We go hands-on with the hotly anticipated Meizu M1 Note!
So many people have been waiting for Meizu’s M1 Note to arrive in the PH that we’ve gotten so many requests for a hands-on even before the official release for the device. Well, the M1 Note has finally arrived in the PH yesterday, and we trudged on over to Novo7 Tech today just to get a peek at the new , potentially kick-ass bang-for-the-buck smartphone from Meizu!
Before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s check out the specs:
Meizu M1 Note
- 1.7GHz 64-bit MediaTek MT6752 octa-core processor
- Mali T760 MP2 GPU
- 2GB RAM
- 5.5-inch Full HD display, Gorilla Glass 3 protection, 1920 x 1080
- 16GB/32GB internal storage
- 13-megapixel Samsung rear camera, flash, F/2.2 aperture
- 5-megapixel front camera, F/2.0 aperture
- Dual-SIM
- 3G, LTE
- WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS
- Android 4.4 KitKat, Flyme 4
- 3,140mAh battery
- 150.7 x 75.2 x 8.9mm
Initial impressions: feels like an iPhone 5C, but is way more powerful and fast
Pundits have critisized Meizu for taking liberal design cues from Apple and applying it to their own products. While this is true, this isn’t something that is unique – many companies (and even Apple) lift design cues from each other all the time, and if the end product ends up being nicer or better at the end of it, why not?
And that’s exactly what happened with the M1 Note – yes, it looks like an iPhone 5C, but it’s actually more than just a cheap knock-off. While the device is made with mostly polycarbonate, somewhat of a departure from Meizu’s MX4 and MX4 Pro, it doesn’t feel cheap. The build quality is very nice, though overall the phone is a bit lighter than what we’re used to, so it feels less premium than what we anticipated.
The phone has a gloss white back, and Novo7 Tech told us that they’ll also be stocking other colors in the future, albeit with a higher price from what you get if just nab the white variant. Like Meizu’s MX4, the M1 Note doesn’t have the three iconic Android capacitive keys present in the bottom of the display, just the trademark Halo button that’s been the hallmark of Meizu for so long.
As far as display goes, the M1 Note has a 5.5-inch full HD display that uses Sharp’s IGZO panel that’s protected by Gorilla Glass 3. The display is pretty good, has excellent color reproduction, good viewing angles and overall brightness.
The processor for the M1 Note is a 64-bit octa-core MediaTek MT6752 that’s paired with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. It managed to score pretty high on AnTuTu, though we’ve yet to use it on actual games and apps as of yet. The device also has LTE built-in, which is awesome, though only one SIM is LTE.
One of the best things about the M1 Note is its price – at just Php 7990, it’s one of the most affordable LTE smartphones you can buy today. Its specs just scream bang-for-the-buck, and if the crowd that we saw at Novo7 Tech’s stores is anything to go by, we can honestly say that this phone will sell out quick.
We’ll be reviewing this phone in the next few days, stand-by for that.
