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As the first official Ubuntu Phone, the BQ Aquaris E45 Ubuntu Edition has a lot riding on it. A lot of people will be watching to see if Ubuntu Phone is a viable mobile operating system that can go toe-to-toe with the likes of Android and iOS.
However a number of baffling design decisions have meant that for many people, if the BQ Aquaris E45 Ubuntu Edition is your first taste of Ubuntu Phone, you're unlikely to be impressed.
We liked
The phone is small and light, which is a nice change from the growing trend of bigger smartphones. The design is also quite nice for a low-priced phone.
The camera is also rather good considering the price, though it is by no means the best we've ever seen. If you like taking the odd photo then it will certainly do the trick.
The Ubuntu Phone operating system does have some potential, so if you're after something new then you might like this. It is still early days for Ubuntu Phone, so some core features (and a lot of apps) are currently missing – though we're promised they will come later.
The Ubuntu App store is also promising - it just needs more apps to fill it.
We disliked
Although it does have potential, Ubuntu Phone is still very barebones and buggy. On under powered specs it feels particularly slow and cumbersome, and you'll often get frustrated by the BQ Aquaris E45 Ubuntu Edition's performance.
The specs are already creaking, and due to the small amount of included storage it won't be long until you're looking for another handset. It's a bit too early to know what kind of future Ubuntu Phone has, but it's safe to say that the BQ Aquaris E45 Ubuntu Edition itself is far from future proof.
Verdict
As the first ever Ubuntu Phone the BQ Aquaris E45 Ubuntu Edition had the potential to wow and prove there's life beyond Apple and Android, but unfortunately it fails.
By simply slapping it on a budget Android handset, both Canonical and BQ missed out on releasing a handset that was tailor-made for the Ubuntu Phone experience and that could show off its full potential.
Instead I was left with an unsatisfying experience that benefits neither BQ nor Canonical – and certainly not the user.
Ubuntu Phone is still not ready for prime time, with bugs and missing features. Some of the more interesting aspects of the operating system, such as being able to run desktop Ubuntu applications on a mobile device, aren't ready, and probably won't appear until next year.
Scopes have potential, but they're no replacement for some of the big name apps that are currently missing from the operating system.
If you're a software developer who is keen to start creating apps for a fledgling operating system, then the BQ Aquaris E45 Ubuntu Edition is a cheap way to check out the ecosystem and get started.
That's a pretty niche market, though, and for the vast majority of us who just want a nice, easy-to-use smartphone that lets us get on with the day to day tasks we now take for granted with our handsets, we're going to be disappointed and frustrated with the BQ Aquaris E45 Ubuntu Edition.
At the moment Ubuntu Phone bares little resemblance to its desktop version, so even if you're an Ubuntu fan or seasoned Linux user, you still won't find much to love here, and it's best to wait until Ubuntu Phone matures.
For casual smartphone users, you're better off staying away and going for a budget Android device such as the Motorola Moto G or the Sony Xperia M2 Aqua, which offer much better experiences for around the same price.
Ubuntu Phone does have some good potential and it will be interesting to see what comes next for the mobile operating system, but the BQ Aquaris E45 Ubuntu Edition is destined to be long-forgotten by then. Shame.
First reviewed: April 2015
