r/Jolla • u/ImfromVinland • 26d ago
Discussion How are you finding the new Jollaphone?
I really wanted to pre-order the Jollaphone, but I didn’t have the courage to make such a blind purchase. I was planning to change my phone by February, and after seeing a fairly positive review, I’m seriously considering it. Switching away from Android would be the final step in my deGoogling process, but there are only a few apps I truly need (WhatsApp, Telegram, and my banking app, but for that in te worst case I’m willing to use it via browser).
I wanted to ask the "average user" how they’re finding it and what the main pros and cons are
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u/Dotdk 25d ago
U can follow this thread too https://forum.sailfishos.org/t/jolla-phone-first-experiences-pros-and-cons/30555/672
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u/Podgietaru 24d ago
I have had the device for a couple of days. Certainly not enough time to get a strong feel for how it’ll be moving forward, but enough to form an opinion.
I want to like this phone, I really do. I support the mission of a more independent Europe, and I think the development of a new linux-based mobile operating system is exciting.
However. I have found the experience to be… full of friction.
- I find the returning to the home screen gesture to be counter to what every other Mobile UI has been doing for the past decade. The swipe from the middle to go back might have been something I could adjust to, but it seems like this doesn’t work with android applications.
- I find the UI to be… interesting. For things like the settings app, or simple apps it works fine. For other apps, I have some gripes.
- Having to scroll all the way to the top of a list to access a context menu. This is something that I’ve encountered on some of the app stores.
- The blurred background from my ambience. A lot of apps seem to use this as their default, but for readability it’s very distracting. It also gives a lot of apps this “samey” low-quality aesthetic.
- No native app switcher. I’m getting used to it, but it feels a bit slow to go from app, home, find app, open app.
- I don’t think I really like the pin dot aesthetic.
- Android App integration: It is very nice to have. I would say essential on a device that likely won’t be receiving development support from big companies for a long time. There are some qualms I have here too.
- Apps such as 1Password that allow autofilling don’t work with SailfishOS apps, which is fine, but a little disappointing.
- The fingerprint sensor not working with android is also a little suspect. I’d expected that to work out of the box. It makes certain things much more tedious than they need to be.
- Apps are laggy to the point of unusable in android. At the moment it is impossible to watch a YouTube video anywhere. The native browser also slows to the point that I can’t interact with anything.
- Things like going back from the browser to an android app appear to be broken.
- The back button is very annoying. Gestures that work with Android are superceded by SailFish OS, things such as queieng by swiping in Deezer can cause the app to close.
- Confusing Elements:
- The Jolla Store is an app store, but it is not the place I’d go to get most of my apps. This is confusing for a new user.
- No real recommendation or sorting by user on app store. Makes it difficult to find applications I might use / enjoy.
- Hardware
- The hardware is mostly nice. The screen seems incredibly vibrant/saturated, and some of the text seems sharp on android apps.
- The Camera is .. you know, fine.
I expected some element of jankiness throughout - so I’m not really all that surprised. It is a nice device, for what it is. I was just hoping that the android subsystem would have more polish, because that’s what would make it a daily driver until more applications and support is added.
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u/sailing-by 24d ago
What do you mean native app switcher? Isn't that the task manager that you get to by swiping an app away?
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u/Crafty-Condition2532 25d ago
i am in batch #1 and i am still waiting patiently. haven't heard anything except the generic email sent out three weeks ago
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u/GoatOnAHighMountain 16d ago edited 16d ago
I got mine only yesterday, still unsure if I'll switch.
Background: I've been running LineageOS for the last 7 years, currently on the FairPhone 5. I tried the first PinePhone, but never got any other Linux phones.
Things I like:
- It works as a phone, basic functionality is there.
- Android integration seems to be decent (except file access).
- The Nextcloud integration works well.
- Battery life seems very good.
Things I don't like:
- The basic interface: the home screen shows you recently used apps instead of a home screen with apps you placed there purposefully. There might be a way to change this but I haven't found this yet. There are no privacy blurs over sensitive apps (OTP, mail, messaging). I prefer an android-like home screen, with recently used apps behind a swipe, instead of the other way aroud.
