- Solana launched a Web3 mobile device, Saga Smartphone.
- However, the sales of the Saga smartphone missed the target significantly.
- Surprisingly, Solana’s co-founder reveals he still uses an iPhone for work.
When it was first released in June 2022, Solana’s Saga smartphone was heralded as the device that will finally bring Web3 mainstream.
However, the journey of the Saga smartphone in the market has been less than ideal, with sales figures falling short of expectations.
Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana, acknowledged that sales fell short of expectations. Moreover, he admitted that he still uses his iPhone for work and uses Saga as his “NFT phone.”
Solana’s Saga Sees Disappointing Sales
The Saga smartphone, introduced by Solana Labs in June 2022, was designed to bring Web3 to mobile devices.
However, the sales figures tell a different, disappointing story. In a Tuesday, December 5 interview, Solana founder Anatoly Yakovenko admitted that the sales of the Saga smartphone have been disappointing.
According to Yakovenko, Solana expected sales of at least 25,000-50,000 units. This user base would make developing dedicated apps viable for the device. In contrast, Saga only sold 2400 copies, according to on-chain data available to the public.
“We really needed to hit, I think, 25,000 to 50,000 units, to feel like there is a hardcore user base for developers to be compelled to ship applications,” Yakovenko said.
Moreover, Yakovenko acknowledged that he still uses his iPhone for work. He cited the challenge of supporting all necessary security certificates and business applications on the Saga. These issues led him to use Saga as his “NFT phone.”
Saga Sees Low Metrics, Slashed Price
The challenges with Solana Saga’s sales figures were evident well before the recent revelations.
A significant indicator was Solana’s decision to slash the price of the Saga phone, a move that came after months of lackluster sales following its release.
In August 2023, Solana announced a major price cut, reducing the Saga’s price from $1,000 to $599. Moreover, on-chain data revealed that Solana received only 1,200 unique orders for the Saga phone through crypto purchases.
Additionally, the ownership of Saga Genesis NFTs, which are exclusive to Saga phone owners and offer unique rewards, further confirmed these figures.
Currently, there are only 2,400 unique owners of these NFTs, aligning with the total sales volume of Saga phones.
It should be noted that Solana’s Saga runs an Android operating system with all of Google’s designated applications. In that respect, it is similar to other Android phones on the market.
Given the low sales figures, there’s a looming question about whether developing exclusive apps for the Saga is economically viable. However, the lack of these apps further hurts Saga’s appeal to Web3 users.
Yakovenko’s admission about Solana’s Saga performance reveals that a Web3 phone is not as near as some expected.
