Final Feedback: Hardware Aesthetics
Since spending a good amount of time with Jolla’s Chief Designer Martin, I have been meaning to put fingers to keyboard on this topic for a while now since #JollaLoveDay and just thought with production of handsets imminent, now would be a good time to offer some final feedback from the community on the actual aesthetics of the handset design.
At this stage there is no point in offering actual specification feedback as we can see that Jolla will be working to offer the best specs they can at the time of release.
So this is more about the general look, shape and feel of the handset. We already know that Jolla have committed to improving the prototype bezel, but was there anything else that you feel might be important to alter slightly in the final stages ?
1. So let’s start with the screen… my feeling is that the information being displayed below the ‘glass’ needs to be as close to the top of the glass as physically possible. When you look at the screen, you want it to jump out at you – you don’t want to see a visible gap here. Also, and given the cost of the handset this may not be possible, but some kind of strong screen material would be preferable to show a premium look and ideally curved (if possible bearing in mind the mid-range price tag). The screen bezel should also be the perfect size balance for the user experience (not too big that you have an overly thick black line all around but not too small either that you can’t swipe comfortably from the edges with one hand).
Screen Bezel: Not too big and not too small but ‘just right’.
2. Next up let’s talk about the weight and it’s apparent importance especially to many tech reviewers. This is obviously something that will be affected by ‘the other half’ and what is added here and the physical hardware inside the main handset. But lets just state an ideal even if this is unalterable. My feeling is that a light handset is nice without being too light that you don’t know it’s there – a certain weight can add to the feeling of something being premium. The weight of the N9 felt about right, so scale that up to a 4.5″ screen and you’re probably in the right ballpark. But I’m not someone who is obsessed by weight/size (as many tech bloggers appear to be) and I was happy with the weight of the Jolla handset when I held it.
3. Overall size is something that is another huge talking point for most handset reviewers, often with the ‘thinner the better’ mantra being the apparent line to take here. Again, I disagree completely with this way of rating a handset’s ergonomics. For instance some wafer thin handsets appear to be very uncomfortable to hold and operate almost as if the manufacturer, in blind pursuit to make said handset as thin as possible has forgotten all the most important factors which add up to the greater picture: how does it feel and how is it like to operate? With this question you also have to look at the overall size of the front face and at 4.5″ I feel that this is probably around the sweetspot – any smaller and the onscreen keyboard starts to feel cramped, any larger and your hands start to get cramp.
4. Finally let’s talk about the perceived overall aesthetics of the handset combined with the other half…. the details of the design – the curved, pillow-like side edges of the top half (to make swiping easier) combined with the straight edges of the ‘other half’. The logo imprint on the rear casing, the logo signature on the top side. The button placement all on the left hand-side. The matte finish of the exterior and the varying colours we have seen of the other halves. The camera/led; headphone jack; usb port placement.
Here’s our video to jolt your memory:
How do all these factors combine for you – do they add up to one awesome looking handset or are you left feeling that a few tweaks could still be made? Feel free to list 1-4 and write down your thoughts or likewise let us know if the Jolla handset is already all you hoped for and more. 
Sail On…
1. I Completely agree with you
2. I also, am not obsessed with weight, but I prefer too heavy over too light. Just my preference.
3. Screen size, I’m not too keen about that. IMO 4,5 inches is too big. I hope they’ll make a 3,5″ – 3,8″ devices too in the future.
4. I like the overall aesthetics; nothing more to add.
Regarding screen size, I’ve used both N9 (3.9″) and N8 (3.5″). In both cases I found the onscreen keyboards very cramped and would welcome a slightly bigger screen to optimise this experience as it becomes very fiddly to type accurately. Also for viewing and interacting with web pages or any kind of media, 4.5″ fairs better IMO.
Optimal screen size is of course related to the size of a users hands/fingers so finding a middle ground here is the compromise and I think Jolla got that about right.
Agreed, 4.3″ or 4.5″ is just fine (I had an HTC HD2 before my N9…).
I do agree.
My beef is with the phone size (once again: anything bigger than the N9 is too big for me), and the VKB is not an issue… even though the N9′s KB pisses me off big time.
It’s all about priorities.
Thickness is not an issue, more so when so many of us are asking for a HWKB ^^
Just in case, when I say that I do agree, it’s with Thoke and not JollaTides or Jagdriver :]
4.5″ is fine as long as there is minimal bezel. The phone shown here in the video has way too much bezel.
i would like to have
1.a curved screen like the one on nokia n9
2.remove that back camera and place it on the front view
3.more slow crossfade effect while push to the centre of the screen
4.compulsory for all developers to make their icons to have circle, leaf ,etc shapes
5.make some accessories on launch day
There is already a front facing camera – not quite sure I understand your 2nd point.
