One of the most attractive budget smartphones this summer. Meizu m2 mini review - great baby

In recent years, Meizu has released an indecently large number of models. The smartphone manufacturing pipeline does not stop for a minute; new models are released almost every month. This applies to all lines of the company: MX, M NOTE, XM PRO. It is becoming a good tradition for them to release phones with the M prefix.

Meizu M2 appeared relatively recently. According to the company itself, the main purpose of the release of this device is to move this model to a lower price category. M2 now available in ultra budget decision, it is becoming practically one of the most affordable Android gadgets with more or less normal characteristics - this is definitely progress. In fact, users will be able to get a kind of M2 Note, only with slightly reduced parameters. Of course, if you order directly from China, it will be much more profitable, this is due to such a large jump in the exchange rate. However, if you order directly from Chinese stores, there may be a different firmware, and this is some kind of problem.

Characteristics

Design, dimensions, control elements

The design of this device is quite good. It's definitely encouraging when a company finds a design that will be implemented in future devices, without the same type. For example, there were unpleasant moments with the design Samsung. At one time, they released too many models of the same type in terms of design, and because of this, literally a couple of years later, these gadgets began to cause very mixed impressions among users. As soon as you take a look at the Meizu M2, you will immediately see the resemblance to the Apple iPhone. This is not surprising, because the development company took inspiration from the iPhone, they didn’t even hide it. It is worth noting that the design of Meizu M2 will be definitely recognizable, at least among experienced users.

Based on sensations, the Meizu M2 looks similar to the iPhone 6. Of course, no one will see the notorious curved screen, but common features are definitely visible. It fits well in the hand. The body shape of this device is rectangular, the corners are not sharp, smoothed. The front panel is smooth, and the rear panel has smooth transitions to beveled edges. The appearance is presentable and makes a very good impression. The ergonomics also didn’t let us down. this phone: Due to its small width and weight (only 131 grams), the phone fits comfortably in your hand and can be used for a long time without any discomfort.

On the front panel of Meizu M2 there is AGC Dragontrail glass for protection. Of course, this is not Corning with its own characteristics, but this glass is a relatively good replacement. An oleophobic coating is also observed, the quality is average level. This means that marks remain on the screen, but not greasy, no greasy layers are visible, so despite the marks, the finger glides well.

Like most devices from this company, Meizu M2 has a monolithic body, a plastic cover and looks quite durable. There are no complaints regarding the assembly. Of course, like everywhere else, there are defects, but then the claims are against those who sold you this model. Back panel This device is available in four colors. You can purchase Meizu M2 with a blue, white, pink or gray back cover. Only three colors will be available for pre-order. Meizu M2 looks cool with blue color. If you need a phone with a stern and serious look, then you definitely need to take a matte gray one.

In the center of the front panel, at the top, there is a speech speaker. There is a pleasant timbre, the speaker itself is quite loud, high and low frequencies enough to hear your interlocutor perfectly. To the left of the speakers are the proximity sensors, and to the right is the front camera, along with a small indicator for missed events. At the bottom of the display there will be one oval mechanical button with a chrome bezel. When pressed, the sound is barely audible, the pressing itself is firm, with minimal travel. This key has several purposes. If the screen is dark, then using this button you can unlock it. You can also return to the desktop, take a step back, this is in active screen mode - convenient. At the bottom there is a microphone for calls, microUSB and speakers, and at the top there is a standard headphone jack (3.5 mm). On the left side there is a slot for SIM cards. There you can put either two nanoSIMs, or one nanoSIM and a memory card. On the right there is a volume control (rocker key) and a button to turn off the device itself. All clicks have a pleasant sound to the ear. On back cover phone camera (lens mounted flush with the body) and flash. In general, the device is beautiful in terms of appearance, no matter what anyone says. For its price, it looks quite cool, which cannot be said about similar models from other companies in this price niche.

Display

Meizu M2 has a screen with a diagonal of 5 inches. Of course, it will be smaller than in M1/M2, where the diagonal is 5.5 inches. As for the physical size of the display in Meizu M2, it is 62x110 mm. The frame on top and bottom is 15 mm, and on the right and left - 3.5 mm. There is also an anti-block coating. This device has HD resolution, 720x1280 pixels. Screen density is 296 pixels per 1 inch. The matrix, unfortunately, is not AMOLED, but it is also not bad - IPS OGS, it is quite suitable for its price category. Although the viewing angles are maximum, the image is still slightly distorted at a certain angle.

Battery

For this device, the company uses a non-removable Sony battery with a capacity of 2500 mAh. The operating time of the device is on average from 18 to 20 hours - this is with a minimum number of conversations (20-30 minutes per day) and maximum use of Wi-Fi (constant synchronization of all social networks, mail, etc.), as well as 4G and listening to music up to 6 hours a day. The battery lasts up to 13 hours of constant calls - this is quite a good result.

If you reduce the number of conversations per day, switch to 3G mode and shorten the operating time of the music player, then the gadget will hold a charge for up to two days. If the user activates the power saving mode, the charge will last for all four days. However, in this mode the device will noticeably glitch; all settings will be at the minimum level. If you use auto-adjust screen backlight brightness, the display can work for two to three hours.

Memory and memory card

IN this model built-in 2 GB random access memory. Today, every mid-range model goes on sale with the same amount of memory - nothing surprising. Since in China Meizu M2 is considered a budget option, a capacity of 2 GB is very good. In our country, M2 falls into the category of the middle price segment. The built-in memory that the user can use is 16 GB, although only 10 GB will be available. It will also be a good plus to have a slot for a memory card, where you can place up to 128 GB of additional memory.

