This is a new series looking at the Volla Phone Quintus running Ubuntu Touch. This phone sports a powerful Mediatek Dimensity 7050 with 8 cores, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. In this series I’m going to explore the phone, and in particular, focus on its operating system in detail. I’ll explore the things I love about Ubuntu Touch as well as things that could be improved.
There are, in fact, two operating systems available for the phone: Volla OS and Ubuntu Touch. Volla OS is an Android-based operating system, whereas Ubuntu Touch is a mobile version of Ubuntu. The latter (shown in the image to the right) is a copylefted libre mobile operating system originally developed by Canonical, but now maintained by the UBports community.
When choosing the model, you need to choose the operating system right for you. If you get the Volla OS model you can dual boot the phone and still run Ubuntu Touch. But if you get the Ubuntu Touch model no dual boot option is available. Android apps do run in Ubuntu Touch but within a container. There are a few disadvantages with this arrangement.
If this is going to be your sole phone, most users should get Volla OS in my opinion. But I love Ubuntu, and I have a backup Android phone. With that rider in mind, let’s explore the phone’s specifications. I’m going to explore some of the specifications with Linux utilities. Just because I can!
The Volla Phone is a premium phone. It retails for €719.00 (that’s about £622). But if you want the best hardware, you have to pay for it. The phone looks and feels distinctly premium thanks to its construction and appearance.
What’s in the Box?
- Smartphone
- USB-C cable
- USB-C headphone with microphone
- USB-C to 3.5.mm audio jack adapter
- Transparent protective cover which fits on the back of the phone (the phone has a protective film already applied to the front)
- SIM needle
- Operating instructions in English and German, and a separate guide in French, Spanish, and Italian.
The smartphone has a Mediatek Dimensity 7050, a power‑efficient chipset with ultra‑saving technology. The phone has 8 CPU cores, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage.
I’m currently writing articles about single-board and Mini PC Linux computers, some of which have lower specs than these. The CPU performance means Ubuntu Touch feels fast in operation and extremely fluid.
For graphics, there’s the Mali-G68 MC4 GPU, an integrated mid-range graphics card. The phone’s dimensions are 164.15 x 74.7 x 8.75 mm, and it weighs 204.6g. It can take 2 nano SIM cards and has a 4700 mAh battery.
I’ll look at the technical specifications in more detail on the next page. But first, let’s look at some of the physical attributes.
Display
One word best describes the phone’s display: fantastic. For the technical details, it has a 6.78 inch AmoLED full screen display at 1080×2400 pixels and 120Hz refresh rate. All the best Linux-based phones offer 120Hz refresh rate. It’s an extra large display with borderless sides protected by hardened Schott ɑ Glass. I’m using the transparent protected cover to protect the glossy back.
Brightness is around 650 nits reaching 980 nits with a high brightness. Even in strong sunlight, the phone’s display shines through.
Cameras
Another strong point of the phone. Its back hosts a triple camera with 50 MP (wide) + 8 MP (ultra-wide) + 2 MP (macro) sensor. There’s HDR support and pictures can be taken at fine quality, high quality, normal quality, and basic quality. It also supports recording up to 4K videos at 3840 x 2160 resolution.
There’s also a 15.9 MP front camera with HD video function.
On the next page, I’ll interrogate the phone with some classic Linux utilities.
Next page: Page 2 – Specifications using Linux utilities
Pages in this article:
Page 1 – Introduction
Page 2 – Specifications using Linux utilities
Complete list of articles in this series:
| Volla Phone Quintus | |
|---|---|
| Introduction | Introduction to the series and interrogation of the phone |
| Lots more articles are currently being prepared | |