The Chinese company Meizu releases a couple of new smartphones almost every month, which makes it increasingly difficult to navigate the manufacturer's lineup. On the one hand, the company has an advanced Pro-series, on the other hand, a budget line m (),). But what place is given to devices under the name MX, which were previously positioned as flagships? Let's understand the example of Meizu MX6.

Characteristics

  • display: 5.5 inches, 2.5D glass, 1920x1080 pixels (FullHD, 403 ppi)
  • processor: MediaTek Helio X20, 10 cores (ARM Cortex A53, 4x1.4 GHz + 4x1.9 GHz + ARM Cortex A72 2x2.3 GHz), graphics ARM Mali T880
  • ROM: 32 GB, RAM: 4 GB
  • main camera: 12 MP Sony IMX 386, phase detection autofocus, 6 lenses, f/2.0, pixel size 1.25 µm, dual tone flash
  • front camera: 5 MP, f/2.0, 4 lenses, wide shooting angle
  • battery: 3060 mAh with support for fast charging mCharge 3.0
  • Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac; 2.4GHz/5GHz), Bluetooth 4.1 + BLE, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, digital compass
  • USB Type C with OTG support, USB-HOST, 3.5mm headphone jack, dual SIM slots
  • OS: Android 6 with proprietary shell Flyme OS
  • mTouch 2.1 fingerprint scanner
  • dimensions: 153.6x75.2x7.25 mm, weight 155 g
  • colors: dark grey, silver, gold, pink metallic

Appearance

Meizu MX6, like all current devices of the company, is enclosed in a metal case with anodizing. Our device is silver in color, its body is noticeably lighter than that of the gray model, and the front side is white. This results in all the front elements being perfectly visible, the sensors and the speaker in the first place (not cool).


At the same time, the manufacturer placed them strictly symmetrically, which will somewhat reassure aesthetes. There is a minimal black bezel around the display, which is also more noticeable in the white version. If you care, take the gray device.

Glass with an excellent oleophobic coating with its rounded edges smoothly flows into the case, the seam between the parts is not felt, thereby creating the effect of a monolith. Visually, the connection point is not only not hidden, but even emphasized by mirror polishing.

The back of the device carries a barely protruding camera unit and a flash, as well as the Meizu inscription. The plastic inserts at the top and bottom are no longer a separate element, as they used to be in the MX series or on the cheaper m3, but thin strips that resist signal shielding.



Interestingly, the plastic strips look similar to those of Apple, only Apple smartphones were presented only on September 7, and the Chinese manufacturer used a similar design back in Meizu Pro 6, which was released in May (evil tongues claim that Meizu copied the antenna design from iPhone 7 leaks ).

Although with the price grid of the manufacturer this device is in the middle between the budget “m” and the top “Pro”, it is impossible to notice the dilution by class outwardly - in 2016, all the devices of the manufacturer became very similar in build quality and materials, which positively affects the perception of the most inexpensive devices , but erases the feeling of premium top gadgets. However, not a single person - the more expensive Meizu smartphones have their own bonuses, expressed in characteristics.


Display

Meizu MX6 received a 5.5-inch display with FullHD resolution, that is, the same as the Meizu m3 note, if you look only at these parameters. In practice, it turned out that the screen in a more expensive smartphone is still better, ranging from color accuracy and ending with white balance.

The mid-range display is slightly cold, but the color temperature can be changed in the settings. At the same time, the gradations are not as sharp as those of most cheap devices (including Meizu m3s and m3 note), and the tone itself clearly changes not just by applying a yellow filter, but by a more complex principle of the function.

Viewing angles are gorgeous, color accuracy is also high, but one cannot help but pay attention to the slight pallor of the picture - this was not the case in the MX line before, because the manufacturer used AMOLED, but along with the MX6 shift in middle segment there was also a transition to IPS, albeit a high-quality one.

The black color in this case is really black, one of the deepest in the IPS world, only better. The backlight of the screen is uniform. I was also pleased with the absence of an air gap between the glass and the matrix, which, paired with a thin layer of protection, creates the feeling that the screen is on top of the glass. Not an achievement in principle, but a nice feature for a price of 250-300 dollars.

The maximum brightness level is low, which is especially evident in comparison with other smartphones, but even under direct sunlight, the information is read well - this is a merit of both the matrix itself and the absence of an air gap and high transparency of the display.

In general, Meizu MX6 received an excellent screen from Sharp with the usual feature for the manufacturer - the lower edge contains a minimal backlight, which is invisible in everyday use.

Camera

Meizu MX6, following the trends in the market, does not contain a camera unit with tens of megapixels - the main camera module is capable of taking photos with a resolution of up to 12 megapixels, but the size of each dot on the matrix is ​​1.25 km, which is slightly larger than that of the majority of medium-sized devices class. Last Feature needed to get more light in order to take better pictures in low light conditions.

The result during the day, as expected, is excellent: bright, juicy shots with more or less accurate color reproduction do not look completely losing in comparison with the results of flagship smartphones. You can complain a little about the mediocre color range, but if you take into account the cost of the device, then this indicator is not bad.

At night, a smartphone ... takes pictures. It seems that the objects turn out to be clear, and the flash does not really break the color rendition, but sometimes the amount of noise is as if the little gnomes, when developing the picture, pretty much rubbed it with sandpaper. The result is reminiscent of using the Grainy setting (at +40) from Snapseed.

And if the device does not have enough light, then the pictures turn red (comparison with the iPhone 6s Plus, the light source is a flashlight with a yellow lamp):

Meizu MX6

iPhone 6s Plus

Meizu MX6 can record videos up to 4K resolution. In FullHD, the detail is not as high as we would like, there is no optical stabilization, and the exposure setting is a little slow. But the color reproduction is pleasant, and the picture itself is devoid of distortions that are often found when recording video on cheap smartphones. Video can be rated at C grade.

Performance

Meizu MX6 received a 10-core Mediatek processor paired with 4 GB of RAM. This bundle proved to be excellent in everyday use: during the entire time of testing the smartphone, we have never been able to catch the interface on jamming, and the survivability of the software in the background (if you have set a ban on unloading programs from memory) is impressive.