Communication capabilities

As written above, Meizu M2 is equipped with a slot for two nano-SIM cards. Both connectors support SIM cards in the 4G LTE network, however, there is one caveat - if one SIM card works in LTE networks, then the other one will automatically switch to the GSM network.

GSM/GPRS/EDGE (900/1800 MHz)
WCDMA/HSPA+ (900/2100 MHz)
LTE (1800/2100/2600 MHz)

With the others communication capabilities everything is according to the standard: Wi-Fi (a/b/g/n) Dual-Band (2.4 GHz/5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.0 LE, there is a microUSB connector (USB 2.0 with OTG support) - used for charging or synchronization. GPS navigation works without problems. By the way, GLONASS is also available. However, there is no NFC chip.

Camera

Meizu M2 has two cameras: main and front. The main camera has 13 megapixels, five lenses and an f/2.2 aperture. This camera is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. If we talk about the front camera, then users will see 5 megapixels, f/2.0 aperture. There is also a flash, it has one LED.

The main camera takes pictures at the level of the M1/M2 Note - quite good images are observed, with good white balance, with good detail. There is not much noise, the focus is quite accurate and fast. There are also no complaints about the front camera: the white balance is at the same level, the detail is the same, and in poor lighting conditions there is a minimum of noise. The viewing angle is great, however, it is not the maximum among mobile phones. Video shooting takes place in FullHD mode at 30 fps - this is in good conditions and at 15 fps - in bad conditions. The picture turns out to be quite clear and of high quality, but again, the only complaint is about the viewing angle - about 30-40% of the frame is cut off, relative to the photo taking itself. The front camera shoots video in the same FullHD resolution, but at 24 fps. The camera can be adjusted to manual mode, everything here is according to the standard (ISO value, shutter speed and other parameters). Of course, this is a big advantage, because there are no gadgets with such gizmos in this price category.

Performance

The smartphone is based on the Taiwanese MediaTek MT6735 chipset. It was presented at the end of last year. This is a kind of 64-bit SoC containing 4 ARM Cortex-53 cores, a 28 nm processor, with clock frequency- up to 1.5 GHz. Together with Open GL ES 3.0, as well as Open CL 1.2 API, Mali T-720 graphics were used.

The MT6735 chip has spread quite well, as inexpensive solution for gadgets that support various networks, and its main advantage was LTF in our region. As for the advantages, nothing can be said about the interface, since its main advantages are smoothness and fast focusing. Applications launch as quickly as possible. One of the main disadvantages is that many toys do not fit this model or problems arise during the game. This indicates that the phone falls slightly short of the requirements of the chosen game. Meizu M2 in this regard is in many ways inferior to the same M1/M2 note.

Software platform

The performance of the gadget is under control operating system Google Android 5.1. Unfortunately, little remained of version 5.0 when the Chinese decided to use Flyme 4.5 as the shell. In the end, nothing much changed. As much as I hate to admit it, version 5.0 looks better without the shell.

Multimedia

Meizu M2 has a player standard for this line. The speaker itself pleases with its good volume, the same is observed in the M1/M2 Note. The sound is clear at any volume level, without any overload. If you listen to music on headphones, the sound will be beautiful, high-quality and loud. There is also a special equalizer, which can be very useful in some moments. There is still no built-in radio, unfortunately. The video player has not undergone any changes from older models, however, one special button has appeared, when pressed, all other videos in the phone’s memory will be displayed. On Meizu M2, users will be able to scroll absolutely any video files up to FullHD resolution with a maximum bitrate of 40 Mbps.

Conclusion

The company is moving in the right direction, they are creating models that are becoming more accessible to people and with good characteristics. Meizu M2 is head and shoulders above its own previous version, and the price is the same. The device itself has many more advantages than disadvantages. It looks like a nice smartphone, with an excellent ergonomic design and several colors that cover a fairly wide audience. The tall ones are pleasing specifications, relative to the price niche, the operating time is impressive. The camera takes good pictures. Users of this device will also have the ability to operate in networks fourth generation. In addition, this gadget has a fairly strong body, a loud speaker, a slot for two SIM cards and a capacious battery. If speak about budget options, then Meizu M2 is an excellent choice, we also recommend that you look at it, it is also a stylish candy bar, but larger in size or Meizu M2 Note.

As you know, in January of this year, Meizu introduced its budget smartphone, which was called Meilan or simply M1. Outside of China, this smartphone became known as Meizu Blue Charm. This device turned out to be quite successful and was in great demand. However, market realities and high level competition among Chinese manufacturers forced Meizu to release just six months later new model V budget segment, which received the next serial number - Meilan 2 or M2.

The Meizu M2 smartphone, known to us as Meizu M2 Mini, received 2 times more RAM and internal memory compared to its predecessor. The appearance and general design concept remained almost the same. The new product received a polycarbonate body with rounded corners and edges and in several color options. But internal changes affected not only the volume of RAM and built-in memory. The M2 Mini also received a new 4-core MT6735 processor, which, although inferior in power to the MT6732 processor used in the previous model, still operates at the maximum possible frequency for this chip, 1.3 GHz, unlike many budget smartphones, where the frequency was reduced to 1.0 GHz.

The manufacturer also equipped the M2 Mini with a slightly less capacious battery compared to its predecessor, and a proprietary mBack button appeared on the front panel of the device, like its older brother.

The announced price for Meizu M2 Mini was only 599 yuan, which is approximately $94. And although it does not seem realistic to purchase this smartphone for the specified amount, the M2 Mini still could not leave us indifferent and not arouse a strong desire to get one copy of this device for testing in our studio.

What can you expect from a budget smartphone for this amount and from one of the largest manufacturers in China, you will find out by reading the review on Meizu smartphone M2 Mini, written based on the results of our testing. According to tradition, we will announce our conclusions at the end of this article. In the meantime, enjoy your reading!

