BQ Aquaris E4.5, First Commercially Available Ubuntu Phone, Lands In Europe For 170 Euro
The first Ubuntu phone is finally here. The Aquaris E4.5, previously only an Android 4.4 phone, now also has a “Ubuntu Edition.” The phone is available only in the European Union from BQ's website right now for 170 euro ($180).
Context & Ripple Effects
After a limited flash sale of the same repurposed handset in February, BQ has moved the Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu Edition into continuous commercial availability at €170 — the first time Canonical's mobile OS can actually be bought rather than sampled. The phone is a conversion of BQ's existing Android 4.4 mid-ranger, sold only through BQ's own site within the European Union.
The launch follows hands-on coverage of Canonical's software running on devices from two OEMs, BQ and Meizu, and precedes the Aquaris M10 tablet with its Convergence PC-mode pitch, which is why this small mid-range launch matters: it is the beachhead of Canonical's broader convergence strategy.
First-order effects
- EU buyers can now purchase an Ubuntu phone outright for €170 without waiting for a flash sale, making BQ the first shipping partner for Canonical's mobile platform.
- Meizu, the other OEM showing Ubuntu hardware in March, gains a reference point: a second vendor launch now rests on how the E4.5 sells through BQ's web store.
Second-order effects
- Distribution stays constrained — follow-up coverage shows the Aquaris phones later opened to global orders while lacking US 4G support, so carrier partnerships rather than retail reach remain the bottleneck for scale beyond Europe.
- The €170 price undercuts nothing meaningful against established Android flagships; instead it pressures BQ's own Android lineup, forcing the company to run both OSes on one chassis and split its mid-range shelf.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, Canonical's mobile play is not app-store competition but convergence hardware — phones and tablets like the M10 that act as PCs when docked — with niche Linux-oriented buyers subsidizing a longer-term bet on unified device computing.
The trend: Mobile OS challengers are entering the market through cheap repurposed mid-range handsets sold direct-to-consumer online, using early adopter sales to fund a convergence-first roadmap rather than head-on app-ecosystem competition.