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Crowdfunded Ubuntu Edge smartphone now starting at $625

Canonical has been able to raise a little more than $4 million for its extremely high-end Ubuntu Edge smartphone. That being said, the target is $32 million,

Anujeet Majumdar|Jul 24, 2013, 19:34:17 IST

Canonical has been able to raise a little more than $4 million, in less than 2 days, for the high-end Ubuntu OS powered Ubuntu Edge smartphone. That being said, the target is $32 million, which is a record for any crowdfunded campaign, and the company is now trying to speed up the crowdfunding campaign by adding three extra funding tiers for the device. The tiers seem a bit tricky to understand, though.

Earlier the company offered only two tiers which let users either pledge $600 (Rs 35,400 approx) or shell out $830 (Rs 49,000 approx). Now, consumers can get their hands on the smartphone by pledging $625 (Rs 36,900 approx), $675 (Rs 39,900 approx) or $725 (Rs 42,800 approx) on the Indiegogo campaign. The $600 offer which was touted as a 'One-Day-Only' offer has now been replaced with the other tiers. All the 5,000 slots for the $600 offer were filled up within a few hours of the campaign going live.

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The problem faced with these tiers is simple. What does the consumer who is shelling out $725 get which he won’t if he shells out $625 or $675? There doesn’t seem to a clear answer and it is hoped that Canonical will clarify soon. Also, the $800 tier, which has been live since the start of the campaign has seen just one purchase so far. The addition of three cheaper tiers will make this price tier even less attractive. If anything, this move has set a precedent that any potential buyer will keep holding back their funding in the hope that a cheaper tier opens up.

The tier system is definitely a ploy by the company to woo more consumers, as they have $28 million more to collect, and only 29 days to do that in. From what can be seen, though, there are only 1,250 slots for each of the new cheaper price tiers.

Canonical has added three new tiers to its Ubuntu Edge crowdfunding project

The Ubuntu Edge is a halo device, which will boast a 4.5-inch display, will have the 'latest multi-core processor', as well as 4GB of RAM and a massive 128GB of storage. Apart from dual-LTE receivers, the display will be protected by pure sapphire crystal, and not the regular Gorilla or Dragontrail glass which protects the displays of other smartphones. The specs do sound outlandish but we aren't complaining.

The smartphone will also come with an 8 megapixel low-light primary shooter as well as a 2 megapixel front camera, along with Bluetooth 4, NFC, an MHL connector and Wi-Fi. Internally the phone will be dual-booted, ensuring that users can switch between the Ubuntu OS and Android. If that was not enough, the Edge can also turn into a full-scale Ubuntu desktop PC whenever it is hooked up to a monitor. Check out the video below where Canonical CEO, Mark Shuttleworth, lays out the complete details of the Ubuntu powered smartphone.

According to The Next Web, the company is planning to kick off a range of mid and high-end Ubuntu OS smartphones when it launches the Edge, but the 40,000 Ubuntu Edge handsets will be kept as a collector’s item, of sorts. Whether the company will change its mind and keep rolling the Edge models out, though, is a question only time can answer. The $32 million goal is a big one for sure, and if reached, will take the crowdfunding concept to a whole other level.