Meizu MX5

Dimensions: 149.9 x 74.7 x 7.6 mmWeight: 149 gramsThanks 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.However, MEIZU has been able to figure out how to use a 100 percent metallic encasing for its latest smartphone, the MX5. During the launch event, the manufacturer highlighted the complicated 68-step process required to achieve a complete metal build. With the use of a magnesium alloy frame inside, the handset manages to be robust, while its shiny metallic exterior grabs your attention instantly. With its smooth edges and rounded corners, the phone might feel heavily inspired by the iPhone 6, but it manages to retain its own identity.The fascia of the MEIZU MX5 is dominated by a 5.5-inch display panel, with an earpiece and a front-facing camera along with a couple of sensors above, and an oval-shaped button below. It must be noted that unlike most Android smartphones which have three navigation keys, either as part of the hardware or software, the MX5 has only one physical button. We’ll talk about its usage in a bit. The right spine of the MX5 hosts the volume up / down keys followed by the power toggle. The buttons can be accessed easily and offer good tactile feedback when pressed. On the left, you’ll find an ejectable tray that can hold two SIM cards. Up top lies a 3.5mm audio socket and a noise-cancellation microphone. At the base, you’ll find the micro-USB port, flanked by a primary microphone and precision-grilled speaker holes.   The MEIZU MX5 is a constructed from a single block of metal making it a unibody device. Its back sports the primary camera unit, which juts out slightly and is supplemented by a dual-tone LED flash and laser. MEIZU’s logo is placed towards the bottom. The rear panel features a smooth finish and thanks to its tapered edges, is ergonomic. Another point that works in favour of the device is that it doesn’t become slippery, even after extended periods of usage.MEIZU has managed to achieve an engineering feat with the MX5. Even with its metal body, the antenna strips at the back are unobtrusive, and don't come across as a sore sight for the eyes, unlike many other devices including the Apple iPhone 6 (review | FAQs). It sports a uniform colour at the back, which is silver in our case, though you can also purchase it in deep gray, champagne or a dual-tone finish of black and silver.Even with a big profile, the MEIZU MX5 is quite lightweight and tips the scales at 149g. It also has a slim waistline measuring just 7.6mm. If you’re comfortable with phablets, the phone can be comfortably operated with a single hand, with even the corners of the screen being easily accessible.

Size: 5.5 InchResolution: Full HD (1080 x 1920 pixels)Display Type: Super AMOLEDPixel Density: 401 ppiThe 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.Protecting the phablet’s display against scratches and slight wear-and-tear is a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

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.But that’s not all, as the physical home key also hides a fingerprint reader underneath. Although Google doesn’t support this biometric authentication method natively (the support will come with upcoming Android 6.0 Marshmallow), many Android devices have started integrating this feature, but most of them have a tacky implementation. MEIZU however, has made sure that its fingerprint sensor remains accurate, fast and thus secure. We found it to be very quick, and there were rarely any moments when it missed reading our fingerprint. Using our fingerprint to unlock the phone is a more natural action than typing a PIN or tracing a pattern, and the fact that mTouch 2.0 is extremely zippy works even more in its favour.  Registering your fingerprint is quite easy. You need to place your finger on the button multiple times until it captures the entire fingerprint. After that, you can use your fingerprint to unlock the phone, as well as login to encrypted apps. The MEIZU MX5 lets you register multiple fingerprints.

Operating System: AndroidOS Version: 5.0, LollipopMEIZU 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.  We’ve already detailed Flyme OS v4.5 in our review of the MEIZU m2 note, so we're not going to go over it again. However, to recap, the OS, like most Chinese UI’s, offers a singular interface in the form of a home screen to access all the installed apps. In terms of pre-installed content, the device offers very few Google apps along with company’s own app store (primarily for China) called AppCenter. Personalize allows you to tweak the looks of the interface, and while it has only Chinese content, you can find some interesting themes if you log in and create an account. The Painter app unleashes the creator within you, letting you sketch and draw. Settings has an iOS-like two-pane interface with the menu on the left and available options for the same on the right. Security is a one-stop tool to clean junk files, find space hogging content, manage data traffic, granularly control permissions accessed by each app and more.  In terms of additional features, the phone supports the usual gestures such as double-tap-to-wake or swipe up or down on the lockscreen to access assigned apps. One feature we found interesting is Smart Touch, which brings up a floating button. Unlike other custom skins, which bring up a menu with this concept, Flyme OS has a set of preset gestures that can be performed to initiate certain actions. To return to the previous screen, for instance, you just need to tap this button, while swiping the button to left or right will let you switch between tasks. There are several other gestures which prove to be handy, especially when you want to use the MEIZU MX5 single-handedly. If you’re wondering how you can access the multitasking menu since there’s no dedicated button for the same, Flyme OS has a gesture for this too. All you need to do is swipe up from the bottom of the screen, which will bring up a bar showing all the recently-opened apps.While the UI offers several compelling features, the experience wasn’t as refined when compared to other proprietary interfaces. Additionally, we came across quite a few app crashes. It also seems odd that MEIZU decided not to follow Google’s Material Design ethos with Android Lollipop. 

Primary camera: 20.7 MPFlash: Dual-color LED FlashSecondary camera: 5 MPThe 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.The MEIZU MX5’s camera app is extremely minimal, providing you a maximum viewing area of the scene you’re shooting. When viewed in landscape orientation, it has big circular buttons towards the right to switch between capturing images or recording videos. Besides them, you’ll find the option to toggle the flash, turn on effects such as Film, Azure, Pale blue, etc., change to the front camera or access the complete settings menu. The menu offers features such as HDR, gridlines, an automatic timer and photo/video size options. If you’re looking for some more modes, those are available towards the left and can be activated by swiping up or down (all these modes are also available in a single view when you tap the mode button on the left). The Manual mode gives you control over the shutter speed, ISO level, exposure and focal length. Some other modes on offer are beauty, panorama, light field, and slow motion (for video) among others. In real-life performance, the primary camera of the  MEIZU MX5 captures good details and natural colours. The shooter is able to keep up with a variety of conditions, be it landscape images or macro portraits and even images taken in indoor lighting. Adding to the experience further is the camera’s ability to lock the focus quickly and capture the moment in almost no time. We were also impressed by the HDR capabilities, although it’s not easy to access as it’s hidden away in settings menu. Take a dekko at sample images captured through the MX5:  Want to know more about its camera? Read our detailed camera review of the MEIZU MX5

CPU: Octa core, 2.2 GHz, MediaTek MT6795GPU: PowerVR G6200RAM: 3 GBMemory: 16 GBSIM Slots: Dual SIM , GSM+GSM