Potential hit: Meizu M2 Note smartphone review. Meizu M2 Note smartphone review: budget station wagon Meizu m2 note 16gb mobile phone review

Unexpected change for the worse

Sometimes a situation happens when one of the manufacturers suddenly realizes with horror the shocking fact that he, by mistake or oversight, has launched an “ideal” product on the market. It just so happened in the modern world that among manufacturers there is an unspoken rule: never sell to consumers at an affordable price full-fledged, universal, products that meet all requirements. Which, in general, with a cynical approach to the issue, is probably justified. It happens extremely rarely, but this is what happened recently with the Meizu M1 Note smartphone. This mobile device suddenly gained extraordinary popularity both among specialists and ordinary users, becoming a kind of standard with which they began to compare literally any purchase of an average smartphone when it came to finding the most advantageous combination of price and quality. Real life cases demonstrated the same situation, when users, having acquired Meizu M1 Note, declared with full confidence that they now do not need more expensive flagship products. "Because they're not much better than the Meizu M1 Note, and they cost significantly more." All this, of course, frightened the representatives of the company, and they immediately rushed to replace their super-successful product with another one. Which was seemingly not very noticeable, but in some ways significantly simplified, and this step, obviously, brought peace to Meizu.

Indirectly, this is also confirmed by the fact that too soon after the Meizu M1 Note an update was released. At the same time, the M1 Note, which became overnight a legend, was quickly and without much noise removed from production. Who did not have time, he, as they say, was late. Now buyers have no choice: the company's budget line is closed by a really simple, completely unremarkable smartphone, which justifies its low price and does not excite the imagination of buyers - an ordinary middle peasant, of which there are many.

Key Features of Meizu M2 Note

	Meizu M2	Meizu M1	Zopo ZP920	Huawei Honor 6	Highscreen Zera U
Screen	5.5" IPS	5.5" IPS	5.2" IPS	5" IPS	5" IPS
Permission	1920×1080, 401ppi	1920×1080, 401ppi	1920×1080, 424ppi	1920×1080, 440ppi	1920×1080, 441ppi
SoC	Mediatek MT6753 (8x ARM Cortex-A53 @1.3GHz)		Mediatek MT6752 (8x ARM Cortex-A53 @1.7GHz)	HiSilicon Kirin 920 (4x ARM Cortex-A15 @1.7GHz + 4x ARM Cortex-A7)	MediaTek MT6592T (8x ARM Cortex-A7 @2.0GHz)
GPU	Mali-T720	Mali-T760	Mali-T760	Mali-T628 MP4	Mali 450MP
RAM	2 GB	2 GB	2 GB	3 GB	2 GB
Flash memory	16/32 GB	16/32 GB	16 GB	16/32 GB	16 GB
Memory card support	microSD	No	microSD	microSD	microSD
operating system	Google Android 5.1	Google Android 4.4	Google Android 4.4	Google Android 4.4	Google Android 4.4
Battery	non-removable, 3100 mAh	non-removable, 3140 mAh	removable, 2300 mAh	non-removable, 3100 mAh	removable, 2000 mAh
cameras		rear (13 MP, video 1080p), front (5 MP)	rear (13 MP, video 1080p), front (8 MP)	rear (13 MP), front (5 MP)	rear (13 MP, video 1080p), front (2 MP)
Dimensions and weight	151×75×8.7mm, 149g	151×75×8.9mm, 147g	145×73×8.7mm, 141g	140×70×7.5 mm, 130 g	134×70×8.8mm, 143g
average price	T-12672696	T-11883101	T-11872139	T-10891267	T-11914220
Retail offers Meizu M2 Note	L-12672696-10

SoC MediaTek MT6753, 1.3 GHz, 8 cores, ARM Cortex-A53
GPU Mali-T720 @450 MHz 3 cores
Operating system Android 5.1, Flyme OS 4.5
Touch display IPS IGZO (Sharp) 5.5″, 1920×1080, 401 ppi
Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB, internal memory 16/32 GB
Support Nano-SIM (2 pcs.)
MicroSD support up to 128 GB
Communication GSM 900/1800 MHz
Communication 3G HSDPA 900/2100 MHz
Data transmission LTE Cat.4 (150/50 Mbps) 1800/2100/2600 MHz
Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n (2.4/5 GHz), Wi-Fi hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth 4.0 BLE
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass
USB 2.0, OTG
Camera 13 MP, f/2.2, autofocus, 1080p video
Front camera 5 MP, OmniVision OV5670, f/2.0, fixed. focus
Gyroscope, proximity sensor, lighting, gravity, electronic compass
Battery 3100 mAh, non-removable
Dimensions 151×75×8.7 mm
Weight 149 g

Contents of delivery

Meizu M2 Note goes on sale in exactly the same flat and square box made of solid white cardboard, like its predecessor, only the inside has acquired a different color. The box is designed in a minimalist style: on the outside, only a couple of logos are applied on a snow-white background. The younger model did not receive the usual inner box, made in the form of a book.

The set of accessories is not rich: the box contains only a miniature charger with an output current of 2 A and a Micro-USB connecting cable, nothing else.

Just like in the case of the older models of the series, there were no headphones in the kit, but the box contains an empty socket for them, clogged with a plug with an unambiguous inscription.

Appearance and usability

The appearance of its Meizu M2 Note is practically no different from its predecessors. The company has found its own specific design, which it likes, and uses it in all of its new products, from expensive to budget. It is still the same simple, without additional decorating elements, a plastic lid-boat, rounded on all sides and streamlined.

There are no additional rims, inserts or even chamfers - one solid plastic trough glued to the display glass. Inside this molded polycarbonate body is a magnesium alloy metal frame.

The Meizu M2 Note smartphone is quite large in size, but due to significant roundings on the sides on the back, the device is quite comfortably held in the hand. The mass is small, the thickness is also not excessive, everything is within the permissible range.

The material used, polycarbonate, depending on the color of the M2 Note case, can have either a matte or glossy surface. The quality of materials and assembly do not cause any complaints: there are no squeaks, deflections of the back cover or crunches during compression, the Meizu M2 Note case gives the impression of a well-knit, securely assembled, durable product.

