Review of Meizu MX5: analysis of contradictions, identification of advantages and disadvantages. Review of the Meizu MX5 smartphone: center from the Middle Kingdom

What I didn't like

Minus one slippery

What I liked

camera, screen, external speaker sound, fingerprint scanner, does not heat up, battery lasts 2 days, very thin

What I didn't like

The body is metal, the coating is smooth, the edges are rounded (boat-shaped), the smartphone tends to fly out of the palm. The menu is not very convenient, boring (maybe I didn’t use it much)

What I liked

Beautiful, high quality, productive. Works great, no complaints.

What I didn't like

I compare with other phones that I have, the brightness is less than in the iPhone 6, but enough for normal use, conversations are heard a little worse than in the Nokia 730, the battery runs out in the evening, in the iPhone it lasts 30-40 percent longer, but that’s why I say more

What I liked

Thin, metal, simple controls, nothing slows down, two SIM cards, LTE, phone conversations can be clearly heard, conversations are recorded using standard software, pleasant tactile feel

What I didn't like

What I liked

Power, design, camera, thickness.

What I didn't like

The touchscreen was covered 2 months after purchase, did not fall, did not swim, did not even get caught in the rain.

What I liked

Good design, 20 megapixel camera, excellent resolution and screen quality

What I didn't like

But there are more shortcomings than I expected, the sound in the headphones is not enough, it began to glitch in an inexplicable way, the sound increases and decreases (there is an antivirus) and speaks Chinese.. it used to be funny, but then it’s no longer funny. I expected more from the battery, with active use... it barely lasts until the evening.

What I liked

The camera is good, the Internet opens well.

What I didn't like

Metal body. It can be considered a plus, but there are more minuses.
It acts as a heat sink for the phone, the hand begins to sweat, and a feeling of discomfort is created. Also, due to the metal cover, there is no NFC (and why would it be?). The back cover scratches very well. So a matte bumper made of touch plastic will help solve the problems.
- Lack of full LTE support; in Russia, LTE will not work with all operators.
- Certain problems with the camera, for many the image is very blurry
- Problem with Push notifications (VK, mail, viber, whatsapp), in order for everything to work in the background you will have to try and suffer a lot, it doesn’t work properly out of the box
- The gorilla voice protective glass is not particularly protective; after 2 weeks of careful use and wearing it in a pocket case, micro-scratches appeared on the screen, so if you decide to buy a phone, you will have to get a protective glass.
- Different versions of firmware, international and Chinese, the Russian language is cut out of the latter (why they did this is unclear).
- The quality of music playback leaves much to be desired; in the Galaxy S5, in my opinion, the sound is better, but this is individual for everyone.

What I liked

The phone is excellent, fast, convenient fly shell. Minimal amount of pre-installed software, excellent fingerprint scanner performance.

What I didn't like

It feels like the translation into Russian was done on the knee, how else can you explain that when adding a new contact to your phone you need to choose from 3 proposed options the one in the middle and also written in hieroglyphs (!!)), but I hope with the next update they will fix this problem

What I liked

With active use, the battery lasts for the whole day!!! I didn’t notice any glitches, the camera takes good pictures (but you need to get used to it) It warms up to a state of pleasant warmth, no more.

What I didn't like

Low light photos (well, this is a problem with all phones)
- some people have some problems with the proximity sensor (not me)
- in some cities there is no 4g, for example in Samara
- dancing with tambourines when setting "okay Google"
- dancing with tambourines with the transition of firmware version C, A to I, but this is possible, you just need to read
- an update arrived over the air for my 4,5,2,4A to version 4,5,2,7A there is no Russian in the system, but in fact there is, but not everywhere
- if the firmware is version I, it will not be updated over the air
- on my VKontakte firmware, if you click on the magnifying glass (search), the application will crash
In general, the firmware here is currently 4-
maybe they’ll fix something, fortunately at least updates are released on Meiza often, compared to the same jiayu
although in a month and a half I got used to these minor shortcomings, do not forget that if not for the course it would have cost 12,000 :)

What I liked

Cool screen, the eyes don’t get tired of it, as some people write here, although I always have the brightness at 100% - The battery lasts for a day, on average, I charged it in the morning and use it during the day and in the evening, until 2 am somewhere, in the morning I charge it again . - Fast charging. But it only works with a Chinese power supply, judging by the records from the 4PDA, but I have exactly the same one (without a Russian socket), with a Russian one it takes 2 times longer to charge - a very cool touchscreen, everything is smooth, the oleophobic coating is super, fingerprints are not noticeable. - the sound in the headphones pleasantly surprised me, quite loud and rich. - the design is really cool, it fits nicely in the hand - the Fly OS is a decent shell, you get used to it quickly, it’s convenient - the camera is 4, focuses quickly, detail is 5 during the day, indoors 4-, in the evening 4-, video 4k detail is the same, the front is all normal. the flash is strong, not like on all other Chinese devices like jiayu zopo, etc. - for games there will be super firmware, I have 4,5,2,4A, I’m not going to update, because everything is fine, in general, on the technical side, everything is 5

What I didn't like

Availability of Chinese software, links to Chinese services, etc. Outdated android (5.0)
Lack of Russian in the dialer. Unpleasant sound when pressing the Home button.

