Meizu M2 Note: specifications, reviews. Meizu M2 Note smartphone review: Meizu m2 note budget station wagon first launch

The Chinese company Meizu began to release new models of smartphones much more actively, just half a year after the Meizu M1 Note, its follower M2 Note was released, our editor-in-chief was present at its presentation and already shared some impressions, and to the editors gg The smartphone has already been submitted for review. Meizu M2 Note is already on sale along with its predecessor, there is information that M1 Note will soon disappear from the shelves. M1 Note turned out to be a very interesting and successful smartphone, given its cost, and it still is. You can read his review here. Let's see how the M2 Note differs from the M1?

What is this?

Meizu M2 Note is a smartphone with a large 5.5-inch display, a 64-bit octa-core processor, two gigabytes of RAM and the current version of Android 5.1 Lollipop OS.

Why is he interesting?

Meizu M2 Note largely repeats its predecessor and received a similar price tag with it in our market, but there are still differences. The smartphone has a 5.5-inch FullHD display, 64-bit MediaTek octa-core processor, 2 GB RAM and cameras at 13 and 5 megapixels, like its predecessor. There are two SIM card slots, this time of the nanoSIM standard, one of which can be used for MicroSD memory cards, this was not possible in the M1.

What does it look like?

In terms of design, the smartphone has changed little: the shape has remained the same, the same polycarbonate is used, and the dimensions and weight have remained practically unchanged, except that the back cover has become a little flatter. A new color has appeared in the range: matte gray (similar to the MX4 and MX4 Pro), but we got the white option. The changes affected the controls of the smartphone. Instead of a touch button under the screen, which served as a notification indicator, the M2 Note has a button with a built-in sensor and a metal rim. When touched, it acts as a back button, and when pressed, it acts as a home button. A long press locks the smartphone. In the older MX5, a fingerprint scanner is also built into it. Otherwise, the front panel is familiar: a large screen, a set of sensors, an indicator and a front camera under a sheet of protective glass. Above the screen is a speaker.

The LED indicator is located above the screen, as in the MX4 Pro:

The power button has moved from the top to the left, which is clearly more convenient. There is also a paired volume rocker (the predecessor had separate buttons):

On the right side - a tray for SIM-cards and MicroSD:

The design of the bottom end is similar to M1 Note. It houses MicroUSB, a spoken microphone and four large holes for an external speaker. M1 was not on hand for comparison, but it looks like the speakers are identical. The call melody sounds quite loud, but it cannot be said that it is of very high quality:

On the top end there is another microphone and a 3.5 mm headphone jack:

Non-removable polycarbonate back cover with Meizu logo and main camera:

The camera module with dual LED flash looks like in other current models of the company:

A mechanical button with a capacitive sensor, something similar was in the MX4 Pro, but there was also a fingerprint scanner. In M2 Note, the keypad received an oval shape and a metal side:

Nano-sized dual SIM tray, one of which can be used for a MicroSD memory card:

The smartphone is well assembled, nothing creaks, all the details fit well as expected. Meizu M2 Note lies well in the hand and has a fairly compact size for a smartphone with a 5.5-inch display. Since its predecessor, the smartphone has slightly changed the layout of the controls, which has a positive impact on ease of use. The power button has moved to a better place, and the mechanical button under the screen is comfortable to use and takes very little time to get used to. In fact, on the very first evening of use, I used it without hesitation.

Is the screen good?

The M2 Note still uses the same 5.5-inch Sharp IGZO screen using full lamination technology. Resolution 1920x1080, standard aspect ratio 16:9 and pixel density 400.5 ppi. Instead of Gorilla Glass 3 with an oleophobic coating, it is used AGC Dragontrail/NEG T2X-1. There is an oleophobic coating, but it is lower in quality than it was in the M1.Declared maximum brightness of 450 cd / m 2. Visually, the screen remains of the same good quality. Of course, there is no air gap, the viewing angles are maximum.

Even in the bright summer sun, the screen remains readable, there is a light sensor, it works quite adequately:

Supports multi-touch up to 10 touches:

The results of testing with a colorimeter showed close to the declared ones: the maximum brightness is 441.386 cd/m 2 , black field brightness 0.659 cd/m 2 , and contrast ratio 670:1. The indicators are slightly more modest than those of the M1 Note. Although it is worth considering that there may be different deliveries and it is possible that they are similar to the current batch of the predecessor. The color rendition sins a little with an excess of blue and a lack of red, but within reasonable limits and to the eye, the screen looks great.

The smartphone provides the ability to adjust the color temperature, so that you can adjust more accurately.

Comparison with competitors:

Device name	Brightness of the white field, cd/m2	Black field brightness cd/m2	Contrast
Meizu M2	441.386	0.659	670:1
Meizu M1	494.284	0.649	762:1
Lenovo Vibe Z2	425.699	0.574	742:1
Xiaomi Mi4	423.5	0.64	662:1
HTC Desire Eye	527.337	0.483	1092:1

How is performance?

It is difficult to judge what Meizu engineers were guided by, but in the M2 Note they decided to install a more modest 64-bit eight-core MediaTek MT6753 processor with ARM Cortex-A53 cores and graphics Mali T720 MP3, 450 MHz (M1 Note was equipped with a 64-bit eight-core MediaTek MT6752 at 1.7 GHz and Mali T760 MP2, 700 MHz). The amount of RAM remained the same: 2 GB. The shell "flies" on this hardware, all applications run fine, without any problems, but with games things are a little worse. Yes, most of them go well, but the most resource-intensive games (Mortal Kombat X in particular) have very noticeable FPS drops. Modern Combat Blackout, UFC, Dead Trigger 2 and Implosion do not have this problem:

The FlymeOS shell provides a choice of system operation modes: Energy Saving, Balanced and Productive. Exactly the same as its predecessor:

I was pleasantly pleased that even under heavy loads, the smartphone does not heat up too much. Subjectively, the M1 Note was hotter. The built-in memory in the smartphone is 16 GB, who will not be enough - MicroSD memory cards up to 128 GB are supported. But in this case, you will have to be content with only one SIM-card.

