Meizu MX5

Thanks to the affordability factor and ease of manufacturing, plastic and polycarbonate body are a common choice for most brands when it comes to choosing an encasing for their offerings. A few devices try to go a step further by boasting a metallic frame around the edges or a glass panel at the back, but there are hardly any phones which have a complete metal body. And, these options (such as  HTC’s flagship, the One M9+ and its predecessors) more often than not, cost a bomb because of the complicated manufacturing process involved.

The MEIZU MX5 is built around a display panel measuring 5.5-inches. Bearing a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels, the screen has a resolution of 401 pixels-per-inch, which results in sharp text and visuals. The Chinese manufacturer has opted for the highest quality display panel, with the use of Samsung’s Super AMOLED technology. The display is used in flagship offerings and is known for its ability to offer vibrant colours and wide viewing angles. The handset also boasts impressive contrasts with its high contrast ratio of 10,000:1. We didn’t find any issue while using the phone outdoors either as it’s legible even under direct sunlight, thanks to its sunlight screen, which enhances the display on the pixel level. There’s even an ultra-dimming technology for viewing content in low light without straining your eyes.

Before the launch of the m2 note, MEIZU said it was aiming to revolutionise the home button, and it did to an extent with the mBack button. Now, the Chinese company has taken things to the next level with the MX5. As we have mentioned before, there’s only one button available on the phablet, but it's very capable of handling the tasks of the three Android navigation keys. Dubbed mTouch 2.0, the hardware button responds differently depending upon the action. When tapped, it returns to the previous screen and when pressed, it jumps to the homescreen. It does take time getting used to, but after a while it feels seamless and efficient.

MEIZU was one of the first manufacturers to emulate Apple’s iOS with its custom skin. Named Flyme OS, the same layer is also available in its flagship, the MX5. The UI is built on top of latest iteration of Android, i.e. 5.0 Lollipop, however you’d be forgiven if you aren’t able to find that out with its looks. With its custom icons and interface, you’d be hard-pressed to find any Material Design influences. Another issue is that the device still is laden with apps that are available only in Chinese.

The camera department is an important piece of the puzzle if any device wants to capture a user's attention, and the MEIZU MX5 does seem up for the task, on paper at least. The phablet comes equipped with a 20.7-megapixel snapper at the back, which features an aperture of f/2.2 and six-element lens. The camera gets help from laser autofocus that can focus on subjects almost instantly. The dual-tone LED flash is also available to illuminate poorly-lit environments.

While Qualcomm dominates the mobile chipset industry with a majority of devices running its SoCs, it’s leadership is increasingly threatened by Taiwan-based MediaTek. Add to it the fact that it’s latest flagship chip, the Snapdragon 810, is suffering from heating issues, many smartphone manufacturers have turned to alternative solutions. MEIZU is also one such brand, and has deployed MediaTek’s latest high-end silicon dubbed Helio X10.