Solana’s latest Seeker device will be a Saga-like “reward magnet,” Cointelegraph reported, but Solana Labs General Manager Emmett Hollyer said it’s more than just a “Dogecoin phone.”
Solana has just revealed its latest, shiniest smartphone, the “Seeker” — it’s half the price of its predecessor, the Saga, and, according to the team, won’t rely solely on free Dogecoin.
Saga was launched in May last year and initially received poor reviews from technology critics and crypto users. However, in December, the price of Dogecoin called Bonk (BONK) suddenly increased by 1,000%, causing the device to sell out on December 16, which can be called Saga's "savior".
Solana obviously hadn’t forgotten that.
In its new version, Solana hopes to offer similar rewards to the 140,000 users who have pre-ordered Seeker, paying amounts ranging from $450 to $500.
Speaking to CoinTelegram at the Token2049 conference in Singapore, Hollyer said Seeker would be a “reward magnet” for users, but stressed that it is more than just a “Dogecoin phone.”
“Seeker, like Saga, will be a rewards magnet and a huge opportunity for the team to build new experiences,” Hollyer said, noting that the new device will come with an upgraded decentralized application (DApp) store and better hardware.
“This is not a Dogecoin phone. It will support all the great use cases on the network, whether it’s Dogecoin, DeFi, payments, or gaming.”
Hollyer said he hopes an open and unrestricted DApp store will allow developers to quickly launch and deploy new applications to better capture emerging narratives and use cases.
New hardware, is that enough? Solana also hopes to attract buyers with better hardware.
Solana’s Saga was criticized last year for its technical capabilities compared to devices like the iPhone or Google Pixel.
Hollyer said the phone will have a higher-quality screen, better cameras and an upgraded battery, making it "lighter, brighter and better than its predecessor," but did not elaborate further.
However, Hollyer explained that Solana does not intend to compete directly with mobile device giants such as Apple and Samsung, but is instead focused on creating a handheld device that provides as much crypto utility as possible to its users.
"We have different goals and user groups. But fortunately, as the year goes on, a lot of high-end mobile hardware becomes more and more accessible," Hollyer said.
Still, those expecting big returns from Dogecoin may have to be patient.
According to data from Solana’s mobile airdrop checking tool TwoLoot, at the time of publishing, the current value of the airdropped tokens received by Seeker device users is just $265, far less than the $1,350 airdrop locked on Saga.
Hollyer believes that while rewards are a big part of the sales pitch for the new device, Seeker will also provide users with a broad experience with new crypto integrations.
“Rewards are part of the story, but I think a lot of users are starting to see where this is going.”