Since there is no removable cover here, the device received a corresponding option for attaching cards: a metal tray is inserted into the side slot and removed using the bundled key-clip. In this regard, there are many differences from the previous model: the format of supported SIM cards has changed to Nano-SIM, while it became possible to replace the second SIM card with a memory card. It is not clear what the user should do if he suddenly wants to insert a second SIM card, because the information stored on the memory card is probably not there so that it can be easily lost in case when you need support for a second SIM card. In general, this compromise with the need to choose between a second SIM card and a memory card looks ridiculous, and with such a large case, it is also completely unjustified.

As for the hardware mechanical control buttons, the changes here also did not benefit. The ill-fated power and lock key from the top end finally moved to its side, but it was placed right in the middle of the face, so that it is inconvenient to reach it with the index finger. Maybe, of course, the Chinese themselves have smaller hands, or they hold the smartphone somehow differently, but for European palms this button is clearly too low. However, for a left-hander, this option is even preferable.

The buttons themselves are large, easy to find blindly, but their movement is too hard and elastic, you have to press with considerable effort.

As for the other mechanical button, the one located on the front side under the screen, its stroke, on the contrary, is too soft and too short, although a distinct and rather loud click is heard when pressed. The most annoying thing is that, unlike the flagship models of the MX series, no fingerprint scanner is built into the button that looks exactly the same, which is a pity.

On the reverse side, everything is familiar and familiar: a large camera window, covered with protective glass Gorilla Glass 3, does not protrude at all from the surface. Next to it is a dual multi-colored flash of two LEDs.

There is no loudspeaker grille on the back side, it is located on the lower end of the case, made of several large round holes. Here, at the bottom, there is also a Micro-USB connector that supports OTG connection, and next to it is a hole for a conversational microphone.

An audio jack for a mini-jack with a diameter of 3.5 mm for connecting headphones is placed on the upper end. The connectors of the device are not covered with plugs; you can’t find fasteners for the strap on the case. The device did not receive protection from water and dust, support for wireless charging, too.

Regarding the variety of color options for Meizu M2 Note, we can say the following. There are three body colors (white, blue and pink), the surfaces of which are glossy and easily soiled, but the last, gray version, has a matte finish, not at all soiled, but slippery enough to hold in your hand. So, this is that infrequent case when ergonomics strongly depend on the color of the case, and here everyone must choose the most preferable option for himself.

Screen

Meizu M2 Note is equipped with an IPS touch matrix manufactured by Sharp / AUO, made using IGZO technology. The screen, by the way, unlike the M1 Note, is protected not by Gorilla Glass 3, but by AGC Dragontrail/NEG T2X-1. The physical dimensions of the screen are 68 × 121 mm, the diagonal is 5.5 inches, the resolution is 1920 × 1080 pixels, the dot density is 401 ppi.

The thickness of the frames from the edge of the screen to the edge of the case on the sides is about 3 mm, and 15 mm at the top and bottom. With such a large display, such frames look quite thin, although not record-breaking.

The brightness of the display can be adjusted manually, or you can use automatic adjustment. The multi-touch technology here allows you to handle 10 simultaneous touches. When you bring the smartphone to your ear, the screen is locked using the proximity sensor. The screen can be unlocked by double tapping on the glass.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the sections "Monitors" and "Projectors and TV" Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the test sample.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen may be slightly worse than the screen of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the off screens (on the left is Nexus 7, on the right is Meizu M2 Note, then they can be distinguished by size):

The screen of the Meizu M2 Note is slightly lighter (the brightness in the photos is 112 versus 108 for the Nexus 7). The doubling of reflected objects in the Meizu M2 Note screen is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the screen layers (more specifically, between the outer glass and the LCD matrix surface) (OGS type screen - One Glass Solution). Due to the smaller number of borders (glass-air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be changed. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (effective, but slightly worse than the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of ordinary glass.

With manual brightness control and with a white field displayed in full screen, the maximum brightness value was about 520 cd / m², the minimum was 1.7 cd / m². The maximum brightness is very high, and given the excellent anti-reflective properties, readability even on a sunny day outdoors will be at a high level. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. In the presence of automatic brightness control by light sensor (it is located to the right of the front speaker slot). In automatic mode, when the ambient light conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. This function depends on the position of the brightness slider. If it is at 100%, then in complete darkness, the automatic brightness adjustment function reduces the brightness to 200 cd / m² (too light), in an artificially lit office (about 400 lux) sets it to 290 cd / m² (too bright), in a very bright environment (corresponds to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) increases to a maximum of 520 cd / m² (which is what you need). Brightness slider at 50% - the values are as follows: 70, 170 and 520 cd / m² (the first value is bright, the rest are suitable), at 0% - 2.3, 30 and 520 cd / m² (the logic can be traced). In general, the automatic brightness adjustment function works more or less adequately, while, apparently, the best option would be a slider position between 0 and 50%. At any brightness level, there is virtually no backlight modulation, so there is no screen flicker.

This smartphone uses an IPS type matrix. Micrographs show a typical IPS sub-pixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screen has good viewing angles without significant color shift even at large deviations of the gaze from the perpendicular to the screen and without inverting shades. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of Meizu M2 Note and Nexus 7, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to about 200 cd / m² (over the white field in the entire screen), and the color balance on the camera was forcibly switched to 6500 K. The white field is perpendicular to the screens:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture:

The color reproduction is good and the colors are saturated on both screens (in the photo of the Meizu M2 Note screen, the saturation is higher due to a slight software increase in color contrast), the color balance differs slightly. Now at an angle of about 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens, but on the Meizu M2 Note, the contrast has decreased to a greater extent due to the strong black highlighting. And the white box:

The brightness at an angle at the screens has decreased (at least 5 times, based on the difference in shutter speed). However, the Meizu M2 Note screen is slightly darker at this angle. The black field, when deviated diagonally, is highlighted strongly, but remains conditionally neutral gray in hue. The photos below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is approximately the same!):

And from another angle:

When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is very good:

Contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is high - about 1050:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 23ms (12ms on + 11ms off). The transition between grayscale 25% and 75% (according to the numerical value of the color) and back in total takes 38 ms. The gamma curve constructed from 32 points with an equal interval according to the numerical value of the shade of gray did not reveal a blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.26, which is slightly higher than the standard value of 2.2. In this case, the real gamma curve deviates little from the power dependence:

The color gamut is very close to sRGB:

The spectra show that the matrix filters moderately mix the components to each other:

As a result, visually the colors have a natural saturation. The balance of shades on the gray scale is good, since the color temperature is close to the standard 6500 K, and the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is less than 10, which is considered acceptable for a consumer device. At the same time, the color temperature and ΔE change little from shade to shade - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since the color balance does not matter much there, and the measurement error of color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

This device has the ability to adjust the color balance by adjusting the hue warmer-colder.

