Relatively unknown internationally, Chinese smartphone maker Meizu unveiled their 2013 flagship a few days back – the Meizu MX3. The device costs a little over $400 in China, and comes with specifications that are enough to rival, and at more times than one, beat other international flagships. Since not much is known about this device in India, we hereby present to you our take on the same.
Availability in India is a big question mark at the moment, but the specifications of the looks of this device will surely make your mouth water. We just hope companies like Meizu try and expand their horizons beyond China.
Camera and Internal Storage
Like the Moto X that was launched a few weeks back, the Meizu MX3 too, tried to focus on the quality rather than the quantity. This statement might’ve made you guess that the phone does not feature a 13MP camera like other 2013 flagships. If you did, you were spot on. The MX3 comes with an 8MP shooter which comes from Sony, assisted with an LED flash. What impresses is the f/2.0 aperture used by the sensor, making it one of the best mobile cameras; the iPhone 5S uses an f/2.2 sensor, so you can imagine.
The front camera on this device is a meagre 2MP unit. However, it should suffice for what it’s meant for – video calls. It is rather surprising that most international and upcoming manufacturers are sticking to 2MP front cameras while other small-time ones are providing front cameras as large as 13MP units.
The device comes in 4 variants, namely, the 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and the 128GB, making it one of the first phones to feature a 128GB variant. Given the wide array of options you can choose from, you’re sure to hit the right balance between price and features.
The 16GB variant, however, does not feature NFC. All the other ones except the 16GB variant feature NFC.
Processor and Battery
The Meizu MX3 adopts Samsung’s Exynos series 5 chipset, which comes with 4 Cortex A7 cores plus 4 Cortex A15 cores. Yes, this is the same chipset used in the uber popular Samsung Galaxy S4. The phone intelligently switches between the 1.6 GHz Cortex A15 and the 1.2 GHz Cortex A7 cores, depending on how much is needed out of the device.
The performance of this phone is expected to be as good as the Samsung Galaxy S4, which costs quite a bit more. However, the Meizu MX3 comes with no expandable memory like the Galaxy S4, and it would be advisable to go for either the 32GB of the 64GB variant.
The device packs 2GB of RAM, again identical to the Samsung Galaxy S4. The phone is bound to be among the smoothest in terms of UI transitions, while apps and games shouldn’t take a long time to load.
The MX3 features a satisfactory 2400 mAh battery that should be good enough for one whole day of backup on a single charge. Just like the camera, the battery too would be made by Sony.
Display and Features
In an age where you expect a 5-inch display on every flagship, the MX3 surprises you with a 5.1 inch screen. Although the difference isn’t much, the real deal lies in the aspect ratio; Meizu choose to stick to their rather unorthodox 15:9 aspect ratio. As far as usage is concerned, it definitely has to be said that the device would be more usable and easier to operate with a single hand.
The resolution on this 5.1 inch panel is 1800x1080p, which isn’t full HD exactly, but as good. The pixel density returned on this panel is a meaty 415 PPI. The panel, like many other components on the device, would be coming from a reputed player – Sharp.
Looks and Connectivity
Although the device does borrow (more than) a few elements from the iPhone design, we have to admit it is among the best looking devices launched in the past few months. Thanks to the unorthodox aspect ratio, the device will be fairly easy to use with one hand.
The phone comes with regular connectivity features like GSM, 3G (WCDMA), Bluetooth, WiFi, NFC (except the 16GB variant).
Comparison
As you’d have probably made out by now, the MX3’s direct rival would be the Samsung Galaxy S4.
Other competitors might include the HTC One, Sony Xperia Z, Xperia Z1 and the OPPO Find 5.
Key Specs
| Model | Meizu MX3 |
| Display | 5.1 inches 1800x1080p |
| Processor | Samsung Exynos 5410 (1.6 x 4 + 1.2 x 4) |
| RAM, ROM | 2GB RAM, 16/32/64/128GB ROM |
| OS | Flyme 3.0 (Android based) |
| Cameras | 8MP rear, 2MP front |
| Battery | 2400mAh |
| Price | Starting $400 in China |
Conclusion
As we said before, the device is one of the best looking phones seen of late. We just hope Meizu take other markets seriously’; we would love to see this device being launched in India in the near future.
Coming to the device, as is pretty clear, it does have the potential to beat other flagships thanks to the look and feel of the device combined with the powerful internals. Also, the pricing will play a big role; Meizu have done well to make the phone available for just over $400 in China, making it considerably cheaper than other devices with similar specs.