A typical test for launching a dozen applications in a row, and then re-checking in a circle, which of them did not “fall out” of RAM, Meizu MX6 passes with ease. However, this is a very synthetic metering, because the real case is much more interesting - you play such a one in Asphalt 8, and then a message came in that you need to answer. While writing the answer, letters were pouring into the mailbox, it is necessary to disassemble, remove spam and answer important letters. Now you return to the game - the process is in the same place where we interrupted it.

The use of instant messengers, social network clients, mail and other programs familiar to the mass user is an exceptional pleasure. In fact, the stability of the interface in Meizu MX6 is better than that of almost all smartphones on the market, including flagships. It seems to the eye that the frequency does not fall below 60 frames per second. As for a smartphone priced at $ 250-300, this was unexpected, however, not without a huge “but”.

Warning: MediaTek Helio X20, which is installed in Meizu MX6, gets very hot. Seriously, very strong! After long tests with the maximum load on the processor, the temperature of the case rises so high that you have to literally intercept the device as if it were not a smartphone, but a cup heated with boiling water. This state is observed when using the "Productive" mode, and therefore we strongly recommend not to use it at all (but the coveted 90 thousand parrots in AnTuTu are gaining, yes).

Throttling (forcibly limiting processor performance during strong heating) occurs after ten minutes of tests, the power drops by an impressive 20–25%, while all graphics begin to be drawn almost frame by frame.

GTA III lags even with minimal graphics settings, and if you turn everything up to the maximum, then it becomes not at all comfortable to play. Dead Trigger 2 activates the highest possible settings by default, but after 10 minutes the game starts to work with significant twitching in the frame.

As a result, we have potentially powerful processor, which cannot be used to its fullest due to significant overheating

MediaTek is the first mobile processor manufacturer to introduce a ten-core solution. The chip uses three clusters: four low-performance cores for simple tasks, four more powerful ones for medium-sized ones, and two powerful ones for demanding processes. Instead of a potentially even distribution of performance, we got a solution that is severely throttling in demanding games. And in theory, this should have a positive effect on energy consumption.

autonomy

Meizu MX6 is equipped with a 3060 mAh battery, which is not enough for a 5.5-inch screen. Nevertheless, if you do not prohibit the system from unloading almost all software from RAM when switching to standby mode, the device works for a long time - a day and a half under normal loads. For an hour of watching a video, the device lost 16% of its charge, full charge enough for a little over 6 hours of streaming.

Like most Chinese shells, Flyme OS has a limiter for running software in the background. "Sleep Management" initially prevents most programs from waking up the smartphone, which can cause notifications to be missed. We weren't ready to sacrifice push notifications, so we added our favorite messengers to the exceptions. The test results take this into account, if you do not turn off the ban, the operating time will be slightly higher.

The smartphone carries high loads with one SIM-card with dignity: 4 hours of screen with 27 hours of operation. In normal use (with one, not 4 mailboxes, with two instead of five messengers, etc.) managed to get 35 hours of waiting with 5 hours of screen. Using a second SIM card reduces autonomy by about 10%.

The stock memory is huge, but this is to be expected since we have 24 watts. What for? It's simple: for the sake of fast charging. The smartphone is restored from 3 to 60% in just 30 minutes, and in another 30 minutes it gains 93%. The total charge time from 3% to 100% was 1 hour 21 minutes (yes, the last 7% was replenished for a very long time).

Unfortunately, in order to quickly replenish the charge, you will also have to carry a standard charger and cable with you, since neither powerful blocks Meizu, nor USB Type-C cables have become widespread yet

Modern smartphones do not work that long, it’s good when the device can live on a single charge for at least a day, but active users most often content with daylight hours. In this case, the result is slightly worse than the average on the market, but the highest charging speed allows you not to worry too much about a dead battery, the main thing is to find an outlet.

USB Type-C and storage

Meizu is gradually switching to USB Type-C, but does not use the new format to its fullest - the manufacturer has introduced USB 2.0, which significantly limits the data transfer rate. However, it is difficult to call this a serious problem, since the built-in 32 GB drive does not allow you to store great amount content.

Yes, Meizu has returned to the old tradition of not placing a memory card slot, but it uses eMMC 5.1 specification memory - this is a very fast drive that provides high speed launch programs and save data directly (for example, when shooting photos and videos, including 4K).

32 GB is a comfortable minimum for a smartphone in 2016

Some users will be confused by the relatively small capacity (only a 32 GB version is available), especially in light of 4K video recording, but the device is not positioned as a top solution, and users who aim for Meizu products, as a rule, want to save on the name (at least least when they buy non-flagship devices). Therefore, all the same, the bulk of Consumers would choose exactly this option drive, and therefore, most likely, the company decided not to provide a choice to users, at the same time saving on production.

mTouch and OS

The home key with its built-in mTouch fingerprint scanner works just as well as on all the company's devices that came out in 2016: fast and accurate. OS navigation controls are also the same: click for the Home action, touch for the Back action. Convenient and logical.

But the on-screen SmartTouch control and gestures on the locked screen, familiar from other devices of the manufacturer, remained in place. This alone is not enough to make up for the lack key features Android 6.

Sound

The external speaker does not stand out from the competition, except for the maximum volume, which is slightly higher than the average for the hospital. However, at the maximum, serious sound distortion is heard, so you are unlikely to turn the volume up to 100%. At the same time, the volume control is uneven - the difference between 90% and 80% is much less than between 80% and 70%, and at 50% it’s really difficult to make out what the heroes of your favorite series are saying. However, 70% will be sufficient for comfortable listening in most scenarios.

Unlike, the Chinese are in no hurry to abandon the most common audio transmission interface, the 3.5 mm jack. At the same time, the manufacturer installed it from below, which is extremely good from the point of view of ergonomics - with this arrangement, the smartphone falls into the pocket upside down, and when the user removes it, the upper part of the screen looks straight up, there is no need to intercept the device. Given the size of the smartphone, the manufacturer not only made it more convenient, but also reduced the potential risk of dropping the gadget.

The main loss on the sound front was the lack of an advanced DAC - another victim of demotion from the flagships. The manufacturer built a name on the release of music players, and its flagship smartphones were especially popular precisely because of the high quality of the sound. Now we have an unremarkable option: it plays quite loudly, clearly, legibly, but without zest.