However, even with the default value, the color temperature is close to the standard value, so there is no point in touching this setting. Moreover, when using this setting, the white point practically does not change, and the shades of gray turn pink or blue, such an imbalance looks just awful.

Let's summarize. The screen has a very high maximum brightness and has excellent anti-glare properties, so the device can be used outdoors without problems even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable level. It is permissible to use the mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works more or less adequately. The advantages of the screen include an effective oleophobic coating, the absence of an air gap in the layers of the screen and flicker, high contrast, as well as a color gamut close to sRGB and a good color balance. The disadvantages are the low stability of black to the deviation of the gaze from the perpendicular to the plane of the screen. Nevertheless, taking into account the importance of the characteristics for this particular class of devices, the screen quality can be considered high and even very high.

Sound

The Meizu M2 Note sounds pretty good for its level. Both in the dynamics and in the headphones, the sound is clear, bright, saturated with the entire frequency spectrum, the maximum volume level is satisfactory, there are no distortions or wheezing. The speaker clearly conveys all intonations and timbre, the voice of a familiar interlocutor remains recognizable.

To play music, a branded player with a large full-screen widget is used. In the player settings, it is possible to use the equalizer with preset values, as well as use the sound quality enhancement function by choosing from several different profiles of the Dirac HD Sound system, but all this becomes available only when headphones are connected.

The device is able to record telephone conversations from the line, for this it is enough to press the corresponding button in the interface of the telephone application right during the call. There is no FM radio in the device, as usual.

Camera

The set of physical camera modules for the hero of the review, apparently, is exactly the same as that of the Meizu M1 Note, but in terms of software processing, not everything is so simple. However, the final verdict on the quality of shooting will be given below, but for now we will list the physical characteristics of the sensors used. The smartphone is equipped with two modules of digital cameras with a resolution of 13 and 5 megapixels. The front camera here is equipped with a 5-megapixel OmniVision OV5670 sensor with a wide-angle lens with a 4-element lens and f / 2.0 aperture and does not have autofocus and flash. You can shoot on the front camera using the hardware volume control key, which is convenient when creating self-portraits. The picture quality is more than satisfactory for a selfie level.

The main camera still has the same 13-megapixel Samsung sensor with a 5-element lens with f / 2.2 aperture, fast autofocus and dual multi-color LED flash. The lens is protected by Gorilla Glass 3.

The shooting control menu is almost the same as in the previous model, but a little more simplified in its capabilities. There are also several modes: in addition to automatic and manual, the user is given the opportunity to additionally use panoramic, portrait modes, and specific ones, such as manual focus change and barcode recognition mode. Video has a slow motion mode. But the previously present macro modes and for the night time of the day disappeared.

The camera can shoot video in maximum resolution only up to 1080p, there are no 4K and 60 frames / sec modes. Sample test videos are shown below.

Clip #1 (26 MB, 1920× [email protected] fps)
Clip #2 (39 MB, 1920× [email protected] fps)
Movie #3 (30 MB, 1920× [email protected] fps)

	The camera handles noise in the shadows quite well.
	Good sharpness across the frame.
	Details in the foreground are worked out well, and even in the distance the camera is still trying.
	The camera is not suitable for artistic shooting.
	The text is well done.
	The camera copes with macro photography, however, a weak sensor is felt.
	Even with good lighting, you can see artifacts, but in general, everything is not so bad.
	The foliage quickly merges, but at least does not lose shape.

It seems that Meizu decided not to change the camera module. It is still not too bad and is quite acceptable for the budget segment. The camera does not always work out the details, but it tries, it does not suppress noise very accurately, but effectively, it does not abuse sharping. Perhaps there is nothing more to add, since we have already seen all this in the previous model.

In general, the camera is also well suited for not too demanding shooting in good light.

Telephone part and communications

The communication part is the only thing that has improved here compared to the previous model. And even then, these changes are not relevant for everyone, but only for residents of those countries where the LTE FDD 2600 MHz frequency is in use, as in Russia, for example. For the rest, including the Chinese themselves, adding one frequency to the total number of supported frequencies does not mean much, because in Asia a completely different 4G technology (TD LTE) is in use. As a result, Meizu M2 Note, unlike its predecessor, not only works as standard in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks, but also has full support for LTE networks in our country. With FDD LTE, the smartphone can now operate at frequencies of 1800/2100/2600 MHz.

The remaining network capabilities of the smartphone are typical: NFC, as usual, no, both Wi-Fi bands (2.4 and 5 GHz), Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Display are supported, you can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi channels or Bluetooth 4.0. The Micro-USB 2.0 connector supports the connection of external devices (USB Host, USB OTG), so you can connect flash drives and mice with keyboards to the Micro-USB port.

The navigation module works with both GPS (with A-GPS) and domestic Glonass. There are no complaints about the operation of the navigation module, the first satellites are detected during the first tens of seconds during a cold start. Among the sensors of the smartphone there is a magnetic field sensor, on the basis of which the digital compass of navigation programs works.

The smartphone supports two SIM-cards. When making a call, you can select the desired card, but you cannot pre-assign any of the SIM cards as the main one for organizing voice calls or sending SMS messages. A SIM card in any slot can work with 3G / 4G networks, however, only one of the cards can operate in this mode at the same time. To change the assignments of card slots, you do not need to swap places - this can be done directly from the phone menu. Working with two SIM-cards is organized according to the usual Dual SIM Dual Standby standard, when both cards can be in active standby mode, but cannot work at the same time - there is only one radio module.

