Ubuntu Phone is shipping, but it appears the software isn’t ready

Over the last few years, Google and Android have increasingly dominated the mobile scene, with Microsoft relegated to bit-player status. Once-massive players like BlackBerry scarcely stir a ripple in the market. Nonetheless, Ubuntu has chosen to stick its neck out and create a mobile operating system based on its own software to hopefully compete against the massive entrenched players. A new review of the Ubuntu Phone OS puts the operating system through its paces — and finds a great deal wanting.
Engadget has published a sizable review of Ubuntu Phone, and it’s worth reading in its entirety if you’re interested in an alternative operating system. The good news is that Ubuntu has nailed some interesting features on the device — the settings menu is well-crafted, the browser is nimble, and certain multitasking panels and multi-app display modes are well done. The company has created a set of content and service capabilities it calls “Scopes.” Scopes allow you to pick custom information feeds to scroll through and attempt to guess what content you want to see based on how you tell the phone you’re feeling. Tell it “I’m stressed,” and the phone will attempt to show results that might be pertinent.

Scopes — Image by Engadget

Unfortunately, when it comes to many basic tasks and fundamental functions, Ubuntu Phone still falls short. According to the reviewer, the phone often freezes for significant periods of time, which Engadget believes is caused by the background updates to Scopes. The quad-core Cortex-A7 should be up to the task of handling the job, but it doesn’t seem to be. There are also significant issues regarding Ubuntu Phone’s touch sensitivity, its total lack of applications and reliance on web apps to make up the difference, and the operating system’s limited features and capabilities.
As Nick Summers, the reviewer, puts it: “Aside from the app void and the questionable value of Scopes, Ubuntu Phone is a bit of a nightmare to use the majority of the time… The gesture-based navigation is unrefined; there are bugs and glitches all over the place; and in general, many core experiences are severely lacking in polish. Despite years of development, Ubuntu Phone still feels like an early beta.”
I have deliberately skimmed the high points of the review, because it’s worth a read in full, but based on Summer’s reporting, I’d have to agree. In fact, I’d go one further and say I’m not certain there’s an actual market for Ubuntu Phone at all. Originally the OS was supposed to ship on ultra-low-cost devices, but with Android smartphones now dipping entry prices well below $100 in developing markets, I’m not sure there’s any need.
Obviously that won’t stop Ubuntu from investing in its project, but I can’t help wondering if Ubuntu Phone is Ubuntu’s Tizen — an underdeveloped platform with essentially no native applications and very limited prospects going forward. Samsung, at least, can guarantee that Tizen ships on devices by opting to use it on its own hardware. Ubuntu doesn’t have that option.