Instead of outstanding quality, we got "normal" sound from headphones

Meizu MX6 does not lose to most competitors, but before all MX representatives were the best by definition. It's a shame, although it was initially clear that some of the unique features will move to the Pro line.

Communications

Home Wi-Fi with WPA2 protection turned out to be too tough for the Meizu MX6 radio module - the smartphone could not connect to the network, even the standard feint with changing the region in the router settings did not help. Interestingly, the same ones connected to the same access point (and are connecting at the moment) without any problems. The problem is strictly local - the smartphone immediately became friends with two other Wi-Fi.

Meizu MX6 did not get an NFC chip, which means that this smartphone will not pay. And if it is permissible not to introduce such utilities into the junior class, a player of the middle segment with serious equipment should be ashamed.

Network reception did not disappoint, as did the voice quality: the interlocutors hear you perfectly, and you hear the interlocutors. GPS works well, satellites are found quickly, the accuracy of the determination when walking is within 15 m, that is, enough not to get lost in unfamiliar city. Navigation in the car works fine, but this is not surprising, since even the simplest devices cope with this task.

Competitors

The main competitor of the Chinese middle peasant is Moto G4 Plus (), which is sold in Ukraine for 7999 UAH. Moto offers a better camera and display, but lacks the smoothness of the interface. Yes, and the processor shows itself more cheerful in games, and the operating time on a single charge allows you not to worry that the smartphone will turn off in the middle of the working day. But the case is not metal.

Another alternative is the Coolpad MAX which carries 64 GB permanent memory and contains a slot for microSD, but weaker than Meizu MX6 in terms of photo capabilities. The rest of the devices are kept equal. The cost of the official apparatus in Ukraine is 7878 UAH.

conclusions

Meizu MX6 is not an evolution of the flagship line, but a fundamentally new niche for the manufacturer. A true middle class for the mainstream user who doesn't need flagship devices to compete on price with a decent bike. The demotion from the flagships was not without casualties - the new MX lacks an advanced DAC and AMOLED display, and the processor is not happy either.

The flagship heritage lies in 4 GB of RAM, as well as an advanced camera and fast charging. This could also include the appearance (an almost complete copy of Meizu Pro 6), if not for the m3 note, which differs only in plastic plugs on top and bottom of the case. However, this does not detract from the merits of universal design.

This is one of the most balanced options in the middle class, which is both inexpensive and reminds in places that it comes from a flagship family.

Meizu MX6 is ideal for those users who do not want to experience the stability of the nervous system with poor OS performance. It will be good for any person, regardless of status, race and gender. The device is devoid of zest, but captivates with practicality - this device will not be able to emphasize your position in life, but will properly perform all the tasks assigned to it. Perhaps Meizu MX6 is the ideal device for a practical person for 2016.

4 reasons to buy Meizu MX6:

  • the highest smoothness of work
  • nice appearance
  • good camera
  • very fast charging

3 reasons not to buy Meizu MX6:

  • performance uncomfortable for demanding games
  • secondary design
  • mediocre autonomy
  • Body materials: metal, glass, plastic inserts
  • Operating system: Android 6.0, Flyme 5.2
  • Network: GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSDPA, LTE (TD/FDD-LTE 1/3/7), DualSIM (nanoSIM)
  • Screen: IPS LCD (Sharp), diagonal 5.5”, resolution 1920x1080, ppi 404, automatic adjustment backlight level, protective glass 2.5D
  • Platform: MediaTek Helio X20
  • Processor: 10-core, 64-bit, four Cortex-A53 cores at 1.4 GHz + four Cortex-A53 cores at 1.9 GHz + two Cortex-A72 cores at 2.3 GHz
  • Graphics: Mali T880 (four cores)
  • RAM: 4 GB
  • Storage Memory: 32 GB
  • Memory card slot: no
  • Main camera: 12 MP, 6 lenses, f/2.0, phase detection autofocus, pixel size 1.25 microns, dual LED flash, video is recorded in 4k
  • Front camera: 5 MP, f/2.0, video is recorded in 1080p
  • Interfaces: Wi-Fi (a/b/g/n/ac) Dual-Band, Bluetooth 4.0 (LE), USB Type C connector (USB 2.0, MHL) for charge/sync, 3.5 mm for headset
  • Navigation: GPS (support A-GPS), Glonass
  • Optional: mTouch 2.1 fingerprint scanner, accelerometer, light sensor, proximity sensor
  • Battery: 3060 mAh
  • Dimensions: 153.6 x 75.2 x 7.25mm
  • Weight: 155 grams

Contents of delivery

Introduction

The presentation of the Meizu MX6 smartphone took place, as always, in Beijing, the event was scheduled for the end of July. The other day the device went on sale, so it makes sense to talk about the MX6 in a little more detail than in the "first glance".

Artem Lutfullin, who attended the Meizu presentation, correctly noted that the MX line is experimental: future devices will receive new features or original technical specifications, and in the future, the totality of all innovations will appear in other devices of the companies, especially in the Pro series of gadgets.

If we are talking about the MX6, then one of the key features was the camera - 12 MP, IMX386 sensor from Sony. Moreover, Meizu says that this is a custom sensor prepared specifically for the MX6. And I can confidently say that the camera in this gadget is the best among all Meizu smartphones that have come out so far.

The second, no less interesting thing is the screen matrix. It is also the best, in my opinion, among other devices of the Chinese company.

Let's take a closer look at these two sections.

The cost of Meizu MX6 is 28,000 rubles.

Design, dimensions, controls

The latest Meizu smartphones are similar to each other, perhaps only the manufacturer himself can distinguish them. The MX6 device is an almost complete copy (in terms of appearance) Pro 6, only the first one is a bit larger and there is no nice circular flash with laser focus. The dimensions of the novelty are 153.6 x 75.2 x 7.25 mm, that is, it is quite compact and thin, and weighs 155 grams, which is quite good for a 5.5-inch device in metal. I hope that the MX7 or Pro 7 will get a different design, the current one is a bit boring, isn't it?





The screen is covered with a protective glass with a 2.5D effect around the edges. During use, I did not “plant” a single scratch, chips and scuffs also did not appear. The oleophobic coating is present, of high quality, the prints are barely noticeable, the finger glides easily, like clockwork.