OS and software

The device uses the Google Android software platform of the latest version 5.1 as a system, but you can’t see the proprietary Material Design interface here – everything is hidden and replaced with elements of Flyme OS’s own shell. The proprietary interface has the latest version number 4.5 with the possibility of further updates "over the air". However, in general, the average user will not find any noticeable changes here, and the change in the shell serial number is associated only with “sharpening” for the new fifth version of the Android OS.

The shell is exactly the same as in previous models. The interface is strict, concise, beautifully and clearly designed, all sections are correctly sorted, access to any settings is carried out in just a couple of clicks, the menu is intuitive, there are practically no extra programs.

As usual, great attention is paid to working with gestures, nothing changes in this regard. To make it easier to work with the huge screen with the fingers of one hand, a virtual SmartTouch button is provided. It can be installed anywhere on the screen, with its help it is possible to shift the image halfway down, so that it is easier to reach the upper elements. With the help of gestures, interaction with the menu of the last opened programs, the notification shade, unlocking the home screen, etc. is also performed. There are, as usual, no side touch keys below the screen, so some of their duties are assigned to the only central hardware button. For example, the function to go back one step. In general, despite some inconvenience associated with the constant need for "jewelry" work with gestures, Meizu's Flyme OS user interface is one of the most attractive, neat-looking, thoughtful and systematized alternative shells for working with Android OS.

Performance

The saddest piece of news regarding the changes made to the updated model is a noticeable setback in terms of hardware performance. Here, the entire system, including the CPU and GPU, has been significantly simplified and cut down, and therefore the new modification has become much less productive, and this has largely affected the gaming capabilities of the smartphone. Instead of a powerful graphics accelerator Mali-T760 with a core frequency of up to 700 MHz, it now uses a tri-core Mali-T720 with a core frequency of up to 450 MHz, which could not but negatively affect gaming performance.

The Meizu M2 Note hardware platform itself has also undergone significant changes in the direction of reducing the overall system power: now the smartphone is based on the MediaTek MT6753 single-chip system (SoC), in which the same eight Cortex-A53 processor cores operate at a frequency of only up to 1300 MHz, and not 1700 MHz, as was the case with the MediaTek MT6752 platform used in the M1 Note. The amount of RAM is still the same 2 GB, and the built-in memory is allotted, depending on the modification, 16 or 32 GB. MicroSD cards are supported, but then the user is deprived of the possibility of using a second SIM card.

According to the test results, as expected, the platform, cut down in all respects, also showed weaker results than the fast and productive SoC used in the previous model. There is not much to add here, Meizu M2 Note owners can expect lower scores in all tests and worse gaming performance than Meizu M1 Note owners.

Testing in the latest versions of AnTuTu and GeekBench 3 comprehensive benchmarks:

For convenience, we have summarized all the results obtained by us when testing a smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks in tables. Several other devices from various segments are usually added to the table, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry numbers). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison, it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.

Testing the graphics subsystem in 3DMark gaming tests,GFXBenchmark, and Bonsai Benchmark:

When testing in 3DMark for the highest performing smartphones, it is now possible to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (due to which the speed can rise above 60 fps).

	Meizu M2 (Mediatek MT6753)	Meizu M1 (Mediatek MT6752)	Alcatel OT Idol 3 5.5 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 615)	Samsung Galaxy A7 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 615)	LG G4 Stylus (Mediatek MT6592)
3DMark Ice Storm Extreme (more is better)	4251	6517	5281	5373	4567
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited (more is better)	6222	10606	7423	7700	6381
GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Onscreen)	12 fps	15 fps	15 fps	14 fps	16 fps
GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Offscreen)	12 fps	15 fps	14 fps	15 fps	12 fps
Bonsai Benchmark	2374 (34 fps)	3318 (47 fps)	1844 (26 fps)	1946 (28 fps)	2633 (38 fps)

Browser cross-platform tests:

As for benchmarks for evaluating the speed of the javascript engine, you should always take into account the fact that the results in them depend significantly on the browser in which they are launched, so that the comparison can be truly correct only on the same OS and browsers, and this possibility is not always available when testing. In the case of Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

thermal images

Below is a thermal image of the back surface (the lighter the shade, the higher the temperature), obtained after 10 minutes of running a battery test in the GFXBenchmark program:

It can be seen that the heating is noticeably higher in the upper left part of the device, which apparently corresponds to the location of the SoC chip. Localization of heating is well expressed, since the plastic case does not distribute heat well. According to the heat chamber, the maximum heating was 40 degrees, this is the average heating in this test among modern smartphones.

Video playback

To test the "omnivorous" when playing video (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern versions using processor cores alone. Also, do not expect everything from a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a table.

According to the test results, the subject was equipped with all the necessary decoders that are necessary for the full playback of most of the most common multimedia files on the network. That is, for their successful playback, you don’t even have to resort to the help of a third-party player - for example, MX Player, although playback in it will also be supported by the AC3 audio format, which is good news.

Format	container, video, sound	MX Video Player	Regular video player
DVDRip	AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL SD	AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL HD	MKV, H.264 1280x720 3000Kbps, AC3	plays normally	plays normally
BDRip 720p	MKV, H.264 1280x720 4000Kbps, AC3	plays normally	plays normally
BDRip 1080p	MKV, H.264 1920x1080 8000Kbps, AC3	plays normally	plays normally

Video output features tested Alexey Kudryavtsev.

We did not find an MHL interface, as well as Mobility DisplayPort, in this smartphone, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Methodology for testing video signal playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”). Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped to determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: resolution (1280 by 720 (720p) and 1920 by 1080 (1080p) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps) varied. In tests, we used the MX Player video player in Hardware mode. The test results are summarized in the table:

Note: If both columns Uniformity And Passes green ratings are set, this means that, most likely, when watching movies, artifacts caused by uneven interleaving and dropping frames will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems with the playback of the respective files.

According to the criterion for outputting frames, the quality of playing video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is good, since frames (or groups of frames) can (but are not required) to be displayed with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without gaps (except for options with 60 fps) frames. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 (1080p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, one to one in pixels, that is, in its original resolution. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235 - in the shadows, only a couple of shades closest to black do not differ from it in brightness, in the highlights all gradations of shades are displayed.

