Jolla Phone is back with Sailfish OS 5 and a user-replaceable battery

Jolla's back with a new phone after staying quiet for way too long. This is the Jolla Phone (not to be confused with the original one from 2013), and it's being pitched as an "independent European Do It Together Linux phone." Which does sound a bit like a mouthful, but what they mean is it's a community-funded privacy phone running actual Linux. Now, let's dive into this article, where i will discuss everything about this latest Jolla Phone, and its expected price in Nepal, if it ever makes it here.

Jolla Phone Overview

What's the deal here?

Jolla's a Finnish company, and this phone is their attempt at making a comeback. It runs Sailfish OS 5, which they say doesn't track you, doesn't phone home, and doesn't secretly collect your data. You can also completely de-Google it if that's your thing. There's Android app support too, through something called Jolla AppSupport, but you can turn that off entirely if you want.

The phone was designed through community voting, and that includes specs, features, philosophy, all of it. But the thing is it only gets made if at least 2,000 people pre-order it by January 4, 2026. Right now, they're at 1,716 pre-orders, so 85% of the way there. If they don't hit the target, you get your money back.

Design and display

Now, getting into the main picture. The Jolla Phone has a 6.36-inch FullHD AMOLED display with a 20:9 aspect ratio and around 390 ppi. It's covered with Gorilla Glass. But there is no mention of refresh rate, so I'm guessing it's 90Hz.

Similarly, the phone measures around 158 x 74 x 9 mm, and you get three colour options: Snow White, Kaamos Black, and The Orange. But the back cover is user-replaceable, and the early supporters also get a special edition back cover, for whatever that's worth. There's a side-mounted fingerprint scanner and an RGB LED notification light.  The one particular feature that caught my eye is probably the physical Privacy Switch, which lets you kill the microphone, camera, Bluetooth, and Android apps all at once. 

Performance

Inside, there's a MediaTek 5G chip, but Jolla here doesn't really specify which one, just says it's “high-performance.” Anyway, you get 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, which you can expand with a microSDXC card up to 2TB. 

Software-wise, it runs Sailfish OS 5, which Jolla says is actual Linux, and not a fork of Android. This OS doesn't harvest your data, and you're in control of what the phone does. You can run Android apps if you need them, but the OS itself is meant to be independent from Google, Apple, and the rest of Big Tech. They're also guaranteeing OS support for at least five years. 

Camera

The camera setup includes a 50MP main sensor and a 13MP ultrawide at the back, plus a wide-lens selfie camera up front. No specs on the front camera resolution, and no mention of video recording quality either.

Battery and everything else

The battery is 5,500 mAh, and it's user-replaceable. No charging speed is mentioned anywhere, which makes me think it's probably nothing special. Connectivity-wise, you are getting dual nano-SIM slots, 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, and NFC. And finally, the phone also supports global roaming. 

Jolla Phone Specifications:

• Design, build: ~158 x 74 x 9 mm, user-replaceable back cover and battery
• Display: 6.36-inch FullHD AMOLED, 20:9 aspect ratio, ~390 ppi, Gorilla Glass
• Chipset: MediaTek 5G platform (model unspecified)
• Memory: 12GB RAM, 256GB storage (expandable up to 2TB via microSDXC)
• Software & UI: Sailfish OS 5 (5 years guaranteed support)
• Rear Camera: 50MP wide + 13MP ultrawide
• Front Camera: Wide-lens selfie camera (resolution not disclosed)
• Security: Side-mounted fingerprint scanner, physical Privacy Switch
• Connectivity: Dual nano-SIM, 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC
• Sensors: Not fully disclosed
• Battery: ~5,500 mAh, user-replaceable (charging speed not specified)

Jolla Phone Price in Nepal and Availability

The pre-order price of the Jolla Phone is €499 (including VAT), with a €99 refundable down payment. The normal retail price will be between €599 and €699. You can pre-order it now, but it only gets made if 2,000 people back it by January 4, 2026. You may have probably guessed that the phone will likely never make it to Nepal, and I think the same, but let's say if it ever made it here, by chance, then we expect its price in Nepal to start at no less than NPR 65,999. 

• Meanwhile, check out our review of the Poco F8 Ultra