The case is all-metal with "veins" for antennas on the top and bottom on the reverse side. Looks stylish and neat. The corners are rounded, the edges are sloping and have smooth transitions to the back panel. In the hand lies perfectly due to the small thickness and rounding of the case.





On sale, the smartphone will be available in four colors: silver, gold and pink with a white front panel, as well as dark gray with a black front panel. In the meantime, only in silver and gold body colors with a white front panel. A dark gray body color with a black front panel will appear later.

On the front side, the camera and light / proximity sensors are symmetrically located, in the center - speaker. It is loud, sounds clear, the interlocutor is heard legibly and clearly.


Under the display is a mechanical-touch button-fingerprint scanner called mTouch 2.1. The shape is oblong, the edges are polished, the button is slightly recessed into the case, the pressing is firm, the stroke is minimal. The speed of operation of the fingerprint sensor does not raise questions.


Below is a speaker, USB Type-C (USB 2.0), a microphone and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Only the second microphone is visible from above.




On the right are the power button and the volume rocker. Both are metal and easy to use. The SIM card tray (two nano-SIMs) is on the left.


The camera, which protrudes a millimeter above the body and has a polished conical rim, a two-tone flash, are located on the back of the device.



In general, nothing new, quite familiar, but still of high quality.


Meizu MX6 and M3 Note


Meizu MX6 and Honor 8


Display

The Meizu MX6 uses a 5.5-inch screen. The physical size of the display is 68x121 mm, the frame on the top is 15.5 mm, on the bottom is 16.5, on the right and left is a little less than 4 mm. There is an anti-reflective coating.

Meizu MX6 display resolution - FullHD, that is, 1080x1920 pixels, density - 400 pixels per inch. The matrix is ​​made according to IPS technology(Sharp TDDI) without air gap.

The maximum brightness of white is 450 cd/m2 (official data is 500), black is 0.59 cd/m2. Contrast - 760:1 (officially - 1500:1).

The white line is the goal we are trying to achieve. The yellow line is the actual screen data. You can see that we are directly on the target curve at values ​​from 0 to 100%, which means that at each value the image is sufficiently highlighted. The yellow line is actually the average amount of red, green and blue.


The average gamma value is 2.27.


Judging by the level chart, blue is in excess, and red is in short supply.


At the minimum brightness, the temperature is closer to 10,000 K, at the maximum, about - 8500 K, that is, the higher the brightness, the warmer the colors.


Judging by the diagram, the received data exceeds the sRGB triangle, that is, the color saturation is excellent.


All gray points are located outside the DeltaE=10 radius, which indicates that other shades will be present in gray colors.

Speaking in your own words, the screen has a low contrast ratio (relative to official data), it fades in the light. The colors are juicy, saturated, the viewing angles are maximum, there are no purple or yellow tints. Visually, the matrix conveys an excellent picture.



behavior in the world

Battery

This model uses a non-removable 3060 mAh battery.

When working with the device, the battery lasted for about 16-18 hours: about 20-30 minutes of calls per day, about 7 hours of using 3G / 4G (constant synchronization of mail, Twitter, WhatsApp, Skype, and so on), about 6 hours of Wi-Fi , several dozen photos, an hour of listening to music.

In a more gentle mode, the gadget works up to 24 hours. If you leave only data synchronization (Wi-Fi), then you can count on two days. Up to 7 hours of continuous talk.

In movie mode (HD), the battery runs out after about 9 hours, in game mode, the battery lasts for about 3.5 hours, in sound playback mode at maximum volume - up to 50 hours.

“The MX6 uses mCharge fast charging technology to fully charge a 3060 mAh battery in 75 minutes. What's more, the battery has been engineered to provide stable performance over its entire 500-cycle life."

Communication options

The device is equipped with two nanoSIM slots. Both connectors support 3G/4G network (LTE CAT 6) in Russian frequencies.

Network types:

  • 2G GSM/GPRS/EDGE (900/1800/1900 MHz)
  • 3G WCDMA/HSPA+ (900/2100 MHz)
  • 4G FDD-LTE (1800/2100/2600 MHz)
  • 3G TD-SCDMA
  • 4G TD-LTE

The rest is standard: Wi-Fi (ac and b/g/n/ac) dual-band Wi-Fi(2.4 GHz / 5 GHz) - sensitivity at the level samsung galaxy S6 / S7, Bluetooth 4.1, USB Type-C connector (alas, only USB 2.0) for charging / synchronization. GPS navigation works without problems.

Memory and memory card

The smartphone uses 4 GB dual-channel LPDDR3 RAM. Built-in memory can only be 32 GB. A somewhat sad story, because 26 GB is available, there is no other version, for example, 64 GB or 128 GB, and the device does not support memory cards. Information reading speed - 158 MB / s, information writing speed - 57 MB / s. To be honest, it's sparse, especially the recording speed.

cameras

Meizu's new product received, according to CEO Bai Yongxiang, a customized main module Sony cameras IMX386. In this case, a 12 MP sensor is used (pixel size 1.25 microns), optics (of 6 lenses) have an aperture of f = 2.0, and phase autofocus is present. Oddly enough, optical stabilization was “not delivered” again, and this is extremely sad: equipping the device with a cool camera and not building in a “stub” is a strange phenomenon. In addition, there is no laser "assistant" when focusing. Pleased with fast and accurate focus.

The front module is an OmniVision OV5695 sensor (¼ inch size, 1.4 micron pixel size) with OmniBSI + backlight technology. Optics consists of four lenses, f=2.0 aperture.

During the day, the main camera produces excellent quality pictures: perfect white balance, good detail, good dynamic range, rich colors, and so on. In general, with ideal lighting, almost all modern smartphones give a cool picture.

When the lighting level is lowered, the picture on the Meizu MX6 camera becomes soapy, noise reduction artifacts appear. However, the colors are always natural.

The gadget can record video in 4K resolution at 30 fps. MP4 H.265 codec, 43 Mbps. The quality is slightly above average. The front camera is capable of FullHD resolution at 30 fps. H.264 codec, 17 Mbps. The quality is excellent.

AT new version Firmware introduced the function of noise suppression. The device thinks about the photo a little longer than usual. However, I did not observe a big difference between the enabled and disabled option.

So, at the moment, the gadget shoots better than any other smartphone of its company and is already close to eminent camera phones, but not yet close enough to compete directly.

