Bq Aquaris M10 Fhd Ubuntu Edition

Laptop Mag Verdict

The BQ Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition runs the Linux operating system out of the box but struggles at multitasking.

Cons

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Not powerful enough
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Weak speakers
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Runs hot
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Apps non touch-optimized

If there's ever been a niche device, it'due south a tablet running Ubuntu. The BQ Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition is the first slate to run the Linux operating system. It also doubles equally a desktop device when it's plugged into a monitor or used with a mouse and keyboard. Unfortunately, this $312 tablet lacks the horsepower to multitask well, which is frustrating plenty that fifty-fifty Ubuntu diehards volition desire to consider an alternative device that runs iOS, Android or Windows.

Blueprint

The BQ Aquaris M10 looks pretty wearisome, fifty-fifty for a tablet. The all-black slate has a matte-plastic dorsum with BQ's logo and a rear camera. In addition to the 10.one-inch, 1900 x 1200 display, the front of the device has a camera and BQ'south logo placed where a Menu push button should go. The misplaced logo quickly became an annoyance, as I pressed it several times expecting to be taken to my app bill of fare, the multitasking screen, settings or some other central location.

The Ubuntu tablet is extremely portable, at 1 pound and ix.7 x six.vii x 0.3 inches. The Acer Iconia 1 10 (which also has a ten.1-inch display) is heavier and larger, at ane.two pounds and 10.2 x 6.six x 0.4 inches. The Microsoft Surface 3 is one.4 pounds (ane.95 pounds with a Type Cover) and larger, at ten.5 10 vii.4 10 0.3 inches. Apple tree's iPad Air two is the lightest and thinnest of the bunch by a hair, at 0.98 pounds and 9.4 x six.vi ten 0.ii inches.

The left side of the tablet is home to the headphone jack, a micro-HDMI port and a micro-USB port. A microSD card slot is located on top of the device.

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Ubuntu and Software

The BQ Aquaris M10 is the first tablet to run the Ubuntu operating system (specifically version 15.04) out of the box. The operating system is optimized for affect, which means you accept to larn a whole bunch of new gestures. Swiping in from the right lets you navigate among programs (in that location is no home button), swiping from the bottom reveals the app drawer and swiping with three fingers from the right allows for divide-screen style. Despite the affect optimization, however, most of the apps are not made for touch screens and are best used in desktop mode.

This version of Ubuntu doubles equally a desktop OS, which you can trigger past plugging in a mouse and keyboard. You can also plug the Aquaris into a monitor with an HDMI cablevision to utilise the tablet as a mini PC. Desktop fashion doesn't change much; it'south only the tablet version with a mouse. That means you have to click and drag parts of the Os that yous would swipe with your finger. Some apps worked well and remained open up with other windows running in the background, but others would quit or force me into full-screen fashion.

The BQ Aquaris M10 is one of the slowest pieces of tech I've used in recent memory.

There is a whole bunch of software preinstalled, including Amazon, BBC, BBC Sport, Cnet, Reddit, SoundCloud, Telegram, Twitter, Yelp, LibreOffice, Dekko, Cut the Rope, Gedi and Firefox. Usually, this much software would annoy me, but Ubuntu programs can be hard to find. Those who know Ubuntu well can brave the app shop, which is thin and features a lot of relatively obscure apps.

Display

The Aquaris' 10.ane-inch, 1900 ten 1200 display produces vivid, authentic colors. When I watched the trailer for "Bleed For This" at total brightness, I saw lot of particular, similar the fuzzy padding around the edges of Vinny Paz's Halo device and folds in the plastic wrap he covers himself in to make weight. The blood on his face was a lifelike cherry.

The screen reproduces 98.iv percentage of the sRGB color gamut, which is a bit higher than the slate-tablet boilerplate of 97 percent. The Iconia I wasn't every bit brilliant, covering merely 81 percent, while the Surface 3 and the iPad Air ii were slightly ameliorate, at 99 pct and 100 pct, respectively.

When measured for color accuracy, the Aquaris registered a Delta-E score of 0.vii (0 is all-time), which is far better than the 2.eight average. The iPad Air ii also fared well, at 0.9, while the Iconia 1 notched ane.2. The Surface 3 had a higher-than-boilerplate (i.e., worse) Delta-Eastward score of 3.1.

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Unfortunately, at 300 nits of brightness, the Aquaris' display is darker than its rivals'. That'south better than the Iconia Ane'south 266 nits but lower than the category average of 364 nits. The iPad Air 2 and the Surface three had much brighter panels, at 368 nits and 407 nits, respectively.

