Review of the Meizu MX3 smartphone: at the crossroads of special paths. Meizu MX3 review: the third coming

The Meizu brand (http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meizu) is still known to few. Meizu smartphones run on their own modification of Android called Flyme OS, which differs significantly from Android in function and appearance. Flyme OS is a combination of Android, MIUI, iOS and Blackberry OS. In terms of performance, Meizu smartphones can be compared more with the flagships of category A brands than with Chinese smartphones.

in my hand newest smartphone Meizu MX3.

I've been using this smartphone as my main phone for two weeks now. It is distinguished by its unusual and very convenient way unlocking, many pleasant little things that are not in regular Android, excellent screen and touchscreen, fast work, good camera, exceptionally high call quality, loud and high quality sound in headphones.

Technical characteristics of the Meizu MX3 smartphone

operating system: Flyme OS 3.0.3 based on Android 4.2;
CPU: 8-core Exynos 5410 (4-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A15 and 4-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7);
Video accelerator: PowerVR SGX 544MP3 (533MHz, 3-core);
Memory: 2 GB RAM, 16/32/64/128 GB flash.
Screen: 5.1" 1800x1080, 415ppi “Sharp New Mode 2”, contrast 1000:1, brightness 450 cd/m, TOL technology (single glass-sensor-display module), energy-saving PSR technology, Corning protective glass Gorilla Glass 2", capacitive MultiTouch;
Connection: GSM/GPRS/EDGE/3G(WCDMA)/HSPA+, WCDMA 850/2100, GSM 850/900/1800; Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz/5GHz, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC (except MEIZU MX3 16GB);
Camera: main 8MP (BSI Sony Exmor sensor, IMX179 CMOS 1.4μm), 5 lenses, F/2.0, angle 74°. Shooting speed: 20 fps, instant filter function, video recording 30 fps 1080p, panoramic shooting, gyrofocus, HDR function, face detection, gesture shot. Front-camera: 2MP (Sony sensor), video recording 30 fps 1080p. Fujitsu four-channel image processing chip;
Multimedia: Wolfson WM5102 sound chip, Dirac HD technology;
Sound path: Smart PA noise reduction system with three microphones;
Additionally: GPS/A-GPS/GLONASS, electronic compass, light sensor, infrared distance sensor, gravity sensor, gyroscope;
Interfaces: Micro USB with OTG support, 3.5 mm audio jack, MicroSIM;
Battery: Li-Ion, Sony 2400 mAh;
Dimensions and weight: 139x72x9.1 mm, 143 g;

Design and delivery set

To install the SIM card you need to remove back panel. This can be done using a special key or a regular ballpoint pen. Although the battery is visible, it is not removable.

Included: power adapter (5V 2.1A), USB-MicoUSB cable, instructions, key for opening back cover.

Unusual button

The touch button performs several functions at once. First of all, it is used to unlock and lock a smartphone. To unlock, you need to touch the sensor and swipe up (without pressing any buttons first). To block, hold the touch button for two seconds. You can watch the process in this short video.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KaLPyMZXGg

This unlocking method is used in recent Blackberry smartphones. This is very convenient because to unlock you need to perform not two actions (press a button and swipe across the screen), but only one.

In addition, the button performs the functions of two standard Android buttons - “Home” (when pressed) and “Back” (when moved up). Unfortunately, there is no third “Menu” button, and each time moving up instead of pressing the button to use the “Back” function is quite inconvenient.

The white luminous circle on the button is also an event indicator - it cyclically lights up and goes out smoothly.

Differences from Android

The bottom panel

If you swipe up from the area to the left or right of the touch button, a lower panel will open with a list of recently launched applications. If you move the application icon up, it will force close. If you move the icon of any application down, all applications will close. If you slide the panel to the right, four more running applications will be shown. If you move to the left, a service panel will appear with volume control and a settings button. You can also add up to five icons-links to any applications there.

Top panel

If you swipe down from the top of the screen, the top panel will open. It displays the date and day of the week, the name wi-fi networks and telecom operator, five control buttons (Wi-Fi, Mobile Internet, Bluetooth, GPS, screen rotation). Notifications are also displayed there.

If you click on the operator name, a menu will open where you can select the network mode. When connecting to Wi-Fi, you can also select a Wi-Fi network there.

Settings menu

The settings menu consists of only icons. If you move to the right, signatures appear.

Android isn't even mentioned.

An interesting feature is to prohibit Push notifications for any program.

Surprisingly, there is no program manager or battery information in the settings menu. The only way to remove a program is to move its icon to the trash in the standard launcher. All you can find out about the battery is the time since the information was included in the submenu and the percentage of charge on the main screen.

Besides Google account is there some more FlyMe account with its own synchronization.

Besides Play Market There is an AppCenter application store, but everything there is in Chinese.

Launcher, contacts, dialer, SMS

The launcher is simple and ascetic. There is no separate program menu. Everything is located on the main screens. You can create folders by moving one icon onto another. In general, everything is the same as in the iPhone.

The Calls app includes your keyboard, contacts, and call history.

Another unusual thing is that for each contact in the call history, its own history is shown, and in the case when I did not pick up the phone, the smartphone counted the number of missed beeps.

Calls program settings.

Smartphone can record all calls. You can view history and listen to calls in a separate menu.

There is also an answering machine, but for some reason I haven’t figured it out.

The SMS application is very simple.

Standard Applications

There are very few applications installed on the smartphone - Calendar, Alarm Clock, Calculator, Camera, Gallery, Video, Music, Voice Recorder, Notepad, Drawing Tool, Explorer, Mail, Browser, PDF Reader. All these applications are their own, not the same as in standard Android. There is also Google apps- Maps, Play Market, Google Now, Voice search. Here, for example, is a completely ascetic “Music” application in which there are no settings, not even a random playback mode.

The only setting is to enable “Dirac HD Sound” for one of three models of special headphones. These are actually equalizer presets, but there are no regular equalizer settings. By the way, thanks to the Wolfson WM5102 sound chip, the sound in the headphones is loud and high-quality.

Camera

Thanks to Sony sensors, the shooting quality of both cameras is quite high. It is very convenient that in camera mode both volume buttons work as shutter buttons.

Shooting outdoors in cloudy weather (click on the photo to open the original).

Shooting indoors in good lighting.

The camera app has filters similar to Instagram's, but they only work before you take a photo, not after.

Unfortunately, the exposure is not always chosen correctly. And many photos are out of focus. Perhaps using alternative photography programs will solve this problem.

Battery

In active use mode, the battery lasts for a day (at 9:00 I took it off the charger, at 1:00 the smartphone was completely discharged). In weekend use mode (several calls and an hour of Internet/Twitter/Facebook/Instagram per day), the battery lasts for two days - from the morning of the first day to the evening of the second.

While the battery is charging, an animation is shown of green bolts of energy flying from the MicroUSB connector into the battery. 🙂

Despite the powerful charger, full charging time is 3 hours. The smartphone charges from zero to 50% in 1 hour.

Operation speed

It feels like everything works quite quickly, most applications launch instantly.

The AnTuTu 4.17 test gave the smartphone 15,706 points and concluded: “The processor is ordinary, supports most applications; memory is normal; 2D graphics are excellent; 3D graphics are good, most games are supported."

Here's what AnTuTu said about the smartphone's configuration.

In a configuration with 16 GB of memory, Meizu MX3 costs from 15,400 rubles, in a configuration with 32 GB of memory and NFC - from 18,000 rubles, in a configuration with 32 GB of memory and NFC - from 21,950 rubles.

In conclusion, the advantages and disadvantages of the Meizu MX3 smartphone.

Impeccable manufacturing and software;
Excellent call quality;
Fast processor;
Great screen;
An unusual and convenient way to unlock with one gesture;
Recording conversations;
There are many pleasant little things that other Android smartphones do not have - instant switching of 2G/3G networks, displaying the number of missed beeps if the call is not answered, prohibiting push notifications for individual programs.

No microSD slot;
Non-removable battery;
Imperfect camera, problems with focusing (possibly due to the application);
No application manager or battery menu;
Not good capacious battery;
High price.

p.s. Phew, this smartphone review turned out to be the most time-consuming for me. It took three weekends.

© 2014, Alexey Nadezhin

Contents of delivery:

• Telephone
• Charger
• USB cable
• Instructions
• Warranty card

Meizu traditionally ships its smartphone in a box made of durable white cardboard. The phone model “MX3” is indicated at the top, and weight, color, built-in memory capacity and communication capabilities are indicated on the reverse side. Despite minimum set configuration, the package size is rather large - 20.5x17.3x4.7 mm, weight - about 600 grams (gross). Most of the space is occupied by a brochure with the main features of the model. Again, it is traditionally made in the form of a book into which a smartphone is neatly inserted.

Introduction

At the beginning of September 2013, a new flagship smartphone from the Chinese company Meizu. The model received the simple name MX3 (in general, it is logical, considering that the previous two had the “names” MX and MX2). Sales of the device started first on the native market, and on November 19 – on the Russian market. In our country, a 16 GB device costs 17,990 rubles, a 32 GB device costs 19,990 rubles, and a 64 GB device costs 22,000 rubles. There will also be an exclusive version with 128 GB of Flash memory! The cost will be 24,990 rubles. There shouldn’t be any problems with the availability of the gadget, since there are several branded sales points, and the MX3 is easy to find in DNS supermarket chains, PlayerRu and other stores.

