Solana Mobile Launches New Web3 Phone: Seeker
On September 19, Solana Mobile, a subsidiary of Solana Labs, unveiled its second crypto phone, “Seeker,” at the TOKEN2049 event in Singapore. Formerly known as “Chapter 2,” the Seeker has garnered significant attention since its initial announcement in January. Solana Mobile has already received over 140,000 pre-orders for the device.
Unlike its predecessor, the Seeker is equipped with a mobile-first Seed Vault wallet and integrates the new version of the Solana dApp Store. In this article, PANews provides a quick overview of this highly anticipated Web3 phone.
Integrating the New dApp Store, Expected Release Mid-2025
According to the official announcement, the name “Seeker” is inspired by users’ desire to “seek new opportunities,” whether in rewards, experiences, or connections.
Compared to Solana Mobile’s first crypto phone, Saga, Seeker’s hardware will see significant upgrades, including better battery performance, an improved camera, and a more lightweight design. Priced at $450, this price will remain valid until the end of Breakpoint on September 21, with shipments expected in mid-2025.
So far, Solana Seeker’s key features include the Seed Vault wallet, which is a mobile-first crypto wallet natively integrated with the device’s self-custody Seed Vault, offering fast transactions and streamlined account management. The wallet was developed specifically for Seeker by Solflare.
Both the Saga and Seeker phones run on Android. The Seeker will also feature the Solana dApp Store 2.0, which includes a new rewards tracker and enhanced app discovery features across categories like payments, DeFi, DePIN, NFTs, AI, and gaming.
Like Saga, Seeker buyers will receive a Seeker Genesis Token—a unique, binding NFT that unlocks rewards, exclusive access, discounts, and content throughout the Solana ecosystem.
Additionally, the Seeker boasts several hardware improvements over its predecessor, including a lighter body, brighter display, enhanced camera functionality, and longer battery life.
The Seeker also comes with a significantly reduced price. While the Saga phone originally launched at $1,000 and was later reduced to $599, the Seeker is available for pre-order at just $450, less than half the price of Saga.
Solana Mobile General Manager Emmett Hollyer emphasized that the lower price should not be seen as a downgrade, stating, “We are very ambitious with this pricing and hope it will drive growth. We do not see it as simply a price cut.”
Saga’s Comeback Fuels Confidence in Solana Labs
As the successor to Solana’s Saga, Seeker reflects Solana’s renewed commitment to its mobile product line. This wasn’t always the case, as the Saga initially struggled with poor sales. However, things turned around when crypto users discovered that purchasing the device came with token airdrops valued higher than the phone itself, sparking a revival.
In April last year, several meme coin projects distributed token airdrops to buyers of the Solana Chapter 2 phone, requiring only the submission of the wallet address used during pre-order. Two cat-themed meme coins stood out: 37,600 Cat in a Dogs World (MEW) tokens were airdropped on April 1, and 5,199 Maneki (MANEKI) tokens on April 24. If buyers held onto these tokens, their combined value peaked at $504, surpassing the $450 phone price, making it easy for users to recoup their investment.
Eight months later, in December, Saga’s sales suddenly surged by more than 10 times within two days, driven by an airdrop of Solana ecosystem meme token BONK. Saga owners who minted the Genesis Token on their phone received an airdrop of 30 million BONK tokens. Initially worth around $10, the BONK airdrop value later rose to nearly $700. The total value of these meme token airdrops far exceeded the cost of the Saga phone, leading to a surge in sales, with demand outstripping supply. Saga’s remarkable comeback restored Solana Labs’ confidence, motivating them to continue integrating crypto technology into mobile devices and developing specialized hardware and software.
High Expectations for Seeker’s Launch
Following the success of its predecessor, the Seeker launch has generated high expectations. By early 2024, Solana had already received over 100,000 pre-orders for the new phone. At TOKEN2049, Solana Mobile revealed that thanks to these pre-orders and the trust of its buyers, the company was able to secure more favorable supply chain agreements for the Seeker than for the first-generation product.
Compared to the 20,000 Saga units produced worldwide, Seeker’s pre-order volume is already seven times that number, and the phone’s full hardware specifications have not yet been released. Whether Seeker can replicate Saga’s “legendary” success remains to be seen, but the excitement surrounding its release is palpable.