I think he meant the front facing camera should have the quality of the camera at the back, so the camera at the back can be integrated in the other half. This will enable way better cameras with more than 8 mega pixels.
I’d guess this is a requirement for people who like to take pictures of themselves more than anything else? I wouldn’t want that, but then I suppose I’m not one of the beautiful people… or a narcissist.
Personally, I think the screen/bezel ratio of the N9 is near perfect, so let that be a reference.
Furthermore, a closing micro-USB port at the bottom of the device if possible, or will we see wireless charging ?
I found the closing USB port more a nuisance on the N9. The amount of times you use the USB port to charge makes it seem unnecessary to have a door (over engineered?). Also a lot of N9 users had the issue of the door breaking off then you’re left with a bigger hole showing.
Wireless charging might definitely be a possible add-on with the ‘other half’. My problem with wireless charging is if for example your phone is near empty, you place it on the wireless charger plate. Then you get a phone call come through and what happens ? You pick the phone up and the phone dies on you! Given the same scenario with a wired USB charge, this wouldn’t happen because you can still hold the phone to your ear without stopping the charging cycle.
Okay you could put the phone on loudspeaker/headphones whilst placed on the charger plate, but what if you need to pick it up = you can’t without ceasing the charge cycle.
I understand your point of view, fair enough !
Sorry I didn’t mean to sound negative towards your POV – just pointing out some of the practicalities I found. I agree the N9 bezel size is definitely a good ref. point and wireless charging would still be a nice bonus maybe available with the other half?
No prob ! By the way, I just pre-booked my Jolla. Feels a bit like cheating on my fantastic black N9 64 GB though…!
Nice! The N9 will be a great companion for the next few months until the Jolla handset is ready. No cheating here, after all they are cousins!
Thanks for asking, I love the way you let the community to have their words – and obviously not only letting them write, but actually reading the comments too. That’s unlike!
1. Agreed with your opinions, exept that the price tag seems to be above mid-range ATM.
2. Weight is not a matter to me, if heavier means longer usage time and lasting stability.
3. Size and shape matters a lot – but I also disagree with all “the thinner the better” opinions. Ergonomics should be the primary key here. Some people have already commented about a box-looking phone, so how about concidering something like Jolla-looking phone (a bit of shape of a boat, designed to fit hand perfectly and have a perfect thumb reach all around the screen). It seems to me that both the bottom and the top of your phone might have room for shaping the corners quite radically – a change to do something unlike! A sail-shape could also be worth testing (shape some wax to get the idea of how different the feeling is in your own hand). Weight should be light enough to not weight in your pocket, but heavy enough to feel a solid phone in your hand.
4. The fine details might affect on many customers purchase decision – in basic, the phone should be both neat and handy. I think you’ve made it neat already with different surfaces, jin-jang halfs etc. It’s also quite handy because of the placing of the connections and buttons in the side. It seems to be very easy to dock too, but I wonder if there should be some more connectivity (HDMI port, irDA to start with). Flash could be stronger too, and please don’t forget long enough charging cable.
Wishing great winds to all the designers, sail on sailors!
Well I try but sometimes miss things of course – thanks for your goodwill!
1. 399 Euros is probably more like mid to high range given that AppleSamsung flagships are closer to 500-600 Euros
2. +1
3. Thinking outside the box here – love it!
4. +1 and I think with the ‘other half’ we could potentially see a whole host of connectivity options.
4. With current price tag, some connectivity might be added already to the basic setup. I suppose that at least some of these models http://bit.ly/19unmnK will drop close to the same price level by the end of this year, so these are the boats to beat in hardware and design. I’m blowing to your sails on this!
I agree with all your points, but I think you forgot 1 thing. The material that is being used is very important. Because that is what the consumer sees directly. Are the Other Halfs made of aluminium? Or are they plastic?
Good point yes the screen surround is made from aluminium and the back plate is polycarbonate. I would think an aluminium ‘other half’ would be easily possible.
I think someone said that they were aluminium in an interview. But I can be wrong.
Polycarbonate would be my choice. It is one of the best materials for strength and lightness. And rf signals easily go through it (unlike aluminum).
They’ve mentioned an ‘Estrade Display’. Any idea what it is? Jolla said that details over it will be coming soon. But any idea whether it’ll be Gorilla3 like or anything?
P.S. You’re doing an amazing job. Been following you since over a year now!
Thanks thanks much appreciated.