Webcam

The 2 cameras on the Aquaris take fairly sharp photos, though they tend to be besides dark. A 2560 x 1440 selfie I took with the 5-megapixel front photographic camera caught a ton of item, including the seams on my shirt, private hairs on my bristles and even my eyelashes. The focus, still, was better on my confront than it was on the background.

The 8-MP rear camera didn't impress me. A 3328 x 1872 film I took of some of the neighboring buildings was sharp -- I could make out blades of grass on the next building'due south roof garden, and patterns in the architecture. This moving picture was also nighttime, making it difficult to see details on buildings made with brown bricks. Even the heaven, which was a bright bluish behind the clouds, appeared darker in the image.

Audio

The 2 front-facing speakers on the Aquaris are far too repose. When I listened to Walk The Moon's "Jenny," I pumped up the book all the way earlier I was at a comfortable listening book. Even so, while the vocals were clear, the guitar was slightly muddled and the bass was nonexistent.

Performance

If you desire to multitask at all, the BQ Aquaris M10 isn't for y'all. Its ane.3-GHz MediaTek quad-core MT8163B CPU, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of eMMC storage add together upwardly to one of the slowest pieces of tech I've used in recent retention.

The tablet's functioning was poor as soon as I plugged a URL into the browser. The Aquaris doesn't support the latest 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard, and sites loaded like it was 2009. I started seeing latency once I had two tabs open up, particularly when I attempted switching between them, which frequently triggered a loading symbol.

If all of this sounds bad for a tablet, information technology'south even worse as a desktop calculator. The tablet tin can't power both its own screen and a monitor simultaneously, so the touchpad becomes a giant mouse pad. (I used a Bluetooth mouse to avert the hassle.)

The Aquaris earned a score of 22.seven on the JetStream JavaScript performance test, but beating the Android-powered Iconia 1 (21.7). Withal, the category average for tablets is much higher, at 56.one.

Battery Life

BQ makes no specific battery claims, but the tablet provided decent endurance during our testing. After using the Aquaris M10 lightly for 2 hours -- which included leaving information technology idle, using a word processor, watching videos and browsing the web -- the tablet's battery was at 79 percent. That extrapolates to x hours of battery life, under light use.

The Laptop Mag Bombardment Test couldn't run on the Ubuntu tablet, but the tablet category average is 8 hours and 58 minutes. The Iconia One lasted 9:13, the iPad Air ii endured for nine:20 and the Surface iii survived for 8:01.

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Oestrus

The Aquaris got steamy when nosotros put information technology to the test. When we streamed 15 minutes of Hard disk drive video from Hulu, the back of the tablet reached a mild 107 degrees Fahrenheit, breaking our 95-degree comfort threshold.

Configuration and Warranty

The $312 BQ Aquaris M10 we tested came with a one.iii-GHz MediaTek quad-core MT8163B CPU, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of eMMC storage and a 1920 x 1200 display.

BQ also offers a second, $255 model of the Aquaris, which is near identical, with two exceptions: It's white instead of blackness and has a low-res, 1280 x 800 display. Both configurations of the Aquaris come up with a two-year warranty.

Bottom Line

The only skillful reason to buy the BQ Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition is if yous've been dying for an Ubuntu tablet and don't desire to install the operating system yourself. For $312, you're getting an underpowered tablet with an operating system that you can install on a plethora of other devices for complimentary.

For $155, you tin go the Acer Iconia One 10 running Android and install Ubuntu on information technology yourself (or, of grade, use Android). It uses a like, underpowered processor, but at least yous're getting a deal. Those who are interested in a viable desktop way might want to consider the Microsoft Surface iii while it's however available. The $386 2-in-one runs full Windows, works as a tablet and is roughly the same size, at ten.8 inches. You could even install Ubuntu if you're so inclined.

All things considered, almost anything is better than the BQ Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition. Betwixt its weak CPU and a suite of apps that lack affect optimization, the company fell woefully curt of the mark.

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BQ Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition Specs

Brand	BQ
CPU	i.three-GHz MediaTek Quad Core MT8163B
Camera Resolution	8MP
Bill of fare Reader Size	64GB
Menu Readers	microSD
Visitor Website	https://www.bq.com
Display Resolution	1920 x 1200
Display Size	10.ane
Front-Facing Camera Resolution	5MP
Graphics Chip	MediaTek Republic of mali-T720 MP2
Os	Ubuntu 15.04
Ports	microSD, microUSB, three.5mm audio jack, microHDMI
RAM Included	2GB
Size	9.7 ten six.7 x 0.three inches
Storage Drive Size	16GB
Storage Drive Type	eMMC
USB Ports	1
Warranty / Support	iii-yr commercial warranty, ii-year Legal Warranty Menstruum
Weight	ane.03 pounds
Wi-Fi	802.11a/b/g/n