Design, dimensions, control elements

And this time, the Chinese didn’t go crazy with the design of their new smartphone, so the MX2 model was taken as the basis. Some things have become better, some have become worse, but on the whole, the design is recognizable, and this, from my point of view, is not bad. The device is made in the classic presentation of a modern “touchphone”: a large black screen, a rectangular body shape with beveled corners, a relatively thin body, an abundance of plastic. By the way, the plastic used here is different compared to previous Meizu phones: if previously the back cover consisted of several layers (matte plastic, and transparent glossy on top), now it has become much simpler - ordinary glossy plastic. At least that is the impression visually created. It's nice that Meizu designers did not abandon the use of metal. However, it also became smaller, although this was done for the sake of reducing weight and heat generation. The design of the MX3 has changed from a single monolithic metal plate that holds the circuitry to multiple different metal parts. For example, the steel frame does not have contact with other elements inside the case, made of magnesium alloy, thereby reducing its heating under heavy CPU load. Quote from an official source:

“Heat dissipation is carried out on both sides printed circuit board, since heat transfer occurs in both directions. The use of thermal paste, graphite and nickel-copper alloy coating allows for effective heat dissipation.”

The front panel is framed by a thin glossy plastic insert.

Despite the increased dimensions (139x71.9x9.1 mm versus 124.9x64.9x10.2 mm for the MX2), the weight of the device is only 5 grams more than last year’s Meizu flagship - 147 grams. The MX3 fits like a glove in the palm of your hand due to the fact that the edges are smooth and strongly beveled towards the rear surface. The feeling is very pleasant.

Dimensions:

• Meizu MX3- 139 x 71.9 x 9.1mm, weight – 147 grams
• Meizu MX2– 124.9 x 64.9 x 10.2 mm, 142 grams
• Apple iPhone 5S– 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm, 112 grams
• HTC One – 137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3 mm, 143 grams
• Nokia Lumia 1020– 130.4 x 71.4 x 10.4 mm, 158 grams
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3– 151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3 mm, 168 grams
• Samsung Galaxy S4– 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm, 130 grams
• Sony Xperia Z1– 144 x 74 x 8.5 mm, 170 grams

The quality of the surface of the rear panel, it seems to me, is slightly inferior to the quality of the back cover of the MX2: after several weeks of active use, I managed to scratch the back of the phone a little. Since it is white, in general, the marks are invisible, but the fact remains a fact. The assembly is perfect: the case does not creak, does not play, does not bend to the battery, despite the fact that the socket is replaceable. To remove it, you will again need a special tool (such as an NFC tag with a pin), which must be used to press on the metal rod. Why this was done in this model is not entirely clear, and without this “lock” the lid holds perfectly. There will only be unnecessary fuss with replacing the SIM card; anyway, the battery cannot be replaced without visiting a service center. The manufacturer promises to soon sell replacement covers for the MX3.

The screen is protected by second generation Corning Gorilla Glass. During testing, not a single scratch appeared on the surface. The screen is very dirty, but marks can be easily removed. The finger glides across the display freely, making it quite comfortable to use.

There is a small hole on the top of the front panel where the speech speaker is located. Its volume is high, intelligibility is excellent, and the interlocutor can be heard well. Mainly low and mid frequencies are heard. No echo, noise or other extraneous sounds No. The quality of the speech speaker is at the level of current top-end smartphones from other manufacturers.

To the right of the speaker are two sensors: lighting and proximity. They function correctly. Even further to the right is the front camera. Below the screen is a round Home button with a diameter of 3.5 mm. It has a white backlight, quite bright. The glow level is adjusted in the display parameters. When certain events are missed, it flashes smoothly. Moving from the button on top to the screen unlocks, the same movement even when the phone is unlocked - “Back”, a single touch returns the user to the main screen.

At the bottom there is a microphone and microUSB, at the top there is a 3.5 mm audio output for headphones and a power button. It is made of translucent plastic, slightly recessed into the body, has minimal travel, and the pressure is relatively soft. One could say that the location is unfortunate, since the device is large and difficult to reach, but you can unlock the display by swiping from the Home button. The same type as the power button, volume control, located on the left side.

On the back there is a camera framed by a metal ring, a second microphone for noise reduction, single-section led flash, speaker at the bottom of the case.

Comparative sizes:

Meizu and Nokia 1020

Display

Despite the fact that the company over the past few years has adhered to the position of using a small screen diagonal in smartphones (MX - 4 inches, MX2 - 4.4 inches), this year it had to follow modern fashion - than bigger screen, the cooler the smartphone. The MX3 display diagonal is 5.1 inches. The physical size of the matrix is ​​66x110 mm, the resolution is non-standard - 1800x1080 pixels, but there are no problems with compatibility with applications. Density – 415 pixels per inch.

This model uses the same type of matrix as the MX2 - Sharp New Mode 2. This is an IPS matrix with very large viewing angles and no color distortion at any screen angle. Glass, sensor and display are a single module, the technology is called TOL.

If you believe the manufacturer's data, the contrast is 1000:1, maximum brightness is 450 cd/m2, brightness gradation is 2048. The brightness control range is truly impressive: from almost none to a high value.

In the sun the screen behaves well, but fades a little; in the shade the picture is excellent.

Below is a comparison of the displays of Nokia Lumia 1020, Motorola Moto X, Meizu MX3 and LG G2.

Viewing Angles Meizu screen MX3

White color

Black color

In display settings:

• Sleep mode (30 seconds, 1 – 30 minutes)
• Font size (regular, small, medium, large and huge)
• Charge percentage. Battery percentage is displayed next to the clock and network indicator
• Auto brightness
• Home button brightness
• Wireless projector

Battery

The device uses a non-removable battery with a capacity of 2400 mAh, manufactured by Sony. The developers claim that thanks to PRS (PanelSelf-Refresh) technology, less energy is spent to display data on the screen, and smart wake-up saves approximately 12% of the charge.

According to official data, the device lasts about 7 hours in playback mode. True, it is not entirely clear what resolution, brightness, and so on. I got about 4 hours (maximum brightness, FullHD). Approximately 10 hours of Wi-Fi surfing (I have about 8 hours), 14 hours of talk time (I can’t confirm or deny, since I don’t talk that much), music - 40 hours (yes, real time), standby time - a little more than two weeks.

In general, I can’t note the extremely long operating time of the device, but you can’t call it short either - the standard: with 3G turned on (frequent viewing of Twitter, push mail), auto brightness, 15 minutes of calls from 11 am to 8 pm, the Meizu MX3 will last.

The device charges in about 5 hours from USB and only 70-80 minutes from the included charger.

Communication capabilities

The phone works in cellular networks 2G (850/900/1800 MHz), 3G (850/2100 MHz). Unfortunately, due to the Exynos 5410 chipset, this model does not have 4G LTE.

I did not observe any involuntary network loss; the sensitivity is very high.

Available Bluetooth version 4.0 (with stereo profile A2DP, EDR) for transferring files and voice. There were no problems connecting the headsets: it connected quickly, speech was transmitted clearly. Present wireless connection Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4/5 GHz dual-band). The device can be used as an access point (Wi-Fi Hotspot). Of course there is Wi-Fi Direct. USB 2.0 (MHL, OTG) is used for file transfer and data synchronization.

Models with 32 GB of internal memory and above are equipped with an NFC chip. The MX3 with 16 GB Flash does not have this chip.

Memory and memory card

Like most flagship devices, Meizu is equipped with 2 GB of RAM. About 1 GB of RAM is free as standard. Built-in memory can be 16/32/64 or even 128 GB! The 128 GB gadget is not yet available for pre-order. It will probably appear in Russia at the beginning of 2014.

We tested a phone with 16 GB Flash. Of this volume, only 6.8 GB is free. Common situation? The 16 GB Samsung Galaxy S4 has about the same amount of memory, but at least there is a slot for a memory card, while the MX3, unfortunately, does not have one. Therefore, I advise you to take the Meizu MX3 with 32 GB - it has a larger volume and has an NFC chip.

Camera

Meizu MX3 has two camera modules: main – 8 MP, front – 2 MP.

Despite the small value of megapixels (we are already accustomed to 13 MP, 20 and even 41 MP in the Nokia 1020), the parameters of the main camera are quite good, at least “on paper”: BSI sensor Sony Exmor IMX179, size 1/3.2, photosensitive element 1.4?m, aperture F2.0 (lens consists of 5 lenses). As far as I know, the same chip is in the Nexus 5, only the aperture is F2.4.

The minimum ISO value is 43, the maximum (automatic) is 1600. The minimum shutter speed is 1/20000 s, the maximum is 1/6 s, focal length is approximately 30 mm, minimum focusing distance (in macro mode) is 4.5 mm.

On this moment It’s difficult to judge the quality of the photos, since the camera software will obviously be improved, as was the case with the Meizu MX2: a short period of time after the start of sales, the manufacturer released firmware that corrected all the nuances of the camera. Now the camera takes average pictures. Basically, it all comes down to a significant amount of digital noise, even with excellent levels of ambient lighting. If we talk about the positive aspects, then it is worth highlighting the zero delay, high speed shooting up to 20 fps, correct white balance, excellent macro.

The MX3 shoots video in a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels at 35 frames per second. Although the picture is not very clean (again, noise), the detail is good, the exposure is smooth, and focus is adjusted manually. Another confirmation of incorrect operation software– huge recording bitrate: from 45 Mbit/s! Therefore, 1 minute of video sometimes takes up 560 MB of memory. The sound is clear, but mono.

