Ubuntu version of the Meizu Pro 5 spied

AndiFebruary 1, 2016

For those of you rocking Ubuntu but what some more up to date hardware than what’s currently on offer, these spy photos of an Ubuntu Pro 5 are sure to get you giddy with delight.

Meizu have a long-standing cooperation with Canonical (the people bringing Ubuntu to mobile devices) and we have already see the MX4 launch with the open source OS, but what about a flagship device for 2016?

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Well it appears there might be one on the way! Spy photos show Meizu top of the range Pro 5 running Ubuntu. The phone packs a Samsung Exynos Processor, larger display and fingerprint scanner.

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Although Canonical have experience with porting Ubuntu to an Exynos processor (remember an Meizu MX3 was developed with Ubuntu) we know the team have the experience, but just when it will launch could be anyone’s guess.

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About the author
Andi

Good news.

Vlada
February 1, 2016
We’ve seen almost all Meizu’s models with Ubuntu Touch. But only a 16GB MX4 version was released.
I hope we will finally see a good device with convergence feature. But I’m a bit skeptical about it. Canonical lost too much time and with WP and Jolla (Sailfish OS) dying I’m afraid they will follow them.
balcobomber25
February 1, 2016
Ubuntu Mobile has some very unique features but if you are dependent on Apps and have no experience using a terminal, it is not the platform for you.
- Vlada
  February 1, 2016
  I think they should support Android apps. Without them it can not become my main phone OS. Over the many years I’m used on a lot of apps which I would miss. Jolla nad Blackberry have support for Android apps, so It should be possible to do it.
  - balcobomber25
    February 1, 2016
    I can’t see Ubuntu ever becoming someones main phone. There are ways to get Android apps to work but you have to have at decent knowledge of Ubuntu and not all of them will work correctly. Where Ubuntu could create a market for itself is as a business phone. It is very good for productivity.
    - Vlada
      February 2, 2016
      I’ve tried to run some Android apps on my Kubuntu laptop. Some of them worked through Chrome but the performance wasn’t good. I don’t understand why should it be so hard to port the AOSP libraries to other Linux distribution. But i’m not a Linux expert, rather an advanced user with some high level development skills.
      - balcobomber25
        February 2, 2016
        When I was using an Ubuntu Phone I found a few threads on how to get Android apps to run on it, some worked, most did not. I am more like you and advanced user.
- Xiaolu
  February 1, 2016
  I, like Mulder, “want to believe”… that at the end of this year, with Ubuntu 16.10, or, at the latest, with 17.04, Ubuntu Phone will be ready.
  - balcobomber25
    February 1, 2016
    I don’t know if it will ever be ready for the mainstream, but for someone who has experience with Ubuntu it is a lot of fun to use. If you have at least a basic knowledge of using a terminal you can use this without issue.
10basetom
February 1, 2016
Ubuntu Phone is a curiousity at this stage. The mainstream likely are not aware of it, much less line up to buy it. Even among phone geeks like us (OK maybe just me?), it’s something new and interesting to experiment with for a time, but not something you would use as your daily driver. In a way, getting a Ubuntu Phone is like having an affair…at the end of the day you’ll come back to your familiar Android or iOS. With that said, I wouldn’t mind picking one up if the price is right ^_^.
- balcobomber25
  February 1, 2016
  I was able to use one of the BQ models for a month in July. It was a love/hate relationship. I liked features like Scopes, I liked the familiarity of Ubuntu (which i use on my computers) but at the end of the day I missed my apps. The phone itself was crap too and died after 3 weeks but overall I enjoyed using Ubuntu but could never commit to it. It was my summer mistress.
  - February 1, 2016
    I’m intrigued by Scopes from what I’ve read so far. I’m also tempted by the hackability of Ubuntu Phone since it’s, well, Ubuntu and all. The Meizu Pro 5 hardware would be a nice bump up from the BQ.
    - balcobomber25
      February 1, 2016
      Scopes are the one feature that really sets it apart. And it’s something they are just scratching the surface on them.
Roberto Tomás
February 1, 2016