I mentioned a few days ago that I was going to be playing with the Ubuntu Phones. Now after a small wait I have the first of these phones in for review. it will be an interesting journey and one that I hope you join me on as we delve into what these phones can offer. We start at the bottom rung of the ladder with the BQ Aquarius E4.5 Ubuntu Edition. It was released near the end of last year and it has been a nightmare to get one in until now. So lets dive into the unboxing.
Too the shed/studio….
Here is a list of the specs for the phone.
| Dimensions | 137mm x 67mm x 9 mm (H x W x D) |
| Weight | 123 g |
| Screen | 4.5 ” IPS multi-touch screen, 5 capacitive points. Protective Dragontrail display |
| Resolution | qHD 540 x 960 – 240 ppi 16×9 Aspect ratio |
| Processor and GPU | Quad Core Cortex A7 up to 1.3 GHz MediaTek, Mali 400 up to 500 MHz |
| Internal memory | 8 GB |
| RAM | 1 GB |
| Battery | LiPo 2150 mAh |
| Connections | Dual micro-SIM, 3.5 mm headphone jack, Micro-USB OTG slot, MicroSD™ slot, up to 32 GB |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, 3G HSPA+ (900/2100), 2G GSM (850/900/1800/1900), Bluetooth® 4.0, GPS and A-GPS |
| Operating system | Ubuntu |
| Languages | Spanish, English, French, Portuguese, German, Italian and many more |
| Camera | Rear – 8 Mpx (Dual flash and autofocus) Aperture ƒ/2.4, Front – 5 Mpx Video resolution Full HD (1080p) |
| Sensors | Brightness sensor, Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, eCompass, Gyroscope |
As you can see it is very much entry level but that is its intention to be a cheap way to buy into the OS, with little risk to encourage developers to play.
Here are some pics taken after the unboxing and some comparisons with an iPhone 4s for indications of the size of the device.
It is a really nice feeling device and it is going to be fun learning how all of the UI works. I have high hopes for Ubuntu OS and can’t wait to get started. If you want to find out more then keep your browser pointed here and I will be have an update soon.
I will also be looking at the other phone in the BQ Aquarius Range over the next few weeks and I hope to finish this exploration of Ubuntu by testing the Meizu MX4 Pro Ubuntu Edition once it is available in the UK as that is going to be a flagship challenger.
Lots more to come, Cheers