The Camera app's interface is quite simple. At the bottom of the screen are displayed: gallery icon, round camera activation button, video camera activation button, below - “Back”, turning the flash on or off, launching the front camera, modes (auto, panorama, macro, text, portrait), extra menu. It contains: ISO value (50, 200, 400, 800), white balance, shooting settings (location, filters, gesture shooting, photo size), video recording settings (1080p, 720p, 480p).

Two taps on the screen launch a menu with exposure selection and HDR on/off.

Video file characteristics:

• File Format: MP4
• Video codec: AVC, 17 Mbit/s (12 Mbit/s)
• Resolution: 1920x1080, 35 fps
• Audio codec: AAC, 96 Kbps
• Channels: 1 channel, 16 kHz

Examples of photos taken with the main camera:

Day:

In room:

At night:

Example of a photo taken with the front camera:

Performance

As with last year's Meizu MX2 model, the Meizu MX3 uses an SoC from Samsung Electronics. In this case it is Exynos 5 Octa (5410). It contains four ARM Cortex-A15 cores and four ARM Cortex-A7 cores based on the ARM big.LITTLE principle (28nm High-K Metal Gate process technology). PowerVR SGX 544MP3 is responsible for graphics.

The Meizu MX3 is very fast, does not slow down at all (unlike the SGS4 on the same chip), the animation is very smooth (perhaps the most pleasant feature of this model), and the performance is high. There is nothing more to comment on, everything starts up and runs without problems.

Brief technical specifications phone and performance tests (Quadrant, Antutu, Anomaly 2 benchmark (some textures were missing during the test)):

Navigation

The device has GPS/GLONASS. Searching for satellites is carried out in a “cold” start in 30-40 seconds, in a “hot” start – less than five seconds. The sensitivity seemed low to me.

Software platform

The device runs on the Google operating system Android versions 4.2.1. I am sure that new software will soon be available, which will include not only fixes for camera errors, but also new version systems (4.3). It’s too early to talk about Android 4.4; most likely, the MX3 will receive it closer to February-March.

Shell and menu

With the advent of Meizu MX3, the manufacturer also showed the updated Flyme OS 3.x shell. The entire user interface has become flat, like Windows Phone, and most similar to iOS7. This is the first thing you notice. Personally, I like the previous generation UI: I love the voluminous icons, light and shade, and other skeuomorphism.

Second. The animation, as I said earlier, has become smoother. They probably changed the animation speed, because you can see how smoothly the application windows fly in and out. Looks great.

Third. The appearance of the settings has changed: the icons are located on the left, and if you pull them on the right, a detailed description will open.

Fourth. Now you can place application icons not only on different desktops, but also move them down. Those. the desktop continues down. Quite an original solution. To do this, you need to drag the icon below the one located at the very bottom.

Fifth. Perhaps the most interesting feature concerns the panel with running applications. To call it, you need to “swipe” from the bottom up from the edge of the screen. It fits 4 applications, then you need to scroll to the side. To close the program, “swipe” the icon up; if you “swipe” down, all applications will close; long hold will block the program. If you scroll the panel to the left, an additional menu will open with a slider for adjusting the brightness of the screen backlight and quick start 5 applications (to add, click on the plus sign, to remove, swipe up).

There may be other changes, but I have listed only those that are of interest and catch your eye. The dialer and the application for creating SMS have undergone virtually no changes.

Multimedia

To launch the music player, you need to click on the corresponding icon - an icon with a picture of a gramophone record. Small album covers, four tabs appear on the screen - a folder, all tunes, recently added, recently played. Below are player controls and parameters.

After selecting one of the items, tracks, artists, albums or all compositions are highlighted. When playing, a huge album cover appears on the screen. Overall, the design resembles music player iPhone.

There is an equalizer in the settings. Total bands 5: 100 Hz, 500 Hz, 1 kHz, 4 kHz, 16 kHz. There are several presets. If you go to the general menu and click on “…”, you can call up Dirac HD Sound - this is special software that analyzes and corrects the “color” of the sound. The operating algorithm is described in more detail.

Supported music formats: FLAC, APE, AAC, MKA, OGG, MP3, MIDI, M4A, AMR, WAV.

But all these software “improvements” are nothing compared to the real chip built into the Meizu MX3. The fact is that this device is equipped with a Wolfson WM5102 sound chip. A similar one is used in the Samsung Galaxy S4. Those who are well versed in music systems can read full information about the WM5102 on the Wolfson Microelectronics website.

The sound quality is really high, I can compare it with the sound quality in OPPO Clover. Very pleasant, non-humming low frequencies, audibly from 40-50 Hz; the mid frequencies, in my opinion, are slightly overwhelmed; highs sound accurate. The smartphone can really be used as a cool music player.

The sound volume in the headphones is very high! The speaker volume is slightly above average.

There is no radio in this phone.

The video player is standard for Meizu, there are practically no settings: play cyclically, once, turn on or off subtitles. Supports most video formats: MP4, 3GP, MOV, MKV, AVI, FLV, MPEG, M2TS, TS. Another question is audio codecs. Sometimes there are problems, but 99% of the videos I uploaded to my phone played without problems. The resolution can be anything. Naturally, there is no point in playing 4K.

Conclusion

The new product from Meizu left a very pleasant impression. However, the MX3 has both strong and weak sides. A significant advantage is the gorgeous screen with minimal frames, high brightness and excellent color rendition. It is worth noting the ergonomic design, how well the smartphone fits in the hand, despite its rather large dimensions. The user interface deserves special attention, its speed and smoothness, the complete absence of “glitches” and “brakes”. Music lovers should like the sound and the large number of supported formats, including FLAC.

I probably should have said a few words about the chipset, but it didn’t make an impression on me, since I’ve suffered through strange things from the Exynos 5 Octa on my Galaxy S4. Fortunately, the Meizu MX3 does not have the “glitches” that the SGS4 has. Hence the first disadvantage - the lack of support for 4G LTE. It seems to me that every modern flagship gadget should work on these networks. Second. Extremely small amount of internal memory when purchasing the 16 GB version. In addition, this model will not have an NFC chip. Third is the camera. With such parameters of the sensor and lens, the quality should be excellent, but for now we will have to wait for new firmware, as it leaves much to be desired.

Overall, the device is high quality and quite interesting. I would like to advise our representatives to take a more reasonable approach to the cost of the MX3. Since within 20,000 rubles you can buy (PCT only):

Roman Belykh (

Detailed testing of the new flagship of a popular brand in China

At the beginning of this year, we tested the Meizu MX2 smartphone in detail, which throughout the season remained the most visible and most popular of Meizu's products, being the flagship of its entire line of smartphones. The line, it is worth noting, is not that wide, and it is updated quite rarely. In addition, the MX2 smartphone is in no hurry to be discontinued with the release of the next model, MX3, so today’s comparison of the flagship of the past and the flagship that replaced it will be quite relevant. MX2 is still on sale, the model remains quite relevant, it is not without its advantages (more elegant dimensions, for example), and the smartphone has fallen in price again, so fans of Meizu products will be interested in this comparison of the MX2 and MX3 models.

The new flagship Meizu MX3 has increased in size, acquired a new screen with a higher (and unusual) resolution, received a different SoC (however, also made by Samsung) and, of course, “changed clothes”. The graphical user interface in MX3 is latest version proprietary shell - Flyme 3.0 (MX2 had the 2nd version of Flyme, but the transition to the 3rd will be available for this model).

Main characteristics of Meizu MX3 (model M353)

	Meizu MX3	Meizu MX2	LG G2	Sony Xperia Z1
Screen	5.1″, IPS (New Mode 2)	4.4″, IPS (New Mode 2)	5.2″, IPS	5″, ASV?	5.7″ Super AMOLED
Permission	1800×1080, 415 ppi	1280×800, 347 ppi	1920×1080, 424 ppi	1920×1080, 440 ppi	1920×1080, 386 ppi
SoC	Samsung Exynos 5410 (4x Cortex-A15 @1.6 GHz and 4x Cortex-A7 @1.2 GHz)	Samsung Exynos 4412 (4 cores Cortex-A9 @1.6 GHz)		Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (4 cores Krait 400 @2.2 GHz)	Samsung Exynos 5420 (4-core 1.9 GHz Cortex-A15 and 4-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7)
GPU	PowerVR SGX 544MP3	Mali-400MP	Adreno 330	Adreno 330	Mali-T628 MP6
RAM	2 GB	2 GB	2 GB	2 GB	3 GB
Flash memory	16/32/64/128 GB	16/32/64 GB	16/32 GB	16 GB	32/64 GB
Memory card support	No	No	No	microSD	microSD
operating system	Google Android 4.2	Google Android 4.1	Google Android 4.2	Google Android 4.2	Google Android 4.3
Battery	non-removable, 2400 mAh	non-removable, 1800 mAh	non-removable, 3000 mAh	non-removable, 3000 mAh	removable, 3200 mAh
Cameras	rear (8 MP; video - 1080p), front (2 MP)	rear (8 MP; video - 1080p), front (1.3 MP)	rear (13 MP; video - 1080p), front (2 MP)	rear (20.7 MP; video - 1080p), front (2 MP)	rear (13 MP; video - 1080p), front 2 MP, video 1080p)
Dimensions, weight	139×72×9.1 mm, 143 g	125×65×10.2 mm, 143 g	139×71×8.9 mm, 143 g	144×74×8.5 mm, 170 g	151×79×8.3 mm, 168 g
Average price (16 GB)	T-10483938	T-8517541	T-10505130	T-10491965	T-10545574

