Meizu’s PRO 5 Powers Up Ubuntu Smartphones

Smartphone fans looking for an alternative to Apple and Google’s crowd of offerings may well have found a new favourite with the release of Ubuntu’s most powerful smartphone.

The Meizu PRO 5 Ubuntu Edition, developed by Chinese smartphone maker Meizu alongside Ubuntu creators Canonical, looks to target mobile device fans looking for something different, and packs in some surprisingly powerful hardware.

The device, which bears more than a passing resemblance to Apple’s iPhone 6S with its metallic build, is now open for pre-order across Europe and China ahead of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week. It will be available with either 32 or 64GB of storage, although there’s no details yet on price.

Open up

Meizu has decided to go big for its latest release, as the PRO 5 features a 5.7in display made of Gorilla Glass 3 and featuring a 1920×1080 FullHD AMOLED screen. Behind this is a Samsung Exynos 7420 octa-core processor, and either 3GB or 4GB of LPDD4R RAM depending on which version of the device is selected.

There’s also a 21MP rear camera and 5MP front-facing camera, all powered by a 3,050mAh battery with fast charging support via USB-C connectivity which Meizu says can charge the device to 65 percent capacity in just half an hour.

Similar to Apple’s iPhone, there is a fingerprint scanner for security purposes, and will also support dual nanoSIM cards. It is able to connect to LTE Cat 6 networks, allowing for downloads of up to 300MBps, and can also support VoLTE calls for those looking for that personal touch.

On the software side, the latest version of Ubuntu carries a number of new ‘scopes’ features. This includes better integration with social media accounts and improved access to all your favourite scopes directly from the home screen.

“Our partnership with Meizu continues to result in the creation of beautifully designed hardware that perfectly complements the Ubuntu user experience,” said Jane Silber, CEO, Canonical.

“Users are always at the heart of our work together –something that brings an intuitive and rewarding experience to consumers everywhere.”

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