This is now the first Ubuntu phone on the market

Apr 10, 2015 14:18 GMT  ·  By

Canonical and Bq have announced that the Bq Aquaris e4.5 Ubuntu Edition is now available for purchase on regular channels, which puts an end to the flash sales.

Until today, Ubuntu fans could buy the Bq Aquaris e4.5 Ubuntu Edition only during flash sales organized by the company. A small number of handsets were made available for purchase, and the sale would be over in a matter of hours. It's now possible to buy the phone directly from the Bq company website, and it should become available soon in some European countries with carrier deals.

A Bq spokesperson confirmed a few months back that carriers such as 3 Sweden, amena.com, giffgaff, and Portugal Telecom have decided to provide SIM bundles at purchase for the price of €169.90 ($191).

The first Ubuntu phone is finally on the market

Even if a limited number of Ubuntu phones got into the hand of a few lucky enthusiasts, it didn't actually mean that it was freely available or purchase. That happened today, and we can mark April 10 as a cornerstone for Canonical.

"After a successful few flash sales we're excited to announce that the shop is now open! The Ubuntu Phone will be available to purchase via our partner +BQ's store. We look forward to welcoming you to this new generation of mobile experiences that is simpler for developers and more unified for users ‪#‎ubuntuphone‬," reads the Google+ account of Canonical.

The first Ubuntu phone from Bq is a dual-sim phone, and it comes unlocked so that everyone can use it with their network. It features a MediaTek Quad-Core Cortex A7 processor running at up to 1.3 GHz, a 4.5-inch screen, 1GB RAM, rear camera with high-quality BSI sensors, Largan lens, and autofocus with dual flash(8MP), and front camera with 5MP.

It powered by the Linux distribution Ubuntu, which in turn is developed by Canonical. You can now buy the Bq Aquaris e4.5 Ubuntu Edition device from the official website.