What I liked

Excellent body, nice interface, I especially liked the camera and laser autofocus. Very smart and works smoothly. The fingerprint scanner is very fast.

What I didn't like

1. Battery problems

What I liked

1. Design 2. Screen 3. Shell 4. Sound

Meizu smartphones are gradually gaining popularity, plus the company works closely with MediaTek and is funded Alibaba Group. So now Meizu can afford to produce more models. Meizu MX5 is the latest flagship model at the moment. The release of the Pro version was also expected, however, judging by the latest data, Meizu decided to change its strategy somewhat and there will be no new models in the near future, and a little later something else top-end will appear.

What is this?

Meizu MX5 is the current flagship of the manufacturer with a large screen and powerful hardware; in addition to this, the company decided to make not the frame, but the entire body from metal.

Why is he interesting?

In Meizu MX5, the manufacturer decided to move away from its usual practice of using IPS screens and installed a 5.5-inch AMOLED. The processor uses a powerful 64-bit eight-core MediaTek Helio X10 solution with 3 GB of RAM, which in total should give impressive performance. The body is almost entirely made of metal, non-separable. The company decided to again use a 20.7 megapixel Sony module as the main camera, but also added a laser rangefinder, which should speed up autofocus. Like all current top models, the MX5 is equipped with a fingerprint scanner.

What's included?

The smartphone will be delivered in a box in Meizu's usual white color. The Chinese version will be a flat square one, like earlier models, the international version will be a more standard rectangular one. The smartphone itself is traditionally located in a “book”, which also describes the main features. The smartphone came to us for review in such a book, without the top box and the rest of the kit. The kit will be standard: a smartphone, a charger, a cable, a clip for removing the SIM card tray and instructions. Some options will also have a simple headset. Judging by its appearance, it is purely for show.

What does it look like?

The smartphone has retained the main features of the latest Meizu models, especially the MX4 Pro and M2 note. One of the main features is the metal case (or rather, most of it). At the presentation, Meizu paid special attention to this and stated that To create a 21-gram frame, a 250-gram block of T6063 aluminum is required, which is processed for a month and undergoes a total of 68 processing steps. Machining, nano casting, precision machining, polishing, anodizing and diamond cutting. At the same time, the execution accuracy reaches 0.01 mm. This sounds serious and promising, but let’s get back to the appearance.

The front panel is covered with a sheet of Gorilla Glass 3 with a slot for the earpiece and a fingerprint scanner. Under the glass is a 5.5-inch display, a set of sensors, a front camera and an LED indicator. The frames on the sides of the screen are thin, as befits a modern flagship. Along the perimeter, the front panel is surrounded by a thin metal edge with a chamfer; it protrudes just a little above the glass. Black and white front options will be available.

Previously, in Meizu, the role of the indicator was performed by a round touch button under the screen. In the latest models, this solution was abandoned and it is now separate, above the screen:

Below the display there is a mechanical button, which is also the mTouch 2.0 fingerprint scanner. It is slightly recessed into the body and has an oval shape. In the MX4 Pro this button was more rectangular. A touch performs the “back” function, a press performs the “home” function, and a long press locks the smartphone:

All edges have a rounded profile. On the left side there is a tray for two SIM cards:

The bottom end is familiar to the company's smartphones. It has a MicroUSB connector, four round holes for an external speaker and a microphone hole:

Meizu listened to users and moved the power button to the side. In the MX5 it, along with the volume rocker, is located on the right. I won’t say for sure, but it looks like they are also metal (or the paint matches the body very precisely). They fit well and are easy to use:

On top is a 3.5mm headphone jack and a microphone for noise reduction:

As we have already said, the back cover is almost entirely made of metal. The exception is the plastic inserts at the top and bottom, where the antennas are located. The case looks really very cool and expensive. The metal is very well processed, there are no fingerprints or stains on it. And to leave a scratch on it - you need to try hard:

The camera module looks familiar to Meizu: a large lens and a flash underneath it. In this case, the lens protrudes slightly above the body and has a metal frame. There is a dual flash, and underneath there is a laser rangefinder for fast autofocus:

The plastic inserts differ slightly in color from the main part of the body, and at the junction there is a small groove that can be felt to the touch, but one cannot say that it is somehow annoying:

The tray has two slots for nanoSIM cards. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to insert a MicroSD here instead of one of the SIMs, as in the M2 Note or some Huawei smartphones:

The smartphone is perfectly assembled, monolithic, looks beautiful and expensive. There is no talk of any flexing or backlash. There is simply nothing to wander around here. Meizu MX5 has a very good body shape and compact (for a 5.5-inch smartphone) dimensions and fits perfectly in the hand.

How is his screen?

For the first time, Meizu decided to use an IPS screen instead SuperAMOLED manufactured by Samsung with the same PenTile, Diamond subpixel arrangement. The decision is controversial: it is not without its advantages and disadvantages. The blacks on the MX5 are truly black, very high contrast levels, lower power consumption than IPS and very rich colors. The disadvantages include a lower maximum brightness level than good IPS, some greenishness at low brightness when tilted, and the inherent blurriness of PenTile fonts.

