The Ubuntu phone is one of those intriguing mobile operating systems that we just don't hear enough about. Sure, it's not quite the powerhouse that Android and iOS are today, but given time, it could become a viable solution for those looking to have an alternate option for a smartphone, especially if they use Linux or Linux based OS's on their computers, like Ubuntu. Earlier last month we reported on a phone from meizu that was seen in the wild sporting a version of what looked like Ubuntu Touch, which caused us to think that Meizu could be one of the partners that had entered a working relationship with Canonical on making Ubuntu Phones. It seems that speculations regarding the matter were correct, as Canonical has just named Chinese phone manufacturer Meizu as being one of the first manufacturers of the Ubuntu Phone. Meizu is actually one of two though, as a smaller and less known manufacturer out of Spain called bq will be the second to release a smartphone running the mobile Ubuntu OS.

Canonical says that launches for devices are slated for sometime later this year, which means we could see an Ubuntu Phone stateside before the end of the year since Meizu has aspirations to dive into the U.S. market from Q3 going forward. So at least we have a date on the projected handsets to come, and canonical was kind enough to provide information on what we're to expect coming from the handsets, although they were more vague details and hardly specific. Canonical's comments mention that the phones will definitely have a focus on providing users with options for high end and mid range smartphones that will give an exceptional user experience. Once launched, Ubuntu handsets will be available for purchase from both manufacturers directly, and Ubuntu.com will have them for sale as well. Canonical is working with carriers it says to make their handsets eventually and hopefully available in retail stores(or at the least carrier websites we would think), and that they are making great progress in getting everything smoothed out. Canonical hasn't mentioned any details about which carriers they're talking to currently, but did leave a tip that they were getting support from the "world's biggest carriers". It hasn't been said, but it wouldn't be too unlikely to think that we could see Ubuntu phones show up in T-Mobile and other GSM carrier stores sometime near the end of the year.