Hands-on with Canonical's Ubuntu mobile OS on new phones by BQ and Meizu
A Closer Look At Canonical's Ubuntu Phones — Canonical has finally got skin in the mobile game, putting its first Ubuntu phone on sale in Europe last month. — It's been showing off that mid-tier device …
Context & Ripple Effects
This hands-on follows the moment Canonical actually shipped: after teasing a flash sale of a repurposed $195 BQ Android handset, the company put its first Ubuntu phone into European buyers' hands, with the BQ Aquaris E4.5 landing commercially at 170 euro shortly after. The piece matters because it evaluates the software experience itself — scope-and-convergence UI on real hardware from two OEMs, BQ and Meizu, rather than a developer reference device.
First-order effects
- Canonical gains its first genuine retail channel for a third mobile OS, built entirely on mid-tier repurposed Android hardware from BQ and Meizu rather than flagship devices.
Second-order effects
- With the phone formula established, Canonical reuses the same OEM-plus-OS playbook on tablets, announcing the BQ Aquaris M10 whose Convergence feature turns the tablet into a PC when docked to keyboard, mouse and display.
Third-order effects
- The pattern exposes the fragility of challenger mobile platforms that ride borrowed hardware lines: once a partner like Meizu pivots away from phones entirely — eventually toward an "all in AI" strategy — the OS loses its distribution base, leaving Canonical dependent on whichever OEM will still carry it.
The trend: Third-party mobile OSes survive or collapse on their ability to hold onto low-cost OEM hardware partners willing to ship them.