Equipment

The Meizu M2 Mini smartphone comes in a traditional light cardboard package, which is familiar to us from the Meizu M2 Note smartphone we recently tested in our studio. At the same time, the size of the box of the younger model turned out to be more compact.

On the lid of the box we see 2 hieroglyphs and the number 2, which can be translated as Meilan 2, which is the second name for this model used in China. Something useful to note is that on the back of the box the cellular network frequencies supported by this device are indicated.

Under the lid of the package you will find a tray with several compartments. In the largest one on the left is the smartphone itself, under which you will find instructions for Chinese and the cable in a special recess under it.

In the compartment below on the right you will find Charger with a current power of 1.2A and a connector for the Asian standard sockets, and in the upper right corner there is a special master key for removing the SIM card tray. Traditionally, this master key has a cutout in the form of a cloud, corresponding in shape to the logo of the proprietary Flyme operating system.

The delivery package of the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone does not include any additional accessories, which is typical for this manufacturer. The device has shipping films on both sides.

Our copy of the device was equipped with additional protective film and a silicone bumper case, but let us remind you once again that they are not included in the standard delivery package.

So, the delivery package for the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone looks like this:

The smartphone itself.
Charger with current 1.2A.
Branded white USB cable.
Instructions/warranty card in Chinese.
SIM card tray ejector.

Let's move on to the appearance of the smartphone.

Appearance

The front panel of the device is made of protected Dragontrail glass from AGC (Asahi Glass Co.). A similar glass is installed on the older model, Meizu M2 Note.

At the bottom of the front panel there is a proprietary mBack button, also already familiar to us from the M2 Note model.

And at the top of the front panel you will find a slot conversational dynamics, event indicator, light and proximity sensors, as well as a window front camera.

The device body is made of polycarbonate, the same as in the older model. On the right side of the case there are volume and power buttons.

And on the left side you will find a tray for two Nano SIM cards. Slot No. 2 is a combination slot and allows you to install a Micro-SD card in it instead of a SIM card.

Both slots support operation in 4G networks, but by installing one such card in one of the slots, another card in the second slot will only work in the GSM network. There is only one radio module in the device, so when making a call from one of the SIM cards, the second one will be unavailable at that moment.

At the top end of the Meizu M2 Mini case, we found only a standard 3.5 mm audio jack for a headset or headphones.

While on the bottom you will find 1 microphone hole, 4 external speaker holes and a Micro-USB port with support for OTG function in between.

At the top of the rear panel there is a rear camera eye and a single-section LED flash. And at the bottom you will find the manufacturer’s logo and an inscription indicating the country of manufacture.

The thickness of the Meizu M2 Mini case is 8.7 mm, like the older model. But in other dimensions, the M2 Mini is more compact, since its display diagonal is 0.5 inches smaller.

Thanks to all this, as well as the rounded edges, the body of the device is very comfortable to hold in your hand, as well as using the smartphone with one hand.

By comparison, the M2 Mini is more compact than Doogee's Valencia 2 Y100 Pro, and even more compact than its predecessor, the M1 Mini.

The body assembly of our Meizu M2 Mini turned out to be excellent. We did not find any creaks or any play in it, which is not what you expect from a budget device. The buttons and SIM card tray do not dangle or rattle, and the ergonomics of the smartphone can be considered almost ideal. Meizu has finally placed the power and volume buttons on the right, where they can be pressed comfortably with your thumb right hand if necessary.

In general, in terms of appearance, the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone can be considered a smaller copy of the M2 Note model, with the exception of the placement of buttons and the use of a single-section flash.

The dimensions of the Meizu M2 Mini case are 140.1 * 68.9 * 8.7 mm, and the weight is only 131 grams.

Display

Like the previous model, the M2 Mini display diagonal is 5.0 inches. At the same time, the display resolution was 1280x720 pixels (294 ppi), while in the M1 Mini model it was non-standard and corresponded to 1280x768 pixels.

The manufacturer of the Meizu M2 Mini display is not known to us. It is made using GFF (glas-to-film-to-film full lamination) technology and is a sandwich of glass and two touch films, assembled without air gaps like OGS displays. The display has an anti-glare coating that does its job perfectly. However, the presence of an oleophobic coating is questionable, since the display collects fingerprints fairly well.

In the Multitouch test application, the Meizu M2 Mini display showed support for up to 10 simultaneous touches, which pleasantly surprised us, since this is practically not seen in a budget device.

The viewing angles of the M2 Mini display were good, although not maximum. At some angles, the brightness drops quite noticeably and the colors on the display take on a yellow tint. When viewed from the right angle, the color balance is slightly shifted towards cooler shades. The color rendition of the display is good; we did not find any serious distortions during testing.
Comparison of displays with Doogee Y100 Pro:

The brightness reserve of the M2 Mini screen is high, although it is somewhat inferior to the same indicator in the older model. The contrast level can also be considered high. Therefore, on a sunny day you will not have problems with display readability.

Overall, we liked the display of the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone. Apparently, the manufacturer did not try to save on anything here, as a result of which we got one of the best displays among budget smartphones.

Let's move on to getting to know the Meizu M2 Mini interface.

Interface and software platform

The Meizu M2 Mini smartphone runs under the operating system Android systems 5.1 Lollipop with pre-installed Flyme 4.5 proprietary shell. It’s worth noting right away high speed touchscreen response and very easy finger sliding on the glass. We did not find any lags or interface slowdowns in this device, and the smoothness of its operation deserves praise.

By swiping down from the status bar you will open a quick access menu to the main functions, where you can enable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, data transfer cellular network, activate silent mode and adjust the display brightness. Here you will also find the notification panel.

