- Solana has confirmed the creation of a second blockchain-based smartphone, “Chapter 2”
- The announcement is a response to the overwhelming success and subsequent sell-out of its original Saga phone
- Chapter 2 will cost $450 but tech specs have not been revealed
Solana has confirmed plans for a second blockchain-based smartphone following the airdrop-induced frenzy that resulted in its first iteration selling out. Fullycrypto and other outlets broke the news yesterday that the company was planning to launch a new, more affordable version of its Saga phone and Solana Mobile confirmed this just hours later, calling the new phone “the next part of the epic.” Called “Chapter 2,” the new phone seems to be leaning heavily on the elements associated with the device itself, such as rewards and giveaways, and has warned that the phone may not see the light of day if it doesn’t get enough preorders.
Solana Banking on BONK Repeat
Solana’s first Saga phone was on the way to the smartphone scrapyard when the value of the BONK token, which was given away as an airdrop with new Sagas, rocketed by over 1,000%, making the airdrop worth more than the phone. This led to the phone selling out and reselling for up to four times the retail price on eBay.
Solana acknowledged that this was the reason for the buying frenzy at the time, noting that it would factor this into any decision on a follow-up phone. A preorder website for the Chapter 2 phone was launched yesterday, on which the company reaffirmed its understanding of the unusual market dynamics:
Almost overnight, Solana Mobile’s Saga became the most rewarding experience on a phone, ever, and sold out. You know that story. Now it’s time for the next part of the epic, with our sights set on new horizons and global availability.
Solana is taking preorders for Chapter 2, setting the cost at $450, more than half the cost of the first Saga phone. The company is clearly using the excitement generated by Solana’s eventual success to drum up support for the Saga successor, noting that interested parties can “get the word out and maximize your chance for ecosystem rewards and giveaways.”
No Tech Specs Revealed
Unusually, Solana hasn’t revealed any technical specifications for the Chapter 2, asking people to preorder blind, and has warned that it needs to guarantee a minimum money pot before it begins production (or even design by the sounds of things), noting that deposits are non-refundable once made but that “if Solana Mobile does not move forward with the product, customers will be refunded.”
It remains to be seen, therefore, whether punters will be willing to risk $450 for a phone that will likely be a donkey that carries a potentially valuable, but as yet unknown, cargo.