• SoC Samsung Exynos 5410 8 cores (4 cores 1.6 GHz Cortex-A15 and 4 cores 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7)
• GPU PowerVR SGX 544MP3 (533 MHz, 3 cores)
• Operating system Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean, Flyme 3.0
• Touch display Sharp New Mode 2, 5.1″, 1800×1080, 415 ppi
• RAM(RAM) 2 GB, inner memory 16/32/64/128 GB
• GSM communication 850/900/1800 MHz
• Communication 3G WCDMA 850/2100 MHz
• HSPA+ data transfer
• Bluetooth 4.0
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n (2 bands), point Wi-Fi access, Wi-Fi Direct
• GPS, A-GPS, Glonass
• Gyroscope, proximity sensor, light sensor, gravity sensor, electronic compass
• 8 MP camera, Sony Exmor BSI sensor, automatic and manual focusing
• 2 MP camera (front), 1080p video recording
• Li-ion battery 2400 mAh
• Dimensions 139×71.9×9.1 mm
• Weight 143 g

Contents of delivery

Meizu MX3 goes on sale in exactly the same packaging as the previous flagship Meizu MX2, only a little larger in size, which is not surprising: the smartphone itself has become a little larger. A large flat box made of thick snow-white high-quality cardboard is made with great care and attention to detail. In the best traditions of style and taste, this box is practically devoid of inscriptions: a couple of logos, a barely noticeable column of small, laconic text - and nothing more. The packaging of Meizu products is always very stylish, and this automatically adds value to its contents. However, among Chinese brands, not only Meizu is distinguished by increased attention to how their products look on store shelves. For Oppo products, for example, which recently became guests of our test laboratory, smartphones are also always “served” in chic boxes, though appearance theirs is completely different. But in any case, both Meizu and Oppo are all “elite” Chinese brands, and their products, of course, cost an order of magnitude higher than the total mass of Chinese crafts, even if they sometimes receive official “registration” in our market, hiding behind “Russian” brands. Meizu produces top-class products, and they cannot be treated with the same prejudice as ordinary “China”.

In the box, everything is carefully laid out in separate cells and smaller cardboard boxes. There is not much content: only compact device for charging, a Micro-USB cable, a key for removing the cover and a traditional stylish cardboard instruction book. Headphones are increasingly no longer included in the set, citing the fact that it is pointless to include cheap ones (they will throw them out anyway and replace them with others), and adding expensive ones means increasing the selling price of the smartphone itself. What the Chinese, unlike the “snickering” A-class brands, are trying not to do for now, is why the inquisitive gaze of the Russian user is increasingly turning to this market, even if sometimes it is officially unattainable for us. However, with Meizu products, as well as Oppo, in this sense, everything worked out well: both companies acquired not only Russian representative offices, but also very detailed Internet sites, combined with online delivery stores. This is all to say that the Chinese do not hesitate to scrupulously list, lay out and reveal the whole truth about the true specifications of their products - unlike the same Sony, Samsung and LG, whose websites are more full of enthusiastic epithets than real data on the markings of all their constituent parts "masterpieces". In this sense, the Chinese are somehow more modest - closer to the people, cheaper, more honest, and therefore more understandable.

Appearance and ease of use

The key mentioned above, which is not the usual metal clip, but a plastic diamond with a pin, actually serves to remove the cover from the case. In this sense Meizu smartphone The MX3 (like the MX2) is quite unusual and remarkable. In order to get to the SIM card, the most difficult operation must be performed here. You need to manage to simultaneously press the secret button using the key pin, pull the edge of the cover with your fingers, insert the edge of the key into the slot and move it around the entire perimeter, removing the cover from the body. Execution, frankly speaking, is not for the faint of heart, the operation is very difficult, and not everyone can cope with it (for left-handed people, it will definitely be very difficult). And the slippery varnished lid is very difficult to pull off with your fingers. To the logical question “why?” company representatives respond that the SIM card is usually inserted only once, but this method of attaching the cover adds overall rigidity to the device. Maybe he adds, but only after multiple attempts at removal did obvious cracks appear on our cover, and this despite the fact that we received a pristine new copy at our disposal. However, only the top transparent layer in the corner of the lid was cracked, but it’s still a shame to lose the presentation of a completely new device. If you have the opportunity to ask to insert a SIM card right in the store, do it, then you will save a lot of nerve cells.

As for the aforementioned top transparent layer, in this sense the MX2 and MX3 covers are designed approximately the same: the two-layer coating consists of regular plastic and transparent, the latter gives the overall appearance a kind of depth and internal haze, although the coating is smooth and slippery to the touch. The MX2 lid had a much thicker transparent layer, which made the lid itself much stiffer. On the MX3, this layer is very thin, and the lid is too flexible. Apparently, this is why we got cracks on it. The developers, by the way, are aware of this possible outcome, and as we were recently informed, the next batches of Meizu MX3 will be supplied with more rigid covers, similar in characteristics to the MX2 covers. In any case, pulling out the metal frame, putting a SIM card on it and pushing the tray back would be much simpler and more logical, if the developers are so concerned about the rigidity of the case. Especially considering the fact that this whole procedure with complete removal of the casing is only needed to install the SIM card. The battery is not accessible to the user even after removing the cover; You can't find a slot for a memory card underneath it either.

The landscape of the rear surface of the smartphone consists of a rear camera window, a flash and a slot for sound output from the speaker. The cover itself, as mentioned earlier, is slippery, glossy and sloping - very similar in shape to the third generation iPhone, only much larger in size. The camera glass is surrounded by a metal rim, the flash is single-section, the sound output hole is one continuous elongated slit without a special grille or separate holes.

The edges of the cover are adjacent to a metal rim that runs along the entire side perimeter of the case and separates the two parts of the case. The rim, like the previous model, is the visible side of the whole “iceberg” - it is part of a single stainless steel frame, which, together with an internal panel made of magnesium alloy, is designed to simultaneously ensure high strength of the entire structure and lightness of the case.

The front panel is completely covered on top by a flat, edgeless protective glass, scratch-resistant, Gorilla Glass 2. A very small slot is cut out in the glass for the speaker, covered in the back with a grille; hidden under the glass are the eyes of the front camera, sensors and a control button sensor at the bottom under the screen. The lower part, it is worth noting, is very unusual: there is only one hardware button, and even that is touch sensitive. When touched, it performs the function of returning to the home screen, as well as several more, more unusual ones: for example, with a vertical swipe upward, you can wake up the device, and with a long hold, you can put it back to sleep. Habitual for Android systems there are no buttons to go back one step or call up a menu - all these functions are performed using virtual icons on the smartphone screen. In general, developers are now introducing more and more in various ways user communication with mobile device using a variety of gestures, and Meizu is no exception in this matter. Another thing is that you have to study the manual every time and remember what to swipe where and how many times to knock where, and the main thing is that different manufacturers have a completely different set of these gestures and tricky movements. With Meizu, in this regard, everything is also not entirely familiar, but we will talk about this in the software part of the review, but for now we will move on.

The button icon at the bottom under the screen has a “breathing” backlight. A bright white circle can either fade to a faint blue color or begin to flicker bright white, working out the functionality of the information indicator of incoming events. In the screen settings section there is even a separate item where you can adjust the backlight intensity of this button. In general, in firmware like MIUI (with which, upon closer inspection, you can find family ties most branded Chinese firmware from Meizu to Oppo) almost everything possible can be customized - that’s why it’s chosen by those who like to tinker with numerous settings and adjust everything to suit themselves. There is even the possibility of obtaining superuser rights (root) without losing the warranty on the smartphone, directly from the same settings menu.

The location of the remaining controls on the case, unfortunately, is too “traditional”: the power and lock button, in the worst traditions, is located somewhere on the top end, where you can’t reach it with your finger. “Anachronism” takes its roots from the past, when cases were one and a half times smaller and the index finger of the hand holding a smartphone always reached the top end, but with the Meizu MX3 with its overgrown dimensions, such an unfortunate placement of the most important button seems to be a significant drawback. Reaching all the way to the top end to press the power button is frankly inconvenient - given the size of the device, it should clearly be on one of the side edges. What saves the situation is that the locking/unlocking actions can be duplicated here with the appropriate gestures - manipulations with the touch button at the bottom of the case, described above. However, the question for the developers still remains open: why was the power button “thrown” up if it’s so inconvenient to reach?

All the keys on the sides of the Meizu MX3 case are large, plastic, transparent, easy to find by touch, but have varying degrees of hardness when pressed. The top key responds to pressing very clearly, but I didn’t like the side paired volume control: the action is too soft and somehow indistinct - it’s not always clear whether the press was successful in the end, and which one exactly (the entire button is pressed under the finger).

The connectors here are located more traditionally, and there are no complaints about them at all. Micro-USB is located at the bottom end, next to the main microphone, and an audio output for headphones with a diameter of 3.5 mm is located at the top end. The Micro-USB port of this smartphone supports the mode of operation with external devices USB-Host (OTG), so you can not only connect a mouse or keyboard, but also easily read any files directly from a flash drive, fortunately, most modern video codecs are supported out of the box.

And finally, traditionally, about color options. Meizu remains true to its traditions and supplies the market with smartphones in only black and white colors (black front, white back). To change the look of your mobile assistant, you will need to purchase additional colored back panels, available as an accessory. In the case of Meizu MX3, the device will have interchangeable covers in bright colors: purple, blue, light green, pink and orange.