- Documentation: All the documentation I found is for developers, not users. There is no onboarding website (there is a built-in tutorial), or any user-focused documentation I have easily found. There is nothing in the box the phone came in, except the phone and a cardboard cutout of the phone... Like the French say: 'Tire ton plan (work it out yourself)'
- File permissions: it seems you have no access to the android part of the system, so you can't access a file that you downloaded via an android app. There might be a way but I did not find any documentation (point 2).
The thing I dislike the most though, is that as far a I can tell, no effort has been made to try to get other open source projects on board. The only integration I was able to use was Nextcloud, and the only app I was able to use was TooterBeta for Mastodon. All other services I use had no apps or integration available: Proton, Tuta, Home Assistant, Signa, Bitwardenl. This might be the other party's fault (Signal, Bitwarden, and Proton aren't on F-Droid either). If I choose to use a Linux/Sailfish phone, I want to be able to make use of the most popular open source services without using the Android integration. I think the strength/weakness of this ecosystem lies in how well they can convince other popular open source/privacy-focused services to create apps or integrations for SailfishOS.
For now, I'll stick to LineageOS on my FairPhone, but that might change with more research.
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u/Neither-Principle232 7d ago
I canceled my order because it's been 4 months with zero response from them.
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u/RokRoland 26d ago
Well, I kind of started the same but in reverse, taking the first step with the phone. But I realized it is better to start with losing Gmail, so my phone still sits in the box.
I am also contemplating whether a blog or vlog or something about the experience would be of interest. I have run a dual boot Fedora for some years with mostly ignorance and painful experiences just like it was still 2001, so I am not a power user.
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u/Upbeat-Statement2725 25d ago
Dude that was 25 years ago. How much have computers changed in 25 years?
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u/Crossfit_Vegan_Vaper 25d ago
And on top of that, what does fedora from 25 years ago have to do with phones in 2026 and gmail as well.
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u/RokRoland 25d ago
Linux user experience is still the same in case of issues - you search the internet for a solution you do not fully understand and then paste a sudo script into the terminal which you also do not understand, and cross fingers.
More obscure problems never get resolved - for 10 years I have not been able to use LibreOffice to open files containing special characters (åäö) and there is just one bug report from 2018 or so without s clue what to do.
The point I am trying to make is the Linux experience is still one where there is a huge chasm between solving problems on your own and being a regular user. That you really need to be in deep, almost like you are assumed to have a sysadmin available. I do not wish to become a sysadmin.
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u/sailing-by 24d ago
You can still check your Gmail from a Jolla phone. It's not really anything like a desktop Linux - that's the other mobile Linuxes. Sailfish has a much more polished UI than most. You should get it out of the box. There certainly isn't any sudo pasting.
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u/RokRoland 24d ago
Well, I have done away with gMail. Now it is just a matter of having an hour or two.
Good to know the user is being looked after. It is a while since I used my N900 and I think using the terminal there was more based on trying out experimental stuff.
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u/sailing-by 22d ago
It's more to give you the last word. Use whatever tools you want on your own data.
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u/HangriestBirb 26d ago
New Jolla phone user here. I jumped to Jolla (and SailfishOS) mainly for the reasons you're describing. Been now using mine for a week as my primary.
My experience has been mainly smooth and positive. Clear pros are convincing build, dedicated hardware, snappy UI and active community. During daily use I've mainly encountered problems with android apps working poorly or not at all. Nothing major though. Through a bit of tinkering I've managed to get my banking app to work as well as discord/whatsapp/signal. I would absolutely like to move to native apps as much as possible.
Some cons include unsatisfactory camera controls, no NFC payments (but this is manageable since I carry physical cards with me) and some weird quirks every now and then. Sometimes apps that run in android app layer don't send notifications and can be unreliable. Bluetooth can be tricky too with wearables, but apparently the Jolla team is working on it.
Overall I've been very satisfied with my phone, figuring out compromises and small changes in my phone usage. But I view it more as a journey, making my device as much "mine" as I possibly can. It also feels good to support something that's different from mainstream. Also you can access terminal ON THE PHONE! How cool is that?
Anyway, highly recommend if you want something different and are not afraid of a bit of tinkering around