With the work of the GPS-module, everything is fine, it quickly finds satellites, performance is not inferior to solutions based on the same Qualcomm. Apparently, the manufacturer does not save on the quality of the antenna, as is the case with many Chinese:

The battery capacity has not changed much: 3100 mAh. Given the more modest processor, one could hope for an increase in battery life. In fact, this did not happen. Subjectively, this indicator seemed absolutely similar to its predecessor. With about 30 minutes of calls, 3-4 hours of Wi-Fi, 3 hours of 3G Internet, synchronization of a bunch of accounts and active communication using all sorts of messengers, the battery will last until the evening of the next day. If you add games and music, you can safely expect a full day of work from early morning until night.

The musical component is similar to that in the M1 Note: the external speaker is loud enough and can be heard in most situations, although it does not differ in high quality, which is not too important: you still need to listen to music with headphones. The sound quality in headphones is of course significantly inferior to the MX4 Pro (which is one of the most advanced in this regard), but it sounds quite tolerable and most users will be satisfied. Functionally, the player has not changed:

For those who want to know more

The Meizu M2 Note uses a fairly budget solution MediaTek MT6753 ( 64-bit, eight cores ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1.3 GHz with graphics Mali T720 MP3, 450MHz), RAM:2 GBLPDDR3-1600. As expected, the results of synthetic tests are more modest than in M1 Note. In AnTuTu, the smartphone scores about 31,000 points against 40,000 for its predecessor. Benchmark results:

Is the interface user friendly?

The Meizu M2 Note has a fresh version of Android 5.1 Lollipop OS, from which there is practically nothing left: the Flyme OS version 4.5I shell is stretched over it, which leaves almost nothing of the original Android interface. Moreover, despite the new version, the shell is practically no different from previous versions, which were reviewed in detail in the Meizu M1 Note, MX4 and MX4 Pro reviews. The shell has become more stable, but no more, there are no significant innovations:

All widgets and applications are unloaded on the desktops, with a swipe up from the bottom of the screen, the manager of recently launched applications opens:

The top curtain opens with a swipe down anywhere on the screen. Repeated movement or clicking on the corresponding icon opens its full version:

A Swype-like TouchPal keyboard is preinstalled, which is quite easy to use:

Gestures for unlocking the screen and launching applications have not gone anywhere either:

A set of pre-installed applications:

How is the camera?

The main camera remains the same: a 13-megapixel back-illuminated sensor from Samsung with dual LED flash with different color temperatures. The interface hasn't changed either:

Photos are of comparable quality with the M1 Note. Photo examples. Standard mode:

Video in FullHD:

In the dry matter

The follower of the extremely successful Meizu M1 Note turned out to be no less interesting smartphone, in some ways weaker, and in some ways stronger than the follower. M2 Note costs us the same as its predecessor, so while both are on sale, you can choose. In the near future, M1 Note will disappear from sale. It has a more powerful filling for gamers on its side, while the M2 Note is more suitable for those who shoot a lot on the camera and listen to music from a smartphone (support for MicroSD memory cards has appeared). Changing the touch button to a mechanical one is a more controversial issue, rather a matter of taste. Otherwise, the main advantages remained in place: a good display, a comfortable and high-quality case, a good shell and a price. Smartphones still have no competitors in terms of price / quality ratio in their price segment.

4 reasons to buy Meizu M2 Note:

• Good screen;
• high-quality case;
• comfortable shell;
• price-quality ratio.

1 reason not to buy Meizu M2 Note:

• not the best performance.

Meizu M2 Note specifications and comparison with M1 Note
Model	Meizu M2	Meizu M1
Display	IGZO, 5.5 inches, 1920x1080 , AGC Dragontrail/NEG T2X-1	IGZO, 5.5 inches, 1920x1080 , Gorilla Glass 3
Frame	dimensions 150.9x75.2x8.7 mm, weight 149 g	dimensions 150.7x75.2x8.9 mm, weight 145 g
CPU	64-bit MediaTek MT6753: eight cores ARM Cortex-A53 (ARMv8), frequency 1.3 GHz, graphics Mali T720MP3	64-bit MediaTek MT6752: eight cores ARM Cortex-A53 (ARMv8), frequency 1.7 GHz, graphics Mali T760 MP2
RAM	2 GB LPDDR3-1600	2 GB LPDDR3-1600
Flash memory	16/32 GB, microSD up to 128 GB	16/32 GB, no memory card support
Camera		13 MP, autofocus, dual color flash, 5 MP front camera
Wireless technologies	, Bluetooth 4.0LE	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac (dual-band, 2.4 and 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.0LE
GPS	GPS, Glonass	GPS, Glonass
Battery	3100 mAh non-removable	3140 mAh non-removable
operating system	Android 5.1 Lollipop + Flyme 4.5I	Android 4.4.4 + Flyme 4.2.0.3I
SIM card	nanoSIMx2	microSIMx2

Meizu M2 Note, the review of which this article will be devoted to, quickly broke into the mobile phone market and managed to quickly find its fans on it. The Chinese company Meizu released this smartphone as an improved model of the predecessor Meizu M1 Note, which also managed to gain great popularity among buyers. The device received some details that the M1 did not have, due to which the manufacturer was able to expand the technical capabilities of the entire line as a whole.