Screen resolution is 1920x1080, pixel density is 401 ppi, which is absolutely enough for such a diagonal. The picture looks great and smooth, the colors are very rich and bright. As far as AMOLED issues go, I only noticed a minimal greenish tint to the whites at low brightness when viewed at an angle. This is a very special case, so this cannot be called a significant problem. For obvious reasons, the smartphone does not have any problems with viewing angles:

At the time of testing, there were very hot and sunny days. Despite the formally far from record maximum brightness, there are absolutely no problems with reading information, there is not even a need to strain and look closely. The light sensor works very adequately:

The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 3, but this does not provide a 100% guarantee against damage and a scratch can be caused by a strong desire, which was successfully done with the test sample before me. The oleophobic coating is good: fingers glide perfectly, fingerprints remain within reasonable limits and can be easily removed. Multi-touch up to 10 touches supported:

The declared maximum brightness of the display is 350 cd/m2, the colorimeter showed a little more: 373.623 cd/m2, the contrast indicators are usual for AMOLED (in the table below). Color rendition is good, but not ideal: there is a slight skew towards the cold side, which can be corrected using the utility:

Measurement results

Comparison with competitors:

Device name	White field brightness, cd/m2	The brightness of the black field, cd/m2	Contrast
Meizu MX5	373.623	0	∞
Samsung Galaxy Note 4	345.91	0	∞
Meizu MX4 Pro	509.474	0.409	1246:1
Huawei Mate7	394.85	0.4	987:1
LG G3	355	0.61	582:1

How is the smartphone doing with performance and autonomy?

Meizu usually uses Samsung Exynos or top-end MediaTek processors. Meizu MX5 is no exception: it has a powerful 64-bit eight-core MediaTek Helio X10 (MT6795T) and 3 GB. In some tests it loses to its competitors, although this may be software optimization problems, because in practice it works great, does not slow down anything, and the most interesting thing is that it does not heat up much, even with a metal case. Some stoves with less powerful Qualcomm options run much hotter. The software provides a choice of performance mode, it really works:

All modern games run quickly, without lags, at maximum settings:

The smartphone will be sold with 16 or 32 GB of internal memory; there is no MicroSD slot, as we remember. So, if you want to play and listen to music, then the 32 GB option would be a more reasonable choice. Everything is fine with the GPS in the smartphone, a cold start takes a minimum of time:

The 3150 mAh battery is non-removable; battery life is very good. With half an hour of calls a day, 3G or Wi-Fi always on and synchronization of all existing accounts, about an hour of games and half an hour of music, the smartphone lasts more than a day. HD video plays for about 10 hours, so the performance is very good. There is a mCharge function that allows (in theory) to charge 60% in 40 minutes. In practice, we didn’t have a proprietary charger, but from a third-party charger the phone was charged by about 50% in an hour.

The NXP TFA9890 chip is responsible for the sound from the external speaker. It plays loudly and quite well, but the HTC One and MX4 Pro line are subjectively a little better. The Wolfson solution is responsible for the sound in the headphones. The player reads all common formats, has an equalizer and the usual Meizu enhancer Dirac HD Sound for the most popular headphone models. As for the quality, the sound is really very good, as for a smartphone, but again minimally inferior to the MX4 Pro. The player itself still looks the same:

For those who want to know more

The smartphone uses 64-bit MediaTek Helio X10 ( MT6795T ) with 8 ARM Cortex-A53 cores that operate at up to 2.2 GHz and a PowerVR G6200 graphics accelerator and 3 GB of LPDDR3 RAM. The smartphone does not slow down at all in any tasks and pleases us with the fact that it does not get very hot under prolonged loads. In benchmarks, the smartphone produces controversial results, which may be due to the software itself and not the final firmware. At the presentation they promised 53,000 parrots, in practice it produces a stable 47,000, which is also very good, although I am sure that with more stable firmware it will be even better:

How user-friendly is the interface?

Over the past year, little has changed in the Flyme shell: the Android version is being added and updated, we have already reviewed the shell several times in reviews Meizu M2 Note, MX4 and MX4 Pro, so there is no point in dwelling on it. Our sample ran on version 4.5.2.2I, Android 5.0.1:

As usual, it does not have a separate menu with applications:

The curtain is double, the full option is called up by swiping again or using the button in the upper right corner:

The setup for working with fingerprints has not changed since the MX4 Pro; the sensor itself has become truly more accurate and faster. The fingerprint is read instantly:

There are a number of pre-installed utility applications, some of them are:

We are regularly asked about the Ukrainian language. Our firmware has it, but so far the quality of localization leaves much to be desired. MIUI has been brought to perfection in this regard, so that Flyme will be adequately localized over time:

How are things going with the camera?

The main camera received the same Sony IMX220 Exmor RS module with 20.7 megapixels, but now with 6-element optics. F/2.2 aperture, dual LED flash and laser autofocus. The camera focuses really quickly and accurately. It would be interesting to compare this figure with the LG G4, for example. Unfortunately, there was no such opportunity. Supports HDR, 4K video and 100fps slow motion mode with HD resolution. Front - 5 megapixels.

