BQ (former name: Mundo Reader) was a Spanish company brand of user electronics devices, such as
smartphone
A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...
s,
tablets,
e-reader
An e-reader, also called an e-book reader or e-book device, is a mobile electronic device that is designed primarily for the purpose of reading digital e-books and periodicals.
Any device that can display text on a screen may act as an e-read ...
s and
3D printer
3D printing or additive manufacturing is the Manufacturing, construction of a three-dimensional object from a computer-aided design, CAD model or a digital 3D modeling, 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is ...
s among other products.
Among BQ's most notable products are the first AndroidOne mobile phone in Europe (the
BQ Aquaris A4.5), as well as both the world's first mobile phone and tablet running the
Ubuntu Phone
Ubuntu Touch is a mobile version of the Ubuntu operating system, being developed by the UBports community. Its user interface is written in Qt, and is designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers, ...
operating system, (the
BQ Aquaris E4.5
The BQ Aquaris E4.5 is an Android smartphone from the Spanish manufacturer BQ that was released to market in June 2014 as a budget dual-SIM phone. The device shipped with Android versions starting from v4.0 and can be updated to Android 4.4.2 ...
and
BQ Aquaris M10
The Aquaris M10 and Aquaris M10 FHD are Android tablets from the Spanish manufacturer BQ that were released to market in October 2015. The devices shipped with Android 5.1 (Lollipop). BQ elected not to skin the operating system and as such it ...
). In 2018, the Vietnamese conglomerate
Vingroup
Vingroup Joint Stock Company (), is the largest conglomerate of Vietnam, focusing on technology, industry, real estate development, retail, and services ranging from healthcare to hospitality. The company was founded by property developer and en ...
acquired 51% share of BQ and active in Vietnam under the name of
VinSmart
VinSmart Research & Manufacturer Joint Stock Company is a member of Vingroup Joint Stock Company – one of the biggest wholly owned conglomerates in Vietnam, specialising in Technology, Industry, Commercials & Services. VinSmart was established ...
.
History
The company started its business in 2009 importing e-readers from Asia.
In 2010 it started to produce its own tablets and e-readers.
In 2013, the company had 600 employees and it produced 400,000 tablets and 100,000 e-readers.
In 2014, the company entered the Portuguese market.
In 2015, the company produced a smartphone (
BQ Aquaris E4.5
The BQ Aquaris E4.5 is an Android smartphone from the Spanish manufacturer BQ that was released to market in June 2014 as a budget dual-SIM phone. The device shipped with Android versions starting from v4.0 and can be updated to Android 4.4.2 ...
Ubuntu Edition) that runs the
Ubuntu
Ubuntu ( ) is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed mostly of free and open-source software. Ubuntu is officially released in three editions: ''Desktop'', ''Server'', and ''Core'' for Internet of things devices and robots. All the ...
operating system.
In 2016, the company released the
BQ Aquaris M10
The Aquaris M10 and Aquaris M10 FHD are Android tablets from the Spanish manufacturer BQ that were released to market in October 2015. The devices shipped with Android 5.1 (Lollipop). BQ elected not to skin the operating system and as such it ...
Ubuntu Edition tablet.
By 2020, bq appears no longer to be in the phone market, with all devices removed from the company's web-page. The English language home-page now presents Robotics, 3D-printing and product development consulting as the focus of the company, at least internationally.
In 2021 their web-page informed visitors that it had ceased business operations and only made available links to software downloads for the 3D-printer Witbox Go and to their educational offerings.
Revenue, by year:
* 2014: 202.5 million euro.
* 2013: 115 million euro.
* 2012: 37.3 million euro.
* 2011: 25 million euro.
* 2010: 3.8 million euro.
Mobile phones and tablets
AndroidOne:
*
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
*
BQ Aquaris X2
BQ (former name: Mundo Reader) was a Spanish company brand of user electronics devices, such as smartphones, tablets, e-readers and 3D printers among other products.
Among BQ's most notable products are the first AndroidOne mobile phone in Eur ...
*
BQ Aquaris A4.5
Android high-end:
*
BQ Aquaris X Pro
The becquerel (; symbol: Bq) is the unit of radioactivity in the International System of Units (SI). One becquerel is defined as the activity of a quantity of radioactive material in which one nucleus decays per second. For applications relat ...