Photo examples

Performance and software platform

The Meizu MX6 smartphone is powered by MediaTek's Helio X20 chip. It is a 10-core chip with four Cortex-A53 1.4GHz, four Cortex-A53 1.8GHz and two Cortex-A72 2.3GHz, 20nm manufacturing process. The graphics system is ARM Mali-T880.

When the processor is loaded, the metal case practically does not heat up, remains warm, and it is comfortable not only to hold it, but also to bring it to your ear during a call. The device does not slow down, all applications run instantly, no lags were detected. Everything is fine with the games: all the "dins" are on the maximum settings.

Gadget Reviews

Content:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

The Chinese manufacturer of mobile technology never ceases to delight its users with new products, and in different price ranges, whether it be Pro-series flagships, affordable M-smartphones or their advanced MX versions.

One of these will be discussed. The Meizu MX6 model was presented to the audience in mid-2016.

The smartphone instantly attracted the attention of users with its representative appearance, cool camera, metal case, productive "stuffing" and high-quality screen.

The cost of new items at the start of sales was about 28,000 rubles, at the time of writing the review, the price tag has become an order of magnitude smaller and it is possible to purchase this amazing gadget for 19,990 rubles.

We will review this device below.

Packing, delivery set

The packaging of the smartphone looks quite presentable, it is a classic white color with an image of a sketch of the device in gold lines on the front.

On the sides there is a model designation "MX6". On the back of the box is short description characteristics.

Inside the box, all the elements are located strictly in compartments, nothing falls out, the smartphone lies tightly in the niche.

As for the layout, in addition to the device, the package includes a warranty card, quick guide user, SIM eject tool, power adapter, USB cable Type-C is about 1 meter long.


Everything is quite modest, without a headset, films and other attributes.

Design, materials

The design of the novelty was created in the concept of the company - smooth shapes, refined style, metallic slim body with plastic antenna strips on top and bottom.



Externally, the MX6 is very much like the flagship Meizu Pro 6, only slightly larger and lighter than its more expensive counterpart.

The build quality, as always, is on top, there is a solidity, heftiness and knockdown of the smartphone. The materials also have high resistance to scratches and paint peeling during operation.

The gadget is produced in 4 basic colors: silver, gold, dark gray (graphite) and the popular rose gold.

On the front of the device at the top in the center is a conversational speaker, and on the sides of it are installed, illumination and a selfie camera.

A little away from them there is led indicator events. Below the display is a single touch-mechanical button with built-in mTouch 2.1.

By the way, its use does not raise questions, it works quite quickly and accurately, unlocking is done instantly.




On the back of the case there is a main camera with a built-in two-color LED flash, and the Meizu logo is also depicted.


On the left side is a slot for installing SIM-cards. On the opposite side are the volume keys and the power button.





Several elements fit on the bottom edge at once: a conversational microphone, a main speaker, USB port Type-C, headset jack 3.5 mm.

On the top of the smartphone, only an additional microphone is installed for active noise reduction and sound recording during shooting.


Screen

The Meizu MX6 has a 5.5-inch IPS screen from TDDI technology, i.e. without an air gap between the glass and the matrix.

Changing the screen type from AMOLED (for Meizu MX5) to IPS had a very beneficial effect on color reproduction and viewing angles, although its brightness decreased.

The resolution is 1920x1080 pixels at a density of 403 dpi. This is quite enough for high-quality detailing of objects and comfortable work with small text and high-quality photo / video.


The brightness and contrast ratios declared by the manufacturer are also quite high and amount to 500 cd/m and 1500:1 respectively, so you don't have to worry about comfortable work both at dusk and under the scorching sun.

It is worth noting the fast and correct operation of the automatic change in display brightness depending on the lighting.


The color gamut is close to the sRGB standard, so there will be no problems with correct color reproduction when working with an image.

In the settings, you can adjust the color temperature and activate the eye protection mode by reducing the degree of blue light.

The touch layer of the screen supports " " up to 10 simultaneous touches.

Protects the screen from scratches 2.5D rounded glass, looks very cool, stylish and at the same time provides the proper degree of protection.

Camera

We followed the example of flagship manufacturers from other companies and began to use low-resolution matrices, but with an increased size of the pixel itself (1.25 microns).

So the MX6 model has a main 12-megapixel modified Sony IMX386 matrix with a 6-element lens (f / 2.0 aperture), phase and dual-color LED flash.

The camera responds very quickly, focuses instantly and creates detailed pictures even in low light.


The front-facing 5-megapixel camera has an OmniVision OV5695 sensor with BSI back-illumination technology. Optics 4-element with aperture f/2.0.

Shooting can be done in resolutions up to 2560x1920 (at a ratio of 4:3), and video recording is available up to FullHD. Image quality is very decent, even indoors with artificial lighting and in low light.

Colors are distorted a little in warm tones, but not critical. Automatic settings in 95% of cases, the correct exposure and white balance settings are selected.

In the camera menu, you can select the shooting mode: auto, manual mode(setting ISO, shutter speed, exposure compensation, contrast, white balance, saturation), video, portrait with a built-in beauty profile (eye area correction, skin tightening and whitening, changes in face contour), panorama, focus change, slow motion, stroke scanner codes, macro photography, creating gif-animations.


The maximum size of a photo taken with the main camera is 4000x3000 (at a ratio of 4:3), and video can be recorded up to 4K format.

When shooting in low light conditions, HDR (brightness correction) and MFLL (noise reduction) modes will prove useful. Useful additions there will be grid and level overlay modes, shooting with a timer, the use of filters.

In general, in this smartphone budget, one of the best cameras, capable of delighting even picky users with high-quality images.

Photo examples :

Main camera, modes - auto, HDR, with flash.







Main camera, modes - auto, HDR.



Front camera, modes - auto, HDR.


Battery

This model has a non-removable Li-Pol battery with a capacity of 3060 mAh. This is enough high rate, given the thickness of the smartphone in 8 mm.

The energy reserve for everyday use is enough for up to 2 days.

Judging by the modes of use, the indicators will be as follows: up to 8-9 hours of Internet surfing, up to 7 hours of constant conversation, up to 10 hours of video playback, up to 50 hours of music listening, up to 3.5 hours of toys.

Power saving modes (smart, super and custom) allow you to extend life.

