Jolla announced its first smartphone in May, and at the time provided a few details on the specification, but some of the finer points were unavailable at the time. This didn’t stop the first batch of devices selling out in a successful pre-order campaign, where the phone was priced up at $500, although a free option was also available. Now, Jolla has reopened the order books only for customers in Finland, however it has also chosen to reveal more information about the phone itself.
First, we now know the processor running the phone is going to be a dual-core, 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon, assisted by 1GB of RAM. Exactly which chip it will be isn’t confirmed. Next up, it’ll have 16GB of internal memory plus a microSD card slot, and there’s confirmation of a replaceable 2100mAh battery. An 8-megapixel camera with an LED flash will be fitted to the back of the phone, while a 2-megapixel camera above the screen will take care of video calls and selfies.
Finally, we come to the screen. Jolla said it would measure 4.5-inches, but at the time of announcement didn’t share the resolution. A 1280 x 768 pixel count sounded possible, as the 4.5-inch screen size matched that of the Nokia Lumia 920, and given the two company’s ties, it was a logical conclusion. However, the new spec page lists the screen as having a considerably less exciting 960 x 540 pixel resolution.
That matches the Galaxy S4 Mini, although the Samsung phone has a slightly smaller 4.3-inch Super AMOLED panel. It’s also powered by a faster processor, has more memory, and a 4G LTE connection. Yes, the Jolla phone is going to be slightly cheaper than an unlocked Galaxy S4 Mini, but not by much. If you weren’t already buying the Jolla phone for Sailfish and the potential of its Other Half cases, you probably will be now.
Earlier this week Jolla announced Sailfish OS would happily support Android applications, which is excellent news, but we’re still waiting to hear when it will finally ship, although the target is still to do so before the end of the year.