Estrade I think is a kind of code name for the screen and seems to translate to mean a ‘covering’ or layer. So I’m not entirely sure what we can expect here but I guess it will be mentioned in more detail as the months progress.
Thanks a lot for the info! Waiting impatiently for their retail launch! Haven’t really thought of pre-ordering. I’d like to see the final model and then buy one.
Just a thought, but if you pre-ordered the 0 Euro option, you can always change your mind if you’re not happy once all the info is released = there’s no obligation.
You can always change your mind, I’ve had pre-ordered the 40 first (100 wasn’t available to my country), and lateron preordered the 100 option. They offered me my money (40€) back, but I decided to keep that one and they shall send me two shirts
.
There is no need to buy any phone by pre-ordering, and you can get your money back.
Once more wondering where the stubborn no-physical-keyboard attitude comes from? Today (13.6.-13) heard most recent E7 style pro-keyboard comment discussing day-to-day mobile use…
Really hope Jolla will take this seriously. May yet turn out to be crucial. After all, main phone makers; apple, samsung, nokia seem to be gung-ho w/ touch only.
regarding 4!
by the Maemo community, among which Jolla has avid followers, at this part of talk.maemo.org:
There is an issue with the camera placement in view of applying a potential qwerty other half, as related more closely here:
http://talk.maemo.org/showpost.php?p=1350072&postcount=22
If you look at the images, holding the phone in portrait mode, looking “through” it, the camera and flash are on the left. Now, if you tilt the phone to the left to use it in portrait mode, and there’s a slideout qwerty, it’s difficult to make it so that it won’t cover the camera while closed.
The camera should be placed on the right (in terms of the above description) to enable a sensible design of the qwerty other half with regard to use of the camera.
Also, find plenty more considerations, valid or not, well-put or not
http://talk.maemo.org/forumdisplay.php?f=56
You’re right but that is assuming you turn the handset for landscape to the left (why not to the right I know it’s different but just saying) and also that the qwerty is a slide out exactly like the N900. The slide-out could be designed completely differently to negate such problems.
Sliding a phone to open to the left It is not just a matter of taste. Most of the people are holding a phone in their right hand, so when sliding it to the right, you need to change hands.
I wouldn’t mind this slight inconvenience, for the sake of having a good physical keyboard (with separate alt, ctrl, shift and fn keys – N900 had too few physical keys, so some symbols had to be chosen from on-screen list).
Can’t wait to see a qwerty slide out (this will be first slide-out of 2013)
Seems I can’t edit my post.
When I have mentioned fn key I didn’t meant a row of fn keys, but a single key allowing to toggle meaning of other keys (it would be nice to have number keys in the top row, with fn key toggling them to F1-F10)
I didn’t know you actually held the device. I really love the design with the two halves, but I do have a question about it. Does the back of the device feel (too) sharp at the edges. I can imagine it does, although I wouldn’t mind because it looks so freaking awesome!
Yep got to have a nice play with it
– no I don’t remember it being overly sharp at the edges which might have had something to do with the finish and choice of material for the back section.
Salfish OS is the best, JollaPhone has to be at least close. This device will face Iphone, Galaxy S, Xperia, best HTC’s, Oppo Find 5… No detail should be overlooked and the price will never be an excuse in this hard market.
1- A curved gorilla glass to perfectly fill out the space and replace the current screen and his plastic frame.
2- No more than 150g with the basic “Other Half” to not be overweight with a sophisticated one.
3 – Less bezels on each side and may be a smaller overall size. The current prototype seems to be the same size as Lumia 920.
4- Above all, and impeccable finish and solidity (outlets, buttons…)
From what I heard on vid with Jolla Head Designer and Marc Dillon in China all those requirements will be availables with final product. Let’s also hope for 2GB RAM and 2Mpx front facing camera.
HD 720p of course for the 4.5″ screen
(Curved) Sapphire Glass, please. Gorilla’s way too easy to scratch. I hate those so called plastic screen protectors.
screen size 4.5 is fine even if it means buying a backbag 4 carrying my Precious one.
This is what i found. Apparently Mar Dillon said it in an interview with PocketNow.
“Estrada” is actually our own term. It’s basically this
combination of the user experience. We have this
long and vertical experience that’s very easy to
access where you have your lock screen at the top,
which shows you notifications, you scroll down a
bit and you get your applications, then you scroll down a bit and you have your home screen with
your multi-tasking capabilities. Scroll a bit more and
you have applications, and at the bottom of that
you have your applications store. The Estrade
display is this combination and we’ve made it one
part of your user experience, as a vertical, that allows you to access different kinds of things very
quickly.
