Meizu M2 mini review - the best smartphone available. Meizu m2 - Specifications Communication and sound

Meizu M2 Mini is a compact budget smartphone. The device has acquired many modern functions and youth design. Was introduced in July 2015.

Appearance and ergonomics

The Meizu M2 Mini smartphone has a rectangular polycarbonate body. Sloping corners are complemented by beveled edges. Thanks to special polishing and multi-level processing, the device is really comfortable to hold in your hand. The entire front panel is covered with Dragontrail tempered glass from AGC. Below the display is an oval-shaped mechanical mTouch button that detects pressing force. There is a brand logo on the back, as well as a camera eye and a flash. At the bottom there is not only a USB connector, but also a multimedia speaker and microphone. But the top edge has only a 3.5 mm headphone port. The assembly is very high quality, there are no unnecessary creaks. Inside there is a 2500 mAh battery. Available colors: white, pink, gray and blue. Dimensions: height - 140.1 mm, thickness - 8.7 mm, width - 68.9 mm, weight - 131 g.

Display

The M2 Mini features a 5-inch screen with full lamination technology. This IPS matrix has an HD resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels and also has increased contrast. There is no air gap here, which guarantees a lively and rich image. There is an effective anti-glare filter that effectively combats bright sunlight. Although viewing angles are maximum, colors begin to distort.

Hardware and performance

M2 Mini is equipped with a quad-core MTK MT6735 processor with a maximum frequency of 1300 MHz. Graphics chip: Mali T720. Thanks to MediaTek CorePilot technology, the graphics and central processors function in a single connection, which has a positive effect on performance. The Android 5.1 operating system is installed here, and there is also a Flyme OS 4.5 shell. The user can count on 2 GB of RAM. There is also 16 GB of built-in Samsung EMMC 5.0 memory, which is characterized by high operating speed. The device supports MicroSD cards up to 128 GB. In the AnTuTu test, this model scores more than 27,000 points. Yes, you can’t play demanding games on it, but everyday tasks will be solved successfully and quickly.

Communication and sound

In headphones, the sound of the Meizu M2 Mini is absolutely delightful. Here you can only find fault with the volume reserve, but otherwise everything is fine with the sound. The multimedia speaker is also not distinguished by “ringing singing”, but the melodies sound quite clear. The interlocutor can be heard quite normally. The device supports two SIM cards, both of which are capable of operating in 4G networks.

Camera

The main camera in Meizu M2 Mini is 13 megapixel. There is a flash, as well as an aperture ratio of 2.2. The camera has excellent white balance, the photos are full of bright colors and excellent detail. Of course, all this applies to daytime shooting, since in the evening the quality of the frames noticeably deteriorates. Video is recorded in FHD format. There is also a 5-megapixel front camera with a useful FotoNation 2.0 function.

conclusions

The M2 Mini seems like a very good buy, because this inexpensive device has high-quality cameras, a wonderful screen, high-quality sound and good hardware. Here we should add its compact size and attractive appearance, which young people will surely like.

Pros:

  • Two good cameras.
  • Very decent autonomy.
  • Supports two SIM cards and LTE.
  • Miniature dimensions and nice design.
  • Really juicy display.

Minuses:

  • Fingerprints remain on the screen.
  • You won't be able to play with maximum graphics.

Technical characteristics of Meizu M2 Mini

General characteristics
ModelMeizu M2 Mini
Date of announcement and start of salesJuly 2015 / July 2015
Dimensions (LxWxH)140.1 x 68.9 x 8.7 mm.
Weight131
Available colorswhite, grey, blue, pink
operating systemAndroid 5.1 (Lollipop) + Flyme 4.5
Connection
Number and type of SIM cardstwo hybrid, Nano-SIM, dual stand-by
Communication standard in 2G networksGSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2
Communication standard in 3G networksHSDPA 900 / 1900 / 2100
Communication standard in 4G networksLTE
Carrier CompatibilityMTS, Beeline, Megafon, Tele2, Yota
Data transfer
WiFiWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, hotspot
Bluetooth4.0, A2DP, LE
GPSyes, A-GPS, GLONASS
NFCNo
Infrared portNo
Platform
CPUquad-core Mediatek MT6735
(Quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A53)
GPUMali-T720MP2
Inner memory16 GB
RAM2 GB
Ports and connectors
USBmicroUSB 2.0
3.5mm jackThere is
Memory card slotmicroSD, up to 128 GB (combined with SIM 2 slot)
Display
Display typeIPS LCD capacitive, 16M colors
Screen size5 inches (~71.4% of the front surface of the device)
Display protectionAsahi Dragontrail Glass
Camera
Main camera13 MP, f/2.2, autofocus, LED flash
Functionality of the main cameraGeo-tagging, touch focus, face detection
Video recording1080p@30fps
Front-camera5 MP, f/2.0
Sensors
IlluminanceThere is
ApproximationsThere is
GyroscopeNo
CompassThere is
HallNo
AccelerometerThere is
BarometerNo
Fingerprint scannerNo
Battery
Battery type and capacity2500 mAh
Battery mountnon-removable
Equipment
Standard kitM2 Mini: 1
USB cable: 1
SIM tray eject clip: 1
User manual: 1
Warranty card: 1
Charger: 1

