Finland-based Jolla had pretty much given up on its Android-compatible Sailfish OS and the Jolla Phone that ran it. But those opposed to Big Tech enshittification are having a moment, and so Jolla is back with a new smartphone, a so-called “European Phone,” that will ship in late 2026.
“The most valuable part of a modern smartphone is its software and how it is made,” Jolla CEO Sami Pienimäki. “As Jolla compiles the operating system from source code by itself, it is also essential to ensure its integrity by installing the software by ourselves in Finland. This is not just a phone, it’s a statement that Europe can still build its own technology, on its own terms.”
Jolla—which is pronounced “Yolla” for the non-Finnish in the audience and means dinghy or small boat—was founded by former Nokia and MeeGo employees, and the company presents a fascinating “what if” for Nokia had it not partnered with Microsoft on Windows Phone. Its Sailfish OS is based on Linux and runs Android apps despite not being based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) or having any Google contributed code.
Today, Jolla claims there are only four commercial-grade mobile platforms in the world—Apple iOS, Google Android, Huawei HarmonyOS, and Jolla Sailfish—in a comment that echoes that of Steve Jobs in 1998, that Windows, which dominated the market with a 95 percent share at the time, and the Mac were the only viable computer systems. But of these mobile platforms today, Jolla is the only one that doesn’t send user data to Big Tech servers.
The new Jolla Phone is a modern smartphone that honors the Jolla heritage, the firm says, with a mid-range Mediatek Dimensity 7100 5G processor, 8 GB or 12 GB of RAM, 256 GB or more of storage with microSDXC expansion, 4G/5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, and NFC connectivity, and a 5500 mAh battery. It features a 6.36-inch Full HD AMOLED display with a 20:9 aspect ratio 20:9, 390 PPI, and some form of Gorilla Glass protection. And it provides two Sony lenses on the rear, a 50 MP wide (main) lens and a 13 MP ultra-wide lens, plus a 32 MP Sony front-facing wide lens. There’s also a fingerprint reader built into the power button.
Jolla is also bringing back its Other Half smart cover platform that will let customers swap out the back cover of the phone for other designs that can feature unique functionality like keyboards, e-ink displays, data storage, GPIO pins for further expansion, and just about anything else. Jolla has released the specifications for this platform so any third party can build compatible modules.
The Jolla Phone will cost €649 (or €699 with the 12 GB RAM upgrade), and you can reserve one now with a refundable €99 deposit to ensure delivery in late September. The firm reports that it already has commitments for over 10,000 orders, which represents over €5 million in sales. And final assembly of the Jolla Phone will take place in Salo, Finland, which the company notes is the historic home of Nokia’s factories.
“In the same city where Nokia once built the world’s most popular phones, a new European phone is now being born,” Jolla says.