The first wave of smartphones from Finnish handset maker Jolla have all been spoken for despite the fact that it isn’t slated for launch until the end of the year. The debut smartphone was unveiled back in May alongside an online pre-order campaign which filled up in mid-July.
Jolla didn’t reveal exactly how many handsets were on pre-order due to customer confidentiality concerns but according to a press release from the company, they received orders from customers in 136 different countries across the globe. A Jolla spokesperson did, however, mention that a typical production batch for a vendor their size is 50,000 units.
Those that missed out on the first opportunity will hopefully have a second chance later this fall, said Tomi Pienimäki, CEO of Jolla.
If you aren’t aware, this is the first phone based on Jolla’s highly-anticipated Sailfish mobile operating system which itself is based on MeeGo. The handset features has no physical buttons on the front which is instead populated with a 4.5-inch display. Inside is a dual-core processor, 16GB of flash memory, a microSD card slot and an 8-megapixel rear camera.
A front-facing camera for video calls and 4G LTE support come standard in regions where such technology exists. The phone retails for $515 and will be available first in Europe on mobile network operator DNA, we’re told. Given the landscape of today’s mobile hardware market, however, the price does seem a little on the high end for what you get, but I digress.