A single press of the mBack button will perform the “Back” function, and a long press will allow you to put the device into sleep mode or call the voice assistant.

Swiping up from the bottom of the desktop will open the recent panel running applications. And if you hold your finger on an empty area of the desktop, you will open the settings panel, with which you can add widgets, customize the wallpaper or icon layout.

Since during testing we used a version of the device with the Flyme 4.5.3.1U operating system, we did not find the Russian language for the menu in the settings. At the same time, the Russian keyboard is present in the smartphone.

Separately, we note the presence in the menu of the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone of various smart functions - unlocking with a double tap, activation various functions or applications using a corresponding finger pattern on the locked screen, and so on. The menu also contains the SmartTouch function, which we examined in detail when testing the Meizu M2 Note smartphone. When you activate this feature, a smart dot appears on the screen, tapping it once will perform the Back function, and tapping it twice will close the current application. Swiping up from this point will take you to the desktop, and swiping down will open the notification panel. In the same menu you can assign an action for a long press on the mBack button.

In addition, in the M2 Mini menu you will find the ability to set the energy use mode. Depending on your tasks, you can choose energy-saving mode, balanced mode or high-performance mode.

In the screen settings, you can adjust the color balance by using the slider to select a cooler or warmer gamma. To transfer data between devices in the settings menu, you can only select Bluetooth.

The Meizu M2 Mini smartphone has an over-the-air firmware update function, although we did not use it, since the Russian language will not appear from this anyway. If you have the same firmware version, then you will have to install the firmware with Russian language manually.

In Meizu smartphones purchased in China, the Russian language is present only in versions with firmware that has the letter “A” at the end, although when installing updates over the air, it may disappear here too. You will find a lot of information about this on the Internet.
For Google installations services in the Meizu application store (AppCenter), enter “guge” in the search and install the desired application.

Testing performance in benchmarks

As we said above, the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone runs on the 64-bit Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system with the proprietary Flyme shell version 4.5 pre-installed. The device is powered by a 4-core 64-bit processor MT6735 with a core clock speed of up to 1.3 GHz.

This processor is inferior in performance to the MT6732 chip used in the M1 Mini, although the manufacturer can be given credit for not following the path of many other companies that installed a weaker version of this chip with a clock frequency of 1.0 GHz in their budget devices ( MT6735P or MT6735M).

The M2 Mini's graphics are powered by a 2-core Mali-T720 MP2 video accelerator clocked at 600 MHz. The amount of RAM in this smartphone is 2 GB, and the built-in memory is 16 GB. In this case, about 11.5 GB is available to the user. We also recall that the display diagonal in the Meizu M2 Mini is 5 inches and the resolution is 720p.

In the Antutu v5.7.1 program test, the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone showed 25617 points, which once again proves the presence of an MT6735 processor in it full version. Almost the same result was shown by the smartphone we tested earlier. Although both of them were almost 20% inferior to the previous budget smartphone from Meizu - the M1 Mini model.

In the 3DMark test with a display resolution of 720p, the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone showed a result of 3098 points.

And when testing graphics in the Epic Citadel program, the device produced a result of 37.7 frames per second at the same resolution of 1280x720 pixels and ultra high settings. These results are also close to the results of the Mlais MX Base smartphone with similar hardware.

Let's check the operation of the smartphone in practice in the game Asphalt 8. When maximum settings graphics for HD resolution Meizu M2 Mini coped with this game without any problems. However, after 10 minutes of play, the pyrometer showed the case heating up to 56 degrees, which we classify as “above average.” Although we did not experience any particular discomfort for our hands with such heating of the case.

Of course, you should understand that using the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone for modern games will not be the best solution, although if you want to while away some time playing games with this device. Also, the M2 Mini, despite its budget focus, is capable of performing almost any everyday task assigned to it.

Testing built-in sensors and GPS

Let's check how the situation is with the built-in sensors in the Meizu M1 Mini smartphone. The Sensor List program showed the presence of an accelerometer and sensor on board this device magnetic field, gyroscope, orientation sensor, gravity sensor, linear acceleration sensor, vector rotation sensor, as well as light and proximity sensors. All listed sensors work.

As you can see, the sensor equipment in the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone is quite consistent with the level of smartphones in more expensive segments, and in its segment according to this indicator this device can rightfully be considered one of the leaders.

Let's move on to the operation of GPS navigation in the Meizu M2Mini smartphone.

After a cold start and without connection to Wi-Fi smartphone connected to satellites almost instantly. The positioning accuracy was 7-10 meters. It is also worth noting that the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone sees GLONASS satellites and connects to them without any problems. We focus on this point because its older brother, the M2 Note model, did not find GLONASS satellites at all during our testing.

Thus, when using the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone as a GPS navigator, you will have absolutely no problems.

Camera testing

The Meizu M2 Mini smartphone has a 13 megapixel rear camera with a sensor from Samsung, possibly even the same as in the older M2 Note model. This camera uses 5 lenses and protective glass Gorilla Glass 3 on the outside. The camera lens aperture is F/2.2. The flash for the rear camera has one powerful LED with a warm glow tone.

As for the front camera, the manufacturer also installed a 5 MP OV5670 PureCel sensor from OmniVision, as in the M2 Note and M1 Note models. The camera design uses 4 lenses, and the aperture value is F/2.0.

The camera interface in the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone is already familiar to us from the M2 Note model. Here you will find manual and automatic modes shooting, shooting mode “Beauty”, mode panoramic photography, QR code scanning mode and slow motion.

In manual mode, you can independently select the shutter speed, white balance, light sensitivity, set the aperture value, and so on. And the “Beauty” mode will allow you to get spectacular portrait shots.