The MX6 has support for fast charging mCharge 3.0, which allows you to charge the device by 20% in 10 minutes, and fully renew the energy supply in about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Software

The Meizu MX6 hardware platform also did not let us down. The manufacturer installed a chipset from MediaTek Helio X20 with 10 Cortex-A53 + Cortex-A72 cores and a Mali T880 graphics accelerator.

Installed as much as 4Gb, so worry about stable work You don't need multiple apps at the same time. Built-in memory is 32 Gb (available to the user about 25 Gb).

The main negative side is the lack of a slot for installation microSD cards, and the manufacturer simply did not release a version of the model with a large amount of memory. The reason for this decision is unknown.

Bluetooth 4.1 is used for data transfer. Navigation works with GPS, Glonass, BeiDou. The search for satellites and laying the route takes a matter of seconds, the error is no more than 5 meters.

The hardware is controlled using the Android 6.0 operating system with the Flyme 5.2.2.2G proprietary shell.

The menu is quite simple, all the necessary applications are placed on the desktop, the control of a single key is surprisingly quite comfortable and intuitive.

In addition to the button, there is the SmartTouch function, a flexible, floating on-screen button.


The speed of the system is at its best, the launch is instantaneous, communication in instant messengers and in social networks will only be a pleasure.

As for the games, they will undoubtedly go all at high settings. However, you won’t be able to play comfortably for a long time, because the processor heats up very quickly and goes into throttling (performance reset when overheating).

Yes, and holding a fiery piece of metal in your hands is not a pleasant thing. Therefore, gamers should be more careful when choosing a gadget for gaming.

Benchmark results :

Antutu:






Geekbench:

In headphones, everything is much better, there is volume and bass, the sound is clear and without distortion.


The standard player has a built-in equalizer and is omnivorous to audio formats.

There is no radio, but this problem can be solved using applications from the Play Market.

As for the audibility of the interlocutor and the quality of communication, no deviations were found during testing. An additional microphone does a great job of noise suppression.

Internet, communications

The smartphone has 2 slots for installing NanoSim SIM cards, supports the modern standard mobile internet 4G, and also has a built-in 802.11ac Wi-Fi module with support for operation in the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands and the ability to create an access point.



Do not forget in production and support for OTG devices. It is a pity that the NFC module could not be detected, otherwise everything is on top.

As a browser you can use Google Chrome, which is available in the company's app store.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would like to say that the Meizu MX6 model caused a rather controversial opinion.

On the one hand, we have powerful stuffing, high performance, cool design and high-quality assembly, a camera at the level of photo flagships, an IPS-matrix with excellent color reproduction and large viewing angles, fast internet.

But on the other hand, there are negative aspects that allow you to refuse to buy this gadget, namely, the lack of support for memory cards with a built-in storage capacity of only 32Gb, high heat dissipation of the processor, and with it discomfort in work, the absence of a favorite audio chip.

Based on the current price of the device, you can still consider it for purchase, it certainly costs its money, but it is not ideal.

Let's support him with two awards:

  1. "Ideal figure"- for a smartphone that has a comfortable size and shape.
  2. "dude"- for a device with a very beautiful design.


Well, for a snack, a couple of independent video reviews:


What is NFC, what opportunities does it give potential owners of a mobile phone with this functionality? First of all, if you take two Meizu with NFC, you can quickly transfer data from one device to another without any problems. The connection is established instantly, and the information transfer speed is higher than ever.

In the presence of such functionality you can simplify the operation of the device as much as possible. No manipulations with the mobile unit are required, it is enough to use the previously installed NFC tags. Finally, an important advantage of working with the option can be called relatively short distance, an attacker will not be able to invade the personal space of a mobile phone in the future, as was the case with previously established data transmission standards. A correctly configured module will allow the unit to be used as a means of subsequent payment, for example, for the same metro ride or parking space.

Models with NFC

For the manufacturer Meizu, 2016 passed without the use of support for this standard. Despite this, the Chinese company has provided the ability to use NFC already in its new mobile device, the Meizu Pro 6 NFC model. This decision of the management is connected with the fact that an increasing number of services are currently appearing on the market that are directly tied to the use of this particular technology. However, it can be noted that this is not the entire list of Meizu with an NFC module that has been offered on the market since the company's existence. Among similar models that included the specified functionality, the following can be distinguished:

  1. Meixu MX3.
  2. Meizu MX4 Pro.
  3. Meizu Pro 5.

In fact, the presence of such a module is not provided only in models provided on the market in 2016, despite this, the company returned to the old tradition in 2017 and offers a truly optimal solution in all respects - models in which the NFC function is supported in the prescribed manner . It is also worth noting that 2016 itself became a truly significant year for making payments using NFC technology, which was associated with the launch of such major services as Apple Pay Samsung Pay. For several months, it has been noted that the use of such technology is more the lot of geeks, and not a great solution actively used by the masses of potential users.

Overview of the smartphone Meizu Pro 6 Plus

How is the currently popular Meizu Pro 6 Plus smartphone model different from its predecessors? First of all, the body of the unit, made of high-quality metal with the addition of glass, catches the eye. Android 6 is installed as an operating system, it is possible to use two SIM cards (both "nano" standards).

The model has an impressive screen size, with a diagonal of about 5.7 inches, with a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels. Among the features of this development is the presence of backlight adjustment, which is carried out in automatic mode. 2.5D glass is specially installed as protection.

A distinctive feature can be called the presence of a powerful eight-core processor, while four cores have a clock speed of 2 / 2.3 GHz, and four more cores have a clock frequency of 1.5 / 1.6 GHz.

As a graphics processor, this development has a sensational Mali-T880 network. The RAM of the device is within 4 GB, while the memory for subsequent storage of information is provided in the amount of 64/128 GB, depending on the modification of the equipment. The smartphone has two cameras installed, including:

  • The main camera has a resolution of about 12 megapixels, the presence of phase and laser focusing, as well as a ring flash;
  • The front camera has a resolution within 5 megapixels, provides the highest quality image transmission, which significantly differs from a number of similar mobile devices in the specified price range.

