10 months ago
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Solana Mobile’s Chapter 2 witnessed high demand, with pre-orders exceeding its seven-day sales goal within 24 hours, says Raj Gokal, co-founder of Solana.
Although Solana Mobile Chapter 2 is anticipated to arrive somewhat in H1 2025, it has already generated huge momentum, with over 25,000 pre-orders flooding in within the initial 24 hours post-announcement.
Raj Gokal, co-founder of Solana, told TechCrunch in a commentary that the total amount of pre-orders has already surpassed the 30,000 mark, reaching the company’s seven-day sales goal just within 30 hours. While the hardware specifics of the new version remain undisclosed, a Solana spokesperson assured that the phone would inherit key features from its predecessor.
“For developers, Solana Mobile is creating a massive opportunity for crypto app teams looking to incentivize their users. It gives them a concentrated distribution channel to die-hard, dedicated users. It allows them to do this without any prohibitive app store fees.”
Raj Gokal
Just like Saga, Solana Chapter 2 will be based on Android with support for a built-in crypto wallet, and a “dApp store” for decentralized applications. Priced at an anticipated $450, it undercuts the $599 launch price of the Saga.
Initially introduced in late October 2022, the Solana Saga featured an IP68 rating, a 120Hz AMOLED screen, a 50MP primary camera, and up to 1TB of storage, retailing at $1,000. In a December 2023 appearance on Laura Shin’s Unchained podcast, Solana CEO Anatoly Yakovenko acknowledged the smartphone’s uncertain fate due to lackluster sales.
However, a sudden surge in popularity surrounding Solana-based BONK altcoin led to the swift sell-out of Solana’s smartphones, as Saga owners could claim 30 million BONK tokens, valued at $565 during that time. Gokal highlighted that the company has been working on a new phone for over a year now, adding that the new model uses “learnings from the last two years to enable greater flexibility for developers and users.”
