Forget Android vs iOS – this new privacy-focused Linux phone promises to be the alternative we need, but it still runs Android apps

• There's a new Jolla Phone up for pre-order, running the Linux-based Sailfish OS 5
• Despite not running Android, it still supports many Android apps
• It's privacy-focused, and has a privacy key and a user-replaceable battery

If you’re tuned in to the smartphone world, then you might have heard of Jolla – a company that made a name for itself with Sailfish OS, which is its own Linux-based operating system and which originally launched with the Jolla Phone in 2013. Since then, we haven’t heard much from the company, but now it’s back with a new handset, also called the Jolla Phone.

This device runs Sailfish OS 5, so it’s among the very few smartphones that don’t run either Android or iOS, providing a refreshing alternative for anyone sick of the big two.

Of course, competing with Android and iOS isn’t easy, so to ease the transition, Sailfish OS 5 still supports many Android apps. But there’s no Google Play, so you’ll have to download them from third-party app stores.

Putting privacy first

So, why pick Sailfish OS 5 over Android? Well, privacy is a big focus of this operating system. Jolla notes that with Android and iOS, your data, habits, and conversations can be processed, stored, and analyzed on someone else’s terms, but that with Sailfish OS, your data won’t be siphoned.

That focus on privacy is also built into the Jolla Phone’s hardware, as it has a physical privacy switch that will disable the camera and mic, so you can be certain no one is listening in or watching you. Or you can configure the switch to disable other things, like Bluetooth or Android apps.

And this new Jolla Phone has other unusual features too, including a removable 5,500mAh battery, so you can easily replace it when it wears out, or carry a spare for long days away from a charger.

Beyond that, the Jolla Phone has a MediaTek 5G chipset, 12GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, a microSD card slot, a replaceable back cover with multiple color options, a 6.36-inch Full HD AMOLED screen, a 50MP wide camera, a 13MP ultra-wide, and a fingerprint sensor built into the power button.

That specs list sounds mid-range, but the Jolla Phone is priced accordingly, coming in at €499 (around $580 / £435 / AU$875) if you pre-order it. The retail price is not yet confirmed, but it's likely to be somewhere in the region of €100-€200 (roughly $115-$230 / £85-£175 / AU$175-AU$350) more.

So, this sounds like a niche but exciting prospect, promising a level of privacy you can’t get on a mainstream smartphone, paired with some features we rarely see. Sadly, though, it’s currently only available in the UK and other parts of Europe, making it all the more niche.

But if you live in one of those markets, you can pre-order the Jolla Phone now, though it isn’t expected to ship until sometime in the first half of 2026.

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