critical note on the Jolla C

asked 2016-07-29 23:54:51 +0300

Andrik
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updated 2016-08-03 16:47:40 +0300

jiit

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admin

I really looked forward to having the Jolla C. It would be a developer and community device. I've had the phone now for a about a week and ok, it was dirt cheap,so no complains about the price, but what was the Jolla team thinking? I'm sorry about being a critic here in the Sailfish / jolla community, but quite frankly, this phone is not going to help any Sailfish promotion.

I just like to sum up som of the points of criticism I and others noticed on this forum. Just because I want to.

UI Lag...really, how is this possible??? QML and Silica are supposed to offer a super smooth experience on the most basic phone...well not on this one! (even with the governor mod)
The camera is really, really from the year 2000...I can live with 8MP, but the quality is so damn poor.
Weak antenna. Almost no 4g, where my other phone uses 4g all the time.
noises and pops especially when using android apps.
the screenprotector has fingerprints all over it after just one touch! I keep on wiping. My Lumia 950 xl without a screen protector does NOT attract fingerprints, so what's up?

How am I to enthuse others about Sailfish OS if the phone doesn't give a good experience?

On the upside: - I think the phone looks and feels great, nothing wrong with that. I'm drawn to it almost every day...I love the form factor, the look, the feel in my hand, the square corners..perfect. But when I turn it on...man...it turns me off and I put it away for another day.

Just wanted to get this of my chest.. peace can now enter my mind..

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3

I don't notice UI lags. Can you share how to reproduce some?

Giacomo Di Giacomo ( 2016-07-30 00:14:50 +0300 )edit

1

To be honest, I also expected it to be more of an upgrade over my existing Jolla 1 which I got half a year ago...well, maybe software will improve, I'd certainly hope so. On the other hand, I wanted to get a second device so I can get more into OS development without breaking my day-to-day phone...and I need it for Bluetooth testing, so that's at least something.

ArmsOfSorrow ( 2016-07-30 00:20:41 +0300 )edit

Well the lag mostly is during scrolling. Oddly enough not in vertical scrolling in the 'Settlings' menu, but when you go sideways, to 'accounts', there can be slight not so smooth stutter in the transition. But it also happens sometimes when I vertically scroll in the editing page of an ambiance...just the slightest hesitation. I'm very touchy about smoothness..so I notice it always.

Andrik ( 2016-07-30 00:33:32 +0300 )edit

1

No UI lack here - the I is pretty smooth. The design is nice in gernal - just a tad too big for my hands.

But: I'd really love to have some higher specs in almost every aspect. Screen: gorills glass would have been nice - 1080 p a well (although I have to admit that 720p works fine and looks quite good)

Camera: it is too much of compromise - should have been better.

Sound: I don't how much more some better circuitry for better sound would cost - my feeling is that this would have been a good investment.

Sd cards: would have been great if the sd card was hot-plugable, like in the Jolla 1.

Same with SIM card. Always removing the battery first is,a PITA.

UX in gneral is quite good. The vibrator is a huge improvement over Jolla 1 and contributes a lot to a good user experience when typing. So basically I am content but still dreaming of a "better" Jolla.

AkiBerlin ( 2016-07-30 00:46:18 +0300 )edit

5

What killed the Jolla C for me: Missing LED-Colors and the bad camera (again!).

hoschi ( 2016-07-30 01:12:46 +0300 )edit

11

answered 2016-07-30 01:56:34 +0300

chalupa
1568 ●16 ●23 ●28

updated 2016-07-30 02:02:54 +0300

While I have to agree with with most the critics stated here (except for the UI lag, which I find quite ok in my case), I think that comparing Jolla 1 with Jolla C hardware wise is totally unfair. Jolla C is just an unbranded version of an Intex phone, the Aquafish, and then it has been developed with the specific target of its own Indian market: mid to low end phone range, just take a look at Intex's online catalogue. And their start price accounts it clearly (depending how you count it, from 3 to 5 times more expensive on the Jolla 1).

Sure, it can be disappointing when you don't feel a clear improvement/upgrade with a new model. But mobile hardware is not an easy business nowadays; just remind the recent tablet fiasco or the increasing number of manufacturers that are running in the the red.

