Solana Mobile Seeker Gains Traction With 145,000 Pre-Orders

According to Blockworks, Solana Mobile announced that its new phone, the Solana Seeker, is set to ship in mid-2025. This marks the second iteration of Solana's phone experiment and has already garnered 145,000 pre-orders, as confirmed by Solana Mobile general manager Emmett Hollyer. The anticipation around the phone is partly driven by speculation of lucrative token airdrops. In addition to the phone, Solana's broader app ecosystem is also making a significant shift towards mobile. The Solana DeFi giant Jupiter has recently launched its mobile swap platform, and other Solana-native apps like DRiP, Birdeye, and Cube Exchange are also developing mobile versions. This movement indicates a broader trend within the crypto industry to make blockchain technology more accessible by meeting users on their mobile devices. Bartosz Lipinski, CEO of Cube, emphasized the importance of mobile apps for Solana projects, stating that blockchain technology needs to be approachable and meet users where they are — on their phones. Several Solana apps are expected to be released soon. DRiP is anticipated to launch in December, Cube's Telegram app is expected next week, and its iOS app is slated for November. Birdeye's app is also expected to be released soon. The success of these apps will depend on their ability to gain broad adoption. Some builders believe that adoption may come from leveraging existing platforms like Telegram, which has a native crypto integration and a crypto-native user base. Cube is releasing a version of its app on Telegram to avoid app store approval hurdles and to tap into Telegram's user base. Caitlyn Clark, director of growth at Solana-based mobile app Moonwalk Fitness, noted that while Telegram is good for quick access and lightweight features, a native app for the app store might be a better strategy for products requiring deep functionality and scalability. The development of Solana Mobile, backed by Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko, is playing a crucial role in making crypto on mobile a reality. The continued progress in this area suggests that Solana is not just talking about mobile adoption but actively working towards it.