It is the folks at Meizu that have been doing the most talking about launching an Ubuntu powered phone, but another smartphone OEM just beat the company at bringing the first Ubuntu phone to the market.
The BQ Aquaris is what we’re talking about. There’s not a lot to boast about the phone’s hardware, it is clearly the Ubuntu OS that is going to be the talking point. Regardless, we have to take the specs out of the way, so here it is: the phone has a 4.5-inch qHD display, a quad-core MediaTek (yes, MediaTek!) 1.3GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of ROM. The cameras are 8 mega-pixel on the rear, and 5 mega-pixel on the front.
Strictly hardware-wise, a phone like this usually goes for around US$80, either from Chinese brands or any one of the tonne of upcoming brands in various markets. But in this case, you have to pay about the double of that — €170 — for all the work that has gone into making Ubuntu compatible with the phone.
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What’s more, only folks in the EU will be able to pay €170 and take home the Ubuntu powered Aquaris. Others who are keen on having an Ubuntu phone might want to wait for the Meizu MX4 Ubuntu version to start shipping, for that one’s not only expected to have availability outside of the EU, but also be a lot more powerful and eye-catching.
MediaTek phones are the first ones to get Ubuntu, ironic, isn’t it?