Screen

The Meizu MX3 smartphone is equipped with a Sharp sensor matrix with a physical size of 66x110 mm and a diagonal of 129 mm (5.1 inches), called New Mode 2 by the creators themselves. The side frames are about 2.9 mm thick. The aspect ratio here is not the same as most modern screens: the width of the smartphone is comparable to 5.3-inch screens, although it has a diagonal of only 5.1 inches. Even more unusual is the pixel resolution: the manufacturer calls its screen Full HD, but since there is no required number of pixels on one side (1920) (only 1800), this resolution cannot actually be called Full HD. However, the dots per inch density here reaches 415 ppi, which corresponds to the level of modern flagships. The screen itself has very good characteristics; the results of our laboratory studies using measuring instruments will tell you more about it.

The display brightness has both manual and automatic adjustment, the latter based on the operation of the light sensor. Multi-touch technology allows you to process up to ten touches simultaneously - tested AnTuTu program Tester. The smartphone also has a proximity sensor that blocks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear. In bright sunlight the screen remains readable. The top of the screen is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 2, which is scratch-resistant.

A detailed examination of the screen was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections, Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, there is an effective anti-glare filter, approximately equal in reducing the brightness of the reflection to the screen filter of the Google Nexus 7 2013. The ghosting of reflected objects is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (effective, but weaker than Google Nexus 7), so fingerprints can be removed more easily and appear at a slower rate than with regular glass.

When the white field was displayed in full screen, the maximum brightness value was about 410 cd/m², the minimum was 1.4 cd/m². As a result, at maximum brightness in bright daylight, the information displayed on the screen will be readable, and in complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level. Eat automatic adjustment brightness by the light sensor (it is located to the right of the front speaker). IN automatic mode When external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. In complete darkness, in automatic mode, the brightness is reduced to 1.45 cd/m² (this is very low), in an artificially lit office, the brightness is set to 70 cd/m² (acceptable), in a brightly lit environment (corresponding to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight) rises to only 325 cd/m² (and I would like to reach the maximum). From our point of view, this function does not work quite adequately. At lower brightness, there is virtually no brightness modulation, so there is no screen flicker.

IN this smartphone An IPS type matrix is ​​used. The microphotographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:

The screen has good viewing angles without inverting shades and without significant color shifts, even with large viewing deviations from perpendicular to the screen. When deviated diagonally, the black field is lightened very little and, depending on the direction of the deviation, acquires a red-violet tint or remains almost neutral gray. When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is good: only in two corners the black color is slightly brightened. The contrast for the IPS screen is normal - about 780:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 20 ms (10 ms on + 10 ms off). The transition between halftones of gray 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 33 ms. The gamma curve constructed using 32 points did not reveal a blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows, and the index of the approximating power function is 2.29, which is slightly higher than the standard value of 2.2, while the gamma curve deviates little from the power dependence:

Color gamut is almost equal to sRGB:

The spectra show that the matrix filters mix the components with each other to a moderate extent. As a result, visually the colors have a natural saturation.

The balance of shades on the gray scale does not cause any special delight, since Colorful temperature noticeably higher than the standard 6500 K and the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (delta E) rises above 10, while the color temperature and delta E vary significantly from shade to shade. (Dark areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

The screen has good maximum brightness and an effective anti-glare filter, so you can use the smartphone without much difficulty even outdoors on a clear day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a value comfortable for reading the screen, but this will have to be done manually, since the automatic brightness adjustment tries too aggressively to reduce the backlight intensity, which provides energy savings, but not user convenience. The advantages of the screen include a good oleophobic coating, the absence of flicker and air gap in the layers of the screen, high black stability when the gaze deviates from perpendicular to the screen, as well as sRGB coverage. We have some minor complaints about the color balance. However, despite a couple of shortcomings, the quality of the screen can be considered high.

Sound

In terms of hardware, the smartphone is equipped with a separate Wolfson WM5102 sound chip, already familiar from some other top models - the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Lenovo K900 are equipped with the same chip, for example. The developers also mention the presence of an intelligent Smart PA audio system, which should dynamically increase the speaker power, allowing you to add even more bass and increase the volume of the external speaker by 3 times. Contrary to this, we were not able to detect anything outstanding in the sound of the external speaker: the sound is clear, moderately bassy, ​​but not too powerful and loud - on the same compositions, the sound of the same Oppo Find 5 seemed much more interesting in every sense. It is also worth noting that to ensure good audibility during a conversation, a system of three microphones is organized here, controlled by a separate noise-canceling chip.

In software terms, you can use sound improvement technology, designated as Dirac HD (support for this technology can now be found more and more often in top solutions), making the sound more spacious and rich low frequencies- but this works, of course, only with headphones connected, and with good headphones the sound is simply excellent. In the settings you can enable or disable support for this technology; you also have access to an equalizer with preset values.

We did not find FM radio in the smartphone. But the voice recorder in the standard software package is simply luxurious: it can record phone conversation off the line regular means, and you can turn on recording directly during a call or specify in advance in the settings to record all conversations in a row without analysis or selectively individual contacts. You can listen to the recording by clicking on the icon directly in the list of phone calls, or find it later in the corresponding file folder— the functionality is extremely convenient.

Camera

Meizu MX3 is equipped, as is now common, with two modules digital cameras. The front camera here has a 2 megapixel sensor; the developers specifically emphasize that the front module has a wide viewing angle of 88 degrees. She takes photos with a maximum resolution of 1920×1088, and creates videos in 1080p resolution. She does all this quite well, and you can continue to take photographs while filming. Test shot presented below.

The main rear camera is equipped with a good quality 8-megapixel module with an f/2.0 aperture and multi-layer lens coating, including layers of filters and anti-reflective coating. A separate four-channel Fujitsu image processing chip (ISP) allows for shooting speeds of up to 0.6 seconds (up to 100 frames in 5 seconds with continuous shooting). By default, the camera shoots in the highest possible resolution of 8 megapixels, and the resulting images are 3264x2448 in size. Examples of photographs and our comments on their quality are presented below.

	Frame sharpness is quite good in all plans.
	The tiles begin to merge quite quickly, but in the background the sharpness is quite good.
	The license plates of nearby cars are clearly visible. The house is also well finished.
	Sharpness drops off slightly towards the left edge, but is generally acceptable.
	Despite the merging grass, the branches are worked well and very softly.
	Good sharpness on details, sharpening is hardly noticeable.
	Noise is moderate and suppressed quite smoothly.
	Pretty good and detailed macro.
	Another example of good macro.
	The panorama is excellent, even complex object(the house) is sewn almost perfectly. The only flaw you can find is at the house-spruce transition.

	Lighting ≈1300 lux. Overall, the camera does a good job.
	Lighting ≈460 lux. The situation remains almost unchanged.
	Lighting ≈240 lux. Noise is well suppressed, but sharpness drops.
	Lighting ≈240 lux, flash. The flash provides virtually no improvement.
	Lighting<1 люкс. Контуры едва различимы.
	Lighting<1 люкс, вспышка. Вспышка не меняет ситуацию по экспозиции, но освещает кадр неплохо.

We can say that the camera fully fulfills its 8 megapixel capabilities. Of course, there are some nuances in its work that do not allow it to compete with flagships, but in itself it is not bad.

The camera has fairly good sharpness, almost uniform across the field and across the plans. There is no need for sharpening here, but its work is not striking and even looks very soft in places, giving details an almost natural sharpness. However, the camera works very hard on contrasting objects like maps or a license plate. The noise is very moderate, and the noise canceler copes well with it. In general, the program works conscientiously, including when stitching panoramas. But she has problems with the flash, although perhaps this is due to a weak flash. On the other hand, the camera’s exposure metering is quite compromised in places, so the problem may be hidden both in the flash and in the program. Macro photography, although not bad, does not show anything outstanding.

This camera, of course, can hardly be called a flagship, however, in general, it works quite well and is quite suitable for documentary and art photography.

The camera can shoot video and has three resolutions to choose from: Full HD (1080p), 720p, or 480p. Below are a couple of test videos. The videos are saved in an MPEG-4 container (video - AVC ( [email protected]), sound - AAC LC, 96 Kbps, 16 kHz, 1 channel).

• Video No. 1 (136 MB, 1920×1080)
• Video No. 2 (155 MB, 1920×1080)

The organization of the settings menu for managing shooting is laconic and quite convenient; the icons are clearly drawn and quite readable in the sun. You can configure little: change the ISO, affect the white balance, set the resolution for photo and video shooting, and choose one of four modes: automatic, panoramic, macro and text (monochrome).

Shooting using Meizu MX3 can be done by pressing both the virtual icon on the display and the hardware volume key, which, when the camera mode is activated, begins to be responsible for the shutter release function. You can also take photos while shooting a video here.

Telephone and communications

The smartphone works as standard in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks; There is no support for fourth generation networks (LTE), wireless data transfer speeds are limited by HSPA+ capabilities. The 5 GHz Wi-Fi band is supported, and there is also support for NFC technology.

There were no freezes or spontaneous reboots/shutdowns observed during testing. When you bring it to your ear, the screen is blocked by the proximity sensor. The screen is large, so drawing letters and numbers on virtual keyboards is quite comfortable to control. I would also like to note the additional top row with numbers on the built-in keyboard, as is the case on top Samsung smartphones - it’s very convenient, you don’t have to constantly switch the layout from letters to numbers and back.

OS and software

The system uses the Google Android software platform version 4.1.2 - however, no information about this can be found in the smartphone itself. Mentions of Android have been erased; in the section about the system, only the name of the model and the version of its own graphical shell, called Flyme OS by Meizu, are listed. In this case, version Flyme 3.0.2 is used, but updates for it periodically continue to arrive “over the air”.

