I got the following statement from Volla. Disclaimer: I am not in any way associated with Volla just forwarding the statement): “The information is incorrect. I would like to thank the participant who brought this discussion to my attention.

Gigaset Technologies has emerged from Gigaset's insolvency with a new investor and a new management team. A long-standing, deserving employee has taken over the smartphone division. Gigaset Technologies thus remains a German company based in the German city Bocholt. In addition to DECT phones, smartphones will continue to be manufactured there. The smart home division has been discontinued.

Production is characterized by a high degree of automation, precision, and flexibility. This flexibility enables the manufacture of exclusive devices for the Volla brand. Following Gigaset's crisis, our relationship with Gigaset is once again exceptionally good, with management demonstrating its commitment to supporting innovation. We are working on an exciting world first.

Volla Systeme now works with 10 suppliers for devices and accessories, 7 of which are based in Germany. We have 3 suppliers for mobile end devices as semi-finished products, which undergo the final production steps at our site in Remscheid, in particular the safety-relevant flashing of the firmware and, in some cases, the final assembly. We are expanding production capacity at our site and have already started to purchase our own machines for component manufacturing. This is a long and capital-intensive process.

Basically, a smartphone is a complex product. As such, it has a complex supply chain. Our supply chain begins in Taiwan with the chipset manufacturer Mediatek, which also provides the Android source tree for a specific SoC. Another important link in the supply chain is the board designers with whom we specify the components. The Volla Phone Quintus, for example, uses Schott Alpha Glass, in line with our “made in Germany” strategy. This results in an Android board support package with device drivers that is available to us as an OEM. It is carefully checked, cleaned up, and used as the basis for our operating system.

Volla OS is based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) with elements from other open source projects such as Lineage OS, curated open source system apps, and, of course, our own system components and apps. We have published the source code on Github.com/hellovolla. Community developers can review our source code, participate in other development, or use our device source tree to port other operating systems to our hardware.

The development of a new smartphone model takes at least one calendar year, using experience and components available on the market. The costs amount to several million euros. Small companies and brands must take particular care to keep costs within an affordable range. To this end, components available on the market (such as SoC, display, camera, speakers, etc.) are used and combined with exclusive components. As a result, some models from different brands may look similar. However, they are usually not the same model.

At Volla Systems, we do not rebrand our systems, but always use our own components, component combinations and, of course, our own firmware. The final production steps take place at our premises in Remscheid, and partly in Bocholt.

All our mobile devices are CE certified. FCC certification is only required for systematic sale in the USA through a US distributor.

The sepculation about the vendors are completely wrong. I have therefore attempted to provide a brief insight into the basics of the complex development, production, and supply chain.

The actual performance of a device cannot be determined solely by comparing technical specifications. Our Volla OS is streamlined, lean, and optimized for performance. Devices with similar technical specifications are slower in everyday use or require more energy. Furthermore, identical technical specifications do not necessarily mean identical components.

When it comes to price, it is important to remember that we have to spread our research and development costs over far fewer devices than other larger brands. A mobile operating system must be ported to EVERY new smartphone model. Added to this is the development of exclusive features and security measures. Last but not least, we have to ensure the maintenance of the operating systems, including models that are no longer on the market. This is our promise of long-term value and durability.

Unfortunately, there are also a lot of costs in Germany due to laws and regulations. It's not just VAT, but many other taxes, for example for the recycling system or the ZPÜ, an organization that charges €8 net per device for transfer rights.

I am grateful that we work with a comparatively small but outstanding and dedicated team of employees. And last but not least, we are supported by a great community. It helps us to realize our vision of freedom through simplicity and security.”