Solana launches the first Crypto-Smartphone

Solana and its associated blockchain network, together with OSOM, are launching the first crypto-smartphone, a cryptocurrency-based mobile phone.

The announcement had already been anticipated in June this year, and the smartphone, based on the OSOM OV1 phone, had been on the market for some time. Today, it is presented again: Solana Crypto and OSOM unveil its specifications and features.

As anticipated, it was announced back in June that the smartphone was Android and aimed at Web3. The collaboration between Solana Crypto and OSOM, a company that includes a fair number of former employees of Essential, which in turn is a company set up by Android creator Andy Rubin, had been made official on 23 June.

The model that has been renamed and consequently proposed for the web3 is OSOM OV1, a device that has long been the focus of attention among industry enthusiasts.

The new crypto-smartphone is named “Solana Saga,” will ship in the first quarter of 2023 with extended availability and a price tag of $1,000. However, it is already possible to pre-order it on Solana Crypto’s official portal with a $100 deposit.

Summary

• Solana crypto-smartphone saga: what’s new in the technical details
• Solana attacked by hackers: what happened

Solana crypto-smartphone saga: what’s new in the technical details

As anticipated, Solana Crypto and OSOM have resurfaced the technical specifications of “Saga” in recent hours. So, let’s see what has changed since the previous announcement made in June.

In the past few months, Solana Saga’s spec sheet featured a 6.67-inch OLED screen, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor, 12GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage.

However, the focus of the product lies in its support for apps that rely on the Solana blockchain, from the NFT Magic Eden marketplace to the Orca exchange, as well as Phantom and a new app store called “Solana Mobile Stack.”

The intention was, and still is, to create an entirely new and innovative ecosystem for crypto enthusiasts, which is growing day by day.

Solana Crypto and OSOM are also redefining the design of the new smartphone today. Featuring a stainless steel body and a ceramic back, complete with titanium accents, this is how Saga will look in the eyes of buyers.

There is also a fingerprint scanner on the back of the smartphone, while the private keys of the user’s Solana wallet will be stored directly on the phone’s hardware with Seed Vault to ensure total data security.

With the combination of hardware security and fingerprint scanner, users will be able to transact on the Solana blockchain and its dApps with the touch of a finger.

Indeed, Solana-based apps themselves will be at the heart of the smartphone, which will have a store dedicated to dApps that rely on the Solana blockchain.

On the tech side, there are improvements from June. Indeed, the device will have a 6.67-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels, along with a fixed refresh rate of 120 Hz.

Under the hood, we find a Snapdragon 8+ Gen1 chipset from Qualcomm with a speed of up to 3.2 GHz and a decent 12 GB LPDDR5 RAM. Finally, on the storage side, OSOM Solana Saga will be launched in 512 GB configuration, expandable with SD card up to 1TB of total storage.

Turning to the cameras, the device will have a Sony IMX766 rear lens, now the benchmark for the mid-range, with a resolution of 50 MP. Along with the latter, there will also be a 12 MP Sony IMX373 ultra-wide-angle lens. Finally, the selfie camera will have 16 MP resolution.

The device will launch with Android 13 and will have a 4,110 mAh battery: OSOM promises support for both wired and wireless fast charging, but has not yet talked in depth about the smartphone’s charging speed.

In terms of connectivity, Solana Saga will feature a 5G modem, Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, as well as the classic USB-C connector, of course.

As it is known, the Solana blockchain has been hit hard by a series of blockchains and large-scale hacker attacks. Furthermore, all crypto assets are suffering, given the poor performance of their industry in recent months.

So, the “Saga” smartphone could play a key role or be a turning point for the revival and prosperity of the Solana blockchain.

Solana attacked by hackers: what happened

Last August, the Solana blockchain fell victim to hacker attacks that specifically targeted some of the wallets in its network. The attack lasted several hours and its main target was the most popular hot wallet in the Solana ecosystem: the Phantom wallet.

Through the Phantom wallet, the hackers were able to get hold of the private keys of some users. It was later reported that the hack may have originated from Slope, another Solana wallet.

Although this attack was a blow to the network, the blockchain itself was not damaged and continues to function to this day. So many engineers and developers, including those from other blockchain projects, have been working together to figure out what happened to Solana during the hacker attack and what the real cause of the attack was.

Luckily, the hacker attack never really compromised the operation of the Solana blockchain. In fact, the hackers targeted Solana’s browser wallets, specifically many that had been inactive for more than six months.

Thus, it turns out that the attack was related to the vulnerability of online wallets and thus the compromise of users’ private keys. In fact, if we look at Solana’s blockchain explorer, Solscan.io, the transactions appeared to be signed by the “real” owners.

In any case, users were not only deprived of SOL tokens but also of other cryptocurrencies and tokens. In particular, the USDC stablecoin, whose stolen amount appears to be higher than that of SOL.

The good news is that funds held on cold wallets and exchanges such as Young Platform, were not reached by the attack. In short, the hack did not compromise Solana’s blockchain, but rather several wallets.

Nonetheless, the issue of security, especially when interacting with DeFi protocols as in this case, is central and must be part of users’ consciousness.

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