The third Ubuntu phone goes on sale today across Europe priced at €199.90.
The Bq Aquaris E5 Ubuntu Edition was announced last week and features a bigger screen and better cameras than the first Ubuntu phone released earlier in the year.
It also comes with improved battery capacity to help the device last longer and sharper, high-definition display.
‘An Ubuntu phone that turns into a PC is coming this October’
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More Ubuntu Phones Are Coming
Its arrival sees Ubuntu Phone releases beginning to pick up pace.
February saw the first Ubuntu Phone, the Bq Aquaris E4.5, go on sale in Europe. Chinese hardware company Meizu held a fire sale for its MX4 device in May.
Neither Canonical, Bq or Meizu is (yet) willing to say how many of Ubuntu Phones have been sold so far.
Meizu also plan to sell their handset in Europe later month through an ‘invite-only’ online sale.
Last week we exclusively revealed that Bq is working on another Ubuntu Phone.
This device will feature powerful hardware that supports Canonical’s “convergence” technology, and will transform from a mobile phone to a desktop PC when connected to a monitor, keyboard and mouse.
Even better, it’s currently targeting an October 2015 release.
‘Check out the specs of the new Ubuntu Phone’
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Aquaris E5 Specifications
Back to the device almost literally in hand.
The Aquaris E5 Ubuntu Edition comes in one color, black, and one memory size, 16GB.
It has the same hardware specifications as the E4.5, using a quad-core MediaTek processor paired with 1GB RAM. This delvers decent performance when running the OS and multi-tasking with scopes and the (primarily web-based) apps available.
The cameras see improvements. Both rear and front shooters have been fitted out with BSI sensors and Largan lenses. The rear camera takes photos of up to 13 megapixels while the front snaps selfies of up to 5 megapixels in quality.
A MicroSD Card slot allows for storage expansion up to 32GB, while a standard micro-USB port is offered for charing and connectivity.
Buy the Bq Aquaris E5 Ubuntu Edition
‘A new 5-inch Ubuntu Phone is now available to buy’
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The price of the phone starts at €199.90, cheaper than the same model as sold with Android but $30 more expensive than the Aquarius E4.5 Ubuntu Edition.
And this time around there are no limited-time “flash sales” or, like the plan for the Meizu MX4 which goes on sale later this month, any need to hunt down an invite.
But while the phone can be purchased from today orders won’t be processed until June 22nd.
Like all of the Ubuntu phones released thus far this is also being targeted at Ubuntu enthusiasts and developers rather than the mainstream public. Mobile carriers and retail stores are not expected to start promoting devices to ‘regular consumers’ until early 2016.
Will you be buying this handset? Are you holding out for the Meizu device? Let us know in the comments below.