Battery life

Even in terms of the volume of the built-in battery, the Meizu M2 Note turned out to be weaker than its predecessor. The device received a less capacious battery (3100 mAh), although the difference is not so significant. And yet, the smartphone showed a noticeably worse level of autonomy in all usage scenarios than the previous model M1 Note.

	Battery capacity	Reading mode	Video mode	3D game mode
Meizu M2	3100 mAh	13:00	8:30 a.m.	4 a.m.
LG G4 Stylus	3000 mAh	12:30 pm	11:00 a.m.	4h 50m
Lenovo Vibe Z2	3000 mAh	18h 20m	12:00 p.m.	5h 40m
Meizu M1	3140 mAh	16h 40m	13h 20m	4h 45m
Samsung Galaxy A7	2600 mAh	22h 10m	12:00 p.m.	3h 20m
Samsung Galaxy A5	2300 mAh	14:00	11:00 a.m.	4h 20m
Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro	4000 mAh	13h 20m	8h 40m	4h 30m
Alcatel OT Idol 3 (5.5)	2910 mAh	17:00	8:30 a.m.	3h 20m

Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme, with auto scrolling) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd / m²) lasted until the battery was completely discharged for 13 hours, and when continuously watching high-quality video (720p) with the same brightness level via a home Wi-Fi network, the device lasted no more than 8.5 hours. In 3D gaming mode, the smartphone worked for 4 hours. Full charge time is about 2 hours 10 minutes.

Outcome

As for the cost of the Meizu M2 Note, it was, as expected, slightly changed down compared to the more powerful M1 Note. However, the vicissitudes of the currency market eventually led to the fact that the weaker model has almost caught up with its predecessor in price. However, those M1 Note smartphones that are now being sold from leftovers have become even more expensive. Given the current market realities, at a price of 15 thousand rubles, a well-made smartphone with a large high-quality bright screen, good sound and camera, and a decent set of network capabilities looks like a justified offer. And at the same time, we have witnessed how the overall performance and autonomy of the device has deteriorated compared to the M1 Note.

In addition, whatever one may say, it is sad to realize that the manufacturer deliberately went to the deterioration of the fundamental functions of his product, so as not to undermine the marketing foundations of the market. At the same time, the opinion of the brand's fans, apparently, receded into the background for Meizu, giving way to cold calculation.

The Chinese company knows how to make great smartphones. After the successful flagships Meizu MX4 and MX4 Pro, the manufacturer decided to master the budget sector by releasing the Meizu M1 Note. It was warmly received by users, as evidenced by the sales figures.

Meizu M2 Note, the next device in the M Note line, got into our laboratory. Will he be able to repeat the success of his eminent predecessor? Let's find out.

We will traditionally start the review of Meizu M2 Note with the study of performance characteristics.

Specifications Meizu M2 Note

Model	Meizu M2 Note 16 Gb
Screen	5.5", IPS (IGZO), dot density 400 ppi
Permission	1920x1080
operating system	Android 5.1
SoC	MediaTek MT6753, 8 x 1.3 GHz, Cortex-A53
GPU	Mali T720 MP3
RAM, MB	2048
Flash memory, GB	16
Support for memory cards, GB	MicroSD, up to 128
Cameras, Mpix	Main 13.0 (flash, autofocus), front 5.0
Battery, mAh	3 100
Dimensions (WxHxT), mm	75.2 x 150.9 x 8.7
Weight, g	149
SIM slots, pcs/type	2, NanoSIM
price, rub.	~10 000/ 11-12 000/ ~15 000**

*Cost when ordering from China (model without Russian interface support).
** When buying a "gray" version from domestic resellers.
***Price officially recommended by the manufacturer.

The first thing that catches your eye compared to the Meizu M1 Note is the SoC downgrade. Instead of MediaTek MT6752, the less powerful MediaTek MT6753 is now “working”. But there was a slot for memory cards, and the price also decreased.

Well, now let's go directly to the hero of the review. Let's start by looking at the packaging.

Packaging and equipment Meizu M2 Note

Meizu M2 Note comes in a small white cardboard box. The packaging is very stylish - it is pleasant even just to hold it in your hands.

On the front of the box there is the name of the device, and on the back there is a sticker listing the main features of the model.

Looking under the cover, the first thing we see is the smartphone itself and the tool for removing the SIM card tray.

In addition, the package includes:

Charger (input: 100-240V, ~50-60Hz, 0.3A, output: 5V=2A);
MicroUSB cable.

There is no stereo headset, which is carefully indicated by the inscription on the stub in the corresponding cell.

Let's put it this way: the delivery set is not striking in wealth. Just the bare minimum.

Now let's move on to the smartphone itself.

Appearance and design Meizu M2 Note

Meizu M2 Note is made in a classic form factor - a monoblock with a touch screen.

The dimensions of the smartphone are 75.2 x 150.9 x 8.7 mm, its weight is 149 g. The device is light and thin for its diagonal, although the surface of the front panel could be used more effectively, since the bezels around the display are quite wide.

The smartphone received a strict rectangular shape, the corners are slightly rounded to improve the ergonomics of the device. Thanks to this, the device is quite convenient to operate, despite its large size.

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 use.

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.

Around the end of January, I finally got myself an iPhone 5S - my first and long-awaited smartphone from an apple company, for which I still could not fork out. I wanted to try the apple OS for a long time, high hopes were placed on it regarding speed, which later came true. But the iPhone let the iron down: after 5 months of operation, it simply stopped turning on, and the repair would cost a very large amount, for which you can buy a new smartphone.

As I did. The new device was Meizu M2 Note - a cosmetic update of the first generation of the smartphone in this series. The main criteria for choosing a device were a sane price (up to $ 200) and some kind of brand, because I'm already fed up with the nameless Chinese for the previous 2 years of operation.

The text may contain and certainly contains grammatical, spelling, punctuation and other types of errors, including semantic ones. I do my best to ask readers to point out these errors and correct me through private messages.