In the camera menu you will also find the ability to apply various effects - sepia, monochrome and others, as well as the ability to activate the HDR function, overlay a grid for more correct orientation of objects in the frame, activate electronic image stabilization and so on. The maximum photo size is 13 MP, and the maximum video resolution is 1080p at 30 fps.

When shooting with the front camera, you can use several software settings to correct the shape and size of your eyes, the shape and shade of your face, and so on. We have already seen these same functions, called FotoNation 2.0 and Face AE, in the Meizu M2 Note smartphone. Also, for shooting from the front camera, you can manually set white balance and light sensitivity.

The maximum resolution of pictures from the front camera is 5 MP (2576x1936 pixels), and the maximum video resolution is Full HD.

As for the operation of the built-in cameras in the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone, we should especially note the smooth and accurate autofocus, as well as the correct determination of white balance. The pictures have good color reproduction and detail, especially when shooting objects at close range. In general, for a budget device, the cameras in the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone take very decent pictures, and we can’t find fault with anything here.

Night

Selfie

Battery test

According to the manufacturer, the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone has a 2500 mAh battery. IN this device The battery is non-removable, like the older model, and also like its predecessor.

The smartphone scored almost 5 thousand points in the AnTuTu Battery Test program. Using a special USB tester, which we use to check the actual capacity of batteries, we found that when charging the M2 Mini smartphone from 0 to 100%, the battery was charged by 2316 mAh.
Of course, we do not exclude an error in measurements, but still, the difference compared to the declared capacity turned out to be unexpectedly large. Has Meizu really decided to follow in the footsteps of some Chinese manufacturers who inflate the battery capacity of their devices “on paper”? Or does this feature only apply to our specific specimen? Most likely, the company simply lied with the percentages, since if you keep the smartphone on charge for about 40 minutes, the battery will charge to the stated figure.

We also tested the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone for battery life when watching online videos on Youtube, where it lasted 5 hours and 39 minutes, which is a good result.

Thus, taking into account the weak processor and low display resolution, the battery in the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone will last for many at least 1 full day of use, and more economical users will charge this device even once every two days. So, we have no complaints about the autonomy of this device.

Sound

Next, we will test the sound of the Meizu M2 Mini external speaker. We chose the most sonorous and expressive melody and listened to it ourselves. After that, we played the same melody when checking the volume level using a special device.

We can say that the external speaker of the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone does a good job. The sound from the speaker in this device is clear and free of distortion, although the maximum volume level is not the highest. Our words were also confirmed by a special device that recorded the maximum volume of about 92.5 dB. So, in this regard, the M2 Mini is nothing special.

To check the sound in the headphones, we downloaded a file to the smartphone memory in FLAC format. Next, we listened to this audio file several times in Xiaomi Hi-Fi Mi headphones. And I must say, we were pleasantly surprised to learn how high-quality the sound of the melody turned out to be. Let's just say that among budget-class devices, the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone surpassed everyone in terms of sound quality in headphones. So, this smartphone is definitely suitable for enjoying listening to your favorite songs.

For those who like to listen to the radio on the way to work, this device is not suitable, since, like many Meizu smartphones, the M2 Mini does not have a built-in FM receiver.

Well, we have already covered the main points, and now it’s time to sum up the results of our testing.

Results

Let's start with the advantages of the device:

1) Excellent combination of cost and equipment of the device. For the money (about $120) this is one of the most best offers On the market.

2) High quality device assembly.

3) Sound in headphones. In this indicator, the M2 Mini will surpass many more expensive devices (or the P8000, and others).

4) Availability of a full version of the MT6735 processor.

The advantages can also be added very good screen as for a budget smartphone, the presence of a convenient mBack button and high-quality built-in cameras.

Let's move on to the disadvantages:

1) Lack of Russian language in the firmware, which disappears after the update even in those smartphones where it was previously present. What is this, the desire to force us to buy only official versions smartphones with international firmware from local company representatives or an annoying omission does not change the essence of the matter.

2) Lack of a separate slot for memory cards. Of course, we now have the option of installing 2 SIM cards, unlike the M1 Mini. But putting the consumer before a choice - 1 memory card and 1 SIM card or 2 SIM cards and 11.5 GB of internal storage is not entirely reasonable.

3) Weak sound from external speaker.

Despite some significant disadvantages, the main one of which is the lack of Russian language, the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone leaves us with only positive emotions. Of course, the lack of Russian language will scare off many buyers, since the surcharge for a device with international version firmware from a local dealer will raise the final cost of this smartphone to a level that will allow you to purchase a device with a larger diagonal or more powerful hardware in China. Let this device be from a less famous brand, but the Russian language will already be in it by default and will not disappear anywhere after updates. However, we hope that the manufacturer will change its policy, because competition in the market Chinese smartphones has now reached its maximum intensity. Otherwise, we expect devices with custom firmware versions to appear at many Chinese retailers in the very near future. And even though you will no longer be able to use the over-the-air firmware update function, the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone is definitely worth it. After all, for just $120 you get a smartphone with the optimal screen size, high-quality display and excellent body build, balanced hardware and very pleasant sound in the headphones. Believe me, this smartphone is capable of providing something that no other budget smartphone can provide - the pleasure of owning it.

