Ethereum’s ethOS phone, designed to seamlessly integrate with EVM chains and layer 2s, has created a significant buzz by selling out its pre-orders in a day. Contrastingly, Solana’s mobile venture, the Saga phone, has resorted to a major price adjustment this month, decreasing its cost by 40%.
The ethOS mobile device is an innovative adaptation of the Google Pixel 7a, embedded with the Ethereum-specific mobile OS, ethOS. With the ability to function as a lightweight Ethereum client, the phone can autonomously verify blocks and sync with the Ethereum network, eliminating the need for intermediary services such as Infura or Alchemy.
Security and Compatibility Features
This groundbreaking phone comes with an in-built wallet and ensures effortless integration with various other wallet services. Although the Pixel 7a doesn’t classify as a hardware wallet, it is equipped with a unique security component – a secure enclave – which specializes in encrypting and securely storing private keys.
How to Buy Ethereum Phone?
A mere 50 devices were accessible during the pre-order phase, requiring potential buyers to mint and subsequently burn an ethOS NFT to reserve their phone. These exclusive NFTs have now found their way onto the NFT trading platform, OpenSea, with a few exchanging hands for as much as 3 ETH or approximately $5,000. This is astonishing, especially when juxtaposed against the standard Google Pixel 7A’s U.S. market price of $499.
Is Ethereum Phone Better than Solana Phone?
Despite the ethOS phone’s initial success wave, the Solana Saga phone appears to have grappled with slower sales. Since its debut in April 2023, data from FlipsideCrypto suggests a sale of just 2,120 units. To rejuvenate its sales trajectory, Solana Mobile has strategically reduced the Saga phone’s price tag from $1,000 to a more enticing $599.