Prices

Video reviews


Advantages

1. Price (if it weren’t for the crisis, it would have been around 6-7 thousand, most likely) 2. Workmanship (no creaks, no play, everything is decently assembled) 3. Performance (the interface never lags in two weeks ,applications open without delays, etc. I haven’t tested powerful games because I don’t play them. Sea battle and checkers go fine) (in the new version of AnTuTu (I think the sixth) it scores about 32,000 points) 4. Flyme (For me this is a definite plus. Extremely convenient shell. Especially for one-handed control. Nothing superfluous, everything to the point) 5. mBack button (another FAT PLUS! You don’t even need to get used to it. This is exactly what I really wanted in Android! Just a gorgeous thing! ) 6. 2 Sim and LTE (well, let it be a combined slot. Personally, this is never a problem for me because, again, I don’t play heavy, bulky games. 11 GB of memory (or so) is quite enough for me) 7. Battery (a day of active VK sticking on Wi-Fi, with two SIM cards inside + music + plus just surfing the Internet + an hour and a half of Skype + 30 minutes of calls). I can easily leave the house with 30% or even less and not worry that it will run out on the road) 8. Dimensions + 5 INCH SCREEN! (see comment) 9. The quality of the music (it’s not cosmic, but it’s normal to listen to music from VK on the way somewhere, it doesn’t cause disgust. I haven’t downloaded FLAC yet, so I can’t say how it really sounds)

Flaws

Let me make a reservation right away that these are not shortcomings, but simply nit-picking. So: 1. The battery discharges from 10% to zero within 2-3 minutes (already used to it) 2. External speaker (I became sad when I put the melody of one very famous Trance DJ on the call. Although on another phone the same melody is very good I called. And it’s not just her, it’s just that the external speaker is more suitable for standard audio files)

Commentary

I chose a smartphone no larger than 5 inches. Unfortunately, now the choice is small. I myself considered 3 options: 1. Xiaomi Redmi 2 2. Huawei Honor 4C 3. Meizu m2 mini All these smartphones cost around 10 thousand rubles (Xiaomi is cheaper). Xiaomi was the first to fall out due to Russian localization and relatively weak hardware (but the 4.7-inch screen really attracted me) Honor 4C has very little internal memory (but the SIM card slot is not combined with a memory card) In addition, I read a lot of reviews about dead batteries on them (I don’t know whether this is true or not, perhaps they have already been fixed, but I didn’t want to risk it because for me, battery life is one of the determining factors) So somehow I chose the Meizu m2 mini and I don’t regret a single ruble of the money spent! The thing is definitely worth it! The version is Chinese, but the firmware is with the letter i (apparently the store has already updated it themselves). Everything is in Russian, LTE of the new Moscow telecom operator works fine. People, DO NOT be fooled by the MANUFACTURER ICON! I myself have a lot of respect for the famous South Korean manufacturer (almost all the equipment of this brand is at home), BUT in the smartphone segment it (like many other well-known brands) does not offer anything worthwhile in the price range of 9-12 thousand rubles. And the point, first of all, is not even in performance (although it is also in that too), many users will not feel it (performance) (what difference does it make how many “parrots are in AnTuTu, if the interface does not lag, and a person except VK, Viber, etc. .p. doesn’t use anything), namely in those things that the owner of a smartphone uses almost every day (interface (I want it to not lag, screen (resolution and color rendition are better, and therefore the picture is more pleasing to the eye), camera, Internet ( speed, it would be better LTE), and the amount of memory (to take photos, for example, and not often upload them to a computer or to the cloud due to a lack of it). For all these parameters, this smartphone is simply IDEAL (with a caveat to the cost. Yes, there are better ones, but then you pay two or three times more) I hope I helped those choosing!

