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Is the Solana Saga an endangered species? Just 20,000 of the crypto-friendly Android smartphones were produced, but now there’s one less in the world after a Solana influencer microwaved one as a stunt and posted the video on Twitter—and then minted thousands of commemorative NFTs based on it.
Bangerz, a self-described “washed up influencer” and co-founder and CEO of NFT launchpad 3.land, posted a video of herself scorching the high-end smartphone in a microwave.
The device made crackling sounds while cooking, then came out steaming and dripping a mysterious liquid as the screen bubbled off the hardware.
“It’s damaged,” she said. “It’s not turning on.”
I microwaved my @solanamobile Saga
Here are the results: pic.twitter.com/OGuWpk7FDZ
— bangerz 👽 {3.LAND} (@bangerzNFT) January 18, 2024
The video expectedly yielded a reaction from Solana users on Twitter, but so did her next move: offering up 3,333 commemorative Solana NFTs inspired by the video, all free to mint via 3.land.
“Saga phones are now deflationary,” reads the message quote-tweeted by Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko, among others. “Commemorate this moment with the Saga Microwave.”
Saga phones are now deflationary.
Commemorate this moment with the Saga Microwave by @bangerzNFT
Free Minting now 🔗👇 pic.twitter.com/zcwARW2ZjO
— 🌐 3.land (@3rd_land) January 18, 2024
Quickly, the Saga Microwave NFTs were fully minted and getting flipped on secondary marketplaces, selling for about $25 worth of Solana at one point. They’ve fallen sharply since then, starting around 0.045 SOL (just over $4) on Tensor. So far, the NFTs have generated about $33,000 worth of trading.
3.land is known for meme-inspired NFT drops on Solana, including the “Saga: Bust of the Year” collectible inspired by the phone’s negative appraisal by popular YouTube tech reviewer Marques “MKBHD” Brownlee. The project also released NFTs inspired by the recent Solana meme coin, A Gently Used 2001 Honda (USEDCAR).
Decrypt reached out to Bangerz for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
On Tuesday, Solana Labs announced plans to release a follow-up phone to the Saga that’s tentatively called “Chapter 2,” with pre-orders at $450—less than half the original retail price of the Saga. The company told TechCrunch earlier Thursday that 30,000 phones had been ordered within the first 30 hours of availability.