New Jolla Phone Created According to Community Wishes
Jolla intends to meet the demand for a replaceable battery and a relatively small screen with its next smartphone.
Following the Jolla Phone C2 (see image) from early 2025, a community smartphone is to follow.
(Image: heise medien)
Since early 2025, the “Jolla C2 Community Phone” available. Around the same time published, the company also released the new operating system version “Sailfish OS 5.0 Tampella.” While the smartphone can currently only be ordered with a waiting time of four to six weeks, the company is already working with the community on a new device. The Finns are now releasing the first update for the project. This is the result of a survey of the fan community from early August this year. To make the project economically viable, 2000 pre-orders are necessary.
Sustainability in Focus: The Battery Will Be Replaceable
In the survey, the community expressed the wish for the smartphone to have a screen diagonal smaller than 6.5 inches. According to Jolla, this is quite feasible. However, the company states that they are dependent on the production volume of existing screen modules. It is also necessary to find a solution that does not require a new mainboard design. The aspect ratio is similar. The long display of Sony models is apparently not well received by users. Due to the aforementioned limitations, the final ratio will likely be between 16:9 and 20:9.
In the recently published post, Jolla also emphasizes that the company—like the users—is interested in the long-term durability of the devices. Accordingly, considerable effort has gone into a design that should allow users to replace the battery themselves. Unlike with the Fairphone, it seems to be the only replaceable component for now. However, this presents a sticking point: the device price. Due to its design and the expected order volume, Jolla assumes that the device will likely be pricier than comparable smartphones. However, the company has not yet announced an exact price.
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On the other hand, it currently seems that further wishes can be realized. These include support for SD cards and dual SIM, as well as NFC and a notification LED. A fingerprint reader is also to be integrated. Even though many details are not yet known, it is exciting to see how a smartphone will develop where end-users have a say.
Jolla is Not Equal to Jolla: Farewell to Russia Thanks to New Company
Relatively early in the company history of Jolla Oy (“Oy” stands for Aktiengesellschaft according to Finnish law), a partnership was entered into with Russian investors. One of the goals was the development of a special version of Sailfish OS for the Russian market. Since early 2022, however, Jolla Oy has been looking for a way to separate from its Russian business partners. The background was the Ukraine war. In spring 2023, Jolla Oy had to initiate restructuring proceedings. The rights to further develop the company's products were transferred to a new company named “Jollyboys Oy.” This is partly managed by the former Jolla Oy management.
Spin-off of Software Development for Automotive Manufacturers
The core of Android compatibility, called “AppSupport,” and software development for the automotive industry were spun off into a separate company named “Seafarix Oy” as part of this. On its website, the company advertises that manufacturers can remain independent by using their Linux distributions. At the same time, thanks to “AppSupport,” they can offer their customers applications from the Android universe.
Probably also thanks to “AppSupport,” TechCrunch reported in 2021 that Jolla was profitable for the first time. Whether and which automotive manufacturers use the technology is not known. However, a prominently placed Mercedes was visible in a LinkedIn post by Seafarix earlier this year—whether this indicates a collaboration remains open.
(mho)
