Cover image by Jolla.

The global economy is having a rough day (even by the standards of this already rough year), and the reason is almost unarguable: too much critical infrastructure is reliant entirely on the services of one private company. Today it's Microsoft, a few years ago it was CrowdStrike, and next year it'll be something else.

It's almost enough to make you want to dig into a big tub of ice cream, if the internet-connected freezers haven't already turned it into cookies and cream soup.

But, among the tech news doom and gloom, there's a light spot on the horizon. There's a Google-free, Apple-free, European smartphone, and you can buy one next time you're in need of a new phone.

Meet Jolla

Jolla. Never heard of them? You're in good company, because neither had I until early 2026, but they aren't all that new. Founded in Finland to continue the legacy of Nokia, and its aborted MeeGo operating system in particular, Jolla has been around since 2011 and released their first phone in 2013.

The company's trajectory hasn't been entirely straightforward, with a near bankruptcy in 2015, but it bounced back and persevered.

Fast forward to 2026, though, and the international climate makes this Finnish alternative to US big-tech something to be even more excited about.

The Jolla Phone runs on Sailfish OS, a Linux-based operating system that allows you to reduce your dependence on US-based big tech, without giving up modern technology altogether.

Image by Jolla.

3 weeks and counting

Jolla has been selling, manufacturing, and shipping the phones in batches, with final assembly taking place in Salo, Finland. After placing my pre-order in January 2026, I patiently waited until mid-October, when the shipment finally arrived at my door.

Well-packed, sleek and beautifully designed, I've been using this phone for slightly less than a month now, and I thought that the time was right to let the Panodyssey community know how it's going.

To start: the upsides

To start with, the phone itself is beautiful, as smartphones go. With its clean, slim design and large screen, it's easy on the eyes, and the bright orange cover (you can opt for a different one if you like) really helps it stand out from the crowd. It's dual-SIM, with a space for a microSD card too.

It's also considerably cheaper than a newly released iPhone or Galaxy, by quite a big margin.

The back cover is replaceable, as is the battery, so you can adapt the phone to your style, and extend its life once the battery starts performing poorly. For now, though, the battery is more than good enough for my daily needs, and the easy repairability of the phone is a selling point in itself.

Although Linux can seem scary, Sailfish OS is exceptionally easy to use, and I had no trouble adjusting to the different interface, even as a long-term Android user (my previous 4 phones have all been Samsung Galaxy).

Speaking of Android: Sailfish OS also has compatibility with many Android apps, which is a game changer in itself. If you want to insulate yourself from big tech but still need to use WhatsApp occasionally, this phone is worth serious consideration.

Jolla has a strong privacy focus, and a significant community component to their OS, which puts it in an entirely different category to the brands that dominate the market. The company literally puts privacy in your hands, with a physical privacy switch that you can use to disable location and microphone, among other things (you can personalize what this button does in the phone's settings).

Photo by Jeremy Bellamy.

Naturally, there are downsides too

Maybe an unusual complaint, but the screen is a bit bigger than I would like, which makes it tricky to type with one hand.

More serious than that, though, is that the Android app compatibility isn't flawless. In general it works very well, but not every Android app plays ball when it comes to Sailfish OS, and connecting Bluetooth devices (e.g. earphones) to Android apps has been impossible for me so far. It isn't that the Sailfish OS system is buggy or broken, it's just a limitation of having a support layer for Android apps rather than having a fully Android OS.

The inbuilt camera is good enough for daily use, but it leaves something to be desired when it comes to landscape and low-light photography.

My conclusion

I've said here before, and I'm sure I'll say it again: a European company isn't suddenly going to emerge with products that match or exceed the products that Apple and Google have spent decades and billions of Euros creating. But we have to start somewhere.

The Jolla phone is a good-looking, functional, albeit slightly limited phone, but it has far more potential than any European option currently available. After 3 weeks of using it, I've learned to accept what it can and can't do, adapted my habits accordingly, and I'm not going back to Android or iOS any time soon.

And if it's a bit less smooth and convenient than a mainstream phone? I guess I'll just use my phone less, and that's not a bad thing.

You can view the full specs and buy your own European smartphone right here.