The Flyme OS graphical shell interface has been greatly redesigned relative to standard Android and is not similar to any of the options found in other manufacturers. A very convenient and concise layout of all sections of the settings menu makes it easy to intuitively select and quickly move from section to section. All section names are listed in one column, briefly indicated by icons, and a side swipe reveals more detailed information about them. The navigation panel, in addition to the traditional capabilities for quickly jumping to the most popular functions, is equipped with additional capabilities for quickly switching Wi-Fi and 2G/3G networks. This shell, like many other Chinese relatives of MIUI, does not have a separate application menu - all the icons of installed programs are simply stacked one after another on the desktop. The desktops here allow scrolling in both horizontal and vertical directions.

But what is most unusual here is the lower Smartbar: a vertical swipe from bottom to top opens an additional strip with a context menu, very similar to the former strip on Apple mobile devices, which disappeared with the release of iOS7. Here you can quickly change the brightness level and switch between the last open applications, or you can display any other available applications on this panel for quick access. You just need to remember that the Smartbar opens with a wave from the edge of the screen anywhere except the center - waves from the central circle are reserved for waking up and putting the device to sleep. As you can see, the interface is largely tied to the use of gestures - there are a lot of them, and all movements have to be memorized, because there are no analogues from other manufacturers. It’s unrealistic to guess on your own whether all the possibilities are available, so in the depths of the settings there is a whole manual sewn up - instructions for familiarizing yourself with all these variable tapping and stroking. As mentioned above, there are no usual control buttons at the bottom of the screen - there is only one central touch button, and to perform a basic step back, you need to tap the screen and open a context menu with additional virtual buttons.

Performance

The Meizu MX3 hardware platform is based on a powerful SoC, which includes a 4-core processor with ARM Cortex-A15 cores operating at a frequency of 1.6 GHz, and another 4-core processor with ARM Cortex-A7 cores operating at lower speeds. frequencies 1.2 GHz. This hybrid technology of combining high-performance and economical cores in one chip was created by ARM, this concept is called big.LITTLE, and its implementation is licensed to third-party processor manufacturers in the same way as the ARM cores themselves. A quite obvious use case is expected: under heavy load, the system uses high-performance ARM Cortex-A15 cores at high frequencies, and when performing tasks that do not require significant computing power, the top cores fall asleep, and they are replaced by energy-efficient ARM Cortex-A7. Let us add that similar (in principle, not in implementation) hybrid technologies are also used in the NVIDIA SoC.

The Exynos 5410 Octa processor cores are supported in graphics processing by the PowerVR SGX 544MP3 graphics core. The device has 2 GB of RAM, which is still quite enough. But as for the volume of built-in user storage, here they followed the usual Meizu path of copying Apple’s “finds”: the same marketing restrictions, invented by an evil genius, force the user to seriously fork out for additional internal memory, because there is simply nowhere to insert a cheap microSD card here . You will have to choose for yourself in the store once and for all a limited volume from 16 to 128 GB of built-in flash array, paying an additional 2 thousand rubles for each additional “portion” of memory. However, the smartphone normally supports the mode of connecting external devices to the USB port (USB Host, USB OTG), you just need to take care of purchasing the appropriate adapter.

To get an idea of ​​the performance of the Meizu MX3 platform, we will conduct a standard set of tests.

For convenience, we have compiled all the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks into tables. For comparison, we added only those models of top smartphones that managed to pass tests on similar, most current versions of programs. Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, so many worthy and still relevant models had to be left behind the scenes - due to the fact that they once passed their “obstacle courses” on older versions of test programs . Details below.

As for testing the graphics subsystem in the cross-platform 3DMark test, the test subject “flew” beyond the maximum possible result, which is why he received the “Maxed out!” mark, without even giving us the final number. For the most powerful smartphones, it is now possible to run 3DMark in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps). Thus, when testing flagships, you should already look at 3DMark Ice Storm Extreme and 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited.

Results of testing the graphics subsystem in the Epic Citadel gaming test.

Playing video

To test the omnivorous nature of video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Internet. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern options using processor cores alone. Also, you shouldn’t expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a single table.

Since the Micro-USB connector here supports USB-host (OTG) mode, a device with such a large and high-quality screen can be comfortably used as a multimedia processor. It is enough to connect any flash drive through an adapter, and you can play music, movies, and view photos directly from it, especially since the developers initially equipped the device with all the necessary decoders. Out of the box, the smartphone is capable of playing most common file types on the Internet, and thanks to this, it is one of the best solutions for multimedia needs on the mobile market.

Format	Container, video, sound	MX Video Player	Standard video player
DVDRip	AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL SD	AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL HD	MKV, H.264 1280×720 3000 Kbps, AC3	plays normally	plays normally
BDRip 720p	MKV, H.264 1280×720 4000 Kbps, AC3	plays normally	plays normally
BDRip 1080p	MKV, H.264 1920×1080 8000 Kbps, AC3	plays normally	plays normally

We did not find the MHL interface, like Mobility DisplayPort, in this smartphone, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Method for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”). Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p) and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps). The test results are summarized in the table:

File	Uniformity	Passes
watch-4k-30p.mp4	not playable
watch-4k-25p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-4k-24p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1920x1080-60p.mp4	Great	No
watch-1920x1080-50p.mp4	Fine	few
watch-1920x1080-30p.mp4	Great	No
watch-1920x1080-25p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1920x1080-24p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1280x720-60p.mp4	Great	No
watch-1280x720-50p.mp4	Fine	few
watch-1280x720-30p.mp4	Great	No
watch-1280x720-25p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1280x720-24p.mp4	Fine	No

Note: If in both columns Uniformity And Passes“green” ratings are given, this means that, most likely, when watching films, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and frame skipping will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. "Red" marks indicate possible problems associated with the playback of the corresponding files.

According to the frame output criterion, the quality of playback of video files on the smartphone screen is high, since frames (or groups of frames) are output with a more or less uniform alternation of intervals and frame skipping or not, or single frames are skipped. The smartphone can even display files with a resolution of 4k, although up to 25p inclusive. However, uniform alternation of frames is a relatively unstable state, since some external and internal background processes lead to periodic failure of the correct alternation of intervals between frames and even to the skipping of individual frames. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels (1080p), the image of the video file itself is displayed one-on-one, but since the screen width in pixels is less than 1920, part of the image on the right and left is cut off - however, by and large you can notice this only on test files. The displayed brightness range is equal to the standard range of 16-235, that is, all gradations of shades are displayed in shadows and highlights.

Battery life

The capacity of the lithium-ion battery installed in Meizu MX3 is 2400 mAh. And although here it is possible, with great effort, to remove the back cover, but still, by some whim of the developers, the battery turns out to be sealed and sealed so that it cannot be removed on its own. Despite the decent capacity of the built-in battery, the Meizu MX3 smartphone did not show outstanding results in terms of battery life - everything is at an average level.

Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd/m²) lasted more than 13 hours until the battery was completely discharged, and continuous viewing of YouTube videos in high quality (HQ) with The device spent only 8 hours at the same brightness level via a home Wi-Fi network - these are average figures. In 3D gaming mode, the smartphone lasted about 4.5 hours - also not a very outstanding result, but not a failure either.

Bottom line

Problems with the strange and not very convenient design of the case (meaning the complex process of removing the cover to replace the SIM card) are perhaps the only significant drawback of the smartphone we are considering today. Otherwise, the flagship device Meizu MX3 turned out to be a very good mobile device in terms of all its components: an excellent screen, very fast operation of the interface and applications, provision with all the necessary decoders for playing most of the most common files on the network, good, although not the highest, system performance, polished The graphical shell of our own making is down to the smallest detail in the settings - everything suggests that we have before us a very worthy representative of mobile technology that meets the majority of modern user requirements.

• neat appearance
• large screen diagonal
• relatively low price
• good battery life

• inconvenient location of the power button
• inconvenient lid opening system
• lack of memory expansion using cards
• poor equipment

The Meizu MX3 smartphone is an interesting mixture. The processor is from the Korean giant Samsung Exynos 5 Octa 5410 (as in the Galaxy S4), the camera module is Sony (a common solution in top smartphones), the screen is Sharp New Mode 2 with non-standard proportions and an unusual resolution of 1800x1080 pixels (415 ppi), excellent quality . Wolfson WM5102 sound chip. All this is collected by a Chinese company at a global level. And it is decorated with an affordable price tag, which is approximately 20% more modest than the price tags of the world giants in the smartphone industry. Let's see what came of it.

Technical characteristics of Meizu MX3
operating system	Android 4.2.1
Display	Sharp New Mode 2, 5.1"", 1800x1080 pixels, 16 million colors, pixel density 415 ppi
CPU	Exynos 5 Octa 5410, four ARM Cortex-A15 cores (1.6 GHz) + four ARM Cortex-A7 cores (1.2 GHz); graphics PowerVR SGX 544MP3
RAM	2 GB
Flash memory	16/32/128 GB
Camera	8 MP, autofocus, 1080p video recording, LED backlight; front camera for video calls (2 MP)
Wireless technologies	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, 2.4GHz/5GHz (max. speed 150Mbps), Bluetooth 4.0, NFC (except 16 GB version)
Interfaces	micro-USB with USB-host support, 3.5 mm headphone output
Navigation	GPS/Glonass
Sound	Wolfson WM5102 chip, Dirac HD technology
Frame	139x72x9 mm, 143 g
Battery	2400 mAh

Case design and assembly

Meizu MX3 will be available in black and white. So far, at the time of its presentation, only the white version was available in Ukraine. In my opinion, the front part of the smartphone looks much more interesting than the back. I can imagine that the black version of the Meizu MX3 case looks more interesting, but the white plastic is too simple.

