Solana Mobile has announced that it is discontinuing software and security updates for its Saga smartphone, which was launched just two years ago. This step marks the official end of the device’s life cycle.
“Solana Mobile Saga has reached the end of its support lifecycle. Compatibility with new software or services cannot be guaranteed,” the company said on its website. This means devices will stop receiving updates, making them more vulnerable to security risks and potentially rendering apps unusable over time.
Customer support will also be limited to general questions. Solana Labs did not respond to requests for comment.
Unveiled in May 2023, Saga aimed to bring the Web3 ecosystem closer to everyday users by integrating blockchain technology into the mobile world. The device was touted as an alternative to Apple and Google’s restrictive app store policies.
However, Saga’s support lifespan, which lasted only two years, fell far short of mobile industry standards. Apple devices receive software updates for at least five years, while Google phones receive software updates for seven years.
It’s unclear why Solana Mobile is ending support so early. The company is still working on its second-generation phone, the ‘Solana Seeker’, which was unveiled in August 2024.
Saga is remembered more for its memecoin airdrops than for its Web3 integration. Devices were shipped to users with pre-installed cryptocurrency wallets. In late 2023 and early 2024, several Solana-based memecoin developers sent tokens to these wallets, both for marketing and to reward users.
These tokens were initially worth a few hundred dollars, but reached values that far exceeded the retail price of the phone during the memecoin craze of 2024.
Although official support has ended, unopened Saga devices still fetch high prices online, in some cases up to three times the retail value.
*This is not investment advice.