YouTuber Marques Brownlee Says 'Don't Buy' Solana Phone: $1,000 Solana Saga Crypto-Phone Dropped to $599 Not Worth It?

New smartphones come out occasionally that don't come from some of the most popular companies like Apple or Samsung. However, these smartphones sometimes miss the mark as expressed by Marques Brownlee, a tech YouTube, regarding the Solana smartphone.

Marques Brownlee is a Tech YouTuber with 17.4 Million Subscribers Who Reviewed the Solana Saga Smartphone

According to the story by BSC, Marques Brownlee is a YouTuber who focuses on 17.4 million subscribers and focuses on tech content. He recently reviewed the Solana Saga smartphone, a crypto phone he noted was not worth its discounted price.

The Solana Saga smartphone was created in collaboration with OSOM and when it was released, it was priced at $1,000. However, as noted in Yahoo Finance, the smartphone's price was dropped to just $599.

YouTube Video Uploaded Titled 'This is a Crypto Phone. Don't Buy It' Breaking Down Different Features

Brownlee later released a YouTube video on September 8 with the title "This is a Crypto Phone. Don't Buy It" where he broke down the different features of the smartphone and how it differs from other devices.

The influencer said that without the features that were specifically designed for crypto, he said that the smartphone was "a very average Android phone." One of the major comments the influencer had regarding the device was its camera.

Brownlee Said that the Smartphone Couldn't Justify Its $600 Listing Price

On a positive note, he highlighted how the device was made of premium quality materials, pointing toward its stainless steel and titanium materials. However, Brownlee said that he wasn't able to justify the $600 for what he described as a "barely-above average, well-built" Android device.

He then pointed out three main features that the smartphone focuses on, given the fact that it was designed as a crypto phone. He specifically pointed out how the smartphone used Solana's stack, how it had a seed vault feature, and how it also included an app store for Dapps or Dapp-store.

Brownlee Also Described How the Smartphone was Exclusive to the Solana Blockchain

Brownlee also highlighted how the mobile didn't have the ability to work with other blockchains aside from Solana. This means that its crypto features won't really have the ability to work with other popular blockchains like Bitcoin and Ethereum.

The YouTube tech reviewer also highlighted how the crypto-specific features of Saga were "cool" but weren't enough for its price point. He also mentioned that it packed a cable that allowed users to prevent themselves from "juice-jacking attacks" with the simple switch.

The OSOM Privacy Cable was Priced at $30 on Amazon for the USB-C Variant

It's important to note that the smartphone is designed for crypto or Web3 enthusiasts and not regular smartphone users, which is another thing Brownlee pointed out. However, when talking about regular smartphone users, the smartphone might not be the best option for its price point.

As for the connection which comes with juice-jacking capabilities, it was noted that although this was a great feature, the OSOM Privacy Cable could also be purchased separately for $30 on Amazon.