The BQ Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu Edition will be the first phone running the Ubuntu OS to be up for grabs commercially, and it carries a price tag of €169.90. The device will be sold in limited numbers and will be released in Europe first. It has some pretty mid-range features to offer users, but the focus is undoubtedly upon the software inside it.
If you remember, Canonical tried and failed to raise $32 million in funding to build the promising Ubuntu Edge smartphone in 2013. But it cost way too much initially at roughly €532. The BQ Aquaris E4.5 is actually an older Android handset which will now be arriving as an Ubuntu Edition option. This means that most of the specs remain the same as the KitKat version’s.
If you’re wondering why the portion below the screen of the Aquaris E4.5 is inordinately thick, it’s because the OS keeping it going is gesture-based. A 4.5-inch panel takes up most of the front along with a 5MP camera. Flip the phone over and you’ll see an 8MP snapper on the back panel. A quad core MediaTek chip clocked at 1.3GHz, and 1GB of RAM run the show here.
Quick look at the BQ Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu Edition’s specifications:
– Ubuntu Linux-based OS
– 4.5-inch 540 x 960p IPS LCD touchscreen
– 1.3GHz quad core MediaTek processor
– 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory
– 5MP front-facing lens, 8MP main camera
– 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth
– 2150mAh battery
Also see: Ubuntu Edge crowdfunding breaks records but still not enough, what now?
The BQ Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu Edition will start selling from next week onward. The manufacturing company has decided to adopt the flash sales method for pushing out its phone. The device will receive further support in the form of SIM packages for users owing to BQ’s partnerships with various network operators like 3 Sweden, giffgaff and Portugal Telecom.