Source: talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=90377
What about the bezel in the bottom? It would be nicer, IMO, if that one was thinner. The rest is just perfect
, I can’t wait to own a Jolla phone!
I definitely love the placement of the logo’s and particularly the lack of a logo on the front. It is quite Apple like to have zero logo’s on the front.
Funny, I ordered a jolla for the 100€ option on the first day I could. A day later, my SGS3 crashed on the ground and has a bit of a broken glass … a sign! Go faster Jolla
! Luckily it still works, so I can live with that for a few month 
.
Anyway, it’s mostly what I wanted on a smartphone: gesture based, screen, weight and design seem perfect to me. What I’d like to see is some other halfs though, and if the rumors are true that it’s NFC in the back cover my dreams about a querty for the other half are almost dead
.
I hope they get some gimmik-makers to make us some nice things (like covers for sports to fix on your arm etc.).
You can still do a qwerty other half without a physical connection. You just have a bluetooth keyboard half that pairs via NFC. It’ll be a teeny bit bigger to fit in the battery and bluetooth. No big deal.
True, but that would require an external power source / power source in the hw-keyboard.
On my mind the phone is the possibility
1) to make calls,
2) to type sms,
3) to have off-line navigation in every country in the world
4) to have a battery with long life 5-7 days for calls and 1-1,5 days for navigation
5) to have organizer
6) to have personal data safe
each of features mention above should be of high quality
quality, materials, design, speed and size should be sound
and sar should be as lesser as possible
other features: camera, keyboard etc not so important. There is no technical possibility to have so high quality photos with a phone as with a professional camera or to type on mobile phone as you type on a pc keyboard or to reed books like on tablet pc.
how will sailfish app look like? i am still confused.
By the way JollaTides,you might want to have a look at this: http://thenextweb.com/gadgets/2013/06/13/hands-on-with-jollas-first-smartphone-running-sailfish-os/
I like the two halves thing, in both functionality and style. Though I would’ve figured they’d reverse the curved sides of the halves so that the back half is curved on the sides and the front half is curved top and bottom. That way those corners would fit more comfortably in the curve of the hand.
Also, I think the bezels on top and bottom are a little big, though then again the overall phone is a little large for me.
Other than that, I think it’s a really cool phone with a great concept, and the OS looks amazing. I’d definitely buy one if it were on my network.
There is a market for non-camera smartphone in Singapore, Young Singaporeans need it for National service for two years.
Remove that back camera and sell it to young male Singaporeans, they will buy it in a heartbeat.
I hope Jolla is already looking further, like using the same other halves with different devices. eg. insert your OH phone in your Jolla phabet or tablet.
My impressions as a first-time smartphone buyer (been waiting for a real open source option before buying a smartphone):
– hopefully ‘the feel’ of the final product will be more ‘high-end’ than suggested by TNW.
– doesn’t need to be exceptionally light or thin. Just not too thick or heavy.
– I wonder about the durability of The Other Half. Make sure it’s reasonably sturdy.
– The prototype released seems to waste space above and below the screen. If the phone can be shortened without detriment, consider doing so.
Looking forward to a product I can buy!
Everything seems fine for me, but I’d rather have a tinier screen. Something more like 4-4.3″ and it would be perfect for me!
You don’t need a smaller screen, just a lot less bezel. That would make a 4.5″ screen fit in a outside dimension 4″ case.
love video. Now using nokia808. Wish list. 2nd half kick ass camera. I own a realestate company. Picture / video a must!!!!!!!!!!
I Don’t wanna sound stupid (even if I know I do) saying this but why not to get a real camera? I reckon average photo shooters do fine with 4mpixels. what I’m keen on is wider angle and better low light shooting. but atleast in my case phone will never replace my camera nor will my camera replace my phone. I may be wrong
I’d rather spend the money on quality screen. I’m still begging for sapphire glass for the screen please.
I’m more than happy with an industry standard 8mp for eg. every day shots on the phone when I haven’t brought my main camera. I agree and have my main camera if I want to take really nice quality photos with a sensor far larger than any phone could ever manage.
I was tempted to have an all in one phone/camera (like 808), but after a holiday using only my N8 felt that a phone could never be a true replacement for an APS-C or FF sensor. Don’t get me wrong – more than great for everyday shots – but not for those special occasions where you want the absolute best photos or want to experiment with different lenses/filters etc.
you have the point, but some people would like to have good camera( as good as 808pv) in their phone, there is no need to bring two devices everywhere you go, the dslr or compact camera are always not there when you need it!
not many news from jolla these days:(
you can post articles like
1.the preview/reviews of some of the already ported sailfish apps.