The model was released in 2015, equipped with a 64-bit MediaTek MT6753 processor equipped with 8 ARM Cortex-A53 cores. The clock frequency is 1.3 GHz. As a graphics card, the model provides an ARM Mali-T720 MP3 chip. This stuffing is intended for high-performance devices of the middle segment. Regarding the capabilities, it is worth saying that in various benchmarks, the device demonstrates a high level of performance. In particular, this is confirmed by high scores in AnTuTu, 3DMark Sling Shot and 3DMark Ice Storm Extreme.

Such an internal filling will allow you to quickly open any programs, broadcast high-quality video with a high resolution format, and perfectly cope with the work of gaming applications. For example, the phone performs well in games such as Mortal Kombat X and Real Racing.

Design

This device is presented in various colors: white, gray, blue and pink. Such a selection of a color palette will appeal to both lovers of bright and original things, and connoisseurs of a more restrained appearance of devices. The case is made of polycarbonate, and depending on the color of the case, it can have either a glossy or matte surface. In terms of ergonomics, the device is made in a fairly compact size, due to which the phone is very convenient to use. The length of the case is 151 mm, the width is 75 mm, the thickness is 8.7 mm, and the weight is 149 grams.

At the top of the front panel are: speech speaker, front camera, light and proximity sensors. At the bottom is a multifunctional combination key, which is both a mechanical and a touch button. In order to execute a command "Home", the button must be pressed hard, and to return to the previous screen, a simple touch must be made. If the button is pressed and held for a long time, the voice assistant opens.

The main camera is located on the back of the phone, and below it is a dual LED flash. On the left side are: a rocker key that controls the volume, a button to turn on the device. On the right side there are slots for two nano-format SIM cards (or for one SIM and one micro-SD memory card). On the top end there is a 3.5 mm mini-jack audio jack, and on the bottom end there are: the main speaker, a microphone and a micro-USB port for connecting a charger.

Display

The second Meizu Note adopted a lot from the M1 Note in terms of screen parameters. In particular, the screen size is also 5.5 inches, the resolution is Full HD (1080x1920 pixels), the density is 400 pixels per inch. The manufacturer equipped the display with a matrix from the world famous company Sharp - IGZO IPS OGS. The width of the side frame of the screen from the body is approximately 3 mm, and the top and bottom - 15 mm. Due to such parameters, it seems that only one display is placed on the front part, without additional inserts.

As for the quality of the screen, it is worth noting that the broadcast picture is distinguished by great detail, excellent color reproduction and high contrast. The reserve of brightness is sufficient for comfortable use of the phone both indoors and in bright sunlight outdoors. The image quality remains stable at various viewing angles, but the brightness level decreases slightly. You can adjust the color temperature in your phone settings. Thanks to the built-in multi-touch function, the screen can withstand 10 simultaneous finger touches.

To increase the life of the screen, the manufacturer has provided in it a tempered Dragontrail glass, which is additionally coated with an oleophobic coating. In the case where fingerprints remain, they can be easily and quickly removed.

Sound

This model took over from the M1 Note high technical characteristics in terms of sound. In particular, both headphones and speakers boast clear, bright and rich sound. The sound is very loud, has a wide range of frequencies, the sound quality is not distorted at high volume levels. Regarding the conversational dynamics, we can say that he also copes with his functions perfectly and perfectly broadcasts the voice of the interlocutor with all the intonations and timbre.

The phone has a branded audio file player, which has a large widget on the screen. In the player settings, you can adjust the equalizer, as well as improve the sound quality due to a specially provided function (it is available when listening to music on headphones). The player supports many audio formats: MP3, WAV, WMA, FLAC and others.

As in its predecessor, there is no radio in this device, but there is a voice recorder that allows you to make audio recordings, which is also convenient for making voice notes.

cameras

The device is equipped with two cameras: main (13 megapixels) and front (5 megapixels). The main camera lens is presented in the form of a 5-element lens with f / 2.2 aperture. The manufacturer took care of the durability of the lens by equipping it with impact-resistant Gorilla Glass 3. To ensure high-quality photos and videos, the camera uses a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor, which is one of the most popular types of photo sensors in mobile phones.

The main camera has a maximum photography resolution of 4160×3120 pixels and supports the following resolution formats: Ultra HD (4K, 3840×2160) Quad HD (2560×1440) Full HD (1920×1080) HD (1280×720). For video recording, the maximum resolution is HD (1280x720), with a shooting speed of 30 fps (frames per second).

The phone has a digital camera zoom, thanks to which the object being filmed is enlarged by software. This option has a 4X ratio, which allows you to zoom in on the subject without losing its image quality. Also in the settings there is an autofocus mode, in which the camera independently adjusts the sharpness of the object. There is an appropriate detector for automatic face detection. Connoisseurs of panoramic photography will be able to take photos in the form of unfolded panoramas.

In addition, the main camera settings provide white balance adjustment, ISO setting, macro photography, night mode and much more.

The front camera in the device is presented in the form of an OmniVision OV5670 sensor, has a wide-angle lens with a 4-element lens and f / 2.0 aperture. It supports shooting resolution formats: Quad HD (2560×1440) Full HD (1920×1080) HD (1280×720). This camera does an excellent job of creating high-quality selfies.

Memory and memory card

This line of phones includes models with 2 GB of RAM, but the amount of internal memory can be 16 GB or 32 GB. The phone is equipped with LPDDR3 800 MHz RAM, which is quite a common type in this price segment. The amount of internal memory can be increased up to 128 GB, thanks to the support of memory cards, which the M1 Note was deprived of. Meizu M2 Note supports memory card formats: micro-SDXC, micro-SDHC and micro-SD.

The phone has a "hot-swap cards" option, which allows you to change cards without having to turn off the device.

Connection

The smartphone in question supports a large number of mobile networks in demand in many countries. In particular, the device works with networks: GSM, UMTS, TD-SCDMA, LTE. Also, the phone is equipped with support for a modern and high-speed mobile data transfer standard - 4G.