Specifications

Screen: IGZO (Sharp), 5.5 inches, 1920x1080, AGC Dragontrail
CPU: 64-bit MediaTek MT6753 (eight ARM Cortex-A53 cores on ARMv8 architecture), frequency 1.3 GHz
Graphic arts: Mali T720 MP3
Operating system: Android 5.1 Lollipop + Flyme 4.5I
RAM: 2 GB, LPDDR3-1600, 800 MHz
User memory: 16/32 GB, microSD up to 128 GB
Camera: 13 MP, autofocus, dual color flash, 5 MP front camera
Network types: GSM/GPRS/EDGE (900/1800MHz), WCDMA/HSPA+ (900/2100Mhz), FDD-LTE, TD-LTE
Wireless technologies: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac (dual-band, 2.4 and 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.0 LE, GPS (A-GPS), GLONASS
Additionally: USB-OTG, Ambient Light Sensor, Gravity Sensor, IR Distance Sensor, Digital Compass, Hall Sensor, Gyroscope
Battery: 3100 mAh, non-removable
Dimensions: 150.9x75.2x8.7 mm
Weight: 149 grams
Declared value: 799/899 yuan (125/140 dollars) for 16/32 GB version respectively

A few weeks earlier, a fuss was made on the RuNet regarding the deliberate cutting out of the Russian language from the Chinese versions of Meizu smartphones. I suspect that buying smartphones from Chinese online stores significantly “hit” the income of official retailers, and hence the corresponding actions on the part of Meizu.
Meizu M2 Note exists in 4 modifications of the software platform, which are determined by the presence of a letter in the Flyme firmware version: I, A, U, C. At the time of writing, the last 3 letters indicate the Chinese version of the firmware with at least Chinese pre-installed applications, the absence of the Play Store and, now, the absence of the Russian language. Firmware with index I, that is, International. speak for themselves - there is no Chinese software in them, but Google and Russian services are present. Most stores promise such smartphones by August, but they are.

I suspect that those who now receive a smartphone still receive it with OS version 4.5.1A in which the Russian language is present, and if you want to save it, then I advise you to wait with the update until the problem is possibly resolved. I, in turn, simply do not see this problem and have been operating smartphones with a system in English for a long time. Those who managed to update are now trying in every possible way to get out of the current situation by installing the international version of the firmware on their device or.

About Flyme OS - I really liked the system, despite the Chinese version of the device with a bunch of pre-installed software. It can be seen that they are working on it and it is clear that they draw their inspiration from the iOS bowl. Perhaps that's why I liked this system so much: a peculiar combination of open and customizable Android with the convenience of an iOS interface.

When you turn on the device for the first time, we are prompted to select a language and log in or register in the Flyme service. In the latter, as in Google services, you can store and later synchronize notes, contacts, messages, etc.

The desktop consists of 3 screens, the number of which varies in proportion to the number of installed applications. First of all, he demolished Chinese applications, because. the probability of their use by me inexorably tends to zero.

Installing Google Play on Chinese versions of Meizu smartphones is extremely simple. In the search for the AppCenter application, we drive in “installer” and install the first application in the list with the name “Google Installer”. Next, open the downloaded program and install Google services.

As I said, the Meizu OS is somewhat similar to iOS. For example, before the release of Android Lollipop, I spat a lot about the lack of a quick system search, which in iOS is called Spotlight and opens with a swipe from top to bottom on the desktop. Why applications need alphabetical order, why look for them at all if you can just enter the first 2 letters. In Flyme OS, a similar search is opened with a swipe in reverse, i.e. bottom to top on the desktop.Thanks to this search, the issue with the lack of Russian T9 letters on the keyboard in the dialer is solved: swipe - enter the first few letters of the contact - “poke” - call.

The notification shade is also radically different from what is now in Android 5.0. The only thing that the developers used from the system provided by Googl was the drop-down lists next to the Wi-Fi, data transfer and brightness icons. The curtain is called by the usual swipe from top to bottom anywhere on the desktop or from the top edge of the display in applications. Repeated action opens the second and third row of icons, the location of which can be changed like shortcuts on the desktop.

Operating system management is tied to a single button, which is both touch and physical in combination. Touching this key corresponds to the back button, and pressing it will take you to the desktop. In general, I have a certain love for the front physical buttons in modern smartphones, perhaps because my first device was such, or maybe I got used to it during the operation of the iPhone, but the fact remains. Despite the ability to “wake up” the smartphone by tapping on the display, I press the front button out of habit. In addition, the function of turning off the display by a longer press on it was found in the settings - even more convenient.
Gesture control in Meizu did a good job. With the display turned off, it will be possible to unlock the smartphone, call up the notification curtain, scroll through the tracks by swiping left and right, or even give any letter the launch of a specific application.

But there is another feature called SmartTouch. Honestly, to cross it with a touch-physical key and Meizu would not be worth the price. SmartTouch is a touch trackpad (which for some reason does not appear in the screenshots), similar to the physical trackpad in Lenovo's ThinkPad series laptops. You can move the trackpad after a long hold, and the list of available functions is presented in the screenshot. Most of all I liked the ability to switch between running applications by swiping left and right on the trackpad. That is, to get to the previous application, you do not need to call the multitasking window or return to the desktop - just swipe in the right direction. Video demonstration of work:

The display lock is interesting. Ever since my first Android smartphone, I got used to a graphic password, when you simply display a given sequence with your finger, and if it weren’t for Touch ID in the iPhone, I would have been spitting for a long time and stubbornly by pressing the buttons one by one. Meizu simply combined both types of blocking and thus deserved another plus from my bell tower. Customization in Flyme OS is also on the level. This is evidenced by the huge number of both paid and free themes in the default Personalize application.

When the device was turned on, I agreed to some kind of synchronization of contacts, SMS and notes, but I had to sweat a lot to find all this data. True, as a result I found another interesting function - phone search. To get started, go to cloud.flyme.cn, where you will need to log in with the account name and password that was created when you first met the phone. The service has a significant disadvantage, which repeatedly overtakes us throughout the entire path of operation of this smartphone - it is in Chinese.

