Volla Phone review, a Google-free Android smartphone
VollaOS without preloaded Google apps, tested as a daily phone.
- Answers
- Is the Volla Phone a good Google-free Android alternative?
- Topics
- Freedom · android · cloud · cyber-security · design · minimal · review · smartphone
- Full article on willem.com
- https://willem.com/en/2021-10-25_using-google-free-android/
Summary
When I tested the Volla Phone in 2021 it cost 359 euro and ran VollaOS, an Android without preloaded Google apps. The hardware punched above its price and the freedom made returning to mainstream phones hard.
Full text
The Volla Phone is a midrange Android smartphone made in two flavours, the original Volla Phone and the rugged, waterproof Volla Phone X. Mine cost 359 euro including a charger, USB-C cable and a transparent case, and the build feels far more solid than that price suggests. VollaOS ships without any preloaded Google apps, leaving you in control of what goes on the phone. The Springboard and Type anything start screen is an original idea but lacks the polish of mainstream launchers, so I replaced it with the unlauncher, which VollaOS happily allows. Apps come from the F-Droid catalog, the Aurora Store or sideloading. That freedom carries responsibility: you must check yourself that what you install is safe and genuine.