- A new Jolla phone is available for pre-order, running Linux-based Sailfish OS 5
- Despite not running Android, it still supports many Android apps.
- It is privacy-focused and has a privacy key and a user-replaceable battery.
If you’re tuned into the world of smartphones, you may have heard of Jolla, a company that made a name for itself with Sailfish OS, which is its own Linux-based operating system that originally launched with the Jolla Phone in 2013. Since then, we haven’t heard much from the company, but now it’s back with a new phone, also called Jolla Phone.
This device runs Sailfish OS 5, making it among the few smartphones that don’t run Android or iOS, providing a refreshing alternative for anyone fed up with the big two.
Of course, competing with Android and iOS isn’t easy, so to ease the transition, Sailfish OS 5 still supports many Android apps. But there is no Google Play, so you will have to download them from third-party app stores.
After a long silence on X, @JollaHQ is back. And we are bringing something that Europe desperately needs. The Jolla phone: Europe’s standalone smartphone with #SailfishOS 5. In 2013, when we founded Jolla from the ashes of @nokia MeeGo, people called us naive. “You can’t compete with… pic.twitter.com/A4YV2bQA6sDecember 5, 2025
Put privacy first
So why choose Sailfish OS 5 over Android? Well, privacy is a big focus of this operating system. Jolla notes that with Android and iOS, your data, habits and conversations can be processed, stored and analyzed on someone else’s terms, but that with Sailfish OS, your data will not be siphoned.
That focus on privacy is also built into the Jolla Phone’s hardware, as it has a physical privacy switch that will disable the camera and microphone, so you can be sure that no one is listening or watching you. Or you can set the switch to disable other things, like Bluetooth or Android apps.
And this new Jolla Phone has other unusual features too, including a removable 5500 mAh battery, so you can easily replace it when it wears out or carry a spare on long days away from the charger.
Beyond that, the Jolla phone has a MediaTek 5G chipset, 12GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, a microSD card slot, a replaceable back cover with multiple color options, a 6.36-inch Full HD AMOLED display, a 50MP wide camera, a 13MP ultra-wide camera, and a fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button.
That specs list sounds mid-range, but the Jolla Phone is priced accordingly: €499 (around $580 / £435 / AU$875) if you pre-order it. Retail price is not yet confirmed, but is likely to be €100-200 (approximately $115-230 / £85-175 / AU$175-350) more.
So this sounds like a niche but exciting prospect, promising a level of privacy you can’t get on a conventional smartphone, along with some features we rarely see. Unfortunately, it’s currently only available in the UK and other parts of Europe, making it even more niche.
But if you live in one of those markets, you can Pre-order the Jolla Phone now, although it’s not expected to ship until the first half of 2026.
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