In recent years, Meizu Corporation has been making active efforts to conquer the consumer market, and it should be noted that it is succeeding quite well. The brand produces a huge number of gadgets with a wide variety of characteristics for every taste and for any budget. Along with expensive flagship models, the company’s line includes devices with a significantly lower cost, but at the same time not much inferior to their electronic counterparts. One of these models is Meizu M2 Mini, a review of which is presented in this article.

By and large, this is a budget variation of the M2 Note, designed for those who want to become the owner of a high-quality and functional smartphone, but do not want to pay extra money for additional screen inches and parameters that are not of fundamental importance.

Housing materials glossy or matte plastic (polycarbonate), tempered glass (front panel), magnesium alloy (body base)
Available body colors white, grey, pink, blue
CPU quad-core, 64-bit, Cortex-A53 at 1.3 GHz, on the Mediatek MT6735 platform (in Meizu m1 Mini 64-bit, Cortex-A53 at 1.5 GHz, Mediatek MT6732)
Graphics subsystem Mali T720 (in Meizu m1 Mini Mali T760 MP2)
RAM 2 GB
Data storage memory 16 GB
Memory card slot yes, supports cards with a capacity of up to 128 GB
Screen IPS matrix, 5” diagonal, resolution 1280×720 pixels, ppi 296, Dragontrail X protective glass, automatic backlight level adjustment, tempered glass
Main camera 13 megapixels, 5 lenses, f/2.2, 1080p video recording
Front-camera 5 MP without autofocus, OV5670 sensor, 69 angle, 4 lenses, f/2.0, real-time effects application
Battery capacity 2500 mAh
Interfaces Wi-Fi (a/b/g/n) Dual-Band, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, micro-USB connector (USB 2.0) for charging/synchronization, 3.5 mm for headset
operating system Android 5.1, Flyme 4.5
Dimensions 140.1 x 68.9 x 8.7 mm
Weight 131 grams
Navigation GPS (A-GPS support), Glonass
Additionally accelerometer, light sensor, proximity sensor
Net 2G/3G/4G (including support for bands common in Russia for FDD-LTE), two nano-SIM cards with LTE support (in Meizu M1 Mini LTE networks were supported by only one slot)

Design

In the traditional smartphone market, it is difficult for companies to invent any design delights that would radically distinguish their products from the endless stream of monotonous monoblock gadgets. These are the realities of the time, and, by and large, Meizu in this case also failed to do anything beyond the framework established by the technical requirements. We still see a rectangular case with rounded corners, a flat front panel and a rear part that smoothly turns into beveled edges.

Nevertheless, the design of the M2 Mini, like other devices of the Chinese corporation, has certain proprietary features that make it possible to accurately determine the origin of the device. If you wish, you can find a certain similarity with Apple products in this smartphone, but we are not talking about any plagiarism; Asian designers approached the matter responsibly and created their own unique thing.

The dimensions of the Meizu M2 Mini are as follows: 14 x 6.8 x 0.87 cm. These dimensions allow you to comfortably hold the device in your hand and fully use it on the go, without straining at all, as is often the case with larger devices.

To prevent damage to the screen, the creators decided not to install expensive Corning protective glass, preferring a more budget-friendly but high-quality Dragontail option. There is also an oleophobic coating, but it cannot be called ideal, since fingerprints still remain on the display.

High reliability of the case is ensured by the magnesium alloy from which the base of the case is made. But the back panel is made not of metal, but of high-quality polycarbonate. The quality of materials and level of assembly meet the highest standards and do not indicate a budget smartphone.

The company offers several color options to choose from, but the gray Meizu M2 Mini looks the most presentable. Although blue, white and pink are undoubtedly also very popular colors, as they allow you to stand out from the homogeneous mass of gray and black gadgets.

Display

The developers have equipped the Meizu M2 Mini with a standard 5-inch screen, which makes it the smallest of the M and MX families, but this size is quite sufficient to implement all everyday functions, so the user will not feel any discomfort.

The display is 110 mm long and 62 mm wide, with only 3.5 mm of indentation on the sides and 1.5 mm in the top and bottom. The screen takes up a little more than ¾ of the dimensions of the case itself. For ease of use, an anti-reflective coating is applied.

The Meizu M2 Mini display has an HD screen resolution, that is, it has 1280 pixels on the larger side and 720 on the smaller side. Thus, there are just under 300 pixels per inch.

The screen has excellent viewing angles, but at a certain level of tilt the image still distorts. In general, the picture displayed on the display is of good quality, not absolutely perfect, but without obvious flaws. Considering the price category of this device, the screen can generally be considered excellent, since many manufacturers offer weaker options for the same money.

