More and increasingly users are considering how they include privacy slantingly technology. Smartphones can be a struggle as Google doesn’t exactly scream user-first privacy and Apple has its own issues. Thankfully, new options like the Volla intend to offer an alternative.
The Volla Phone 22 is a de-Googled Android device for the increasingly security-focused user. How does it hold up in the modern world of wide smartphones? Let’s find out in our full review.
Design
The diamond of the Volla 22 is fine. That’s well-nigh it. The industrial construction is mostly plastic and reminds me of some of the first few generations of Moto G devices. That was pretty decent four years ago, but now this is looking dated.
However, you do get a few ports that you may have been missing these days. Yep, there’s a true relic of a 3.5mm headphone jack on the marrow withal with a USB-C charging port, and finally a speaker grille. On the right side of the Volla 22, you get a volume rocker and a defended power button.
The when imbricate is the one spot the visitor has a bit going on with a glass inlay that has the Volla logo etched into it. It’s a nice touch to add a diamond flare. In the middle of the top half is a capacitive hardware fingerprint scanner. Just to the right of the is the dual camera variety of the main camera.
Crazy talk, but the when plate is completely removable. This is flipside throwback to flipside era of smartphones. While this is nice to get to internal things and lends to replacements of the battery, it moreover has its downside. The unshut compartment makes this much increasingly susceptible to the elements like pebbles and water.
Display and internals
The screen on the Volla 22 isn’t bad. The 6.3-inch panel has a resolution of 2340×1080 and provides good colors and contrasts. There’s a teardrop notch at the top for a 16MP front camera.
Performance is powered by a MediaTek Helio G85 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of internal storage. Most will scoff at 4GB of RAM, but without the backend processes of a true Google phone, I don’t see this as an issue with the Android model (more on that later).
You have an LTE modem capable of most GSM-global bands, but sadly that leaves us Verizon customers out in the unprepossessed here. This isn’t rare in these niche phones, but it would be nice to see one take the largest US carrier seriously every once in a while.
Software
Volla has included a unique option with the Volla Phone 22. You can segregate either Volla OS or Ubuntu Touch at purchase. For those that may not know, this is the most popular version of desktop Linux used worldwide. A few years when they started a mobile variant that never took off on the commercial level but is still supported as an open-source volitional to the sealed worlds of Android and iOS.
Having Ubuntu Touch misogynist as an volitional isn’t all. The visitor moreover supports running a multi-boot process with several other OS options. Sailfish OS, Droidian, and mobile Manjaro are all supported by official or polity operating system builds.
But for this review, let’s come when to the official Volla OS. The visitor has decided to make this super minimalistic and the unshortened UI revolves virtually the Springboard. This is substantially the home screen and global search built into one interface.
By simply typing into the main Springboard UI, you can initiate a undeniability to a contact, search the web, make a note, or create a timetable event. Volla has built this paradigm to make it sufferer simple to get to anything on the phone with just text input. It’s an interesting take that will requite you pause to learn.
The other thing is the lack of deject inclusions in the OS. This is a conscious visualization for privacy, but you will need to offload your contacts and calendars from other sources to at least get started on the Volla Phone 22. After the initial setup offline you do have wangle to Fdroid and Aurora Store for app downloads without the need for Google Apps.
Cameras
The main camera variety can take decent shots with the 48MP shooter. In good lighting they can be plane good. Add any disturbance or lackluster lighting and the camera quickly struggles. I’d say most of this is due to the open-source drivers. Great post-processing often takes proprietary software to pull it all together.
The front-facing is what you expect from a selfie cam. It snaps a decent, quick photo. Nothing increasingly nothing less.
Battery
I expected the 4500mAh shower pack to perform well with zero deject hooks constantly running. I’m happy to report that this is the specimen in real-world usage. I’m worldly-wise to comfortably get through a full day and a half with the internal shower surpassing I have to reach for a charger.
Charging is something I moreover unsupportable would take a backseat with the removable when and some of the increasingly dated aesthetics, but both USB-C charging and wireless Qi are both onboard.
Conclusion
I’m torn on the Volla Phone 22. The Linux nerd in me appreciates the zippy removal of all things Google and app tracking. However, those things come at the price of convenience and I’m not sure how many real consumers are willing to requite up the easy and well-done hodgepodge of apps and services standard Google’s Android offers.
Google has built a world of Android users virtually the simplicity and free-to-use services on its mobile OS. If you’d like to struggle to self-ruling yourself from these restrictions and trackers, the Volla Phone is 452 euros or roughly $467 in the United States. The phone can be purchased on the Volla website directly from the store page.
