Chinese phone maker Meizu has signed a strategic agreement with Canonical, the company confirmed on their Facebook page. The reason for the deal signed by Canonical CEO Jane Silber on November 25 at Meizu’s HQ in Zhuhai, China is not know yet. According to Chinese website MyDrivers, Meizu said that Ubuntu-powered Meizu MX series smartphone would be released in Q1 2015 in China and Europe.
According to OMG! Ubuntu! The deal signed encompasses,
- Local (China, Hong Kong) sale of handsets, handled by Meizu, and on a Chinese carrier
- International sale of handsets in Europe and the US, handled by Canonical and sold SIM-free, exclusively online
These are not completely accurate, says the website. MyDrivers says that the deal will not results in the launch of Ubuntu Phones, instead Meizu handsets will apparently retain their original Flyme OS UI, Alibaba integration and Android app ecosystem, but it will be based on Ubuntu kernel rather than Android.
Canonical demoed Ubuntu for phones on Meizu MX3 at the MWC 2014 and Mobile Asia Expo earlier this year. At that time the company said that Meizu and Canonical are working towards shipping first Ubuntu devices later this year. Looks like we have to wait for few months (at least till MWC 2015?) to know more about the Ubuntu Phones. It is also working with Spanish maker BQ to bring Ubuntu smartphones.