There have been a few news recently where companies like Solana are presenting their new Blockchain / Web3 phones. Let us take a look at what they actually are doing and if we really need them.

What does a "cryptophone" allow you to do?

HTC Exodus was the first smartphone that was a blockchain-based phone. And they had an integrated hard wallet for your crypto needs. This phone hit the market back in 2018. One of their versions comes with full Bitcoin node integration. They also have a Binance Edition that I assume has some connection to the BNB Blockchain. 

Solanas phone Saga hopes to bring more ease to transactions and widespread blockchain and crypto adoption. They also have an app development tool that allows developers to make Solana apps. And they also say "the Solana blockchain will play a massive part in the smartphone’s functionality". If that means you have to pay a gas fee to send a text or if it actually will lead to something useful I guess no one knows at this point. Because if they did know they would tell us.

Samsung is looking to integrate some features into their new phones. While this will not make them crypto phones per see it will allow some ease of use for crypto users. They will allow Galaxy users to connect their hardware wallets with hardware wallets. Furthermore, through the Samsung blockchain wallet, users can manage their assets from their devices.

Nothing is looking to bring a Polygon smartphone to the market. And to start out it looks to be an NFT membership club. But they plan to include easy access to apps and games on Polygon’s platform, as well as payments and future features like Polygon ID, the company’s zero-knowledge, proof-based identification solution.

Do they really do anything new?

To be honest. I can't really say I found anything being done that I see any need to buy a specific phone for. And I assume we will be paying a premium for all these "features" the Saga from Solana is looking to have a price tag of $1000. And I assume the others will have a similar price tag on them.

As I see it there are some "features" that are being put forth. And let us look at them. First out is the hardware wallet. While these have been used. I personally would not want to have mine built into my phone. If it gets stolen then I would lose all my crypto. And phones tend to be targeted for theft often as it is. In short, I would not want this feature anywhere near my phone.

Phone, companies make it easier for users to transfer funds between hardware wallets. This is actually something I can see being useful. The same goes for a manufactured crypto wallet. That would hopefully mean we do not have to dread patch days ad a day where we update our OS and apps might not work properly. So these features I do see as useful. I would not buy a phone just to have them, but if they were included, it would be a bonus.

The last feature is "ease of access to the Blockchain dapps and games". To be honest, if there is a dapp out there and it does not work correctly on your phone already then maybe you should start to think about what that is. Personally, I would see that as a sort of red flag. Why should I invest in them if they cant make a dapp that works properly? And why should I have to buy a specialized phone only for me to be able to use the dapps easier? 

I am sorry but why are you intentionally making your dapps bad only for them to be "better" on this phone? That again sounds like a red flag to me. 

Sure you can say I am being facetious, and who knows maybe the yet unknown features of the Saga phone will truly be amazing and make the phone a must-have. But until that day comes I am not paying anything for what I perceive as useless features that already should be there and already should work well. To me, it just sounds like a textbook definition of a cash grab.

What are your thoughts on this, would you buy a cryptophone? Or do you plan to stick with your normal smartphone? Please share your thoughts on this in the comment section down below.

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