We already know that Meizu are planning to enter India on the 18th May, but that’s not the only news as rumours of an Ubuntu MX4 launch are doing the rounds too.
Meizu have long been teasing an Ubuntu powered device, and just as the world was about to totally give up on the phone news that it could launch this month has been uncovered.
The first Ubuntu powered Meizu device we saw was the MX3, that was over a year ago and Meizu still haven’t released a phone or downloadable ROM for fans to get their hands on. This year the Ubuntu MX4 was shown at MWC, and while it was great to finally try the device we found it to be complicated, buggy and still far off from being production ready.
Now with a few month of additional development Chinese sources are saying that the Ubuntu Meizu MX4 will launch on the 18th May. Whether Meizu mean that their first phone in India will be the Linux phone or if they plan two announcements for the same day remains to be seen.
I’m about to buy a new smartphone in three weeks… At the moment it’s going to be a Sony Xperia Z Ultra (I’ve found a place that still sells them new), but if Meizu announce a 64GB MX4: Ubuntu Phone Edition with global availability (i.e. I can purchase this in Australia), I know what I’ll be buying, and it won’t be the Xperia Z Ultra!
But 64GB of storage is the BIG sticking point – I’m (initially) going to be making concessions in changing to Ubuntu Phone and I can accept that “to further the cause”… But I’m only willing to compromise so much.
64GB of internal storage is my limit – if they announce a 32GB or (*gasp!*) 16GB version, I’ll stick with the Xperia Z Ultra and get a different Ubuntu Phone in a year or two… If they announce a 64GB version though, I’ll make the jump now and use this as my “daily driver”.
Their choice…
@Andi,
Well the ubuntu edition launched today… available at the online shop of Meizu for the same price as the Flyme OS MX4
edit :By online shop I mean http://www.meizu.com
That’s only a rumour, and neither the Web site nor the actual (online) store itself has been updated to reflect this yet… I just checked, and there is no mention of Ubuntu Phone anywhere outside of their forums.
In saying that, the rumours – as per this article – are suggesting that at some point today we may see official information regarding the availability of Ubuntu Phone… Perhaps tomorrow night we’ll see something on the Web site.
http://www.meizu.com
I also checked before posting.
edit: There are 2 versions available at the moment, white and gold colour but only with 16 GB.
Ah, the Chinese version of the site is showing the Ubuntu Phone Edition of the MX4, the English version ( http://en.meizu.com ) is not…
And wow – according to the Chinese version of the Meizu site, the Ubuntu Phone Edition of the MX4 is limited to just 16GB!
What is this? 2010?
I understand that the MX4: Ubuntu Phone Edition is not supposed to compete directly with the likes of the Sony Xperia Z3 and the Samsung Galaxy S6…
But come on, be serious – in the world of Android, 16GB is typical of a low-end smartphone, with 32GB usually found in mid-range smartphones and 64GB (or 32GB+removable storage) found in high-end models!
16GB and no removable storage is just pathetic, and is going to turn a LOT of people away…
What’s the point in even trying, if you’re only going to put a half-a$$ed effort in?
Yea I agree that this is totally bad, but maybe it’s just the first days and they gonna offer 32 GB too (so far I don’t know anyone that has 64 GB version of MX4 tbh… I doubt they even produced any)
Yeah, I’ve heard that the 64GB version is hard to come across, even in China…
They’re (Meizu) mad if they don’t make the 64GB version available – to launch the second Ubuntu Phone with such a large amount of storage, well it’d not only generate plenty of headlines, but it’d sell a few extra units (smartphones), too.
32GB is the minimum they (Meizu) should be offering, though for me personally, I’d have to think long and hard before committing to the Ubuntu Phone of the MX4 if they only launched it with 32GB – the price of the 32GB Android/Flyme OS version (according to the English site) is nearly the price of a Sony Xperia Z3 here in Australia…
Considering the MX4: Ubuntu Phone is by design, functionality AND manufacturer is intended to be a “budget” smartphone, that’s a hard price to swallow.