The world outside of Android and iOS is interesting

I love alternative operating systems, it gives us a glimpse of what’s possible outside of the Android and iOS duopoly. And one of the most interesting phones of the year 2026 Jolla PhoneIt runs on Sailfish OS.

Jolla was also at MWC 2026 in Barcelona and we visited the company’s booth to get our hands on the new Jolla Phone. So is it more than an alternative to Android and iOS? Here’s what I discovered after spending some time with this €649 (~$755) device.

When I first saw images of the Jolla Phone 2026, I was immediately drawn to the orange back. And it’s a nice vibrant color in person. Although it feels a little cheap, I’m happy to report that this rear plastic cover is removable. Fortunately, Jolla says, people can also create their own covers if they want to. Best of all, you can replace the battery by removing a single screw. You love to see him.

Turn the phone over and you’ll see a 6.36-inch FHD+ OLED display. This panel was quite bright under the harsh lights of the show floor. Also worth noting is the huge display notch with the selfie camera and notification LED (see below). I’m willing to overlook that giant notch, but I’d like to see it as it is with a traditional bezel Sony Xperia phones.

When it comes to actually holding the device, the curved sides help the phone feel more ergonomic. It certainly makes a refreshing change from the sea flat bezel iPhone clones. These sharp corners are also reminiscent of early Nokia Lumia devices and the Nokia N9. I’m not sure if these corners will make the phone uncomfortable for long-term use, but it can’t be worse than the sharp corners of the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

The 2026 Jolla Phone also has a privacy switch on the left side, which allows you to turn off many settings (eg microphone, camera, location, Wi-Fi) with a quick swipe. However, you can also customize this toggle so that it only disables certain settings.

Other notable hardware features include a budget-level MediaTek Dimensity 7100 chipset, 8GB or 12GB of RAM, 256GB of internal storage, microSD card slot, a side fingerprint scanner and a 5,450 mAh battery. There’s even a notification LED in case you miss this classic feature. In terms of the camera experience, you get a 50MP primary shooter and a 13MP ultra-wide snapper.

Sailfish OS 2026 powers the Jolla Phone, which is the spiritual successor to Nokia’s failed MeeGo platform. When I reviewed the Nokia N9 back in 2011, I was a big fan of the platform. But years of using Android means that Sailfish OS takes some time to get used to. For example, swiping up on an app closes it on Android, while swiping in from the edge of the screen brings it back. However, in Sailfish OS, swiping up in an app opens the app drawer, while swiping “back” actually exits the app. In my short time with the device, I can’t say it’s better or worse than Android’s gestures, but it’s certainly different.

Sailfish OS also splits one home screen into multitasking apps like MeeGo and BlackBerry 10 (see first image above). You will find small application windows on this screen that show all running applications and allow you to quickly switch between them. I’ve always liked the idea of ​​a dedicated multitasking home screen in theory, but I feel like switching apps is a much more seamless thing on Android.

The platform also gained Android app support through the Android AppSupport layer years ago, and the 2026 Jolla Phone still retains that capability. In fact, you can even install open source microG framework As an alternative to Google Play Services if you really need to run certain Android apps. Jolla also allows you to use it Aurora store If you need to access Play Store apps. I’m glad to see Jolla keeping this feature, as it means developers aren’t forced to create native apps for the platform.

For what it’s worth, Jolla says the new phone runs Sailfish OS 5.2. The company hasn’t released a changelog yet, but the previous Sailfish OS 5 version upgraded AppSupport to Android 13, updated the default browser engine, introduced better landscape orientation support, and added call blocking support. You won’t find any built-in AI features here, but that could be a selling point for some people.

I’m excited to see the 2026 Jolla Phone, as alternatives to Android and iOS are few and far between. I haven’t spent enough time with Sailfish OS to make a definitive decision yet, but I’m glad the platform is getting some love and a new phone in 2026.

As for the phone itself, it doesn’t have the most powerful processor, triple rear camera setup, IP68 rating or wireless charging. I’d expect at least some of these features in a €649 Android phone, but I’ve definitely seen a few Linux-based phones that cost less. Jolla has got the basics right here, while the addition of fancy extras (microSD slot, removable battery, notification LED) help make this a more attractive package.

Perhaps the biggest drawback of the 2026 Jolla Phone is accessibility. The company has already sold the first batch of phones and is currently selling the second batch. However, the phone is currently only shipping to Europe. Therefore, I hope that the company will expand to other markets (eg North America, MEA, Asia-Pacific) in the coming months.