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The hardware of Jolla C may be the same as Intex Aqua Fish, but they do differ in software. Indeed a restrained hardware to work with but the phone(s) do keep up with the older Jolla 1. Browsing is better with the doubled memory, although the difference is small. Even on a tight budget the Sailfish OS is fast. That's why it's pretty fair to compare phones of different generations. ...but just imagine what current mid-spec hardware would offer with Sailfish OS. The Oysters SF is probably worth keeping an eye on. (The brand new Huawei Honor 5 uses similar hardware). The LTE capabilities of that Mediatek SoC (MT6753) could widen the sailfish market worldwide. ...but what I like the most with the specs is the use of a Mali T720 for graphics processing. That GPU has open-source drivers... But to return to the topic I do like both the J1 and the Jolla C. There's no clear winner. They are just different.

Oh, there's one thing I need to add. The Jolla C reaches higher 4G speeds than the Jolla 1 in my location. It achieves more than 100 Mbit/s sometimes, which is more than adequate. 3G connections are also faster with the new phone, although I need to test with comparable firmware (the J1 is still on 2.0.1). I suspect the differencies might be software related.

vattuvarg ( 2016-08-03 19:58:25 +0300 )edit

7

answered 2016-07-30 02:24:51 +0300

mosen

9271 ●92 ●132 ●145

http://mosushi.de/

updated 2016-08-03 15:34:39 +0300

You can upgrade the screen with high quality Protectors that where customized with help of the community :D When the C arrived, we measured it and sent data to Bedifol. They are so kind to offer Jolla C Protectors in theyr regular portfolio now.

I will recieve some tomorrow and report if it fits correctly.

Edit: Shippment apperantly takes some time...

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I honestly don't understand the use-case for this "screen-protectors"?!

hoschi ( 2016-08-03 17:00:11 +0300 )edit

For example: https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B01H5GPVTQ anti-reflex coating minimizing screen reflections if the device manufacturer does not include a special coating to achieve that.

MoritzJT ( 2016-08-03 17:56:45 +0300 )edit

@hoschi. it just feels better imho. personal taste i guess. i never had protectors on jolla or N8 but that was glass. The Jolla C has plastic screen that needs a protector according to Jolla. The original shipped stock protector feels cheap and slightly sticky. I even had bubbles and a dust spot so i definately needed a replacement

mosen ( 2016-08-03 22:21:14 +0300 )edit

1

answered 2016-07-30 00:23:01 +0300

HarhaanJohtaja
1441 ●21 ●26 ●27

updated 2016-07-30 00:23:25 +0300

About the 4G check that:

https://together.jolla.com/question/137336/bug-lte-with-jolla-c/

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2

Yes, I know that topic, I contributed to it. But I don't think it's a bug. My Jolla C does occasionally use 4g, just not all the time, so as I said, I don't thinks its a bug...perhaps something about the antenna.

Andrik ( 2016-07-30 00:26:48 +0300 )edit

go to csd tool and compare 4G level with other phones.

tvicol ( 2016-07-30 09:58:28 +0300 )edit

I'm fairly sure it's a bug. Mine also connects to 4G, when there is another band available...So we can be quite sure it's got something to do with the 800Mhz band that was discussed in there. And that it does not handle it properly, most likely due to software. Since IIRC, none of the Aquafish bands are available in at least Sweden, and i can still get 4G in downtown Stockholm, not out here in the middle of nowhere though.

Swl ( 2016-08-03 18:49:21 +0300 )edit

0

answered 2016-08-03 17:39:27 +0300

neri
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I've read your phone review, I agree with you in some points but not in all of them. I also have the phone for about a week now. Where do I agree with you, the camera its a low point and the screen protector gets really dirty (although that I can change). I have a few of low points myself to add, my cellphone does have a ticking noise which is a little annoying since the noise interfere with calls and the battery life for itself is short, about 12 to 16 hours without much use (but if I turn-off the LTE as preferred network, those times improve, and in the future who knows the battery can be changed at least it is possible).

But not all is bad, I didn't noticed any UI lag, in fact is one of the plus sides of the cellphone, is that it really runs smoothly. I get LTE network almost all of the time. The OS is easy and really fun to use, the bright colors, the beautiful schema are just great and the fact that it is an IPS display helps a lot, then as you've said it feels good in hand. Also one thing that I've noticed and got me really impressed was that even with a really low battery I was able make a phone call for about an hour (I had only 3 or 4% at the beginning of the call and the phone didn't shutdown).

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1

I agree, and i actually get more battery life out of this one than my iPhone 6Plus. So i'm not very sad about battery life either. It works very well for being a dirt cheap phone. Apart from the camera, that only works in daylight.

Swl ( 2016-08-03 18:53:01 +0300 )edit

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