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Characteristics

Device type: smartphone.
Available colors: white, gray, blue, pink.
Case materials: plastic, glass.
Operating system: Flyme 4.5 on Android based 5.1 Lollipop
Networks (depending on phone versions*):

GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz (band 5/8/3/2);

TD-SCDMA: 1880-1920, 2010-2025 MHz;

UMTS: 900/1900/2100 MHz;

FDD LTE: 1800/2100/2600 MHz (band 3/1/7);

TDD-LTE 1900/2300/2500/2600 MHz (band 39/40/41/38)

SIM cards: Dual Nano-SIM, Dual Standby
Processor: MT6735, 64 bit, 1.3 GHz, 4 Cortex A53 cores
Video accelerator: Mali-T720 MP2, 600 MHz
RAM: 2 GB LPDDR3 EMMC 5.0 (Samsung), 640 MHz
Memory for data storage: 16 GB, possibility of installing a card MicroSD memory capacity up to 128 GB in SIM2 slot
Interfaces: Micro-USB 2.0, dual band 2.4/5.0 GHz WiFi 802.11 (a/b/g/n), Wi-Fi Hotspot, Bluetooth v4.0, OTA, OTG, 3.5 mm audio
Screen: IPS, 5.0"" HD (1280x720), GFF full lamination, 294 ppi, AGC Dragontrail glass
Cameras: rear -13 MP (4160x3120), Samsung ISOCELL, f/2.2, 5 lenses + Gorilla Glass 3, autofocus, digital stabilization, LED flash ( continuous shooting, digital zoom, geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, panorama, ISO selection, exposure compensation, white balance, timer, scene selection), video 1080p@30fps; front - 5 MP (2576x1936), f/2.0, OmniVision OV5670, PureCel, 4 lenses, FotoNation 2.0
Navigation: GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
Battery: non-removable, SONY/ATL, 2500 mAh
Dimensions: 140.1 x 68.9 x 8.7 mm
Weight: 131 g

* - The Meizu M2 Mini smartphone can be found in online stores in 4 different versions:

1. International/official (Flyme OS 4.5.3 I, supplied through authorized dealers outside of China, in Chinese online stores not available) - on this moment the only version that receives updates with Russian language.

2. Universal/Public (M578, Flyme OS 4.5.3 A, for any operators within China - GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS2100 (B1), LTE2100 (B1), TD-SCDMA2000, LTE850 (B5), TD-SCDMA1900, LTE1800 (B3), LTE2600 (B7), LTE900 ( B8), LTE800 (B20), TD-LTE2600 (B38), TD-LTE2500 (B41), TD-LTE2300 (B40), TD-LTE1900 (B39)) - the most common and most suitable for our countries.

3. For China Unicom operator (M578U, Flyme OS 4.5.3 U - GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS2100 (B1), LTE2100 (B1), TD-SCDMA2000, TD-SCDMA1900, LTE1800 (B3), TD-LTE2600 (B38), TD-LTE2500 (B41), TD-LTE2300 (B40), TD-LTE1900 (B39)).

4. For China Telecom operator (M578C, Flyme OS 4.5.3 Q - GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, CDMA800 (BC0), LTE2100 (B1), LTE1800 (B3), TD-LTE2500 (B41) ) .

5. for China Mobile (M578M, Flyme OS 4.5.3 WITH- GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS2100 (B1), TD-SCDMA2000, TD-SCDMA1900, TD-LTE2600 (B38), TD-LTE2500 (B41), TD-LTE2300 (B40), TD-LTE1900 (B39)).

Firmware version Flyme OS 4.5.3A can be installed by sellers independently on any operator version of the smartphone and is not a determining factor in identifying the device being sold. The supported frequency ranges should be checked with the seller.

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Choosing a smartphone is a difficult matter. Sometimes a device that is almost ideal on paper turns out to be controversial and not very convenient in real life. And although the Meizu M2 mini is a very good offer for the money, it is not without its drawbacks...

Preface

I think that almost anyone who is at least more or less versed in technology from time to time has to answer questions from the series “What to choose?” or “Which is better to buy?” Moreover, the interlocutor is usually not at all eager to understand the subject on his own. Yes, and lengthy discussions about different use cases and a list of strong and weaknesses different models he is not at all interested, he immediately wants to get a specific answer. The fact that life is somewhat more complicated than a school math problem and that there are usually no “right” and “wrong” answers does not bother anyone.

In a good way, it’s always worth asking at least a couple of leading questions. For example, what size screen is needed, is the presence of a second SIM card slot critical, are case materials important, and so on. The answers are almost always standard (better camera, time battery life bigger, the price is lower and there won’t be any lags or glitches), but this at least in general terms allows you to understand in which direction you should look.

The most important thing is not to forget that you are not choosing a smartphone for yourself. Maybe install for you Google Play to the device from Chinese firmware- a matter of five minutes. Perhaps you sincerely don’t understand the point of buying a phone with proprietary shells that only spoil the laconic purity of “pure” Android, and you don’t consider buying anything other than Nexus. Or vice versa, you have been ordering smartphones exclusively through Chinese online stores for many years. But your interlocutor is primarily interested in ensuring that everything works “out of the box,” and the processor frequency and OS version mean much less to him than the color of the case.

Over time, you select several universal options for each category that have a good price/quality ratio and suit most users. One of these solutions for me was the Meizu M2 mini smartphone, which is one of the most successful options in its segment.

On the one hand, this is an interesting and well-made item with good characteristics and a minimal overpayment for the brand. On the other hand, this is still not some kind of “no-name” but a fairly serious manufacturer, and in our country the brand is gradually beginning to gain popularity. You can read his review at the link below, but here I will quote only an excerpt from the conclusion (author – Roman Belykh):

The device made an extremely positive impression. He has a cute appearance, excellent ergonomic design, several colors to suit every taste, good technical characteristics, fairly long operating time, good cameras and the ability to operate in fourth generation networks.

Up to 15,000 rubles, I often recommend taking either the M1 Note, or for 4G lovers, the M2 Note. Now we can recommend the Meizu M2 mini among compact smartphones with excellent hardware.