With a single touch-sensitive key on the front panel, the MX3 is visually very reminiscent of an Apple device. In particular, the enlarged fourth generation iPod Touch. It has screen proportions closer to Meizu than the fifth generation model. The brightness of the central key backlight can be adjusted in the settings. Also, the color of the backlight may change.

The pictures in the gallery below show the ends of the device. There are the traditional number of keys, a volume rocker and a screen lock button. They are of excellent quality, with a moderately tight ride. The screen lock button is located on the top end. But this is not a problem, because the smartphone interface provides a special gesture for unlocking the screen without her participation: you need to slide your finger from the touch key on the front panel up the screen. It works with a delay of a second, but in 100% of cases, unlike the double tap in the LG G2, which works in a third of situations, according to my impressions.

On the back of the smartphone everything is traditional: a camera with a flash, a logo. There is a speaker. The only one, but loud and high quality.

The smartphone feels very nice in the hand. It's slim, with minimal borders around the screen. Due to this, it can be operated with one hand. The body assembly is perfect. The fact that the cover of the smartphone can be removed can only be understood by the absence of SIM card slots on the case.

By the way, it opens with focus. You need to pry the lid off on one side, and then press the hidden button on the other - and you're done. The smartphone also looks great under the hood. At the level of a serious branded device. The battery is not removable, that's what it says on it.

MicroSIM card slot

In general, the body of the smartphone has a quality that is not typical of most Chinese devices. The Huawei P6 and Oppo Find 5 feel just as good in the hand. When addressing these devices and the companies that produced them, one cannot dare to use the word “Chinese” in a negative context. In terms of build quality, Meizu is superior to both the LG G2 (and G Pro with it) and top-end Samsung models. Although from the back the smartphone does not look as noble as we would like.

Contents of delivery

Look at this box. Reminds me of something?

The charger and its cable are white. There are no headphones included in the package. But there is such a miracle device. This is to open the lid

Screen

Meizu MX3 has a screen made by Sharp. Thanks to excellent viewing angles, better than some IPS panels that invert colors when deviated diagonally (in particular, this problem is very pronounced in the Alcatel OneTouch Scribe Pro), it makes an excellent impression. In fact, in terms of color rendering, the smartphone screen is not ideal; its color temperature is too cold (at 8000K on average, with an ideal value of 6500K), and the area of ​​green and violet is shifted towards red. By tradition, I present the results that we obtained after measurements with a colorimeter.

The screen contrast is low because the blacks are shallow (again, relatively speaking, the figure of 0.51 cd/m2 is, roughly speaking, the “hospital average” for all smartphones with screens not made using AMOLED and TN technologies). The brightness is low, but in summer the screen should remain readable.

Device name	White field brightness, cd/m2	The brightness of the black field, cd/m2	Contrast
Meizu MX3	332.15	0.51	651:1
Sony Xperia Z1	400.81	0.75	534:1
Sony Xperia Z Ultra	321.51	0.24	1398:1
LG G2	336.41	0.4	810
Samsung Galaxy Note 3	323.81	0	∞
Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3	336.41	0.62	647
Huawei Ascend Mate	454.76	0.58	791:1
Huawei Ascend D2	310.52	0.30	1037:1
Sony Xperia ZL	394	0.66	596:1
Samsung Galaxy S4	320	0	∞
Sony Xperia T	421	0.28	1503:1
iPhone 4S	434	0.53	818:1

Thus, the Meizu MX3 screen can be called very good, although it is not exemplary on the market. But in any case, it is purely visually pleasing. Thanks to the high resolution (almost FullHD!), the picture on the Meizu MX3 display looks very smooth, and thanks to the absence of an air gap, it also looks very realistic. The screen sensor is very sensitive, at the level of first-tier brand devices. If we add to this cocktail the fact that the Flyme interface is made in the same spirit as iOS 7, that is, simple and “flat,” then you can imagine what manufacturer’s device an uninitiated person will mistake this smartphone for.

Autonomy

The battery capacity of Meizu MX3 is 2400 mAh. This is the average figure for flagship smartphones in the first half of 2013. Therefore, the result here is average for a top-end smartphone. But very good by Android standards. You can confidently count on a day and a half of work at average loads. In truth, I didn’t manage to drain my smartphone in one day (I didn’t use its camera much, but I listened to music often, and also used it to access the Internet and communicate in Hangouts, because I really miss this service on Windows Phone now). On weekends, if these are days of less load on your smartphone, you can expect two full days of work. In the AnTuTu test, the smartphone scored 563 points, which is a very decent result.

Heat

Unlike the Samsung Galaxy S4, which uses the same processor as the MX3, the Meizu smartphone has metal in its body. I suspect that it is to him that the smartphone “owes” strong heating under heavy loads. While running benchmarks, you can at least warm up sandwiches on the top of the device. Under real load conditions, the smartphone simply becomes noticeably warm. This is a traditional problem for top Android devices. It’s just that in some it manifests itself more, in others less. Meizu is stronger.

Sound

Usually, I turn a deaf ear to all manufacturers’ statements that their smartphones use a super-duper-wow system to improve sound. If the sound in the player is slightly better than in some lucky owner of a Mediatek MT6577 processor, then this can already be counted as an advantage of the smartphone. For some time, Samsung acted as a model for me in the field of sound in the Android smartphone segment, where even middle-class devices could be listened to with pleasure. But in essence, Meizu MX3 is the first Android smartphone (of those that I have ever owned), which, when paired with high-quality headphones, allows you to forget that this is just a smartphone, and not a good player. I listened to the Meizu MX3 with Logitech Ultimate Ears 6000 and Etymotic hf5 headphones, and in both cases the sound quality was amazing. Powerful, clean, with excellent detail and excellent performance even of those parts that usually go unnoticed in smartphones. Meizu's experience in producing players is telling, I think. The device's single speaker also sounds great. The technical specifications of the MX3 indicate that it uses Dirac HD technology (it was also announced in Oppo Find 5, but this “Chinese” is clearly inferior to Meizu in sound), as well as the Wolfson WM5102 sound chip.

Performance

The heart of this device is the Samsung Exynos 5 Octa 5410. The processor has four Cortex-A15 cores and four more Cortex-A7 cores. The smartphone's RAM capacity is 2 GB, typical for its equipment. The flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone with the same hardware demonstrated excellent performance, despite the heavy TouchWiz interface. Accordingly, Meizu MX3 “flies”. In most tests, the results are at the level of top smartphones with Snapdragon 800 inside. In particular, in Epic Citadel at Ultra High Performance settings, the smartphone demonstrated 41.6 fps. At the same time, the result in AnTuTu Benchmark turned out to be mediocre. But if we talk about live impressions, then there are no problems with performance, and the difference with the flagships of the second wave of 2013 is not visible to the naked eye. After installing a couple of dozen applications, the smartphone did not begin to “think”, and switching between tasks was still happening just as quickly. Everything is fine in games. In general, performance is at flagship level. And the less heavy interface compared to TouchWiz only plays into this favor.

Interface

The Flyme 3.0 interface is one of the most interesting parts of the device. Its design reflects the trend towards “flat” and simple images, as in iOS 7, as in the new version of Optimus in the LG G Flex smartphone. Those who appreciate simplicity will be pleased. Volume lovers can turn their attention to Huawei D2 or devices from first-tier brands. They all still adhere to the concept of a “volumetric” image. Due to its simplicity and abundance of bright colors, the MX3 interface looks a little childish. But this trait is inherent in all “Chinese” and “Koreans” along with them. It’s hard for me to imagine a serious and thorough man holding a smartphone with the Flyme interface. However, I won’t write this down as a disadvantage, because the Meizu smartphone was aimed at a geeky audience that could easily replace the launcher.

The Flyme 3.0 interface does not have a separate menu of applications and desktops, as in the interface of Huawei, Alcatel, ZTE smartphones. Each desktop can accommodate an unlimited number of applications, scrolling down is supported. The maximum number of desktops is eight. In any case, the smartphone did not allow me to create more. There are no traditional Android control keys either. By the way, their absence is not felt. Out of the box, the user receives a small number of widgets. But all I needed to be completely happy was the player widget, and otherwise I didn’t feel deprived. Google applications, such as Gmail, Maps (maybe something else, I don’t remember) need to be installed yourself from Google Play. There seem to be no problems with their operation, but in my memory, the smartphone’s cards and mail crashed a couple of times immediately after installation.

In the settings you can set several font sizes; this feature is already available everywhere. But the size of some menu elements, in particular, the pop-up line with control keys, remains tiny. For people with poor vision this will be a real problem.

This is what the keyboard looks like. She is comfortable to work with. By the way, there is no support for the Ukrainian language in the menu. The Ukrainian keyboard is also missing. For technically advanced users this is unlikely to be a problem, but “mere mortals” will have to limit themselves to Russian, English or Chinese menu languages.

The settings menu looks interesting. Although there is no division into tabs, which is usual for a number of branded shells, you won’t be able to get lost in the settings. By the way, in it you can activate the recording of all conversations, check the signal level of the cellular network and enable remote administration of the device.

Meizu is targeting the MX3 at a geeky audience, so the smart thing about the smartphone is that its owner can literally access the system in a couple of clicks in the menu and then do whatever his heart desires with the device. In addition, in the device settings you can set the device administrator (linked to your Flyme account).