For wireless connection to the Internet, as well as to other devices, the device has a built-in WI-FI receiver. Moreover, due to the hotspot option, the phone can function as a WI-FI router and be used as an Internet access point for other devices. For wireless transmission of information to other devices, the device has Bluetooth version 4.0.

The manufacturer also equipped the smartphone with a built-in GPS receiver, which receives signals from the global satellite system. In addition to GPS, the device supports the Russian navigation system GLONASS.

Battery life and performance

The smartphone is equipped with a Li-Ion (lithium-ion) battery with a capacity of 3100 mAh. This parameter is very common in this price segment of smartphones. Regarding the battery capabilities, its resources are enough for about 20 hours: about half an hour of telephone conversations, about 4-6 hours for using 4G mobile data transfer, about 15 hours for browsing the Internet via a WI-FI connection. In a more economical power consumption mode (without using 4G, several hours of work via WI-FI), the device can work for 2 days.

It takes just over two hours to fully charge the battery.

operating system

The device runs on the operating system Android 5.1 Lollipop with a proprietary shell Flyme OS 4.5.1, which largely changed the familiar Lollipop interface. Flyme OS is made in Material Design style. This OS has a number of its features:

1. It does not have an application bar: icons of all applications are automatically added to existing desktops. These tables themselves have a letter designation. By clicking on the letters, you can quickly switch between tables.
2. The settings application contains section icons that are placed in a separate panel located on the left side. Sometimes it happens that the section names do not fit in the field, since the shell was originally provided for hieroglyphs, which take up less space than letters.
3. It has a proprietary SmartTouch function, provided for universal access. It is designed as a button located on top of the programs, and the transparency level of this button can be adjusted in the settings. This key is designed to make menu navigation easier for people with special needs. Also, using this button, it is convenient to switch between open applications without having to open the taskbar.

1. A large number of pre-installed programs in Chinese, however, they are non-system and can be removed if necessary.
2. The device has a Flyme account, which has its own application store. Google Play apps need to be downloaded and installed by yourself.

Outcome

Summing up the review, we can say that this smartphone from Meizu turned out to be interesting, high-performance, standing out among other phones in its price niche with high-quality stuffing, original appearance and functionality. The smartphone will especially please photography enthusiasts, since the main camera supports many shooting formats, settings and modes of operation.

Due to the capacious battery, the phone can work for quite a long time. The device also gained support for external memory cards, which will allow the user to significantly increase the amount of stored information.

Video review M2 Note will help to supplement the above information and will allow you to make the most detailed impression of the device. In the video, you can see the device in operation and evaluate its functionality and features in more detail.

Meizu has confused users with its cunning strategy. We are all used to the fact that each next generation of smartphones receives improvements in a number of characteristics. Many expected this from the Meizu M2 Note. However, the manufacturer chose a different path, updating the device in a minimal way, while retaining its basic parameters. The M2 Note received the same display, RAM, storage, and cameras as the previous model. As for the processor, it has become even worse due to a weaker video accelerator. True, it is worth recognizing that the cost of the M2 Note is 20% lower than that of the M1 Note.

I have been a happy owner of Meizu M1 Note for about 4 months now, and in the review I will try to tell everything about the second generation of this smartphone and compare these two devices.

Characteristics

• Processor: Mediatek MT6753 (8-core Cortex-A53 @ 1.3GHz)
• Video accelerator: Mali-T720
• Communication: 2G: 900/1800 MHz, 3G: 900/2100 MHz, 4G: 1800/2100/2600 MHz
• Number of SIM cards: 2
• WiFi: 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4GHz/5GHz)
• Bluetooth 4.0
• Navigation: GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
• Screen: 5.5 inches, resolution 1920x1080 IGZO (Sharp)
• Protective coating: AGC Dragontrail/NEG T2X-1
• Operating system: Android 5.1 Lollipop (Flyme OS 4.5.1A)
• RAM: 2 GB
• Built-in storage: 16 GB
• Memory card support: up to 128 GB
• Front camera: 5 MP OmniVision OV5670
• Primary camera: 13 MP module from Samsung, 5-element lens, aperture f/2.2
• Battery capacity: 3100 mAh
• Dimensions: 150.9 x 75.2 x 8.7mm
• Weight: 149g

The company listened to users and released a smartphone not only in colorful glossy cases but also in a matte dark gray version, which is familiar to us from the MX4 and MX4 Pro. The power button has moved from the top edge of the device to the left side. Now it is easier to press it, there is no need to reach out and shift the smartphone in your hand.

Smartphone package is minimal. The manufacturer put in the box with the smartphone only a 2A charger, a microUSB cable, documentation in Chinese, and a branded clip to remove the SIM card tray.

Changes have also been made to the on-screen controls. The M1 used the touch "circle", which managed to become Meizu's trademark. In M2, the manufacturer decided to use a mechanical-touch key, which performs a triple function. With a light touch on the center key, the user can go back, pressing returns us to the home screen, and long pressing (about 3 seconds) either blocks the smartphone or turns on the Chinese voice assistant.

Meizu M2 Note received an excellent, juicy and bright display with a diagonal of 5.5 inches and a resolution of 1920x1080. The protective coating has been changed. If the manufacturer used Corning Gorilla Glass 3 in the M1 Note, then the M2 Note received the AGC Dragontrail (Asahi Dragontrail).

One of the articles pointed out that the M2 does not have an oleophobic coating, unlike the M1. Personally, I didn't feel any difference. Both smartphones easily collect fingerprints, which are also easily wiped off.

If desired, in the settings you can change the color temperature of the image.

It is difficult to judge the reliability of the AGC Dragontrail, as much depends on how you will use the device. My M1 Note has retained its perfect appearance during operation (including thanks to the case), and there is not a single scratch on the screen.