The interface has remained virtually unchanged since the MX4 Pro. On the main screen there are buttons for shutter release, video, viewing the previous photo/video, settings buttons and mode selection buttons. In the settings menu you can select photo and video resolution, enable HDR, grid, electronic level and self-timer:

Standard Mode:

Unfortunately, something went wrong with Youtube and 5 attempts to upload test videos ended with Youtube throwing an error. More attempts to upload will definitely be made as soon as this happens - they will appear in this section.

Bottom line

It is worth paying tribute to the Chinese engineers: the smartphone has a lot of advantages that significantly outweigh the disadvantages. Meizu MX5 has a practical, beautiful and convenient body of fairly compact size, good performance without overheating, traditionally Meizu good sound quality, impressive battery life, a very fast and accurate fingerprint scanner and a smart camera with fast autofocus. One of the minuses is the lack of a slot for memory cards. We will have 16 and 32 GB options available, which may not be enough if you actively use your smartphone for games and listening to music. The AMOLED screen is a controversial issue, although this is rather a matter of taste. The smartphone will go on sale on August 20, the price for 16 GB will be 9,000 UAH.

6 reasons to buy Meizu MX5:

• Excellent metal body and assembly;
• high performance;
• decent battery life;
• high-quality camera with laser autofocus;
• fast and accurate fingerprint scanner;
• good sound quality.

1 reason not to buy Meizu MX5:

• lack of microSD slot.

Technical characteristics of Meizu MX5
Display	AMOLED, 5.5 inches, 1920x1080, 401 ppi, no air gap, Gorilla Glass III
Frame	dimensions 149.9x74.7x7.6 mm, weight 149 g
CPU	64-bit MediaTek Helio X10 MT6795T, eight Cortex-A53 cores (2.2 GHz), PowerVR G6200 graphics
RAM	3 GB, LPDDR3
Flash memory	16/32/64 GB
Camera	20.7 MP, laser autofocus, dual flash, 6-element optics, f/2.2 aperture, 4K video recording, 100 fps slow-motion video recording, 5 MP front camera, f/2.0
Wireless technologies	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac (dual band, 2.4 and 5 GHz),Bluetooth 4.1LE
GPS	GPS, Glonass
Battery	3150 mAh, non-removable
operating system	Android 5.0.1 + Flyme 4.5.2.2I (test sample)
Sim card	2xNanoSIM

Six months ago, my old smartphone began to work poorly: it would turn off spontaneously, or freeze. At that time, I decided to buy the Meizu MX4, but after reading the reviews, I decided to wait a little. The Internet was full of rumors about the new MX5. What they didn’t write there: about a 30 megapixel camera, and about a 4k screen. Rumors are rumors, only the date of presentation/sale was known for certain - June 30. I had to wait patiently. June ended, and I started monitoring the network for the first reviews/feedback. After reading several reviews and talking with my amphibian, I decided to take it. If anyone is interested in what came of it, please see the cut (lots of photos and text).

In the early days there were few MX5 sellers. It was possible to pre-order it on gearbest, but after reading reviews about the store, I had to abandon this idea. There was not a very large selection of sellers on AliExpress, all with good ratings. Having chosen a seller with a low price and a good rating, I ordered the phone.
I wanted to write a little about delivery, but I’m afraid there will be a lot of text, so for those who are interested, let’s open the spoiler.

delivery

I ordered the phone on July 6th. In the product description it was said that for delivery to Russia you must select the “Seller's Shipping Method” item. The essence of delivery is that first one transport company (local) delivers across China to the border, then a “specially trained” smuggler crosses border with the phone hidden in pants or under a hat. All questions regarding customs clearance fall on this mysterious entity. Then, through the Russian transport company (in my case, CDEK), the phone is sent to the buyer. In practice, delivery to large cities should be around 8-10 days. In the order, one track number is first given, then the seller writes the CDEK track number in a message. I had a trip planned abroad for July 23. I thought that the phone should arrive in 15 days.
At first everything went fine. The phone reached the Chinese border within the required 5-7 days. Then the seller gave me a CDEK track number. I waited a day or two, the order tracking page said: the shipment is awaiting delivery from the sender. On the third day, I turned to the seller: “Dear Chinese man, the status of the track number does not change, what will we do next?” Literally the next day I received a response:
“Dear buyer. Have a nice day and happy shopping. May your life be counted in hundreds of years and may you always buy from us in China. We have problems at the border, a trained Chinese guy put on his pants with holes, and the phones fell out along the way, so we need to wait a little. All registrations at CDEK are carried out in secret, and we will soon solve this problem by hiring another Chinese.
If you receive this package within 21-25 days of shipping, we will issue a 5$ refund;
If you receive this package within 26-30 days after shipping, we will make a refund of 8$;
If you receive this package more than 30 days after it was shipped, we will issue a $12 refund
I'm sorry for this bad situation. Let your patience be like the height of the Eiffel Tower.
There was nothing to do, I began to wait. A week flew by unnoticed, there was no change in status. On the eve of departure on July 22, I looked at the status and saw that the goods had been transferred to CDEK and began moving. The saddest thing is that the pre-delivery date was July 27, and at that time I will be outside my homeland. On the tracking page there was a button to change the address and delivery time, but nothing was active there, since the goods had not yet arrived in my city. There was also an online assistant on the CDEK website. Having contacted him via chat, I explained the situation and wrote that I would be in the city on August 1st. The online assistant made a note in the order, and I calmed down.
Already on vacation, I learned that on July 24 the phone arrived in my city. One day was not enough :(. I spent my vacation without a phone.
In total, instead of the required 8-10 days, the phone took 18 days to reach me. Most of the time the phone probably crawled across the China-Russia border.
On August 1 (Saturday) I called CDEK. I found out how they work, canceled the home delivery, since delivery was only on Monday (August 3), got into the car and went to pick up the parcel.
After receiving the package, I opened the package right in the car to look at the phone.