Sound

As is the case with other Meizu gadgets, sound is clearly one of the strengths of this smartphone. In this regard, the developers really should be praised, since they tried to do everything so that listening to music, like ordinary conversations on the phone, brings extremely positive emotions.

The installed speaker is characterized by loud and clear sound, which, even at maximum, does not produce unpleasant effects typical of many budget segment smartphones. Everything here is at the level, without noise or overload. Music lovers will certainly get the greatest pleasure from listening to music on headphones, since the sound quality in them reaches a new level, and the maximum volume threshold also increases.

By the way, to play music files, the Meizu M2 Mini has a proprietary player that has good functionality. Some minor disadvantages include the lack of an integrated radio, which the developers, as before, neglect.

Cameras

The Meizu M2 Mini smartphone, as usual for modern mobile gadgets, is equipped with a pair of cameras: the main one is 13 megapixels and the front one is 5 megapixels. The main camera has five lenses and an f/2.2 aperture, while the Meizu M2 Mini selfie camera has an f/2.0 aperture.

To take better pictures in low light conditions, use an LED flash. The rear camera is protected from possible damage by using protective glass from Corning.

The images obtained using the main camera of the Meizu M2 Mini are of very high quality, with a good level of detail, correct white balance, and a minimum amount of noise. Focusing during photography is done quickly and clearly.

The Meizu M2 Mini selfie camera also causes minimal complaints, coping well with the tasks assigned to it.

Video shooting can be carried out in full high resolution format with a frequency of 30 frames per second, provided there is sufficient lighting and 15 frames per second if the conditions are not the best. The resulting video has high definition and is generally quite high quality. The only complaint that can be made is the insufficient viewing angle, due to which the frame is cut by about a third.

The camera has a lot of settings that you can set at your discretion, including ISO, shutter speed and other parameters.

Memory and memory card

One of the most important indicators for modern smartphones is memory, and the Meizu M2 Mini also does well with this. The amount of RAM on this device is 2 gigabytes. Of course, today even 3 gigabytes will not surprise anyone, however, given the price segment of this smartphone, this figure can be considered quite good.

The product of the Chinese company also does not have any problems with integrated memory. Standard 16 gigabytes are enough to download your favorite music, save memorable photos from your vacation, and even several movies. If this turns out to be not enough, it is possible to install a micro-SD card up to 128 GB.

Connection

This device is designed to use two SIM cards, and both slots support modern LTE networks, which is not yet so common in budget smartphones. True, there is one technical feature: both cards are unable to function in 4G at the same time: if one is connected, the second one automatically switches to the GSM standard. The signal reception level is excellent, there are no causeless dropouts or floating (unless this is due to problems in the network itself).

There is also a full range of basic communication capabilities: WiFi in two bands (2.4 and 5 gigahertz), Bluetooth version 4.0, and there is also a micro-USB connector with support for OTG technology.

Battery life and performance

The creators decided to equip the M2 Mini with a lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 2500 mAh. This is quite enough to ensure battery life of the phone throughout the day with fairly active use, and when playing music this will be enough for almost two days. In standby mode, the battery can last up to 680 hours.

The high level of performance, confirmed by a number of tests, is ensured by a unique multiprocessor technology that involves the joint operation of the central quad-core processor model MT6735 from MediaTek with the Mali-T720 graphics processor.

operating system

The gadget is controlled via Android OS version 5.1, which was modified by introducing the proprietary Flyme 4.5 shell, which is installed on Meizu phones. However, such creative initiative by Chinese developers did little for the M2 smartphone, since the original version, perhaps, looks better, more attractive and functional.

Bottom line

Meizu is gradually becoming one of the main Chinese manufacturers in the portable gadgets market. Its leaders made the right decision to move away from the vicious practice of copying other people's devices and producing cheap, low-quality products, which were widespread among Chinese manufacturers in the 2000s. Today, the presence of the Meizu logo does not indicate the modest financial capabilities of its owner, but the ability to count money, not overpay for the brand, and the desire to stand out from the crowd of owners of Samsung and Apple gadgets.

The Meizu M2 smartphone is a high-quality device with an attractive appearance and by no means mediocre characteristics at a very modest price. The device has an ergonomic design, making it convenient to use in any situation. An undoubted advantage, as for a budget model, is the support for 4G technology, which not all phones even in a higher price category can boast of yet. It is also worth noting the excellent quality of images obtained using the cameras and the excellent sound produced by the built-in speakers.