The release of Meizu M2 Note was essentially a downgrade from the previous version in terms of some characteristics. The new model (M2) received a weaker Mediatek MT6753 processor. While the number and type of cores remain the same (8 x Cortex-A53), the Mediatek MT6753 has a lower clock speed (1.3 GHz versus 1.7 GHz for the MT6752) and a weaker video accelerator (Mali-T720 instead of Mali-T760).

I can not say that the smartphone is weak. It is enough for all tasks, even for cool and demanding games. True, in these demanding games, the FPS is significantly lower than that of the M1 Note. You can watch a video testing both devices in World of Tanks Blitz.

If on the M1 Note the frame rate is kept at ~55 FPS, then on the M2 Note the FPS is only 32-38. Specifically, in WOT Blitz, this is not so critical, since you can easily play on both devices, but in the future, M2 Note may not be able to cope with cooler games that will run on the first generation without any problems.

The storage capacity of the Meizu M2 Note, like the M1 Note, is 16 or 32 GB. At the same time, the manufacturer made it possible to install a memory card in the second slot for a SIM card. This decision may seem inconvenient for those who are used to using 2 SIM cards and a memory card, but as they say: it's better to have than not to have. The manufacturer claims support for memory cards up to 128 GB.

The smartphone received a battery with a capacity of 3100 mAh. According to the test results, the autonomy of the smartphone has become slightly worse compared to the M1 Note. The smartphone is able to live at maximum load for about 4 hours. You can watch movies at maximum brightness and Wi-Fi on for up to 9 hours. These figures can be considered good, especially compared to other Chinese smartphones.

When the charge level drops below 20%, you can turn on a special power saving mode.

I can’t say anything special about the sound of the smartphone. The sound quality is not bad, while the volume level can hardly be called excessive. The kit does not come with a headset, so it is not possible to check the sound quality in the headphones.

Out of the box, the smartphone ran on Android 5.1 with Flyme OS 4.5.0A proprietary shell. At the same time, most of the tinctures and menu items have not been translated into Russian. A few days later, a major update weighing about 900 MB to Flyme OS 4.5.1A flew through the air. After the update, the system became completely Russian.

A special application "personalization" is built into the firmware. This application is completely in Chinese, but do not be afraid of it. Everything is intuitive and simple. Here you can find a huge number of both paid and free Flyme OS themes that noticeably change the interface. In other personalization sections, you can find beautiful wallpapers and ringtones with popular Chinese songs.

Many people say that Meizu is sold without a pre-installed Play Store, but this is not entirely true. I had the Play Market right out of the box, while the box itself had a factory sticker-print, and the store did not open it. However, even if you did not find the Google app store in your place, you should not be upset. You can get it easily and simply, and for this you do not need to root your smartphone or even connect it to a computer.

If for some reason you decide to reset your smartphone, then the Play Store, like all Google services, will disappear. You can restore them in the presence of wireless Internet in a couple of minutes. You can see a detailed guide in the next video.

If we talk about getting Root rights, then it also comes down to performing a number of simple functions. You just need to create a Flyme account and open access to the system. A detailed description with pictures of how to do this can be found at the following link.

Starting with the Flyme OS 4.5.2 firmware version, Meizu cuts out the Russian language from all smartphones, except for the international i-version. Therefore, if your firmware version contains any letter other than i, you will lose the Russian language during the update. There are two ways out: do not update the firmware above 4.5.1 or update and “finish” the firmware.

One of the main advantages of Meizu M2 Note, compared to the previous generation, is full support for LTE networks. If M1 worked in the Band 1, 3, 38 and 41 frequency bands, then M2 boasts the following list: Band 1, 3, 7, 38, 39, 40 and 41. It was possible to increase the number of supported standards by switching to the Mediatek MT6753 chipset, which is equipped with a built-in LTE modem.

As expected, the smartphone supports GPS and GLONASS. The first "cold" start took 33 seconds, with all subsequent launches, the satellites are connected almost instantly.

Apparently, both cameras in the smartphone remained the same as they were in the Meizu M1 Note. Therefore, you can expect good pictures from them. As for video recording, it is possible with a maximum resolution of 1080p.

The camera supports manual shooting mode with selectable ISO, exposure, shutter speed and manual focus. In addition, there is a set of ready-made modes: automatic, slow motion, QR code scanner, focus change, panorama and portrait.

This is what panorama shots look like. Moreover, this is about a third of the maximum size of the panorama.

As for slow motion video, the quality in Slow Motion mode is noticeably reduced, and the resolution is only 640 x 480.

Has Meizu succeeded in improving the M1 Note smartphone? Yes and no. If you abandoned the first model due to the lack of LTE and a memory card slot, then Meizu M2 Note is the smartphone for you. If you are an avid gamer and cannot live without games on your smartphone, then you should think about it, because the video accelerator in the M2 Note has become noticeably worse. As for the rejection of the touch circle and the transition to a mechanical-touch key under the screen - here the choice is purely subjective, who likes what more. In general, given that the price of M2 Note is lower than M1 Note, the model turned out to be quite good and will definitely find its buyer.

Excellent display
+ Price
+ Support for Russian LTE frequencies
+ The presence of a slot for memory cards (instead of the second nanoSIM)

Performance (compared to M1 Note)

The Chinese concern Meizu, as you know, is actively presenting itself on the market as an “iPhone killer”. This, at least, can be concluded after viewing the advertising of the company. In addition, the external design of the smartphone, its high technical capabilities can be a confirmation of this. Given all this, the phones of this brand can really be considered by buyers as “cheap iPhone analogs”. It is not surprising that developers actively use this “status” for their own purposes.

In this article, we will talk about one of the devices that is quite in demand on the market, released by the company. We are talking about the smartphone Meizu M2 Note. The features of the phone are really amazing. Despite its low cost, the model also has a very attractive design. The build quality of the device and its stability are not far behind. In general, we will not get ahead of ourselves, but simply conduct a more detailed review of the device so that you understand what is at stake.