Then we get into the smartphone control panel. Here we can get acquainted with general information, edit contacts, view SMS, notes and, in fact, find your smartphone in the last menu item.

Previously, Google maps were used even in the Chinese version, but now this is a service from Baidu and in Ukraine the maximum that can be obtained is to determine the city, no more.

You can also send a message, take a secret photo with the front camera, turn on a vile siren, which, apart from rebooting the smartphone, cannot be removed or completely blocked.

The standard dialer consists of 3 items: contacts, call history and dialer. Everything is done in a simple style, characteristic of the entire system.

Worthy of mention are the additional functions of the “dialer”, which can be found in its settings: the ability to set a contact on the dialer digits (as in old push-button phones), block unknown numbers and automatically record calls.

The built-in “Security” app replaces a whole folder of third-party software from the Google Play Store. Here you can clean your smartphone from file garbage, scan your phone for malware, configure autorun settings, notifications and application rights, set traffic limits and set up power saving modes.

Finally, I'll show you the keyboard. In many ways, it is also “lapped” with iOS, but it has a number of its advantages that are generated as a result of crossing with Android. First of all, moving the cursor: in iOS, this is done only by a magnifying glass, which is called by a long tap on the input field, in Android, a slider often pops up, which we can drag, well, or just poke in the right place. Here, these functions are combined and you can either move the carriage to the right place with your finger or use a magnifying glass. The keyboard itself is far from ideal: Swype is completely absent here, and the Russian language has bypassed predictive typing. I use my favorite Google Keyboard by default.

In principle, I can describe for a long time and tediously each application present in the OS, the ability to get root in a few simple steps, security settings where I can set a password for a specific application, but far from one Internet resource has already done this for me and you can get acquainted with a good overview, for example, . I like the shell, I like its design, although many people criticize it for the lack of “materiality”, I like the presence of iOS-like functions, I like its functionality in management and in many other aspects. Like it, in general.UPD. While I was preparing the review for publication, I “poked” several familiar managers of Chinese online stores for the lack of the Russian language in the new Flyme OS firmware. To which they assured that they had received information from Meizu representatives regarding the return of the Russian in the new firmware version. Let's see how it will be in practice. As information becomes available, I will update the review.

Assembly and some elements of the case could be better

For a second, I will dwell on the box in which the smartphone is delivered. It has changed slightly compared to the previous model, but the equipment remains the same: power supply, cable, paper clip and some papers.

The power supply is 2A, which is confirmed in practice by really fast charging of the smartphone: up to 50% in 60 minutes and up to 100% in 2.5 hours.

In part, it was the second version of the M2 Note smartphone that won my attention due to the presence of a gray version with a “back” made of matte plastic. Fingerprints do not remain on it, and it looks somehow more solid.

The front of the smartphone is covered with AGC Dragontrail protective glass. Actually, after a month it is difficult to detect any traces of operation on the coating. The oleophobic coating initially left much to be desired.

Quite another matter - the front key. Most likely it is made of ordinary plastic, and therefore quickly covered with micro-scratches. At the same time, it is pressed clearly and with a noticeable tactile response.

In the upper part of the front panel are located (from left to right): proximity and light sensors, an indicator LED (informs about notifications with a white glow), a voice speaker and a front camera. There are absolutely no complaints about the quality of communication, the operation of the microphone and speaker. The vibrating alert is average in strength.

In general, I don’t like “shovels”, but on the other hand, a large display is damn convenient in our time. Watching videos and photos, editing some text or code on the go, surfing the Internet - everything can be done on a smartphone, but at the same time it causes certain inconveniences. When I take a general photo on the front camera of the iPhone 5S, I am absolutely not worried and not afraid to drop it from my hand, which cannot be said about this Meizu. You already grab it this way and that, but it's still not very convenient. The smartphone, in general, lies well in the hand, and over time I already got used to wielding it with one hand, intercepting it if necessary, in order to reach the upper edge.

Initially, I did not understand why everyone notes the fact that the Power key was moved to the left side so strange. Personally, I don’t use it at all - the front one performs similar functions. But in reality, the execution of the button leaves much to be desired: it “dangles”, it is pressed a little tight. Perhaps the problem is precisely my copy, tk. everything is fine with the volume buttons - they “sit” elastically and are pressed with a clear response.

The camera and dual LED flash are located strictly in the center of the back of the Meizu M2 Note. The glass covering the camera (Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3) is slightly recessed relative to the surface of the case, which allows you not to worry about the coating when you put your smartphone on the table with the back cover.

The bottom end of the smartphone consists of solid holes. :) No matter how funny, but all the holes, including the slots for the speaker and microphone, are large enough in diameter, and after a month of operation I had to clean them from the dust that had accumulated there.

On the top end there is a headphone jack and a hole for the second microphone.

In Meizu M2 Note, the tray for SIM cards has been radically changed. In addition to the transition to the Nano-SIM format, it became possible to install microSD cards. For gamers or fans of “uploading” several tens of gigabytes of music to a smartphone, this is a great innovation. I, in turn, calmly fit into the volume of the built-in storage: every month my photos are synchronized with Dropbox and fly there, and the necessary set of music in AAC format takes up a little less than 3 GB.

By installing a MicroSD card (volumes up to 128 GB are supported), you will have to sacrifice one SIM card, but this is better than having no choice at all.

On a combination of factors, everything is rather good than bad. They worked on the design as much as a budget device deserves. Having been using the Meizu M2 Note as my main phone for just over a month, I have absolutely no desire to highlight the shortcomings, because everything suits me. However, like the pros, you can derive them for yourself by reading the above text or reviews by other authors, but ideally, of course, come to the store and “feel” the smartphone yourself.

Performance is sufficient for most tasks, including games

When I bought it, I only knew that the device was built on one of the latest “stones” from MediaTek and that there was a downgrade compared to the previous version. For the rest, I trusted the manufacturer and did not lose. The interface works smoothly, and for the sake of interest and this article, I put a few toys - they work without problems.

For example, World of Tanks. In the settings I turned on “Perfomance mode”, and in the game itself I set the absolutely maximum graphics settings and got the maximum 20-25 FPS for a normal game.

On medium settings, 30-40 frames per second is stable. For Meizu M2 Note with its price tag, a very good indicator.