*
BQ Aquaris X
The becquerel (; symbol: Bq) is the unit of radioactivity in the International System of Units (SI). One becquerel is defined as the activity of a quantity of radioactive material in which one nucleus decays per second. For applications relat ...
*
BQ Aquaris X5 Plus
The becquerel (; symbol: Bq) is the unit of radioactivity in the International System of Units (SI). One becquerel is defined as the activity of a quantity of radioactive material in which one nucleus decays per second. For applications relatin ...
*
BQ Aquaris X5
The becquerel (; symbol: Bq) is the unit of radioactivity in the International System of Units (SI). One becquerel is defined as the activity of a quantity of radioactive material in which one nucleus decays per second. For applications relatin ...
Android mid-range:
*
BQ Aquaris M5
The becquerel (; symbol: Bq) is the unit of radioactivity in the International System of Units (SI). One becquerel is defined as the activity of a quantity of radioactive material in which one nucleus decays per second. For applications relatin ...
*
BQ Aquaris E4.5
The BQ Aquaris E4.5 is an Android smartphone from the Spanish manufacturer BQ that was released to market in June 2014 as a budget dual-SIM phone. The device shipped with Android versions starting from v4.0 and can be updated to Android 4.4.2 ...
*
BQ Aquaris E5
The Aquaris E5 and Aquaris E5 FHD are dual-SIM Android smartphones from the Spanish manufacturer BQ that were released to market in July 2014. The devices shipped with Android 4.4 (KitKat). BQ elected not to skin the operating system and as su ...
Android Cyanogen:
*
BQ Aquaris M5
The becquerel (; symbol: Bq) is the unit of radioactivity in the International System of Units (SI). One becquerel is defined as the activity of a quantity of radioactive material in which one nucleus decays per second. For applications relatin ...
*
BQ Aquaris X5 Cyanogen Edition
The becquerel (; symbol: Bq) is the unit of radioactivity in the International System of Units (SI). One becquerel is defined as the activity of a quantity of radioactive material in which one nucleus decays per second. For applications relatin ...
Ubuntu Phone:
*
BQ Aquaris M10
The Aquaris M10 and Aquaris M10 FHD are Android tablets from the Spanish manufacturer BQ that were released to market in October 2015. The devices shipped with Android 5.1 (Lollipop). BQ elected not to skin the operating system and as such it ...
*
BQ Aquaris E4.5
The BQ Aquaris E4.5 is an Android smartphone from the Spanish manufacturer BQ that was released to market in June 2014 as a budget dual-SIM phone. The device shipped with Android versions starting from v4.0 and can be updated to Android 4.4.2 ...
*
BQ Aquaris E5
The Aquaris E5 and Aquaris E5 FHD are dual-SIM Android smartphones from the Spanish manufacturer BQ that were released to market in July 2014. The devices shipped with Android 4.4 (KitKat). BQ elected not to skin the operating system and as su ...
Other:
*
BQ Aquaris E6
The becquerel (; symbol: Bq) is the unit of radioactivity in the International System of Units (SI). One becquerel is defined as the activity of a quantity of radioactive material in which one nucleus decays per second. For applications relatin ...
*
BQ Aquaris E4
The becquerel (; symbol: Bq) is the unit of radioactivity in the International System of Units (SI). One becquerel is defined as the activity of a quantity of radioactive material in which one nucleus decays per second. For applications relatin ...
See also
*
VinSmart
VinSmart Research & Manufacturer Joint Stock Company is a member of Vingroup Joint Stock Company – one of the biggest wholly owned conglomerates in Vietnam, specialising in Technology, Industry, Commercials & Services. VinSmart was established ...
*
List of mobile phone makers by country
This is the list of mobile phone brands sorted by the country from which the brands originate.
Defunct
No longer associated with mobile phones
References
{{portalbar, Telephones, Technology, Lists
*Country
Brands
Brands
Mobil ...
*
Comparison of tablets
This is a list of tablet computers, grouped by intended audience and form factor.
Media tablets
Multimedia tablets are compared in the following tables.
Larger than screen
Following two tables compare larger than screen multimedia tablets rele ...
*
Comparison of bq smartphones
The following is a comparative list of smartphones belonging to the bq line of devices, using the Android/Ubuntu
Ubuntu ( ) is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed mostly of free and open-source software. Ubuntu is official ...
References
{{Authority control
Electronics companies of Spain
Spanish brands