Today (9/19), the public chain Solana (SOL) and Android (Android) work together to announce the new progress of the second generation of new Web3 smartphones: Solana Seeker, with the mobile security hosting protocol Seed Vault as the core and built in cooperation with Solflare New hosted wallet Seed Vault Wallet.
This follows a year-end surge in demand for its predecessor, the Solana Saga, which cleared stock following token airdrops. The Seeker has already garnered 140,000 pre-orders, showing strong early interest.
In contrast to the Saga, which launched at a higher price point, the Seeker will be available for $450, aiming for broader accessibility. Despite its lower cost, Solana Mobile General Manager Emmett Hollyer has emphasised that this doesn’t indicate a drop in quality.
related reading:Surge in Demand for Solana's Saga New Cryptocurrency Smartphone
Advanced Hardware and New Functionality
While detailed hardware specifications for the Seeker have yet to be disclosed, Hollyer confirmed several upgrades. These include a brighter display, improved cameras with a third sensor, and a longer-lasting battery. The phone will also be lighter and smaller than the Saga, reflecting feedback from users who primarily use such devices as secondary phones for decentralised tasks such as running node software or mining tokens.
In addition to supporting DeFi, payment, chain games, community and other functions, each Seeker even comes with a soul-bound Seeker Genesis token, which can be used as a qualification to enter the Solana ecosystem and receive rewards. And it may cooperate with some start-up companies in the future. Users who own Seeker can be the first to obtain information about the initial launch of tokens. At the same time, Solana Seeker also brings DePIN and AI assistant.
What's more special is that Seeker also introduced the zero-knowledge compression tool (ZK-compression tool) to reduce the cost of airdrops, which is said to be reduced by 4,000 times.
This shift in design and function is part of Solana Mobile’s new strategy, focused on catering to crypto enthusiasts rather than the broader public. Hollyer acknowledged that the messaging surrounding the Saga may have been unclear, but the Seeker is designed specifically with blockchain users in mind.
Integration of Blockchain Technology
The Seeker continues to integrate blockchain technology, leveraging Solana’s Seed Vault—a secure crypto custody solution that was also a key feature of the Saga. This time, the Seed Vault will be visually highlighted in the phone’s design. Additionally, a new software wallet, developed in collaboration with Solflare, will offer an improved user experience for crypto transactions.
Developer interest in the Seeker has far exceeded that of the Saga, with Hollyer noting significant outreach from the Solana ecosystem. With Seeker pre-orders already seven times that of Saga’s total production, developers are incentivised to create mobile decentralised apps (dapps) tailored to the Seeker’s user base.
Airdrop rewards and community participation
Like its predecessor, the Seeker will come with a Genesis NFT, a soulbound token that connects the phone to its owner’s wallet. The Saga’s Genesis NFT proved popular, with community-driven rewards such as airdrops boosting its appeal. Hollyer anticipates that the Seeker will build on this, offering not only rewards but also exclusive access and experiences for its owners.
Pre-orderers can join Solana Mobile’s pre-order community and receive airdrop token opportunities. If users who have previously participated in Solana Mobile pre-order Seeker again, the airdrop will be automatically allocated to users who hold Seeker pre-orders.
However, Hollyer was cautious about projecting the Seeker’s appeal to the masses, noting that Solana Mobile needs to learn from its user base before attempting to market the device more broadly.