Popular in the Play Store shooter Modern Combat 5: Blackout also plays without problems and lags.

With toys simpler and no problems at all. Newly minted Angry Birds 2 "go" without glitches. I don't know how Rovio did it, but again I "leaked" the whole evening on these damn birds.

3D games and other applications that use the full power of the processor warm up the smartphone up to 45-47 degrees, which causes some discomfort on hot summer days.

For fans of synthetic tests and lovers of parrots (nothing personal), here are screenshots of smartphone tests in various benchmarks.

AnTuTu Benchmark:

3DMark Sling Shot (ES 3.1):

3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited:

The device easily copes with most modern audio and video formats, and only at 4K / 2K resolutions does it start to “stutter”.

Unlike the previous model, M2 Note has acquired an LTE module that operates in three bands in Russia (3, 7, 20). Accordingly, both SIM cards are capable of working in 4G networks, but in the settings you will have to specify which SIM card will work in 4G, because. the second card in any case will be reserved only for GSM networks. There were no problems with working in 3G networks in Ukraine.

GPS and Wi-Fi work at a similarly high level. The first one, if there is Internet, starts in a matter of seconds, and Wi-Fi, due to the support of the 5 GHz band, fits perfectly into my system, led by Xiaomi Mini WiFi Router.

The screenshot shows the value of the signal strength of a Wi-Fi network at a distance of 7 meters from the source and with an obstacle in the form of a brick wall.

It doesn’t matter at all how many cores there are or will be in my smartphone, the main thing is that it works quickly and without brakes in everyday use. So that when I press the unlock button or when creating a photo, I don’t have to wait a few seconds until the smartphone digests what they want from it. M2 Note fully satisfies my needs in terms of performance, for which thanks to the developers of this Chinese company.

The camera of stars from the sky is not enough, but fits perfectly into the cost of a smartphone

Most budget phones, despite their attractive characteristics, scare away with their camera, and the point is not only in the camera module itself, but also in image processing algorithms, i.e. software for this camera. Before buying the M2 Note, I was guided by the image quality of the first generation of the Chinese smartphone, which suited me.

I will compare the photo with the iPhone 5S, the camera of which I currently consider to be one of the best on the market.

In room:

On the street:

Macro:

At night time:

Meizu is on the left, iPhone is on the right.

In addition to the quality of the pictures, the standard Camera application turned out to be no less attractive. First of all, it works stably quickly and does not “go into itself for a few seconds” when you press the shutter button. There are 7 shooting modes to choose from, including:

auto
manual (you can set shutter speed, ISO, focus and adjust exposure)
Beauty (has various sliders for adjusting the size of the eyes or retouching the skin)
panorama
Light field (a series of shots is taken with focus over the entire range, after which you can choose the focus point in the photo after the fact)
scanning QR codes
Slowmotion 100 fps video recording in 480p resolution.

Switching modes is carried out by swiping left / right or through the menu, which can be called up by swiping your finger from top to bottom across the screen. At the bottom of the application, shortcut keys are concentrated: activating the flash, applying effects online, changing the camera, and, in fact, advanced settings where you can activate HDR, a grid or a level sensor.

The front camera in "Beauty" mode allows you to take such self-portraits (in the photo, your humble servant):

And with the help of manual focusing, we aim at some previously unknown artistry (just kidding):

An example of shooting FullHD video on Meizu M2 Note:

And finally, the "home" Slowmotion:

The camera is good, but there is one drawback that haunts me - it often goes too far with shutter speed and the photos are blurry. And this happens even during daylight hours. I hope that this jamb will be corrected in subsequent versions of the firmware, but for now it remains to shoot with what is. By the way, subscribe to my . :)

The 5.5” Full HD IGZO display is said to be from a real iPhone 6 Plus!

Viewing angles are maximum, there is no air gap, and the colors are warm, although the temperature can be further adjusted in the display settings.

I was pleased with the minimum brightness level - using a smartphone in the dark is very convenient. The maximum brightness is also sufficient for reading information in direct sunlight.

I don’t have any additional devices for measuring contrast or brightness values, but in words I can assure you that the screen is excellent and fully covers my needs as such.

Autonomy, sound and connection to a PC

After the iPhone 5S, it was very nice to return to full-fledged one-day autonomy, because. the first one I had before noon had the property of being discharged. Meizu M2 Note lives stably from early morning until late at night, leaving 10-20 percent of the charge in reserve. And this despite the fact that I rarely care about turning off Wi-Fi or GPS, and data transfer in 3G networks is constantly active.

I call, however, a little - literally a couple of calls a day for several tens of seconds. If we express the operating time in hours of screen activity, then this is from 3 to 5 hours - depending on the load.
For the entire period of operation, I have never had a chance to use Power-saving modes, because. I always carry a backup power supply with me, but I would like to note their presence. The most “powerful” of the modes turns your smartphone into a completely black and white dialer and promises just an utter extension of the operating time.

The sound quality in the headphones is no worse than in the iPhone - tested on Xiaomi Piston Youth Edition and Piston 2. The external speaker is very loud and does an excellent job with its notification function about incoming calls. Movies can also be watched, but it is preferable to do this with headphones.

Happy with your purchase?

Like an elephant. No, I'm serious, this is not advertising or anything, this is a real review and experience. And yes, I was not too lazy to write so much text for free, we will consider this work on the portfolio. The smartphone fully justifies the ~160 dollars invested in it due to stable software, build quality, good display, camera and performance.
For everyone who is now looking for a smartphone to replace some old man, Meizu M2 Note will be an excellent choice. Looking back at Chinese counterparts for a similar cost, I am primarily scared off by the quality of the software, while in Meizu I can even count on constant updates and support.

What about Meizu M2 Mini?

When I made a pre-order for my older brother, there was no rumor about him yet. And yes, maybe 5.5 inches is still too much for me and I could save money by taking the M2 Mini. Of the obvious sacrifices for the sake of price: screen resolution (720p at 5 inches, in principle, is enough) and performance (4 cores instead of eight), but judging by the few reviews on the network, this is enough for stable and fast work.

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 or 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 from 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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