In addition, I would note a simple and convenient shell, support for two SIM cards, an optimal screen diagonal, a reasonable price and, most importantly, the opportunity to officially purchase a PCT device with a guarantee and everything else.

Ten disadvantages

Of course, there are no perfect smartphones in the world. Any, even the most successful model necessarily has a number of its shortcomings. The only question is how critical they will be for you personally. You should definitely say all the shortcomings of the device out loud, even if you recommend this model to someone for purchase. Or rather, especially when you recommend it. Otherwise, don’t be surprised if it suddenly turns out that a person is completely unhappy with your “ideal” smartphone and generally has difficulty understanding how you use it.

Below are ten shortcomings of the Meizu M2 mini, which, although they may not seem particularly significant to some, are incredibly annoying to many people.

Non-standard control

Meizu has always preferred to use a non-standard set of control keys, and the M2 mini was no exception. Instead of the usual set of Back, Home and Task Manager buttons, the smartphone uses one single multifunction key.

Pressing a mechanical key allows you to go to the desktop, lightly touching the sensor allows you to go back one step, using a long press you can lock and unlock the smartphone screen, and so on. On the one hand, it's really convenient. On the other hand, after switching from another smartphone, it may be unusual, especially for older people. Three different buttons with separate icons on each - a simpler and more intuitive solution.

Google Services

I don’t know how things are in the Chinese versions of the device, but the PCT version of the Meizu M2 mini supports Google services out of the box. No flashing or Chinese stores - the Google Play icon is located on home screen just like in any other smartphone. But other branded applications like Gmail, Google Photos or Google Drive are not initially installed and you need to download them yourself. Many less experienced users are accustomed to considering them part of the system and are completely lost when they cannot find them. Another example - Google service Now, which can no longer be called up at any time by swiping or holding down the Home key. If you need this service, you will have to use a widget or icon to launch it.

A similar situation with Google account. The vast majority of Android devices ask you to enter it when you first start it, but the Meizu M2 mini does not have this. If you want to add an account, go to the appropriate settings section, which is also not entirely obvious for beginners.

Software set and delivery kit

The phone generally has a minimum of pre-installed applications. For an experienced user, this is only a plus - you don’t have to clean out the garbage carefully installed by the manufacturer. Which not only takes up free space in vain, but also cannot be removed from the smartphone using standard means.

But for a less technically savvy audience, this is rather an unnecessary frustration and headache. Questions about how to turn on the flashlight or where to find a widget with the weather and clock, like on the previous phone, will arise on the very first day. Out of the box, the smartphone doesn’t have any of this, which is perceived by many novice users as a sign of an extremely low-cost and unfinished device.

Add here the extremely modest delivery package for PCT devices, where even instead of a standard penny headset there is a plug with the inscription “Earphones not included” and everything will become completely sad. Many are starting to think that instead of a cool smartphone, they bought some kind of Chinese semi-finished product, which does not contain even half of the usual things.

Dialer, The address book

The lack of Russian letters in the dialer is a very annoying drawback. Yes, it is not unique to the Meizu M2 mini, but it still doesn’t make dialing any more convenient. For those who are used to looking for contacts from the keyboard, and not from the directory menu, this is a fly in the ointment.

The address book itself is also somewhat simpler than in classic Android - there are fewer additional fields, and there is no way to manually combine several contacts into one. Most likely, the vast majority of users will not pay attention to this, but it may be inconvenient for some.

Volume adjustment

The lack of separate volume control is another disadvantage, which, although not immediately noticeable, can cost a lot of nerves. If you lowered the volume in the game and forgot to put it back, get ready to miss an important email or not hear a call. This is a problem with many devices running Android 5.0, but it’s still a shame that Meizu didn’t fix it.

Combo slot

A quick glance at the description of the smartphone may seem to suggest that it supports memory cards. microSD format, and the presence of two slots for SIM cards. In fact, everything is less rosy - the slot for memory cards is combined with a slot for a second SIM card. That is, you won’t be able to use both at the same time; either you install a memory card or a second SIM card.

Although they say that some craftsmen manage to trim the cards in such a way that they can fit all three into the slot at once. Like the vast majority of buyers, I have not tried anything like this and do not plan to.

China version

In addition to the PCT version, you can always buy a “gray” smartphone, either from resellers or by ordering from China. In the latter case, you may encounter a number of problems, such as unnecessary pre-installed applications in Chinese, lack of Russification, difficulties with updating, and so on. If desired, all these issues are not so difficult to solve, but not everyone will like figuring out exactly how to “finish with a file” an honestly purchased device. This can also be seen from reviews in Yandex Market. But here the problem is exclusively for the user - free cheese can only be found in a mousetrap, and no one forced you to order the Chinese version of the device from the Middle Kingdom.

Notifications and lock screen

The proprietary shell is noticeably different from “pure” Android, primarily ideologically. Flyme is trying to combine the best of both worlds - many ideas were borrowed by developers from iOS, which only benefited the shell. On the one hand, she retained flexibility and wealth Android functions, on the other hand, it has acquired the simplicity and convenience of an Apple OS. One can argue endlessly about how much better the result is than “pure” Android, but this is at least a decent option. Especially for less experienced users.

But in some places the desire to simplify everything played a cruel joke on the developers. And first of all, this applies to notifications on the lock screen. All missed events are displayed exclusively as icons in the status bar, and the lock screen itself always remains pristinely empty. If desired, this problem can be solved using third-party software, but what prevented us from adding normal notifications “out of the box” is a mystery.

Another controversial point is the grouping of notifications into several categories. Important notifications are shown as separate icons, all others are hidden under a common icon. On the one hand, the status bar always remains clean and tidy, and any messages about the next updates in Google Play are not an eyesore. On the other hand, some notifications (for example, prompts from the same Google Now) are very easy to miss. And marking an application as “important” is not as easy as we would like.

