Jolla, the Finnish company born from the ashes of Nokia’s MeeGo project, is still alive. And it’s building a new phone. According to a report from Liliputing, the company’s next smartphone running Sailfish OS is on track to begin shipping in the first half of 2026. That’s a real timeline from a company many in the industry had written off entirely.
The update comes from Jolla CEO Sami Pienimäki, who shared the status during the company’s recent community event. Pienimäki confirmed the device is progressing through development and that the team remains committed to delivering a consumer-ready handset. No vaporware disclaimers. No hedging about “exploring options.” A ship date.
For those unfamiliar with the backstory: Jolla was founded in 2011 by former Nokia engineers who refused to let the MeeGo operating system die after Nokia pivoted to Windows Phone (and then, well, we know how that ended). The company released its first Jolla Phone in 2013 and followed up with the Jolla Tablet via an Indiegogo campaign in 2014 — a campaign that raised $2.5 million but ultimately ended in refund controversies when the tablet faced production issues. It’s been a rocky road.
But Jolla pivoted. The company shifted its primary business model toward licensing Sailfish OS to governments and enterprises that wanted an alternative to Android and iOS — particularly those with sovereignty concerns about American and Chinese tech stacks. Russia’s government adopted Sailfish OS (rebranded as Aurora OS) for official use. That licensing revenue kept the lights on.
So why a new consumer phone now?
The timing aligns with growing global interest in mobile OS alternatives. The EU’s Digital Markets Act is forcing open competition on platforms. Governments across Europe and Asia are increasingly wary of dependence on duopoly mobile operating systems. And a niche but vocal community of privacy-focused users has never stopped asking for hardware that doesn’t phone home to Google or Apple. Jolla appears to be betting that the market conditions have finally caught up to its thesis.
Details on the hardware itself remain sparse. Jolla hasn’t publicly confirmed specifications, pricing, or which markets will get the device first. What we do know is that Sailfish OS 5 is in active development, and the new phone will presumably ship with it. Sailfish OS supports Android app compatibility through a compatibility layer, which has historically been one of its strongest selling points — giving users access to Android apps without actually running Android. That capability will be critical for any consumer adoption beyond the enthusiast crowd.
The competitive picture is interesting. There aren’t many players in the alternative mobile OS space with actual shipping products. Purism’s Librem 5 exists but has been plagued by delays, hardware limitations, and a price tag north of $1,000. Pine64’s PinePhone is affordable but firmly a hobbyist device. Ubuntu Touch, maintained by UBports, has a small but dedicated following. None of these have cracked mainstream viability. Jolla’s advantage is that it’s been at this longer than almost anyone, and Sailfish OS is arguably the most polished of the bunch — though “most polished alternative mobile OS” is a low bar.
The financial picture deserves scrutiny too. Jolla has gone through multiple restructurings. In 2015, the company laid off a significant portion of its staff and nearly went bankrupt. It recovered through licensing deals and investment, but it’s never been a company with deep pockets. Shipping consumer hardware is expensive and unforgiving. The Jolla Tablet debacle is a reminder of what happens when a small company bites off more than its supply chain can chew.
Still, there are reasons for cautious optimism. The company has matured. Its licensing business provides a revenue base that didn’t exist during the first phone era. And the geopolitical tailwinds favoring OS sovereignty are real and strengthening. If Jolla can deliver a reasonably specced phone at a competitive price point with reliable Android app support, there’s a market for it. Not a massive one. But a real one.
The community response has been predictably enthusiastic. Jolla’s user base, while small, is intensely loyal — the kind of people who’ve been running Sailfish on Sony Xperia devices via official ports for years and participating actively in Jolla’s community forums. For them, a new first-party device is something they’ve been waiting nearly a decade for.
The big question isn’t whether Jolla can build the phone. It’s whether they can build it at scale, deliver it on time, and support it post-launch with regular OS updates and maintained Android compatibility. Hardware is hard. Ask Essential. Ask Nextbit. Ask the dozens of small phone makers who’ve tried and failed.
First half of 2026 gives Jolla roughly a year. The clock is ticking, and the mobile industry will be watching — if only from the corner of its eye.
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