Positioning

Surprisingly, Meizu does not hide its imitation of the main “apple” concern, which sets the fashion in the world of smartphones. This is reported not only by advertising slogans, but also by the features of the body of the model, its external design. What is the “Home” button, made in the likeness of the iPhone 5S.

Due to this “image”, a double situation arises. On the one hand, the device is only a copy, a likeness of the original Apple, which does not seem at all unusual: recently, many companies have been producing analogues of “top” smartphones. On the other hand, the situation is also observed in the second, positive aspect. It's about attraction.

The characteristics attributed to the Meizu M2 Note device, customer reviews are called only one of the factors that made them purchase this model. In addition, this also includes the price, as well as appearance. Despite the fact that everyone understands perfectly well where it came from originally and what the Chinese are trying to copy, this kind of design is always a success, which Meizu did not fail to take advantage of in its activities.

Design

The body of the Meizu M2 Note (we will present the characteristics of the device a little later) is made of polycarbonate, which lies pleasantly in the hand. The texture (depending on the model) is matte or glossy - this is the choice of the user. Common features, as already noted, are strongly reminiscent of the iPhone - these are rounded corners on the back of the case and a direct transition between glass and cover in front. To give the model rigidity, a metal base is installed inside, so to speak, a frame.

The back cover of the model should not be removed at all, all functional holes are provided in the side of the case. Therefore, it is easy to guess that the SIM card and memory card get into the phone with the help of special “sliders”, and the slots here open, as in the “apple friend” - with the help of a needle.

The general appearance of the device (the way it lies in the hand and behaves when squeezed) allows us to draw a positive conclusion about the smartphone (and its assembly) in general. We did not manage to make the Meizu M2 Note (we will give the characteristics a little further) to creak, we did not manage to cause backlash and movement of individual elements of the case. Therefore, with confidence we praise the Chinese, who assembled the phone so well.

CPU

And now let's go directly to the filling of the model. And first of all, let's start with the “heart” of any gadget. The characteristics of the Meizu M2 Note smartphone show us that the model is equipped with a processor that includes 8 cores. The clock frequency of each (in normal operation) is 1.3 GHz - this is a good indicator. Thanks to its high performance, the gadget behaves perfectly when interacting with “heavy” games in the graphic sense, playing them without any hitches or any unpleasant “freezes”.

2 GB of RAM also has a similar effect - it significantly increases the reaction speed and "aliveness" of the device, its capabilities. What users say about Meizu M2 Note? Are they satisfied with the characteristics? The phone is really fast enough, and it's all thanks to the "heart".

Screen

The smartphone has a classic recent display, the diagonal size of which is 5.5 inches. With such an indicator, the screen resolution of 1920x1080 pixels seems simply fantastic, which is why the actual image density on the Meizu M2 Note 16Gb (characteristics will not lie) reaches 401 dots per square inch.

The quality of the picture can be called very high. You can verify this both in your own practice, simply by picking up the phone, and through an analysis of the technical indicators that are mentioned in the specifications. So, such a high density is able to give a very accurate, clear and sharp image, and IPS technology allows you to provide the smartphone with the proper brightness and color saturation, which is also important.

On another positive side, I would like to mention the design of the screen. In this case, the developer applied the method of painting the panel (top and bottom faces). Due to this, visually the frames may seem much smaller than they really are. True, the practical effect of this approach is minimal - it is done purely “for beauty”.

operating system

If we talk about the software that controls the smartphone, we should note the Google Android shell, which is unchanged on this kind of device. True, the peculiarity of Meizu M2 Note 16Gb (the characteristics will also confirm this information) is that Flyme graphic add-on is installed on top of the “native” Android interface. It endows the smartphone with an interface design (the icons you will see here may be unusual for you if you have not worked with Meizu before); some options (for example, the SmartTouch function); and even ways of introducing information (perception of user gestures).

Thanks to this, we can say that the foundation of the device is the familiar Google platform, while the manufacturer has developed its own set of programs that make interaction with a smartphone more convenient and comfortable. It is also worth saying that Meizu continues to support its “shell”, releasing all new updates. You can download them directly via a Wi-Fi connection (without installing additional programs).

Camera

Of course, when describing the characteristics of the device, it is also necessary to indicate the capabilities of its camera. After all, the function of photography and video recording are key for any smartphone.

As stated in the documentation, the device has a camera, the matrix of which has a resolution of 13 megapixels. This is enough to create colorful, clear and color-rich photographs. So they come out, at least when a picture is taken in good light. In other conditions, slight changes in the picture may occur. User reviews note that it is best to use the Meizu M2 Note camera (the technical characteristics of which you already know) for private shooting - create an avatar on a social network, take a picture of text, and so on.

Battery

Another important point is the autonomy of the device. It directly depends on how much the battery has. In the case of the M2 Note, the developers used a battery with a capacity of 3100 mAh. Given, however, a bright screen and a powerful processor, the charge is only enough for 10-12 hours of active use or 1-1.5 days of moderate load.

conclusions

No wonder the mobile phone that we described above is so popular. As the specifications describing the Meizu M2 Note Mini show, the device is really good in all plans. It looks great, has an adequate price, has the widest functionality and, in addition, can boast of stable operation.

Buyers clearly praise the device, positively note its qualities and make reviews in which they clearly recommend purchasing such a model. All this, as you understand, is favorably displayed on the image of the entire company. In recent years, smartphones of this brand have become quite expected in world markets.

The question is, what else do you need from a smartphone of this class? Apparently, the developers at Meizu asked this question when designing this model. And, it should be noted, they managed to find a solution that can satisfy the needs of users.