My first impression when I opened the package was how big it was.
Another spoiler for package lovers

In principle, there is nothing interesting under the spoiler.
Packaging CDEK


Inside is the packaging in which it was handed over to the transport company CDEK. There is also a sticker on the back, however, everything is in Chinese


Inside there is a good packaging made of foamed polyethylene, rewound with wide tape


Well, then the egg is in the duck, that duck is in the hare, that hare is in the chest, and the chest stands...

The box is made of thick cardboard so it doesn't get wrinkled easily. In addition to the phone in the parcel, the seller included two protective films, an OTG cable, a silicone case and an adapter for our sockets


The box was a little wrinkled around the edges, but we didn’t buy a box :).
On the back of the box there is a sticker indicating the model and main frequencies. Unfortunately, FDD LTE only has two frequencies available on channels B1 and B3. B7 (2600 MHz) is not there. This is the first discrepancy with the description, I will write about this a little later.


Open the box. The box is made like a book with something written in Chinese on it.




To the right of the phone, under the cardboard, there is a charger and a clip for removing the SIM card slot
Let's look at the charger.


The charger uses Quick Charge technology. That is, voltage up to 12 V can be supplied to the device.
Charger with adapter


The adapter looks alien. At first I didn’t understand that the adapter itself must always be in the socket, and any other devices can be inserted into it.


Everything would be fine, I would leave the adapter in the socket, but it doesn’t stay there securely.
I started checking the dimensions and realized why this happened.
Here's a comparison with a normal fork


Here you can see that the seat is about 3-4 mm smaller, so the adapter plug does not fully fit into the socket.
Here's a comparison of the pins


Here you can also see that the pins are a couple of millimeters shorter. As a result, the adapter does not sit tightly in the socket

Under the phone there is a warranty card and a USB cable


The USB cable is harsh. The cable length is almost 1 meter.


Warranty card in Chinese

Warranty card

So we got to the phone. The phone has stickers on both sides with inscriptions in Chinese that show the main elements of the phone

Let's look at the phone from different angles
Bottom of the phone:


From left to right – speaker holes, micro-USB, microphone holes.

Left-hand side:


On this side there is only a tray for SIM cards.

Top of the phone:


From left to right – headphone jack, microphone hole (for noise reduction)

Right side:


Volume rocker and power button.

At the back there is a camera, LED flash and laser rangefinder.

We turn on the phone. We are greeted by the company logo, and then the Flyme shell is loaded

Since the old smartphone had a regular SIM from 2003, I had to go to the operator’s office and change it to a nano-SIM. Yes, I forgot to say, the MX5 is a dual-SIM phone. Two nano-SIMs are used there. To pull out the SIM card tray, use a special paperclip




The first tray is located closer to the edge. The tray has very fine numbers stamped on it - SIM numbers.


Little by little we got to the internals/components of the phone.
Phone characteristics:


Appearance
After my 4 inch phone, the MX5 with its 5.5 inches seems simply huge. In my opinion, this is a size limit that should not be increased. It is difficult to operate the phone with one hand. My thumb can't reach the top of the screen, and I don't have a small hand.
Phone Dimensions: 149.9mm X 74.6mm x 7.6mm
Weight: 149 g
Meizu releases the MX5 in several colors. The back cover is silver. Front black, white. In the future, they are preparing a gold color scheme, but for now such phones are not on sale.
There is one button on the front panel, which is also a fingerprint scanner.
The scanner works well and quickly, I have never had any false positives.
The back cover is made of aluminum, with plastic inserts at the top and bottom. There is a small groove between these elements.


For some reason, many owners, and even more non-owners of the MX5, write that this groove is in the way, that dirt will accumulate there, and stuff like that. For me this is a normal decision, I don’t see anything bad. I like it and it doesn't give me any comfort.

