After using ten Solana phones, I gained new insights into the blockchain phone sector.

The pre-installation controversy between Xiaomi and Sei actually reflects an interesting cognitive dissonance—traditional hardware manufacturers see pre-installation as a routine business cooperation method, but the crypto community often exaggerates such actions into a "strategic breakthrough." Once clarified, it can easily trigger public opinion backlash, and the resulting anxiety amplifies the overall event.

The real issue isn't the pre-installation itself. After testing these phones, I found that the core value of blockchain phones still lies in the application layer—wallet integration, transaction confirmation speed, and secure storage are what users truly care about. The transaction speed advantage of the Solana chain is very evident on mobile devices, with confirmation responses in seconds, which is indeed more comfortable than other public chain solutions.

However, there are also shortcomings: the ecosystem applications are still too few, and after installing the system, the number of usable dApps is limited. For a manufacturer like Xiaomi to enter at this scale is initially a positive sign, but to truly open up the market, it still depends on building a robust application ecosystem. Pre-installation is just a traffic entry point; ultimately, it still depends on how many users can be retained.