- Solana Mobile discontinues support for Saga just two years after launch.
- The lack of updates makes users more vulnerable to security threats.
Developers behind Solana’s Saga mobile phone announced on Monday that they will stop providing vital software and security updates for the phone just two years after launch.
“The Solana Mobile Saga has reached the end of its support lifecycle,” the firm said in a post on its website. “Compatibility with new software or services cannot be guaranteed.”
The lack of support means that devices will no longer receive updates, making them more vulnerable to security threats and potentially causing apps to stop working over time.
“Customer support for Saga-specific issues will be limited to general inquiries only,” the post said.
Solana Labs did not respond to a request for comment.
Launched in May 2023, the Saga aimed to integrate blockchain technology and make the Web3 ecosystem more accessible to everyday users. It was also built in reaction to the restrictive app store policies of companies like Apple and Google.
The phone was built by OSOM, a California-based hardware company, in collaboration with Solana Mobile, a subsidiary of Solana Labs.
Short lifecycle
The news comes as a blow to those who bought the Solana Saga.
Its two-year lifecycle is unusually short compared to other mobile phone manufacturers.
Apple provides a minimum of five years of security updates for its devices, while Google has promised seven years of software updates for its newer phones.
It’s not clear why Solana Mobile decided to end support so soon. The firm is currently developing a new phone, called the Solana Seeker, which launched on August 4.
Over the last decade, more than a dozen bespoke crypto phones have hit the market. But none have gained meaningful traction.
Solana’s Saga originally sold for $1,000 before being reduced to $599 after slow initial sales. Customers eventually scooped up about 20,000 phones, which was well short of the device’s 50,000 unit goal.
Memecoin airdrops
Most users won’t remember the Saga for its attempt to make the crypto economy more accessible, but instead for its role in the Solana memecoin mania that swept the blockchain in late 2023 and early 2024.
When Solana Saga phones were sent to customers, they came with pre-loaded crypto wallets. Many Solana memecoin developers chose to airdrop tokens to these wallets, partly as a marketing stunt, and partly to reward them for buying the phones and supporting Solana.
Initially, these gifted memecoins were worth a few hundred dollars and essentially acted as a further discount to the Saga’s price, if not compensating users outright.
But as memecoin trading reached a fever pitch in early 2024, the airdropped tokens soared in value. At one point, they were worth many multiples of the retail value of the phone.
Even as support for the Saga ends, unopened phones are still being sold for up to three times their retail price on online marketplaces.
Tim Craig is DL News’ Edinburgh-based DeFi Correspondent. Reach out with tips at tim@dlnews.com.
