Android One lands in Europe with the BQ Aquaris A4.5

Google Spain took to its official Twitter handle to announce the news we’ve been waiting on for some time: Android One has finally landed in Europe. Having seen a rollout in several Asian and African countries, this marks the first time we’ve seen Google’s budget-friendly stock Android effort within the EU. The first European Android One handset is the BQ Aquaris A4.5, which is available to buy now direct from BQ in Spain and Portugal…

BQ’s Aquaris A4.5, as the name suggests, sports a 4.5-inch display. Specifically, it’s a 540 x 960 resolution IPS multitouch display with a pixel density of 245ppi and covered by Dragontrail glass. Powering the device is a MediaTek quad-core 1GHz processor, paired with 1GB RAM and 16GB internal storage (10.5GB available to user). It’s also equipped with a 2,470mAh battery, dual micro SIM card slots and MicroSD card support up to 64GB. It has stock Android 5.1.1, 4G LTE and an 8MP rear camera to boot. In Spain, the device will set you back €169.90, while it costs €10 more in Portugal.

Android One is Google’s effort at making sure customers can get the best Android experience possible, without paying flagship prices. The company works mostly with lesser-known brands and has seen mixed results in the markets that it’s currently available. Unlike other budget Android smartphones, Android One devices will get OS updates as soon as they’re available and they don’t have any customer OEM software on top. All that means you have the latest software, and don’t have to suffer with performance-draining bloatware and third-party skins.

It’ll be interesting to see where else in Europe gets Android One devices. So far, Google has focussed on developing markets like Thailand, Pakistan and some North African countries.