Solana Saga called by tech-industry critic as worst smartphone of 2023
Famed technology YouTuber Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) ranked the smartphones of 2023, calling the smartphone from the Solana ecosystem, Saga, the worst.
The bonkers trend of the Solana Saga phone has been slammed by a technology industry expert. In a round-up of the top phones of 2023, Marques Brownlee, who boasts 18 million followers on YouTube and is well known for reviewing top industry products by the likes of Apple and Microsoft, called the Saga Solana phone an absolute “failure of 2023.”
Brownlee said that the smartphone has good build quality and design. However, other than that, buying such a device is a “terrible idea.”
The Solana Saga smartphone stands out for its integration of blockchain technology, specifically designed to enhance the experience of cryptocurrency users and developers. It uniquely combines advanced mobile technology with Solana’s blockchain capabilities, offering a new level of functionality and connectivity for the crypto community.
In April 2023, Solana Labs introduced the Saga smartphone for sale. A few months after sales began, the company lowered the price to $599 due to falling demand.
In December, smartphone sales of the Saga increased tenfold as the price of BONK — a popular cryptocurrency on the Solana blockchain — gave away tokens with every purchase of the device, which at one point were worth more than the physical phone itself.
In mid-December, all devices were sold out in the United States. Against the backdrop of increased demand, many put Saga up for resale at a price of several thousand dollars, with one phone reportedly fetching $5,000.
The hype around the device is due to the airdrop of 30 million Bonk (BONK) meme coin for buyers. Over the past 30 days, meme coin has grown by 305%. At the time of publication, it is trading near $0.00001797, according to CoinMarketCap.
In anticipation of Solana and BONK‘s continued growth, enthusiasts began purchasing limited Saga phones in hopes of receiving a token airdrop similar to the one the Bonk Inu team organized.
Yet, with industry experts dampening hype around the device’s actual hardware, Apple’s dominance in the smartphone market is, to Saga’s dismay, likely far from over.