Meizu has long been known outside of China for producing, though not the cheapest, but high-quality and interesting smartphones. And not so long ago, the company thought that it was necessary to gradually begin to capture the market for budget devices. Thought and released Meizu M1 Note. And six months later, they thought more and released the second version - M2 Note. And if the first version of the device visited our review, then the review of the second would be reduced to three phrases - they added a button, set a weaker percentage and lowered the price. All. But, since we did not get acquainted with the M1 Note, we will consider the novelty in detail and from all sides.

Meizu M2 Note video review

Appearance

Meizu phones are often credited with resemblance to Apple products. And if the models from the older MX line are similar to the regular iPhone, then the M Note line is the iPhone 5C. The same plastic and multi-colored. There are options for white, blue and pink, shiny and glossy. In the first version, there were also green and yellow colors, but they decided to remove them, apparently they were not popular. But they added an option in gray with a matte cover, which undoubtedly adds solidity to the device. And in general, in gray it looks much more like the MX4, even the language does not dare to call it a budget “little brother”, it looks and feels so good in the hand.

In terms of size, the phone is quite comparable to other 5.5-inch models - larger than, but less than, and only 150 grams of weight. The lock button and the volume rocker are located on the left side, they lie right under the finger, they click tightly and clearly. On the right side is a card tray - here you can insert either two nano SIM cards, or one and a memory card up to 128 GB. Below is a regular microUSB connector, and on the sides of it are holes for a microphone and a speaker, which are completely unlike anyone else, yeah. Headphone jack on top, there is another microphone. On the back there is a black round camera, which, by the way, does not stick out at all, a two-color flash and the Meizu logo.

The front panel is completely covered with Dragontrail glass, and even slightly recessed into the body, which, in theory, should additionally protect the screen from scratches, even if you put the phone face down on the table. With an oleophobic coating, there is about the same trouble as the OnePlus One - it seems to be there, but not very good. It gets dirty well, wipes off as lucky.

Above the screen, you can see a neat mesh of the earpiece and a small front camera eye. There are light sensors and an LED indicator near the speaker, but you still have to try hard to see them.

Well, finally, the main difference between M2 Note and M1 is the button under the screen. It's no secret that one of Meizu's chips has always been a round touch key under the screens. Now the company seems to be abandoning this decision in favor of a mechanical key - the last three models (MX4 Pro, MX5 and M2 Note) confirm this. Unlike the same MX5, a fingerprint scanner is not built into the key here (which is not at all surprising for a budget device), but the key itself can still be pressed or tapped.

In this case, tap works like a “Back” button, and pressing (accompanied by a very clear click) works like “Home”. At first, by the way, the button lived its own life - sometimes it perceived pressing as touching, and sometimes it completely ignored interaction with itself. But, apparently, the problem was at the software level, because after the first system update everything began to work like clockwork - all clicks and touches are recognized as they should, there are no false positives either.

I would like to say that there are no complaints about the build quality, but this is not entirely true. The SIM card tray wobbles slightly in its slot and sticks out of the case by a fraction of a millimeter. And thanks to its location, at first you constantly mistake it for a lock button and try to press it with your thumb. Otherwise, everything is very good - not the slightest hint of squeaks and backlash, the smartphone feels very solid and monolithic, and even with an eye on the price tag of $ 160, it’s generally perfect.

Display

Hidden under the glass is a 5.5-inch IPS screen with IGZO technology from Sharp. FullHD resolution, which gives 400 ppi (Finally, Meizu stopped making phones with an exotic aspect ratio). There is no air gap between the glass and the display itself, which is why viewing angles are close to maximum.

True, when viewed at an acute angle from some sides, the picture fades slightly, but this is unlikely to cause discomfort in everyday use. But what can be the uneven illumination - there is a clear light along the bottom edge, and alas, this is not a problem specifically for our specimen. Apparently, although the budget device got a matrix from Sharp, it is more budget.

But there are no complaints about the brightness - the maximum allows you to absolutely comfortably use your smartphone under the scorching sun, while the minimum does not burn out the retina in the dark. The auto-adjustment is generally adequate, although it does occasionally dim the brightness when you take the phone out of your pocket.

Color rendition is generally good, without blockages in any direction. The colors are very juicy and saturated, so much so that sometimes you wonder if it's AMOLED at all. But here, fortunately, nothing is blue and green. For those who like to adjust the color temperature, such an opportunity is provided in the settings.

cameras

The main camera module here is manufactured by Samsung, 13 megapixels with f / 2.2 aperture. The camera does not start very quickly, and even at startup you never know in advance where the focus point will be, because autofocus works according to your mood. This, of course, makes it almost impossible to use the camera in point-n-shoot mode - you almost always have to first poke your finger into the screen to focus. As for the quality of photos, it is quite consistent with the budget smartphone. But, of course, it is unlikely that anyone will demand from a budget model the capabilities of some kind of photo flagship.

In good light, such as on a sunny day, the photos are quite good, with very natural colors and white balance. In more difficult conditions - at dusk, or with not the best artificial lighting, you will already need to try to get a blurry picture. But with very weak light (and even more so in its absence), it is better not to turn on the camera. For the first thing you will see will be a purple flare on one side of the frame, and the second - terrible noises throughout its area. Of course, there is a flash and it is even two-color, but it is better to use it only as a flashlight.

The video camera writes in 1080p at 30 frames, well, or in 720p at 60.

The front camera received 5 megapixels, f / 2.0 aperture and a wide angle of 69 degrees. It is enough for selfies and video calls, but what else do you need from a front camera? Of course, there is a “face enhancer” mode in real time, and then on the finished photo you can even make yourself a make-up. The front camera writes video in 1080p, so young vloggers can be calm.