Screen
Here Meizu abandoned their traditions and did not install a non-standard screen. This phone has a standard Full HD resolution of 1920x1080. Is it good or bad? This is a controversial issue. If in MX4 the width of the screen was increased and due to this, visually it did not look so long. But sometimes problems arose at the software level, since not all programs/toys were optimized for this resolution, and when watching movies there were black bars at the top and bottom.
Meizu also sacrificed tradition and did not install an IPS screen, but installed an Amoled screen from Samsung. While many have come to terms with the screen resolution, Meizu’s latest step has scared many people away from purchasing it. In fact, the eternal debate about what is better is Amoled vs IPS, Intel vs AMD or nVidia GeForce vs AMD Radeon, and each technology/device has both serious pros and cons.
What is the difference between an Amoled screen and an IPS screen?
Let’s dive a little into the technology to understand how the screens differ. I will explain it in a simple way so that everyone can understand it.
An IPS screen consists of a kind of sandwich: lamp (LEDs) - LCD matrix, sensor, glass. If you turn on the IPS screen, the lamp under the matrix is ​​always on. Depending on which pixel on the matrix transmits light and which does not, we see the image.
Amoled has a different sandwich: each pixel is a separate small LED, then a sensor and glass. Naturally, if we use black color on the screen, the LEDs do not light up. This results in savings. But if we use white light, then the LEDs in total consume more energy than the IPS backlight.
If you write down the advantages of Amoled, they will be like this:
1) economical when using dark colors on the screen;
2) the darkest possible black color;
3) high maximum brightness;
4) the ability to use only certain pixels, and not the entire screen;
5) rich colors;
6) maximum viewing angles.

Cons for Amoled will naturally be pros for IPS:
1) IPS screen with more natural colors;
2) white on IPS looks white. On Amoled, white turns green or yellow at high angles.
3) the IPS screen has greater screen clarity at the same resolution. This is due to the fact that Amoled screens have pixels of different colors arranged in a certain way due to the different brightness of the LEDs of different colors.
If we ignore theory and move on to practice, then for the average user, by and large, it doesn’t matter what kind of screen it is. For me this was not an obstacle to buying a phone. And when I evaluated the screen live, after 2 weeks, I can say that the screen is no better or worse than IPS (it’s just a little different). Many people like the juicy picture. With Full HD resolution, the clarity of the screen is such that it is impossible to see a specific pixel without a magnifying glass (15 pixels per 1 mm in length is very difficult to see). White as white, I rarely look at my phone at wild angles. Usually in the morning I see the alarm clock with sleepy eyes, but then I don’t care what white it is :).
The phone uses Gorilla Glass 3 with an oleophobic coating. There are no comments here. The screen is capacitive and supports 10 touches.

Communication and connection
On the 4Pda forum in the MX5 topic, every two pages a question arises whether the MX5 supports 4G. As I wrote above, the supported ranges are b1, b3, b38, b39, b40, b41. Everyone’s favorite b7 range is not there, although it is included in the specifications on the website. Nobody knows whether this range will be in the international version of the phone, which will be officially sold in Russia. There is an opinion that these frequencies were disabled by software, but no one knows how to enable them yet.
Also on the forum the question often arises that 3G does not work. The simplest answer to this question is to update Flyme to version 4.5.2.4A (not lower).
In general, all communications are working fine.
Wi-fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Support 2.4 GHz/5.0 GHz. The wifi analyzer did not take screenshots, and so the review is overloaded with information, and the signal level is a purely individual parameter, depending not only on the phone, but also on many other factors.
Speed ​​test

My network is 60 Mbps. On a computer and on a tablet via wi-fi, the download speed was 30-32 Mbps.

Navigation and GPS
Everything is fine here too. There is GPS, GLONASS and also a Chinese system. Catches satellites quickly. Navitel started up without problems.

Memory
The phone has 3 GB of memory. This volume is enough for any resource-intensive applications. I bought a 32 gig phone. Out of the box, the memory section was 29.12 GB, and 24 GB was free. To be honest, I don’t understand where 8 gigs can go. In my opinion, this is too much even for the system. Other people with MX5 have a similar problem.

Camera
Rear camera 20.7 MP, front 5 MP.
Let's start from the front. On Skype, the camera picked up normally, the interlocutor sees me perfectly.
Good for a selfie. My face flatly refused to be photographed, despite persuasion :-). Then I noticed a cat who did not suspect anything. She had to take a photo.






The originals can be viewed.

The rear camera has dual flash and a laser rangefinder.
The pictures come out average, but they can’t be called bad either. As an example, I’ll give you a few photos under the spoiler.

Main camera

Photos outdoors in sunny weather






Enlarged part from the boat (100%)


You can read the name here, although it is clear that some kind of processing is present (similar to noise reduction from hand shake).
Next I filmed in the children's room
No lighting, only flash


Same room with lighting


My LED bulbs turn a little yellow, so there is a slight tint. On a DSLR you get similar photos.
Now I'll experiment with the modes
Auto mode


Macro mode (closer did not work, does not focus)


Manual mode with manual focus


Macro mode with manual focus

Played with the focus:
Close object


Distant object

Many on the forums write that the camera is bad... I would say that it is an ordinary point-and-shoot camera. If you shoot wisely and in manual mode, you get pretty decent photos. By the way, I only shoot in manual mode. I don’t understand how you can shoot on automatic. Anyone who learned to shoot with a Smena 8M with a handheld exposure meter and a detachable rangefinder will understand what I mean.
Based on my experience with the MX4, which initially also had a not very good camera, and then in subsequent firmware the situation radically changed for the better, I think that the MX5 camera has potential.
The originals can be viewed.

