Volla "Phone X" announced - rugged phone running UT

TotalSonic

Hallo Welt Systeme announced the upcoming "Volla Phone X" - a "rugged" phone using the same soc as the Volla Phone, with an extra large 6200mAh battery - that is already running Ubuntu Touch ->

https://youtu.be/qLaX4DcBHZA?t=4702

The Volla Phone X looks to be a rebranded Gigaset GX290 - if so, specs are here - https://www.gigaset.com/hq_en/gigaset-gx290/

Best regards,
Steve Berson

domubpkm

On the other hand, I would have preferred an offer of a small format Volla around 5 inches than another ''monster'' There is a real market i think for new little UT smartphones.

The battery of the current Volla in sale is in theory already of a good enough capacity but I find the Volla UT too power hungry at the moment.

Maybe this current problem of overconsumption affects more generally more or less all Halium 9 smartphones ?!

TotalSonic

@domubpkm - the thing is that Hallo Welte's hardware partner Gigaset does not make a 5 inch phone - and given that the GX290 uses the same SOC as the Volla Phone, it's much easier to port Volla OS and Ubuntu Touch to this device than to any other. So it makes sense that this would be their next offering, as it does not require sourcing another vendor, and does not require a lot of porting hours for the software.

Best regards,
Steve Berson

3T_Ed

@totalsonic fully understand the reasoning behind it and I hope the rugged version will do very well.

Nevertheless, I agree with @domubpkm a perfect 5" Volla would be a brilliant addition to the line-up and could be a widely adopted device if it'd be ported.

kugiigi

Is there a price mentioned?
It seems that this has a bit lower specs with only 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and 720p. Perhaps this is a cheaper option or the ruggedness makes up for the price difference?

In any case, I really hope they can find a phone without a notch and very rounded corners

domubpkm

@kugiigi said in Volla "Phone X" announced - rugged phone running UT:

I really hope they can find a phone without a notch

I was thinking like you about the notch. But after use and appropriate settings, it's not the most annoying point. Some bugs are much more annoying (for some users) and priority in my opinion. But overall, the Volla in sale is a good smartphone.

TotalSonic

@kugiigi - price mentioned in the linked video was 449 Euros, with an unspecified discount given if pre-ordered. They said they would start pre-order sometime in June, and ship sometime in August.

Best regards,
Steve Berson

odo

I think the hardware base is the newer Giagset GX290 "plus" with better specs than the GX290 (4/64 GB). The plus version has a red on/off button like in the video.
But imo the price is, like for the original VP, still too high for a dated hardware (abt. 100 Euro above Gigaset). Hardware prices fall after a while, the Volla prices don't.
Besides this a rugged UT phone of course is great.

alan_g

@odo said in Volla "Phone X" announced - rugged phone running UT:

But imo the price is, like for the original VP, still too high for a dated hardware

The price, like the original VP, is for the dated hardware plus funding the work on the new OS.

Development isn't cheap and is amortised over a few thousand phones. It is hard for that to compete with the cost of Android development for this hardware when that is amortised over millions of phones.

odo

@alan_g I know this. But HWS/Volla doesn't make any difference between their "own" OS and UT. They want to make money - and this is in principle ok - but with an old idea of a privacy phone, a device they do not produce and open source software (even their "own" software is probably 99% o.s.) it's a strange concept in my eyes. The decision supporting this special concept is very individual. But this is all OT, sorry, I don't want to repeat an old discussion.

Lakotaubp

I agree with @odo on this, please lets not re run old arguments.Not trying to shut down any discussion on Volla or their business plan but that is an OT topic rather than here in General.
The positive thing is another device with UT preinstalled is soon to be released into the wild. Which we can all surely agree is a good thing.

TotalSonic

Yes, it does look more like the GX290 Plus - specs for this are at https://www.gigaset.com/hq_en/gigaset-gx290-plus/

Keneda

@lakotaubp Plus, like for GS290, the GX290(X) will, i can't believe anything else, not be excluded from installer.

Lakotaubp

@keneda Careful

marc_aurel

@totalsonic Thanks for the post! Just one remark: The Volla Phone X, like the Volla Phone, is a small series manufactured for the Volla brand. It is not based on the GX290. Here are some specifications:

IP68 water and dust tested
CPU: MediaTek Helio P23 Octa-Core MT6763
Display: 6,1“, 19.5:9 HD + IPS V-Notch, 283 PPI
4 GB RAM + 64 GB internal storage
13 MP (SONY sensor) + 2 MP dual rear cam
8 MP front cam
Connectivity: 2G/3G/4G, Wifi, Bluetooth, NFC
Interfaces: USB-C (USB 2-0), USB-OTG, headphone jack
Slots: 2 Nano SIM or 1 Nano SIM + SD Card
Battery: Lithium-Polymer 6200 mAh / 3,85 V
Weight: 270 g

Lakotaubp

Looking into something else I noticed this device is now available for pre-order for those in Europe https://volla.online/en/index.html but not yet on Indiegogo for those outside from what I can see https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/volla-phone-free-your-mind-protect-your-privacy#/updates/all