The unit provides for the presence of all standard interfaces, in this respect, in fact, it is no different from the previous flagship of the manufacturer. In addition, there is a high-quality fingerprint scanner, as well as a heart rate monitor, which will be very useful for people who want to be always in maximum awareness about their own health. Among the sensors that a smartphone has, there are an accelerometer, a sensor for the direct position of a mobile phone in space, an appropriate light sensor, and even a barometer. The battery, as in the case of similar models of previous releases, is made non-removable, the total weight of the device is only 158 grams.

Meizu Pro 6 Plus on Yandex Market

Overview of the Meizu Pay payment system

The simple unique Meizu Pay payment system deserves special attention, the functionality of which can be used by potential owners of smartphones manufactured by this company. It may seem that the decision to use their own payment systems is made by every eminent manufacturer of mobile gadgets. They will now be joined by the payment system that has become popular with the people of China. android system Meizu Pay, through which each owner will be able to transfer funds, pay for services in contactless mode. It is worth giving some information on such an innovation.

At first, this service (as the manufacturer himself indicates) will be valid for several limited quantity mobile devices, but not for long. In the future, the company plans to make this service publicly available, the first trial run of the specified system took place from June 21 and continues to this day (as the company notes, the final check date is indicated as July 20, 2017). Owners of mobile devices of models 5 and 6 take part in it directly.

In the event that this service will work exclusively without problems, in the future it will be able to run on all smartphones of the company, which will be equipped with NFC chips. In fact, today it is only known about Meizu Pay, on which models it works, while the question of future prospects remains unclear. In the company's outlook, it intends to somewhat expand its current payment market far beyond its native China so that it can confidently compete with the current segment leaders.

Is it possible to put Android Pay on Meizu phones

Many device owners wonder why Android Pay does not work on Meizu and how can I solve this problem. Despite the fact that relatively little time has passed since the launch of the system, messages regularly appear on the network that the payment system simply does not work, despite the fact that all the requirements for filling smartphones are met in the prescribed manner. In particular, how to install Android Pay on Meizu and not experience any problems from it? To do this, you should use the Magisk utility, which provides the following:

  • The presence of the Android operating system version 5 and higher installed on the mobile device, the firmware must be stock. If the firmware is custom, you will need to edit the ro.build lines, in the corresponding system file devices. If this is not done, the program will not will be tested and the long-awaited work with the payment system can simply not wait;
  • You will definitely need to unlock the bootloader, with which you can easily install custom recovery on your phone. If suddenly this does not work out, it will need to be unlocked, for which you just need to contact specialists who perform this kind of work;
  • You will need to obtain the appropriate superuser rights on the devices, which is quite simple, for this you only need to use the original non-system SuperSU, and also use the help of the MagiskSU component;
  • It may be that root is obtained on the device directly using other utilities (this state of affairs is most often noted directly on custom-type firmware). First you will need to remove it, and then install it using the components described in the paragraph above.

It is worth noting the need to remove an unsupported version of root, for which a specially developed script is used. Finding such a script will not be a problem, you can also do this on his XDA developer site. With a correct and consistent approach, the maximum possible use of the functionality of the program is ensured, the subsequent installation of the payment system and payment with its help necessary services. This is a special moment, you need to pay maximum attention to it.


Comparison table of Meizu phones with NFC

It's time to consider a comparison table of all mobile devices from the manufacturer Meizu that support or do not support NFC function. Depending on preferences, each potential owner this device will be able to independently choose the unit for themselves, depending on the need.

Characteristics

  • Body materials: metal, glass, plastic inserts
  • Operating system: Android 6.0, Flyme 5.2
  • Network: GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSDPA, LTE (TD/FDD-LTE 1/3/7), DualSIM (nanoSIM)
  • Screen: IPS LCD (Sharp), diagonal 5.5”, resolution 1920x1080, ppi 404, automatic backlight level adjustment, protective glass 2.5D
  • Platform: MediaTek Helio X20
  • Processor: 10-core, 64-bit, four Cortex-A53 cores at 1.4 GHz + four Cortex-A53 cores at 1.9 GHz + two Cortex-A72 cores at 2.3 GHz
  • Graphics: Mali T880 (four cores)
  • RAM: 4 GB
  • Storage Memory: 32 GB
  • Memory card slot: no
  • Main camera: 12 MP, 6 lenses, f/2.0, phase detection autofocus, pixel size 1.25 microns, dual LED flash, video is recorded in 4k
  • Front camera: 5 MP, f/2.0, video is recorded in 1080p
  • Interfaces: Wi-Fi (a/b/g/n/ac) Dual-Band, Bluetooth 4.0 (LE), USB Type C connector (USB 2.0, MHL) for charge/sync, 3.5 mm for headset
  • Navigation: GPS (support A-GPS), Glonass
  • Optional: mTouch 2.1 fingerprint scanner, accelerometer, light sensor, proximity sensor
  • Battery: 3060 mAh
  • Dimensions: 153.6 x 75.2 x 7.25mm
  • Weight: 155 grams

Introduction

In the early years of smartphone production, the MX line was key and the only one for Meizu. One smartphone was produced per year: Meizu M2, MX2, MX3, and then the company simply supported it, created new firmware and finalized the Flyme proprietary shell, while simultaneously developing a model for next year. Each new MX was a flagship for the manufacturer. With the advent of such a major partner (investor) as Alibaba Group, Meizu's policy began to change, and the Chinese began to move away from the company's model of one device, first introducing a series of inexpensive Meilan models (we have the M mini and M Note series), and then a series of flagships – Pro. The MX line, therefore, ended up somewhere in the middle and turned out to be a little forgotten. However, this was Meizu's fault, the manufacturer focused on the budget and top segments, leaving not so much energy on the MX. As a result, the Meizu MX series, starting with the MX4, has become something not entirely clear: it seems not to be a budget device, but not quite a flagship either.

The new Meizu MX6 was supposed to put everything in its place and give an understanding of where exactly the company plans to develop the MX series. And so it happened - after the presentation of Meizu MX6, we can confidently say that now the MX series is becoming one big field for experiments for the company. In the future, we will probably meet all new developments for the first time in MX, and only then Meizu will add them to other series (especially to the Pro line). In the case of Meizu MX6, it was decided to conduct an experiment with the camera - finally, devices from Meizu will make, if not global, but a tangible step towards improving the quality of the photo component. And now about everything in order.