2.how do users operate the sailfish UI/UX
40Mp are excessive, maybe 12Mp it is possible solution to a good camera but note that Carl Zeir Tessar technology is owned by Nokia
1. N9 bezel, screen size & weight was perfect. also the curved screen which adds bit of attitude (though its hard to keep a screen protector on)
2. would love to have a QWERTY keyboard Other HALF.
3. Battery should me at least 2500mAh. Doesn’t matter if its user replaceable.
4. Offline Navigation (hopefully not pushing my luck at that price.)
agree your point 3
Really want to see a phone with a QWERTY keyboard! It’s a deal breaker for me!
Couldn’t agree more …
the keyboard is a main reason why I still use my good old N900
Hey, I just noticed. Before the website change, the 100€ preorder advertised itself with “exclusive other half”. There was no mention of the other half in other preorder options. After the website change, the other half will even come with the 0€ preorders (will come with every Jolla). Shrewd move, Jolla; I thought the other half only came with the 100€ preorder. No respect.
Note use of term “exclusive” in the 100€ option. The 0€ option will have, shall we say, a “standard” Other Half, I suppose
The term “exclusive” has been deleted since the website change.
But at least 100€ preorders will get a limited edition Jolla. I don’t know if that means the other half will also be limited edition. Since the website change, there’s no mention of there being exclusive/unique other halfs.
According to the specs, so far for wireless (802.11) only B/G/N is listed. The N9 had A/G/N which is more preferred. Since A is not listed, this phone only supports the 2.4GHz band and not the 5GHz. If it did, then A would have been included.
Just an idea : a notification led would be nice unless the Jolla device has a standby screen just like the N9.
The camera is too close to the corner, it’s easy to cover it, or the flash, with a finger. The more the camera is close to the center, the better. Camera is quite important to, and I guess to many others. Although Jolla can certainly not compete with the image quality of a Lumia 920 camera, they could in terms of usability. What I don’t like on my 920 is the delay. To catch the right moment of fast moving kids is almost impossible.
Furthermore, I would like to see a camera button. Although I agree to have a buttonless UI (no home, back, or search button, please!), a camera button is one of the few buttons which do make sense. Actually I even like the iPhone’s mute switch. But this would be of lower priority.
OK, I am a huge fan of Nokia N9 too and I hope that Jolla will improve urgent things like MUCH thinner bezel, because it feel pretty cheap now and also I hope they will mprove icons too!
Also as a N9 user I want to see clock and other notifications on “off” display,
The bezel really needs to be thinner. Especially on the bottom. It’s like that empty space was supposed to have buttons on it, but doesn’t. The UI is a little cluttered, they need to get someone to de-clutter things a bit. I hope the camera will be a good one, that’s going to be a deciding factor for lots of people imho.
I agree with you on most aspects, still I would like to to point to 2 and a half optimizations:
on 1: the bezel on the upper and lower side of the screen should be smaller: it’s the screen that determines the size of the phone in your pocket, a reasonably small bezel (for of the swipe interface) would improve the overall ergonomics of the phone.
The screen itself should urgently be OLED, with standby information on the standby-screen (lying on the table with other phones from colleagues, it is this standby information on a truly black screen that set’s the N9 really apart in everyday use, and it is of use)
on 2 & 3: I agree with you, weight and thickness are sometimes greatly overrated, it’s the usability that matters, and the size seems right
on 4: I agree with you (but since I’ve only seen pictures so far: The other half deems an unibody (as the N9′s casing) impossible, but the the design should still give the optic and feel of two parts (“halves”) belonging strongly together)
(ultimately, it will be the screen tech (OLED or LCD) which will decide whether I will buy my pre-ordered Jolla)
Thank you for your posted thoughts!
I want bezel-less design
I know it’s the holiday season, but isn’t it very quite on the Scandinavian front ? I mean, the Jolla presumably is close to the production stage by now but there is still no new information on the final hardware specs. Will we all have more details about it soon or will the final shape of the device be a surprise when we open the box at delivery ? I’m getting worried when I see that even WP8 is shifting to HD screens with 1080 p and Snapdragon 800 under the hood after new year (according to the rumours)… Even if the smooth Sailfish OS doesn’t need quad core power, fact is that the hardware could be obsolete when shipment starts !
I want N9 with Jolla OS :/
Hello, Jolla
Still having E7-00
Hardware qwerty vs software qwerty:
+Good tough responsive (when playing games like supermario world or bubble bobble)
Hox remember game boy
- Realy hardware qwerty is pointless without good software web browser and email and sosial networks.
- Its easy to write with swipe.
+ Its so fast with hw qwerty
Make it work and then i buy one.
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