Overall, Meizu M2 is an excellent choice for people who need a practical, beautiful, reliable and functional phone for every day. There is nothing superfluous here, but there is everything necessary for a modern person.

A simplified version of the Meizu M2 Note smartphone has the Mini prefix, but it’s hard to call the 5-inch device a “baby”.

Price quality

Meizu M2 Mini is one of the best models in terms of price-quality ratio. It is equipped with a powerful MediaTek 6582 processor (4 cores at 1.3 GHz), as for devices in the budget segment, and has 2 GB of RAM. In synthetic tests, this combination produces good performance results (31,000 points in AnTuTu). Paired with the HD resolution of the display, the “filling” ensures smooth operation of the interface and the absence of lags. Android 5.1 OS is covered with its own Flyme shell. Its main distinguishing feature is the absence of a menu as such - all shortcuts and applications are placed on the desktop.

Control

The smartphone is controlled via a touch interface, as well as the “Home” key and various gestures. Many people fall in love with the “Home” button the first time - it is both mechanical (a strong press returns you to the home desktop) and touch-sensitive (a light touch allows you to go back one position). Sign language has a developed structure and allows you to perform a lot of manipulations with the touch of one finger.

Memory

The model has a 16 GB drive on board, of which approximately 11.5 GB is available to the user. You can expand the memory, but to do this you will have to sacrifice one of the two SIM cards - the memory card slot is shared with the SIM card. But you won’t be able to remove the battery at all - the back cover of the gadget is non-removable and there is no access to the 2500 mAh battery. In active mode, the charge is enough for exactly a day of use.

Photo

The phone's camera doesn't have enough stars in the sky: in good lighting, the main 13-megapixel module with a maximum aperture of f/2.2 produces a good picture, but once you start taking pictures in low light conditions, the photo quality drops. The front module is equipped with a 5-megapixel sensor and has software “buns” to improve selfies.

Worthy

Ultimately, a smartphone from Meizu can offer a set of decent characteristics at a reasonable cost. It will be a choice for those who are looking for a budget device that can cope with everyday tasks 100%.

And after 6 months, the hero of our review - the model Meizu M2. Why did the manufacturer update the line so quickly, while visually it is quite difficult to distinguish these two brothers? The thing is that these “brothers” differ not only in cost, but also in the positioning of their company.

Appearance and features

Some controls have undergone slight changes compared to the first version. But in appearance Meizu M2 remained as attractive as its predecessor. The glossy plastic case is pleasant to the touch, although it slips a little, which can result in the gadget falling.

Feature Meizu M2 is the ability to use two SIMs (Micro and Nano). In this case, instead of the latter, you can insert a micro SD memory card. This is quite specific, but is practiced even among famous manufacturers (Samsung and Huawei).

In general, the smartphone leaves a pleasant impression. But what happens if we press the power button?

Display, filling

When you turn on your smartphone, you immediately notice the large 5” display. Its resolution is 1280x720 pixels. This indicator is quite enough to clearly display information on the screen without a hint of pixelation.

The internal filling of the smartphone is as follows:

1. Processor – Mediatek MT6735, 4 cores 1.3 GHz, 64-bit architecture;
2. RAM – 2 GB;
3. Video processor - Mali T720 MP3, frequency 450 MHz.

Drawing a conclusion from these parameters, we can say that this gadget has inside itself “organs” that are typical for mid-price class smartphones.

It is worth noting that the gadget is equipped with internal memory of 16 and 32 GB, which is very pleasing given the expandability. To this volume you can save not only movies, games, but also photo and video materials taken with one of the built-in cameras. The main one is equipped with a 13 MP matrix, and the front one is 5 MP.

Performance and battery

The device runs on Android 5.1 OS. with the proprietary Flyme OS shell. The manufacturer says that this solution completely eliminates performance drawdowns, which are surprisingly quite high (benchmarks give indicators close to high).

The gadget’s battery, to be honest, is not designed for long-term autonomy. For a 5” display, the 2500 mAh reserve is frankly small. With average usage, the battery lasts only 15-18 hours.

Competitors and results

Surprisingly, competitors Meizu M2 not so much. If we take smartphones that are within +/- $10, then there are no worthy competitors here at all. The lower price category is not even worth attention, and among the more expensive models, ASUS Zenfone 2 ZE500CL, Lenovo S60, Xiaomi MI3 are notable.

If you look at it in general, the quality of the gadget is very good. Photos, videos, application processing speed and display - everything is on par for the price category of the device. As a result, we can say that Meizu M2 worth the money that the manufacturer asks for it.