Sound
Here I pass. No, of course, I can write something like: “The cymbals remained restrained and not very musical. The maracas are somewhat sketchy and lack clarity. In the male vocals, there is a certain exaltation in the upper notes, which not only interferes with listening, but changes the soul of the vocal,” but I have no ear for music. My feelings about the sound may be like this: “this sounds cool... but this is complete crap.” On the forums they write that the sound of the MX5 is between the MX4 and MX4 pro. My feeling is that the sound in the speakers does not choke or wheeze. When talking on the phone, the interlocutor can be heard well and I can also be heard well. That is, no manipulations need to be done to improve the sound, as in MX4. There is sound in the headphones, but I can’t evaluate its quality (sorry, not a music lover).

Hardware and performance
The phone uses a MT6795T processor, 2.2 GHz, 64Bit, 8 cores.
PowerVR G6200 is responsible for graphics
This combination ensures good performance of the smartphone.

synthetic tests

Now let's find out who has more pussy of virtual parrots
AnTuTu

CPU-Z

NenaMark2

Epic Citadel

3D Mark

Quadrant

Battery and autonomy
The MX5 has a non-removable battery with a capacity of 3150 mAh. This battery lasts easily for a day with very intensive use. More precisely, even so, I have never managed to discharge the battery in one day.
Here are screenshots of using the phone for examples. The phone quietly lasted 2 days in productive mode

Antutu Tester tests

On average, with my use, the phone stays calm for 2-3 days (a few calls, a few games, wifi, browser, programs).
I wrote that the charger supports Quick Charge technology; this technology allows you to charge a completely discharged phone in 1.5 hours.

System and interface
Meizu uses its own Flyme skin for its phones. On the one hand this is good, on the other hand it is bad. The good thing is that the phone practically does not need to be configured, like bare Android. By customization I mean that the user will not delve into system files to improve something. For example, some install their own bootloaders and use firmware mods. This cannot be done here. The system, one might say, is closed, like iOS. With this approach, it is almost impossible to obtain a brick from MX5.
On the other hand, the poverty of the settings is a little alarming. In general, the interface is well thought out, but some little things are missing.

conclusions
Have I really gotten to this point? I've been writing a review for several days now.
I probably won’t write pros and cons. I've posted too much information here. Let everyone decide for themselves whether the phone is worth the money and whether it is worth buying. I can only write my subjective opinion after using the phone for two weeks.
Overall, I like it, I don't regret purchasing it. The interface flies, there are no brakes even in heavy toys. In principle, everything suits me.

Happy shopping!

I'm planning to buy +8 Add to favorites I liked the review +35 +61

Today we will talk about the weaknesses of the Meizu MX5 smartphone, a phone that many of you have probably already had your eye on.

You may know that previously Meizu always released only one device per year, but now, looking at other strong market players such as Apple, Samsung, etc., Meizu began to release two smartphones per year, and now it should Meizu MX5 pro will appear on the Russian market. The PRO version is the most powerful and charged version of the smartphone.

I would like to remind you that the strength of the phone is not only its powerful technical characteristics and relatively low price, but also its body, which takes about a month to make from a single piece of aluminum.

Why you shouldn't buy a Meizu MX5 smartphone

• The first weak point of the device is the inability to expand its memory and replace the battery yourself. First, for some it’s not a problem, because some of us buy a device with 16 GB media. There is also a modification for 64, but this does not make the storage expansion option seem useless.

If the battery runs out, you will have to take the phone to a service center, but it is not clear how they will handle your phone there.

Do you like the models? This is great!

• The second disadvantage of the Meizu MX5 smartphone concerns its camera. Yes, many of you will call this problem far-fetched, but for professionals it matters, since Meizu MX5 can record video in 4K.

As it turned out in practice, the videos created by this smartphone are very good, but unfortunately, they are written with the H.265 codec. No free player can open it. In order to play such a video, you will have to run it through a converter. Fans of mobile photography will not be happy with this arrangement.

• The third reason not to buy a Meizu MX5 smartphone is overheating of the device. There have already been many samples of this phone in the hands of experimenters, but this jamb does not disappear. The device is boiling. Not lightning fast, but it still happens. After 20-30 minutes of gaming, the system heats up and begins to close applications, which is somehow not very pleasing, especially given the fact that MediaTek promised that the Helio X10 is an amazingly cold processor.

Check out the prices and technical specifications of this and other Meizu smartphones in the Chinese online store ru.aliexpress.com ->> .

• The fourth reason will not be adequately perceived by everyone, but many (especially those who understand) will not like the somewhat aggressive color rendition of the AMOLED screen of this smartphone. The colors are oversaturated, the contrast is off the charts. There is a built-in color corrector, but it cannot match the color rendition of this screen to the calm gamut of classic IPS panels. All he can do is calibrate the screen temperature.

