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And the Solana Saga an endangered species? Only 20,000 crypto-friendly Android smartphones were produced, but there is now one less in the world after a decade Solana The influencer put one in the microwave as a gimmick and posted the video on Twitter, and then minted thousands of commemoratives NFTs based on it.
Bangerza self-described “faded influencer” and co-founder and CEO of NFT launchpad 3.landposted a video of himself burning the high-end smartphone in the microwave.
The device made crackling noises while cooking, then came out smoking and dripping a mystery liquid as the screen bubbled away from the hardware.
“It’s damaged,” he said. “It won’t turn on.”
I microwaved my @solanamobile Saga
Here are the results: pic.twitter.com/OGuWpk7FDZ
— bangerz 👽 {3.LAND} (@bangerzNFT) January 18, 2024
The video supposedly sparked a reaction from Solana users on Twitter, but his next move did as well: offering 3,333 Solana commemorative NFTs inspired by the video, all free to mint via 3.land.
“Saga phones are now deflationary,” reads the message quote tweeted by, among others, Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko. “Commemorate this moment with the Saga microwave.”
Saga phones are now deflationary.
Commemorate this moment with the Saga Microwave from @bangerzNFT
Free minting now 🔗👇 pic.twitter.com/zcwARW2ZjO
— 🌐 3.land (@3rd_land) January 18, 2024
Quickly, Saga Microwave NFTs were fully minted and launched onto secondary markets, selling Solana for around $25 at one point. They have since fallen dramatically, starting at around 0.045 SOL (just over $4). Tensor. So far, NFTs have generated about $33,000 worth of trades.
3.land is known for meme-inspired NFT drops on Solana, including the “Saga: Bust of the Year” collection. inspired by negative rating of the phone by popular YouTube tech reviewer Marques “MKBHD” Brownlee. The project has also released NFTs inspired by Solana’s recent meme coin, A Gently Used 2001 Honda (USEDCAR).
Decipher reached out to Bangerz for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
Solana Labs announced plans to do so on Tuesday release a follow-up phone to the Saga it will tentatively be called “Chapter 2,” with pre-orders going for $450, less than half the Saga’s original retail price. The company said TechCrunch last Thursday, 30,000 phones had been ordered within the first 30 hours of availability.