Meizu M3 Note's First Impressions Meizu clocks 3,00,000 registrations for the smartphone released in just two weeks: what's the hype about?
By Rustam Singh
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Yet another Chinese smartphone maker, Meizu, is out with another smartphone M3 Note. Claiming to have clocked 3 lakh registrations in just two weeks on its debut in India, the low cost smartphone is priced at 10,000 rupees with sales going live today exclusively on Amazon India. Based on the initial company claimed specifications and preliminary reviews, the smartphone has potential and is at par with other available smartphones for this price range, but disappoints in its software. Meizu rose to popularity with the launch of its new series in 2014, and by 2015 had sold a whooping 20 million sets.
Build:
For 10,000 rupees, the build is surprisingly good. It has an ergonomic grip, 6000 series aluminum alloy design couples with an anodic oxidation process which gives it a nice finish. It sports a unibody shell, with chamfered edges remind you of iPhone's metallic finish look. The grip of the phone itself feels very close to the iPhone 6+. The Meizu m3 note is 0.5mm thinner than the previous generation.
It also has a singular navigation button that is shaped like typical of LG's smartphone but supports a fingerprint reader, home button and a back button in typical styles of an iPhone.
Battery:
One of the unique selling points of the smartphone is its battery. Supporting a huge 4,100mAh Lithium, the average user can expect up to two days of normal usage. It matches Xiaomi's Redmi Note 3 nicely when it comes to battery backup. With minor game play, calls, messaging, social media and video streaming, the screen on time is a surprising 7 hours long. Those who want a fully functional smartphone that you can move about without searching for a charging port all day, can go with Meizu without hesitation.
Performance:
Under the hood, it rocks a combination of Flyme OS5.1 and the Helios P10 processor, but still experiences frequent crashes. Perhaps it's the OS's fault because delay and slag were significantly noticeable, according to popular reviewers.
Camera:
The 13MP rear camera and a new True Bright ISP engine to ensure exquisite photos & videos on the device. It offers features which a normal user will never use, including the ability to refocus the image using light field mode after it's shot, create 6 second GIFs and an overall quick focus adaptability. The manual mode works good too, with a maximum shutter time of 16 seconds and an ISO of 1600.
Storage:
It comes with 32GB storage, a department I feel should have been extended to 128GB but then I support a device that's almost perpetually clogged with apps and music and thus needs storage that big.
Overall:
When you budget is as low as 10,000, the phone can be a serious competitor for the job. There is a downside, Meizu m3 note runs Flyme UI 5 based on Android 5.1 and there appears to be no Marshmallow update on the cards any time soon. Those looking for security fixes might be in some trouble. The speakers are also surprisingly less loud than you expect them, for a Chinese build. Overall, if you're focusing on good hardware not particular specific tasks that require software to work a pin point precision, then go for it.
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