Separately, I would like to say a few words about the camera application, because it is very convenient. There are several modes here:

• Manual - yes, yes, fully manual, with shutter speed, ISO, exposure and manual focus
• Beauty - the same face enhancer
• Panorama
• Light Field - the ability to change the focus on the finished photo
• QR and barcode scanner
• Slow motion video mode

Switching between modes occurs by swiping from side to side. For some reason, among the modes there was no place for HDR, it is hidden in the settings. There you can also find the separation of focus points and exposure metering, which can come in handy even when shooting in automatic mode.

Filling

Inside, there is an MT6753 processor with 8 Cortex A53 cores with a frequency of 1.3 GHz, complete with a Mali T720 MP3 graphics accelerator and 2 GB of LPDDR3 RAM. In synthetic tests, this bundle gives average scores, while the interface as a whole works smoothly, without any slowdowns or lags. Only the launch time of applications is sometimes frankly frustrating.
But with what everything is very sad here, it's with games. The graphics chip has become much weaker compared to the M1 Note and you can forget about heavy games. Of course, it will be possible to play them, but there is little pleasure - get ready for slowdowns and low fps even at medium graphics settings in Asphalt or Mortal Kombat.

The internal memory of the M2 Note can be either 16, like ours, or 32 GB. The device supports two SIM cards, and both can work in LTE (thanks to MT6753 for this). The radio module, as usual, is one. There is no NFC antenna, no infrared blaster, but otherwise everything is standard with communications - Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, GPS and GLONASS.

The speaker and microphone are normal, when talking, everyone can hear everyone well. The external speaker is quite loud, but you should not listen to music on it, of course. But in the headphones, the volume is sometimes not enough, but this can be corrected in the engineering menu if necessary.

shell

All this happiness works under the control of Meizu's proprietary Flyme operating system. here it is version 4.5.2 and is built on the basis of Android 5.1.

Lyrical digression

There are several versions of the system (you can identify them by the letter at the end of the version):

I- international, from the word International. It has Google services out of the box, there is no nonsense like Chinese social networks and there are many languages. It is pre-installed on phones sold outside of China, but you can’t install it manually on the Chinese version.

C, U- versions for the Chinese market, they do not have pre-installed Google services, but there is a lot of Chinese software that is difficult to cut out.

A- a universal version that can be installed over C or U. It still does not have Google services, but there is little Chinese software and it can be easily removed. But the main thing, starting from version 4.5.2, there is no Russian language in it. And there is no Ukrainian. There are only English and hieroglyphs. Why and why - it is not clear, but the fact.

So, when ordering a phone from China, be prepared to dance a little around it with a tambourine. And if you want Russian, look for the version with the letter I. In Russia, this should not be a problem, but Meizu is not officially represented in Ukraine, so you have to look.

It will be very difficult to recognize Lollipop here, after all, Flyme is very different from bare Android. And you can write about it for a long time and tediously, so we will focus only on the main features.

From the amenities:

• There is support for gestures on the off screen - unlock, start, cameras, control music or launch applications at your discretion.
• Virtual multifunctional joystick. It will hang on the screen on top of all applications and react to interactions in the way you set it up. For example, a swipe to the left of it is the “Back” action, a swipe to the right is “Home”, etc. It can be considered such a virtual replacement for the same touch button with its gestures.
• Themes - for themes and icons there is a separate store in which this goodness for every taste and color.

But it was not without jambs:

• There is a system application “Security”, which also deals with the performance of the device and decides which of the applications can live in the background. So get ready to periodically look there in order to resolve something for someone. Because not only can you not listen to music through Google Music, but even notifications from your favorite messengers will not come.
• Speaking of notifications. If everything is set up in “Security”, then they come. But from some applications for some reason twice. As an example - GMail, you open the curtain, and there is one notification with a list of all new letters and a separate notification for each letter.
• Not a very user-friendly task manager. It is called by a swipe from the bottom of the screen and shows the last 8 applications. At the same time, he is not friends with Chrome and does not want to show the tabs separately, as it happens in naked Lollipop, so go to the Chrome settings and turn on the old view.

In general, Flyme is quite good - everything is fast, smooth, with nice animations. Lots of things you can customize. There is no menu with applications, everything is placed immediately on the desktop, just like you-know-where. And small bugs and jambs, hopefully, will be fixed with the next updates, fortunately Meizu does not immediately score on their phones.

autonomy

There are no miracles here. Batteries with a capacity of 3100 mAh are enough for a day and a half of normal use, you can focus somewhere on 4-5 hours of screen operation. At the same time, according to the sensations, initially the phone worked longer, but after the update, autonomy decreased. What this is connected with is not clear, but it is not pleasant enough. There is another unpleasant moment associated with autonomy - the phone is heavily discharged even if it is not used. So much so that it can lose about 20% of the charge overnight, just lying on the table. This, fortunately, is treated by disabling unnecessary Chinese software and disabling some of the background processes, but without dancing with a tambourine, be prepared for surprises.

In case the charge tends to zero, and you are still far from the outlet, a super-economical mode is provided. When you turn it on, the phone turns into an ordinary dialer - all background processes and communications are turned off, except, in fact, calls and SMS.

Conclusion

As a result, we have a device with an excellent screen, good autonomy and a camera, and, albeit rather weak, but sufficient for comfortable everyday use of iron. Add here support for two SIM cards (also with LTE, if you are not in Ukraine and you have one) and a memory card if necessary. Pretty good set, like for $160. For this money, it will be difficult to find competitors for the M2 Note. Some will have a smaller battery, others will have a worse camera, others will turn out to be just a dumb brick. And to find something with such a screen in this price category is generally not very realistic.

• you need an inexpensive but high-quality device
• you are not interested in games
• you are not afraid of dancing with a tambourine around Chinese firmware

What can stop you from buying:

• you have a severe allergy to “Chinese brands”
• you need everything to work perfectly here and now out of the box
• you can't live without tanks on your phone
• you already have Meizu M1 Note

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