The Meizu MX4 Pro Review

Conclusion

The Meizu MX4 Pro is certainly an interesting device. There is no doubt that most readers will consider the most characterizing facet of the device the fact that this is a phone by a Chinese manufacturer who has yet to make a reputation for itself in the western markets. Trying to diverge from the well-known formula by employing a more radical customization of Android, Meizu nevertheless manages to put out a very solid product.

FlymeOS, while still lacking polish and distinguishing functional features, still manages to serve as a good OEM skin. The stock launcher is definitely the weak point but doesn't hinder the user from easily installing 3rd party software to get the application drawer back. I'm happy with Meizu's permission manager and see it as an important addition to the core OS that cannot be easily reproduced by other means. The interface is clean and the design language is attractive. Translation mishaps here and there are being progressively fixed by the continuous updates that the phone seems to receive since I got the sample unit. It's Meizu's services and ecosystem that need a more drastic effort as they completely lack even basic English support.

In terms of phone hardware, the MX4 Pro really seems to shine. The semi-metal build is extremely solid and gives an excellent premium feel to it, without having to sacrifice too much weight or texture due to the plastic back that in my opinion is well suited for the device. However, I miss the microSD card slot and given the device's internal build and I really wonder why Meizu chose to omit it.

Meizu's fingerprint sensor implementation works just as well as Apple's, and due to the dual-function as both mechanical home-button and capacitive function key brings a new way of navigation that, at least in theory, seems improved over previous Meizu models.

Meizu's choice of continuing with Samsung's line of SoCs is no disadvantage compared to the competition. The Exynos 5430 will probably remain as the most power efficient SoC of the existing A15 generation. A57 SoCs are just around the corner and one may question the choice of going forward with the purchase of a last-generation architecture device, but I've proven that in terms of perf/W the Exynos 5430 leads the newer generation 5433. Unfortunately, the raw performance of the SoC is often wasted by poor software optimizations in the OS. If you're running non-native applications, you might not see the full potential of the hardware. I hope an eventual Lollipop update will fix these issues.

It's on the GPU side that performance may not be totally satisfactory due to the Mali T628MP6. Here a more robust GPU such as the Adreno 420 found in the Snapdragon 805 would have been a better fit for the QHD screen.

When it comes to the MX4 Pro's display, the 5.46" JDI panel is a double-edged sword. Delivering excellent maximum brightness and amazing low-light night reading modes at the same time, and the outstanding sharpness of the 1536p 546PPI resolution, are feats that could be overshadowed by the inaccurate and oversaturated colors of the default calibration that Meizu decided to employ. In terms of screen size, I think Meizu hit the upper limit of the sweet-spot for one-handed use as the sloping sides make for a very comfortable one-handed grip of the phone.

The choice of SoC, efficient display, and a large 3350mAh battery make for remarkable battery life on the Meizu. Gaming may get a little bit hot due to the GPU, but other everyday usage easily competes with top-performing devices.

The camera performs well, but don't expect it to quite reach the quality of OIS contenders such as the G3, Note 4, or iPhone 6 Plus. Compared to what the Huawei offered in the Honor 6 and Mate 7, there is however a noticeable improvement in quality.

A big detractor is the cellular network support. If you live in North America, you will not get LTE support. Europeans will be more lucky to see either 1800 or 2600MHz band support on their carriers. Until Meizu specifically targets a model with more global band support, this will remain a unit that is best served on the Chinese mainland. It is a pity as the Marvell modem seems to behave quite well in my subjective usage.

When it comes to deciding whether the MX4 Pro is worth buying, again it comes down to price. The device can be found through various web-shops internationally starting at $499 or ~380€ for the 32GB model, with the 16GB going for even less. I think Meizu hits a reasonable performance/price level that makes the MX4 Pro a more attractive choice than competing devices at its level. The Nexus 6 and Mate 7 both under-perform in everything but software and sheer screen size, while the Note 4 or iPhone 6 vastly out-price the Meizu putting them in a different category. Overall, if you can make due with the LTE bands, I think the MX4 Pro is a solid phone that is worth considering.