Linux for smartphones: Ubuntu Touch makes the Volla Phone Quintus a rare alternative in the mass market
Publish Date: 2026-03-28 01:00:00
Source Domain: www.igorslab.de
There are topics that, in 2026, seem almost out of step with the times—and that’s precisely why they’re interesting. A smartphone running Linux, free from the usual Google constraints and without the typical app ecosystem acting as an invisible straitjacket, sounds at first more like a hobbyist’s project than something for everyday use. That’s exactly why the Volla Phone Quintus with Ubuntu Touch is so remarkable right now: It is not a loosely ported community experiment on old hardware, but a commercially available device that ships officially with Ubuntu Touch or can be run via multi-boot alongside Volla OS. The fact that c’t has now taken up the topic in a recent hands-on review provides the perfect opportunity to explore it, as mobile Linux systems rarely break out of their niche—and even more rarely come with reasonably up-to-date hardware.
Technically, the Quintus is certainly no longer a token device, as has long been the case with alternative mobile platforms. Volla specifies a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with 1080 × 2400 pixels and 120 Hz for the model, along with a MediaTek Dimensity 7050, 8 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of storage. It also includes 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 LE, NFC, and a battery with a rated capacity of 4600 mAh and a typical capacity of 4700 mAh. According to the manufacturer, the camera setup includes a 50 MP wide-angle lens, an 8 MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 2 MP macro lens, with a 15.9 MP sensor on the front. The device is currently priced at 719 euros in the Volla Shop, regardless of whether it is ordered with Volla OS or Ubuntu Touch. For a Linux smartphone, this is unusually ambitious; for a mainstream flagship, however, it falls more into the upper mid-range with a niche role. That’s exactly where it gets interesting, because Ubuntu Touch’s current shortcomings stem less from the hardware foundation than from the question of how much everyday usability an alternative ecosystem can actually still…