Light-emitting diode

The LED (also known as an indicator for missed notifications) is an extremely useful thing. Even if you left your smartphone on the table or switched it to silent mode, the blinking LED light will remind you of a missed call or notify you of an incoming SMS.

It’s just a pity that on the Meizu M2 mini it’s not done in the best way. The fact that it always blinks in one single color during any event is half the problem. In the end, unlocking the screen and checking what exactly happened takes a couple of seconds. What’s worse is that the color is pale purple, which is hard to see from afar. And it doesn’t start blinking immediately, but only after a dozen or so seconds. There is no way to configure the operation of the LED; the smartphone does not support applications like Light Flow.

Charge display

Judging by reviews on the Internet, the battery charge may not be displayed correctly on older versions of the firmware. From 99% to 95% the smartphone could be discharged for a couple of hours, but from 10% to 0 the charge “flew away” in a minute. The problem was solely in the charge display; the total operating time of the smartphone remained unchanged. The bug was fixed a long time ago, I have never encountered anything like it.

Instead of an afterword

In the end, I would like to remind you once again that I consider the Meizu M2 mini to be a very good device for the money. But this does not at all negate the presence of a number of disadvantages in it. For some they are critical, for others they are not, but in any case it is better to think about them in advance.

Sometimes the impression of a device can be ruined by a mere trifle. Unfortunately, you usually come across it after the purchase - even the most detailed review device will certainly not tell you about all the rough edges and shortcomings of the smartphone. After all, what is a serious problem for some users is nothing more than a stupid quibble for others, which makes no sense to focus on at all.

Theoretically, reviews from device owners should help in this situation. In practice, this does not always happen - it is somehow not customary for us to scold one’s choice. When leaving a review of a purchased smartphone, most commentators either do not fill out the “disadvantages” column at all, or write something like “for the money there are none.” And this is very sad, because it is always better to warn about any drawback, even a seemingly insignificant one at first glance, in advance. And how critical it is, everyone will decide for themselves.

The user has hidden his data

Problem solved

Advantages: 1. Flyme OS. I thought that in reality it would turn out to be a crooked and faulty product, but I was pleasantly surprised. Lots of handy features, smooth interface. 4/5 2. Screen. I liked the screen, good resolution, viewing angles, color rendition ok. I can’t evaluate the oleophobic coating, I immediately glued the film. 4/5 3. Battery. The battery is generally good. The first time it didn’t charge to 100 (it got stuck at 99), but now it seems to be charging normally. Enough for a couple of days (leisurely surfing, chats). I use Energy Saving mode. In this mode, the handset was discharged from 15% to 1% in 30-40 minutes of surfing the Internet. Comparable to my favorite Philips W6500. 5/5 4. Assembly. My first phone without a removable battery. There is no play or creaking anywhere. 5/5 5. mButton. This is fire. The first time I drove into the controls, it turned out to be surprisingly comfortable. If it doesn’t break in half a year, it will be absolutely great. (upd. started to fail after almost 1.5 years) 3/5 Disadvantages: Size. Still, I got carried away with the sizes, for me it’s a little big in width. Not really a flaw, everyone's hands are different. 3/5 It’s not clear how to disable applications, there is only a “Stop” button. Extremely strange. 2/5 Sometimes Chinese characters appear in the interface, for example in some sections of the Security Center, which is somewhat discouraging. 1/5 Software gyroscope. It’s only enough to shoot panoramas; on maps the direction is determined so-so. The photosphere in Google camera is no longer possible. Not a killer bug, of course, but it leaves a residue. (upd. July 2, 2017, after 1.5 years this gyroscope began to get a little annoying, with the advent of VR video it shows its complete unpreparedness for the challenges of 2017) 1/5 Periodically, application icons are displayed with proprietary Flyme OS icons. I turned off the display of icons for standard applications (market, maps, Instagram, etc.) in the Flyme OS style, but they still periodically start to appear. Switching the option helps again, but it's a little annoying. 3/5 Comment: I have a dark gray model, M578H, Flyme OS 4.5.4I. I bought it from an official dealer. My first Chinese (brand) phone. I was pleasantly surprised by the high-quality performance, I hope that it will last at least a couple of years without surprises. Suddenly there was a lot included with the OS useful programs, for example, Security Center, which successfully disables background programs. I've read reviews about messengers and players that unload from memory, but so far it works for me without any complaints. But there is also useless junk, such as Drawing Tool and Notepad, which, as it turns out, cannot be deleted (I suspect that they are part of Meizu’s cloud programs and that’s why they were placed in the system partition). It’s not very pleasant, but in general it’s a standard situation with Android phones. Thank you for not being an app for adding a beard to your photo. In general, all the applications are surprisingly well made and not obscene, they are pleasing to the eye. Before that I had an LG phone, and from standard interface My eyes were bleeding and I wanted to roll on the floor and sob. I thought a lot about the camera, but I didn’t raise my hand to classify it as a shortcoming. At first I was outraged by the quality of the shooting. When you read about 13 megapixels, you expect slightly different results. It feels like there is no hand shake stabilizer in the camera. If you get used to it, you can achieve acceptable pictures. Autofocus works strangely, but the pictures seem to be normal. Well, the flash works well. In general, the camera is not a fountain, but I also can’t call it complete squalor. The phone leaves more positive emotions, and Flyme OS plays an important role in this. upd. July 2, 2017: around May, mButton started to lag: (It doesn’t press well, the sensor automatically triggers “Back” (even with vibration feedback, i.e. this is not a software bug), it has been working since February 2016 --- a year and 3 month. It's a shame, it's a good and convenient button, I secretly hoped that it would never break.