed vault that protects private encryption keys with encryption and biometric access. Building on top of that is Solana Mobile's Seed Vault Wallet. It integrates with Seed Vault and works like Apple Pay, allowing users to approve and validate transactions. It also has a tap-to-pay function, just like Apple Pay.
“It does everything a regular crypto wallet does. This involves connecting to dapps (a decentralized application) and accessing the fund.
The wallet supports all major Solanadaups and, like any other cold wallet, comes with a recovery seed phrase. This continuity with the cryptographic hardware experience ensures that the user is independent even if the user loses the device.
Transaction validation (Margaux nijkerk/coindesk)
Beyond hardware, phones are superimposed on a new kind of digital identity. During setup, each user is issued a Genesis token and a unique seeker ID that connects the device to the user forever.
The phone also has a unique SKR token. This is a new token for the ecosystem that is not yet live. The project's developers haven't yet shared many details about how tokens work, but the team wrote that it “helps the ecosystem's economy, incentives and ownership.”
User Experience
I'm loyal to the iPhone, but I felt that Seeker was easy enough to navigate for people who aren't familiar with Android devices. Flying around from the app was seamless without any clunky experiences. The phone has the ability to download mainstream apps from the Google App Store, which can possibly allow for cell connections (this phone didn't come with a SIM).
Although I couldn't fully test the mobile connection, the interface was surprisingly smooth and responsive, with no noticeable delays or nasty UI hiccups. For those who hesitate to switch ecosystems, Seekers provide enough experiences that will make you feel lost.
NFT construction (Margaux nijkerk/ coindesk)
Seeker season is coming this September
To ensure that participants can use their devices actively, Solana Mobile has gained momentum throughout the Seeker season and will be released this September.
“Every week, the new Dapps introduces the special experiences, early access and benefits you can only find on the Solana Dapp Store,” according to the slide deck the team shares. These exclusive people provide incentives for early adoption of phone calls.
Initially, sales of the original Saga phone were slowed down until Crypto Traders discovered that each device came with a large airline facility from Bonk Tokens, bought the remaining units and turned the phone into a short arbitrage opportunity.
Solana Seeker is an ambitious and thoughtful rethinking of what the mobile crypto experience should be. It is not only compact and easy to use, but is designed to bring something independent to everyday life with minimal friction. If Saga attempts to prove a point, the seeker invites the user to join.
Read more: Solana seeker phone to be released in early August with SKR tokens