• Not everyone will feel the final, 5th reason not to buy the Meizu MX5 smartphone, but those who know will understand. As you know, Meizu MX5 comes with Flyme OS. The shell is not boring and is simply oversaturated with cool goodies, but this is good news, the bad news is that if you suddenly don’t like this setting on Android, you will not be able to escape from it. This applies more to , and not to this smartphone, but still.

Traditionally for all smartphones from Meizu, the MX5 does not yet have a single third-party ROM. Judging by the experience of past models, they will never see them. Yes, for many this is not critical at all, but there are those who often play around with flashing, trying to find a middle ground. This won't work with Meizu - it was born with Flyme and will die with it.

Meizu is currently a company that is dynamically gaining momentum on the world stage. More and more people are paying attention to the interesting and relatively affordable product of this Chinese manufacturer. Users get almost everything they want - high performance, broad functionality, decent build quality and much more.

In general, everything would be fine, but the price of Meizu MX5 for the world (including Russia) will differ significantly (by about a third) from the version for the domestic market of the Middle Kingdom. This state of affairs surrounds the new product on the international market with completely different, more “toothed” competitors. Next, we will not only analyze the Meizu MX5 in detail, but also find out whether it is worth taking the affordable Chinese version and how it differs from the international one.

Meizu MX5 is the company's new flagship. It cannot be said that compared to the MX4 and MX4 Pro, the new product has reached some significantly new level. Some aspects have become better, but some are comparable or even worse than in the same MX4 Pro.

The update in the line is more of an evolution, working on bugs and improving what, according to Meizu, needed to be improved. Perhaps we have received a Chinese smartphone close to ideal, which, due to its price in its homeland, can beat any flagship? Let's check.

The new product will be available for sale in one hardware modification. The only differences will be in the amount of built-in storage: 16, 32 and possibly 64 GB of memory. Meizu smartphones are officially supplied to the Russian market and are accompanied by local support. There are several body colors available: silver with black front panel, silver with white front panel, gold with white front panel and graphite gray with black front panel.

We are testing the silver version with a black front panel and 16 GB of memory for data storage. This is a Chinese model, and for comparison we also have an international device in graphite gray with a black front panel and 16 GB of memory. At the moment, the average price of a new product is about 26,000 rubles (taking into account all available versions).

Review of Meizu MX5, which took place thanks to our partners - the online store Video-shoper.ru and the Meizu company, let's start with a brief description of the specifications.

Technical characteristics of Meizu MX5

Parameter/Device	Meizu MX5
operating system	Android 5.0, Flyme OS 4.5
Housing materials	Metal, plastic
Screen	5.5", SuperAMOLED, 1920 x 1080, 401 ppi
CPU	MediaTek MT6795 Helio X10, 8 cores, 2.2 GHz
Video processor	PowerVR G6200
RAM	3 GB
Built-in storage	16/32 GB
Memory card slot	No
Interfaces, communication and data transfer	USB 2.0, Wi-Fi (b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth 4.1, (A) GPS/GLONASS, 2G, 3G, 4G
SIM slots	2 pcs. (Nano-SIM)
Cameras	20.7 megapixel main with laser autofocus and flash, 5.0 megapixel front
Battery	3,150 mAh
Sensors	Light Sensor, Gravity Sensor, IR Distance Sensor, Capacitive Display Sensor, Digital Compass, Hall Sensor, Gyroscope, Fingerprint
Dimensions	149.9 x 74.7 x 7.6 mm
Weight	149 g
Price	21,500 – 32,000 rub.

Everything is fine, no questions. A new MediaTek processor, flagship functionality, support for two SIM cards, a good camera, fresh software and all other pleasures are in place. The only visible and significant annoying drawback so far is the lack of a memory card slot.

In general, the set of features is at a decent level, but what about the quality of implementation of all this goodness in a particular product? The tests will show everything.

Packaging and equipment Meizu MX5

As already mentioned, in this material we will have the opportunity to compare two versions of Meizu MX5: the official Russian and Chinese.

Let's start our inspection with the packaging of the Chinese version of the smartphone. The device arrived for testing in a flat white box made of thick cardboard.

The logo and basic information about the device are printed on the surface of the package.

Meizu MX5 lies immediately under the lid of the box in a recess. The packaging is traditionally made in the form of a book.

The smartphone contains the following package:

• USB cable;
• Charger (5.0 V, 2.0 A);
• Documentation.

The quality of all delivery components is good. Headphones were not included in the package.

Now let's take a look at the packaging of the official Russian version. The smartphone arrived for testing in a white box made of thick cardboard, but of a different shape.

The logo and basic information about the device are printed on the surface of the package.

The device lies immediately under the lid of the box in a recess. The packaging here is traditionally made in the form of a book.

The smartphone contains the following package:

• USB cable;
• Charger (5.0 V, 2.0 A) with European plug;
• SIM tray removal tool;
• Documentation.

The quality of all accessories is good. Headphones were also not included in the package, but they may be included. Instead, we had a foam rubber plug with an inscription stating that headphones were not included in the delivery.

Now let's move directly to the hero of the review himself.