The MX3 interface also supports several interesting gestures. To lock the screen, just hold the center button. To unlock, slide your finger away from it and up the screen. Swiping up opens a list of recently used applications. And swipe left on this list - applications that you want to have quick access to. However, in the end, access to them is by no means quick. Therefore, in reality, I did not use this interface feature at all.

The design of Explorer follows the settings menu.

Camera

Meizu MX3 is equipped with an 8-megapixel camera with flash, autofocus and the ability to record video in FullHD. It is noteworthy that the camera takes good pictures in low light and at night. They are noisier and less detailed than smartphones with top cameras on the market, but better than smartphones in the same price category. It is better to set focus manually. Overall, the camera is not bad. If you do not need it to be the best (by smartphone standards, of course), then you will be quite pleased with the result. Photos in original resolution can be viewed in Citrus") and interesting features for the geek audience. Therefore, first of all, Nexus 5 is asked to be a direct competitor to the device. By the way, they have a lot in common in appearance, take a look.

The advantages of the Nexus 5 are the first place in line for the new version of Android, an excellent camera and a body in which there is no room for gloss. Meizu MX3 will appeal to lovers of high-quality sound and tinkering with firmware.

Alcatel's flagship smartphone, OneTouch Idol X (review), is in the same price category as the Meizu MX3. They have similar interfaces, but all other things being equal, Meizu MX3 makes a better impression: it looks nobler, sounds better, has a more advanced interface, and the graphics performance of the processor is higher.

A little more expensive than the Meizu MX3 today is another “loud” Chinese smartphone Lenovo K900, which also received an editorial award from us (review). It has a slightly larger screen and equally powerful hardware. The weak points of the device are ergonomics and battery life - those things that Meizu, on the contrary, does well with.

Another competitor of the Meizu MX3 is the Huawei Ascend D2 (review). The unique feature of the device is a body protected from dust and moisture (although the degree of this protection is not disclosed). But between these two, I would choose Meizu, which has higher performance, better autonomy, a more interesting interface, and better sound. Huawei Ascend D2 is stronger than MX3 only in camera. But, in my opinion, this difference is not so fundamental considering Meizu’s superiority in all other respects.

Bottom line

Despite the fact that Meizu MX3 is a device designed primarily for geeks, it will also be an excellent choice for the average user. Flyme's proprietary interface is convenient and functional, easy to adapt to and a pleasure to use. The performance of the smartphone is sufficient for demanding games and active use, the battery life is at the level of a top-end device, and the sound quality in the headphones is pleasantly different from most smartphones on the market. For all this it is proposed to pay reasonable money. In all this bouquet of advantages, the only weak link is the camera. And that’s only by the standards of top-end devices, such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Note 3, LG G2, iPhone 5S and Nokia Lumia 1020. But the difference in price, in my opinion, rightly smooths out this small drawback. Moreover, the Meizu MX3 camera is ready to give a head start to most 8-megapixel devices on the market.

5 reasons to buy Meizu MX3:

• you are a geek;
• compact body;
• high performance and excellent autonomy at a good price;
• great sound in headphones;
• you want something exotic;

2 reasons not to buy Meizu MX3:

• you have already bought a flagship smartphone this year;
• you are more interested in the advantages of LG Nexus 5 (always the latest Android, strong camera).

It’s difficult to say whether a comparison with Apple would be appropriate here or not, but one cannot help but admit that Meizu has always stood apart from other smartphone manufacturers - and certainly apart from its Chinese comrades. Instead of hellish dumping - a reasonably high price and carefully selected hardware. Instead of a wave of 50 new models every quarter, there is only one device in the line. In general, instead of the desire to catch up, overtake and fill with corpses all the embrasures within reach - a very reasonable, respect-inspiring desire to make a product that is pleasant to use.

To emphasize this “feature”, in recent years the company has followed a special path when developing new models. While everyone else - again, almost quarterly - increased the diagonals of their new flagships, Meizu continued to stick to a moderate display size and, as a result, moderate body dimensions. The Meizu MX2 model became the extreme point on this special path. There is nowhere to go further along it - the Chinese had to turn onto the same road that other manufacturers are taking. And here it will be more difficult for them: the transnational giants may trample them. Will the MX3 be able to stand up to this fight?

⇡ Design

The Meizu flagship has grown sharply: if the MX2 used a 4.5-inch display, then in the new MX3 the screen has increased to 5.1 inches. Accordingly, the dimensions of the case have also increased significantly. Although the engineers managed to make the frame on the sides of the display as thin as possible, the aspect ratio of the display is such (due to the non-standard resolution of 1800:1080 it is 15:9) that the smartphone turned out to be quite large.

In terms of body size, the Meizu MX3 is almost exactly the same as the LG G2: the “ski” is narrower by a millimeter due to the narrower display, but the length is exactly the same. Due to the difference in formats, the display areas of the G2 and MX3 turned out to be almost the same - despite the noticeable difference in diagonals. Both of these smartphones have significantly larger screens than similarly sized competitors.

LG G2 fits perfectly into the Meizu MX3 box

But the weight has remained virtually unchanged: the MX2 weighs 144 grams, our MX3 copy weighed 146 (no joke). This was achieved through a major change in the design principle. The MX2 uses a massive, all-steel frame. The MX3 has a combined frame: its central part is made of magnesium alloy. And only the edge is still steel - solely so that a beautiful metal edging can be brought to the surface of the body. In principle, it would be possible to get rid of the steel edging completely, saving another ten grams and a certain amount of yuan - there is not much practical sense in it. But the buyer will not understand - he needs visual proof that metal is present in the structure.

One of the features of Meizu MX2 was the back panel made of thick double-layer plastic - with a white inner layer and a transparent outer layer. In our MX3 sample, the panel turned out to be much more prosaic - just a glossy plastic piece, about the same in thickness as in Samsung smartphones. However, our copy belongs to an early batch, and in the near future the cover will be changed to a thicker one - closer to the one that was in the MX2. Accordingly, the thickness of the case, which in our case was 9.2 millimeters, will increase by a couple of tenths - and the weight will, therefore, add a couple of grams.

In addition, the corrected devices will most likely eliminate the only unpleasant feature of the body of the Meizu MX3 that we had the opportunity to get acquainted with. The fact is that in our case the metal frame protruded slightly above the plastic panel, and the transition between smooth plastic and a sharp metal edge was unpleasant to the touch. The back panel will probably become thicker just enough to completely match the metal edge. By the way, otherwise there are no complaints about the assembly or the design of the case: like the MX2, the MX3 is a very well-built smartphone that is pleasant to hold in your hands.

The “loud” speaker in Meizu MX3 is prudently located on the bevel of the case - so the sound does not overlap if the smartphone is lying on the table

The power button, as before, is located on the top edge of the case. But, as before, you will have to press it extremely rarely - only to completely turn off the smartphone or reboot it. To lock and unlock the MX3 it is much more convenient to use a single touch button - also known as “Home”. The device is still locked by long touching the button, just like the MX2. And it is unlocked by sliding up from the button (in MX2 there was a double press). It’s very convenient and almost always works the first time - unlike double tapping on the LG G2, which the system “doesn’t hear” often has to repeat.

The circle on the touch button is illuminated: even if the smartphone is locked, it still barely glows dim blue. If the device is turned on, then it can glow - and very brightly, so brightly that in the dark it seriously interferes. It’s good that the settings allow you to adjust the brightness level of this backlight. The button backlight also acts as an indicator.

⇡ Technical specifications

Meizu MX3
Display	5.1 inches, 1800x1080, IPS
Touch screen	Capacitive, up to 10 simultaneous touches
Air gap	No
Oleophobic coating	Eat
Polarizing filter	Eat
CPU	Samsung Exynos 5 Octa 5410: four cores ARM Cortex-A15 (ARMv7), frequency 1.6 GHz; four ARM Cortex-A7 cores (ARMv7), frequency 1.2 GHz; process technology 28 nm LP HKMG
Graphics controller	Imagination Technologies PowerVR SGX 544MP3
RAM	2 GB LPDDR3-1600
Flash memory	In our copy: 32 GB (28 GB available) There are versions with 16, 32, 64 and 128 GB
Connectors	1 x Micro-USB 2.0 (MHL) 1 x 3.5mm headset jack 1 x Micro-SIM
cellular	Intel XMM 6260 platform (PMB9811 modem + PMB5712 transceiver): 2G: GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800 MHz 3G: HSPA+ (21 Mbps) 850/2100 MHz 4G: no Micro-SIM
WiFi	802.11a/b/g/n, 2.4/5 GHz (Broadcom BCM4334)
Bluetooth	4.0
NFC	Yes (except for the 16 GB version)
IR port	No
Navigation	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS (Broadcom BCM4752)
Sensors	Light sensor, proximity sensor, accelerometer/gyroscope, Hall sensor (digital compass)
Main camera	8 MP (3264x2448), Sony Exmor RS (IMX179) matrix with back illumination, standard size 1/3.2 inches, dot size 1.4x1.4 microns 5-lens lens, relative aperture ƒ/2.0, angle 74° Autofocus, LED flash
Front-camera	2 MP (1920x1080), Sony matrix
Nutrition	Non-removable battery 9.1 Wh (2400 mAh, 3.8 V)
Size	139x72 mm Case thickness 9.2 mm*
Weight	146 g
Water and dust protection	No
operating system	Google Android 4.2.1 (Jelly Bean) Own Flyme 3.1 shell
recommended price	17,990/19,990/21,990/23,990 rubles (for versions with 16/32/64/128 GB of flash memory)
* Valid for copies from the first batch; Probably in subsequent ones the thickness will be a few tenths of a millimeter greater due to the different rear panel.