Solana Unleashes Network Upgrades to Outpace Rivals

Solana is gearing up for significant upgrades that could give its SOL token an edge over Ethereum, Avalanche, and Sui. The network's Agave 4.2 update will activate three major changes: reducing storage costs by 90%, increasing transaction capacity by 3.3 times, and gradually decreasing slot times from 400ms to 200ms.

According to Anza CEO Brennan Watt, the first step in this process is to reduce mainnet slot times from around 400ms to 350ms, with later stages planned at 300ms and 250ms. Faster slots will result in lower latency and quicker transaction processing, making Solana more attractive for applications where speed is critical.

These upgrades could further strengthen Solana's position against Ethereum, which relies on Layer-2 networks to handle activity. Solana's main network already offers faster and cheaper transactions than Ethereum, while the new 4,096-byte transaction limit will make complex tasks like ZK proofs and large multisig transactions easier.

Michaël van de Poppe sees SOL close to a breakout, suggesting $81 as a possible next zone with $88-$89 as a stronger target if the highs break. Another analyst predicts a more aggressive scenario, targeting $300, $500, and eventually $1,000 for SOL.