A few months ago, Meizu exclusively launched and released the MX5 in China. It was on late last year when we finally saw the Meizu MX5 debuted in other countries. Though not officially released in the Philippines, the Meizu MX5 is available to purchase from online stores.
The Meizu MX5 is an upper mid-range Android phone that looks more premium than the latest Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and Notes 3 Pro. And from papers alone, the Meizu MX5 beats most Chinese competition. But will the MX5 really fare in our comprehensive review? Let’s find out.
We already performed our in-depth comparison for those who are interested. Check the link below.
More reviews and comparisons
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 vs Meizu MX5 Comparison
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 vs iPhone 6s Comparison
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Review
Unboxing: What’s in the retail box of the Meizu MX5
- Meizu MX5 with built-in 3150mAh battery
- microUSB data cable
- 2.0A wall charger
- SIM ejector tool key
- Papers
Table of Contents
Design
The Meizu MX5 comes with unibody design made from aluminum with the front resembling a Galaxy-iPhone style combination. It looks a bit dated design with solid build quality. But make no mistake, the Meizu MX5 certainly has its own unique design elements. True to its slightly protruding camera behind and added chamfered detail around the edges.
In terms of ports, we have a standard microUSB at the bottom with speaker cutouts and microphone sitting pretty besides it. On top is a 3.5mm audio jack and infrared. Both volume rocker and power button are made from metal cutouts too.
We’re happy to report that Meizu MX5 supports dual-Nano SIM with dual standby support up to 4G LTE.
The fingerprint sensor is integrated at the home button a.k.a. the back button in Flyme UI-powered devices. The sensor works fast and accurate but it’s not on par with on the iPhone 6s or the one on Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X.
One-handed use is not the best experience on the MX5 due to the 5.5-inch display, though, it’s still doable in other tasks. Of course, your mileage may vary depending on the size of your hands.
We got the metallic silver variant, the facade is white with the back on aluminum gray. Other colors are black, gold, and silver.
Display
Handling the viewing experience on MX5 is a 5.5-inch AMOLED display packed with 1080p Full HD resolution. A Gorilla Glass 3 protects the real estate display from scratches.
In terms of display quality, viewing angles are solid and color preservation is crisp. We still get that inky pitch black and over saturation on AMOLED. Overall it retains the pleasing and vivid output we expected from an AMOLED.
Camera
During my hands-on and review period where I compared the 20MP camera of the MX5 to the one on Redmi Note 3, I was surprised on how good it was. The main camera produced really good detail preservation. Dynamic control and color accuracy are both first class.
In low light and night shooting, we got better results than on other mid-range phones (I’m talking to you Redmi Note 3). It handled a decent job in keeping the sharpness and detail.
The quality of a still image is passed on the video shooting with up to 4K UHD video resolution support similar to Sony Xperia M5. Now I’m thinking that aforementioned camera phones may have similarities. This is mainly due to Sony being a provider of most mobile imaging sensors today.
Selfie shots from the 5MP front-facing camera possess natural color with mild skin smoothening and beautification effect. If you’re thinking what selfie phone is close to its quality, then the answer is the iPhone 6s.
Performance
Under the hood is a Mediatek Helio X10 chipset with an octa-core processor clocked at 2.2GHz, a notch faster than other phones with the same chipset. There are three storage variants but they all come with 3GB RAM.
The internal hardware keeps the experience smooth and fluid on MX5. Lagging is minimal and multi-tasking and running graphics-intensive games are handled well. Typing is a breeze too which we really liked most. Maybe it’s also because of the type of glass display and backed by a buttery smooth OS and a powerful chip.
Meizu MX5 benchmark ratings
- AnTuTu:Â 47201
- Basemark:Â 1156
- Geekbench: 718 single core / 3596 multi-core
Software
The MX5 runs Flyme UI version 4.5.2 on top of Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box. At first, I was skeptical on the UI. There is no app launcher and the icons look like a mixed of material design plus sketchy animated feel. But after getting used to it, I had quite understood the approach and I liked it.
I updated my Meizu MX5 to a stable global and international Android 5.1.2 with Flyme 5.1 UX on top. There are no significant changes, but everything still feels smooth and a bit refined especially on listed settings menu.
Access to drop down menu is the same on most stock Android Lollipop and Marshmallow phones by swiping from a top. Swiping from bottom opens up the carousel view of open apps in the background. There is no dedicated back button and multi-tasking shortcut. The home button is capacitive with integrated back button, pressing down will bring you to the main home screen.
Another plus on the Flyme is the clever and artsy wallpaper selections they have preloaded on MX5 and other Meizu phones.
Right now, I will be sticking to the Flyme launcher instead of Google Now Android 6.0 launcher.
Battery
I always get around 4-5 hours on-screen time on the 3150 mAh battery of the MX5. Both moderate use and video battery test yield average battery life.
Meizu MX5 battery life and charging time
- Video playback: 10h 31min.
- Moderate use: 1Â day (browsing, video, SMS/text, voice calls, casual games)
- On-screen time: 4-5 hours
- Charging speed: 2h 15min
Speaker
Another feature we enjoyed was the loudspeaker on the bottom of the device. It’s a single or mono speaker with the good audio output. Bass is not strong nor weak with clear vocals. There is little tinny sound at maximum volume, but it doesn’t spoil the whole audio experience.
Price and Verdict
The 16GB variant of Meizu MX5 will cost around P12,500 from online stores in the Philippines while the 32GB ticks at P16,500 pesos. Sadly there’s no official release of the MX5 in the Philippines up until today. These online stores are the only ones offering at the moment.
As the Lenovo ZUK Z1 and Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 faring as top mid-range and budget Android phones, the Meizu MX5 is on another level. More like in its own class. It is much better than its competition. The software feels more refined and blends well to the powerful core hardware. Overall, the MX5 delivered more on what we’d expected. And surely, the price is a good bargain for all.
Meizu MX5 pros
- Vivid and crisp AMOLED display
- Fingerprint scanner doesn’t disappoint
- Flyme UI looks sleek and easy to use
- Smooth performance
- 4K UHD video
Meizu MX5 cons
- No microSD card slot
- Design is a bit dated
- Average battery life
SPECS, PH Price |
Meizu MX5 |
| Display | 5.5-inch 1080p Full HD AMOLED, 401 ppi |
| Size | 7.6mm thick, 149g weight |
| Design | Metal + plastic |
| Colors | White, Black |
| Chipset | MediaTek Helio X10, Quad-core 2.2GHz |
| Graphics | PowerVR GT6200 |
| Memory | 3GB RAM, 16/3264GB internal, No microSD card |
| Camera | 20MP, AF, 2160p 4K UHD video, dual LED flash |
| Selfie | 5MP selfie front-facing |
| Connectivity | Dual nano SIM, WiFi ac, 4G LTE, Bt 4.1, GPS |
| Software | Android 5.1 Lollipop, Flyme UI, upgrade to Marshmallow |
| Battery | 3150mAh |
| Ports, quick charge | microUSB, fast charging |
| Release date | July 2015, available online |
| Price | P12,500 ph Price 16GB variant |
