- Marques Brownlee labels the Saga as 2023’s worst smartphone.
- Influencer cites average specs and a 40% drop in price.
- Still, Solana’s Saga sold out this year, largely thanks to Bonk memecoin.
Despite impressive growth, crypto projects have been struggling to find a wider audience of users. Looking to surmount this hurdle, Solana saw an opportunity in the mobile phone market. After all, everyone has a phone. Its Saga phone was the project that was going to get crypto mainstream.
Despite its ambitious goals, the Saga was in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. In his latest video, tech expert Marques Brownlee labeled the crypto phone as the most disappointing release of 2023.
Solana’s Saga Dubbed ‘Bust of the Year’ for 2023
Marques Brownlee, a prominent figure in the tech review space, didn’t mince words when evaluating the Saga. In his video Smartphone Awards 2023, released on Tuesday, December 19, the influencer named Saga the “Bust of the Year”.
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His review painted a picture of a device that fell short on multiple fronts. The phone was criticized for lacking compelling features that would justify its price point. While acknowledging the Saga’s high-quality build, ceramic finish, and substantial feel, these don’t compensate for its other aspects.
“There is actually no price that I would recommend anyone buys this phone,” Brownlee explained.
In September, Brownlee published a comprehensive review of the Solana Saga phone. While Saga was positioned as a crypto phone, Brownlee believes its market was too niche.
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The phone’s hardware, although solid, was not groundbreaking or superior to its contemporaries, Brownlee explained. Moreover, he described Saga’s camera performance as mediocre. Another issue was Saga’s pricing. Launched at $1,000, the price was hard to justify due to its lack of unique qualities. Since then, Saga’s price was cut to $600.
How Bonk Saved Solana’s Saga Sales
Initially, the Solana Saga struggled significantly in the market, and sales figures fell drastically short of expectations. However, the Solana Saga’s narrative changed dramatically with BONK’s rise. As this Solana memecoin’s price surged, it became the unlikely savior of the Solana Saga’s sales.
When memecoin traders discovered that the Solana Saga came with a substantial amount of BONK tokens, interest in the smartphone surged. This led to the Solana Saga selling out in major parts of the world, starkly contrasting its initial reception in the market.
On the Flipside
- Thanks to Bonk’s price performance, some Saga phones are being resold for 10x their price on eBay.
- Even with the Bonk bomp, sales have been far from impressive. On-chain data shows that Saga owners only minted about 3,400 unique Saga Genesis NFTs, which come with each device.
Why This Matters
Saga’s poor reception in the market highlights the complexity of releasing a smartphone. While initial costs may be low, offering unique features and software requires a considerable investment and a dedicated user base.
Read more about Saga’s Disappointing initial sales:
Solana Founder Reveals Disappointing Saga Smartphone Sales
Read more about China’s bet on Web3:
China Goes All In on Web3, Blockchain, Despite Crypto Ban
