Meizu MX 4-core Unboxing and Initial Review

Meizu MX 4-core Unboxing and Initial Review

Time to unbox the Meizu MX 4-core!
Time to unbox the Meizu MX 4-core!

We’re surprised that not a lot of tech sites and blogs aren’t talking about the Meizu MX 4-core. At Php13,790 you get a blazing fast quad-core Android smartphone with a funky custom user interface called Flyme (more on this later). It’s great value for money considering the next most affordable quad-core phone is at Php19,000+ (Lenovo K860). That’s why we couldn’t resist getting one to feature here on the site. Check out our unboxing and initial impressions below. We’ll follow it up with a more comprehensive review soon. 🙂

Meizu MX Quad-Core Spec Sheet

  • 1.4GHz Samsung Exynos Cortex-A9 Quad-Core Processor
  • Mali-400MP GPU
  • 1GB RAM
  • 32GB Internal Storage, No microSD
  • 4-inch Capacitive Touchscreen, 960×640 Pixels (~288ppi)
  • 8.0-megapixel rear-facing camera, 3264×2448, LED flash, auto focus, panorama mode
  • Can record video 1080 HD @ 30fps
  • VGA front-facing camera
  • Bluetooth, WiFi, WiFi Hotspot, GPS
  • 3G, HSPA+
  • Li-Ion 1700mAh Standard Battery
  • Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with Flyme Custom UI

Packaging is boring outside but bam bam bam inside

The Meizu MX 4-core comes in a plain carton box. It really looks plain and generic from the outside. However it’s a completely different story when you open it.

The boring box of the Meizu MX 4-core
The boring box of the Meizu MX 4-core

Once you open it you’ll find what looks like a thick book/manual on the left and the wall charger on the right. Check out the photos below. Don’t forget to read the captions.

The "manual" is actually a product catalogue and the holder of the actual phone and the USB to micro USB cable!
The “manual” is actually a product catalogue and the holder of the actual phone and the USB to micro USB cable!
At first it's information about the Meizu..
At first it’s information about the Meizu..
Ta-daaaaa! Suddenly the phone is there when you flip a few pages. Lol. Cool eh?
Ta-daaaaa! Suddenly the phone is there when you flip a few pages. Lol. Cool eh?
The USB to micro USB cable
The USB to micro USB cable

One thing missing in the box that we’re used to seeing? Earphones. No big loss really since most of the bundled earphones are crap anyway, lol.

Body Design: It looks like an iPhone o_o

If the Cherry Mobile Blaze was “copying” the Samsung Galaxy S3, you can say that the Meizu MX 4-core definitely took “inspiration” from the iPhone 4/4S. The thick bezel and the physical home button are dead giveaways. In fact after showing the phone around earlier this afternoon, a lot of people actually thought that it was an iPhone (until I turned the screen on).

Very "iPhone-sh"
Very “iPhone-sh”

The micro USB port is at the bottom while the volume rocker is at the left side. The sleep/wake/power button is at the top together with the headphone jack. At the back you’ll find the speaker grill and the 8-megapixel camera with flash. The back plate is removable but it takes nothing short of an herculean effort to do so. You actually have to use some sort of “key” to open it. The key comes with the packaging. Make sure you don’t lose it.

The "key"
The “key”

So what happens when you open the back? You get access to just one thing: the micro SIM card tray. The battery isn’t removable and there’s no microSD slot (you should be able to get by with 32GB though). It’s kinda weird that you go through so much to remove the back plate only to just insert a micro SIM, lol.

What the back looks like without the back plate
What the back looks like without the back plate

Over-all the phone is solid, compact, and a joy to hold. It doesn’t feel cheap at all and the quad-core processor with 1GB RAM guarantees you a smooth Android experience to boot.

Software: Flyme UI is like Android trying to be iOS

Flyme is Meizu’s custom user interface that’s once again inspired by the iPhone. Instead of the usual app grid, all the apps appear on the home page. The OS will automatically add more home pages as you download more apps. Weird right? It’s actually quite charming when you get used to it though. I was initially put off but after using it the whole day it was kinda fun. The Meizu Flyme OS is like the forbidden child of iOS and Android, lol.

Meizu MX 4-Core now available locally!
Meizu MX 4-Core now available locally!

The quad-core processor and the 1GB RAM also works wonderfully with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. You’ll rarely feel any lag or slowdowns with this phone which is definitely awesome considering the crazy price tag right?

Full Review Coming Soon!

As far as initial impressions go, we’re impressed with the Meizu MX 4-core. Our only worry really is the battery life. It only packs a 1,700mAh battery and that’s supposed to power the quad-core processor and 4-inch screen of the device. We’ll put this through the paces in the coming days to thoroughly test the capabilities of the battery. We’ll try to have the full review out middle of next week.

That’s it for now folks. Happy New Year! 🙂

PS: If you can’t wait for the review and you want to buy it already, here’s the link to the product page on Widget City.

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