Case design and materials

It has become very easy to write about the design of new Meizu smartphones - remember Meizu MX5, Meizu Pro 5 and Pro 6, Meizu M3 Note, M1 Metal or M3s mini - that's all the same in Meizu MX6. The body is made of metal, the front is glass with a 2.5D effect, on the back there are neat plastic inserts (as in Pro 6) for wiring antennas.



The design turned out to be neat and recognizable, the company has been releasing devices in it for two years now and will probably want to change something soon (it would be logical). On sale, the smartphone will be available in four colors: silver, gold and pink with a white front panel, as well as dark gray with a black front panel.



Dimensions

The smartphone is comparable in size to other models that use a 5.5" display. Of course, the smartphone is not able to compete with the champion in compactness among devices with such a diagonal, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, but in general I cannot call it excessively large.



Controls

In terms of control, Meizu MX6 is almost no different from Pro 5/6. The power and volume buttons are on the right, the tray for two SIM cards (nanoSIM format) is on the left, the USB Type-C connector, microphone, speaker grilles and 3.5 mm mini-jack are on the bottom. Above is a hole for an additional speaker, there are no other elements there.

Like the M3 Note, the new MX6 has sensors and a peephole front camera are arranged symmetrically with respect to the dynamo lattice.


The smartphone is equipped with a fingerprint scanner (mTouch 2.1), it is inscribed in a mechanical key, which also plays the role of the "Back" button thanks to the touch layer.

Screen

The device uses a screen with a diagonal of 5.5 "" and a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels based on IPS LCD matrices produced by Sharp. Display with maximum viewing angles, a good margin of brightness and close to natural color reproduction. At the same time, in the screen settings, you can change the color temperature of the display, as well as turn on the “eye protection” mode, in which the image acquires characteristic warm tones. The screen is covered with 2.5D glass with a high-quality oleophobic coating.



platform, memory

The smartphone is built on one of the top platforms from Mediatek - Helio X20. It is a ten-core chip with four 1.4GHz Cortex-A53 cores, four 1.8GHz Cortex-A53 cores, and two 2.3GHz Cortex-A72 cores. In general, Helio X20 provides a level of performance comparable to X25, that is, the smartphone works quickly and smoothly, I did not encounter any freezes during the day of use. The device uses a Mali T880 graphics chip and 4 GB of RAM.

The amount of built-in memory is 32 GB, there is no slot for a memory card. This is a significant drawback of the smartphone for some users, I don’t know what caused such a decision by the company.



Camera

As I wrote at the very beginning of the material, Meizu MX6 is the company's step towards improving photo quality. The smartphone uses a new 12 megapixel sensor from Sony, IMX 386. According to Bai Yongxiang, the Japanese have prepared a customized sensor in collaboration with Meizu, especially for the MX6 and, possibly, future devices of the company. Other camera options are 6 lenses, f/2.0 aperture, 1.25 micron pixel size, phase detection autofocus and dual LED flash.








The device takes pictures really quickly, you can evaluate the quality in the examples below in comparison with Samsung camera Galaxy S7 Edge. In my opinion, the camera turned out to be quite good, and not in the best simple conditions(indoor shooting and daytime shooting in the absence of sunlight) Meizu MX6 is capable of taking photos good quality. Some frames are comparable to the SGS7 Edge, some are worse, but this is definitely a noticeable step forward compared to previous Meizu devices.

Meizu MX6

The front camera with a resolution of 5 megapixels, f/2.0 aperture and 4-lens optics is not bad, it allows you to get decent selfies, but I can’t say anything special about it.

Interfaces

The smartphone is equipped with the usual set of interfaces: dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 LE, LTE (Frequencies FDD-LTE Band 1,3,7). The device supports VoLTE and LTE Cat 6, NFC is not. The USB Type-C connector is used to connect to a PC and charge.


Battery

The battery capacity in Meizu MX6 is 3060 mAh. According to Meizu, the smartphone is comparable in terms of operating time to the Pro 5, which was, let me remind you, one of the best devices in the Meizu line in terms of battery life. True or not, Roman Belykh will already tell in the review, alas, I can’t check the operating time per day of use.


Meizu MX6 implements mCharge fast charging technology based on MediaTek Pump Express. In 10 minutes, the smartphone is charged by 25 percent, in 30 minutes - up to 65 percent.




flyme

The smartphone runs on Android 6.0 with a proprietary Flyme 5.2 interface. Major innovations in current version no, the company is obviously preparing a global update of Flyme for one of the next announcements.

Loop Jacket

Together with the MX6, the company introduced a branded case for new devices - Loop Jacket. The idea is not new, but Meizu for some reason did not resort to it until this moment.


A plastic case with leather elements (leatherette?) with a round window displaying useful information. The idea is to give the user access to the most important applications, settings and smartphone data without having to open the flip case. The cover looks great, it will cost inexpensively, as expected. In addition, the designers of Meizu drew very cool (for my taste) dials for the Loop Jacket.


Conclusion

From the presentation of Meizu MX6, you can experience mixed feelings. If you follow the ups and downs of the Chinese smartphone market, the MX6 is expected to be a little boring and probably too simple. From Meizu, many are waiting for answers to each new Xiaomi, LeEco, Huawei, and so on, and in many ways it was Meizu herself who taught everyone to this state of affairs for several years in a row. Today, as the company ranks 11th in the world in smartphone sales and continues to gain market share, the Chinese are gradually changing their way of looking at competition, and it's starting to show. The main sales are made due to the incredibly successful Meilan line both in China and outside it (Meizu M2 Note, M2 mini, M3 Note, M3s mini), and everything else goes to the load. Unlike Xiaomi, which initially built its business model on almost zero sales, Meizu made expensive devices and is now trying to support this segment, even if there is no longer such a tangible need for it.


Meizu MX6 is interesting for its camera, and it is in the context model range this company (so far we are not talking about competition with Samsung or Apple), where the camera has traditionally been a weak link for several years in a row. In MX6, serious progress is noticeable in this regard, and I think this will please fans of the brand. We should expect a similar module in the real flagship of this year, and if you dream, then maybe with optical stabilization. Otherwise, the MX6 is an expected device in the middle segment, gravitating towards flagships, but noticeably cheaper than most of them. In China, the model will cost 2,000 yuan (about 20,000 rubles in our money). In Russia, Meizu MX6 will appear in late August - early September, the cost has not yet been announced.