Meizu pro 5 year of release. Performance and software platform

- this smartphone became a stumbling block among fans of the company and simply those who were waiting for a new product. What is it breakthrough flagship or step backcompared to the premium Meizu Pro 5? Read our comparison between Meizu Pro 6 and last year's Meizu Pro 5.

Comparison of characteristics of Meizu Pro 5 vs Meizu Pro 6

Displays

Both smartphones are equipped with interesting screens, in Meizu Pro 5 the diagonal is phablet 5.7 ″ inches, and in Pro 6 - more compact 5.2 ″ inches... Both the first and the second smartphone have the same resolution - 1920 × 1080 pixels, but the Pro 6 has a higher dpi density due to the smaller diagonal. Also, the display of Meizu Pro 6 reacts to pressing force (3D Press), this is still a new technology and works only with native Flyme OS applications, but there is a margin for the technological part for the future.

Filling

Meizu Pro 5 is powered by a powerful Samsung processor, model Exynos 7420The chip is built on a 16 nm process technology and operates at a clock speed of 2.1 GHz. The 2016 flagship runs on a mobile SoC that MediaTek has specifically released for Meizu - Helio X25... Although it is made according to the 20 nm technological process, it has good ones today. This processor has 10 cores and runs at a clock speed of 2.5 GHz. In the benchmark, it scores 96.169 points.

In terms of RAM, the Meizu Pro 5 offers a choice of 3GB or 4GB of RAM, while the receiver only offers one 4GB model. At the same time, the flagship of 2015 is equipped with more fast LPDDR4 memory chips, and Pro 6 - LPDDR3, how this will affect the operation of the flagship, we will find out after real tests.

If we compare the flash drives in the Meizu Pro 6 and Pro 5, it is the 2016 model that wins, since it is equipped with the faster eMMC 5.1 flash memory. Both devices are presented in two models: with 32 GB and 64 GB of RAM on board.

Autonomy

Meizu Pro 5 has a battery capacity 3050 mAh, and in Meizu Pro 6 the battery capacity is only 2560 mAh... If we compare the autonomy of the flagships, it will not be easy to calculate the obvious leader, since the Pro 5, although it has a more powerful battery, is also equipped with a more demanding processor and display.

The Super AMOLED display of Meizu Pro 6 by 5.2 ″ will be more economical to use up the charge, but to find out who will last longer, you need to wait for live tests. Both smartphones are equipped with USB Type-C and fast charging.

Chips

Meizu Pro 6, compared to Pro 5, received more various chips, such as the 360 \u200b\u200b° mTouch 2.1 fingerprint scanner, the newest OS Flyme 5.2 based on Andorid 6.0 Marshmallow, as well as an attractive design with a unique arrangement of external antennas.

The Pro line phones have the same main cameras: a 21MP Sony IMX230 with F2.2, but the 2016 flagship received a special fast laser autofocus and a 10-LED ring flash, which, according to Meizu, will have a very positive effect on photos taken in the dark. Meizu Pro 6 is thinner than Pro 5: 7.25 mm versus 7.5 mm, respectively.

Prices

The flagship Meizu Pro 6 is more pleased with the price than its predecessor. Despite the fact that Meizu Pro 5 is almost half a year old, the basic version of the smartphone with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of flash costs 439 dollars in China, a similar model Meizu Pro 6 with 32 GB flash (but with 4 GB of RAM) costs less - 392 dollars.

For the price of the younger version of the Pro 5, you can buy the top-end modification of the Meizu Pro 6 with 64 GB. Today, if we compare the prices of Pro 6 and Meizu Pro 5, the situation is the following, however, with the launch of the flagship of 2016, the price of last year's flagship will fall rapidly.

conclusions

Both smartphones are powerful and feature flagship designs. Each has strengths and weaknesses: for example, Pro 6 has the new Flyme OS 5.2, while Pro 5 runs on the old Flyme 4.5 and the manufacturer is in no hurry to update it. On the other hand, the 2015 Meizu smartphone has a larger display and battery, which can also be the reason for choosing the Pro 5. Today, the new Meizu Pro 6 costs less than its predecessor. Which flagship is better: Meizu Pro 6 or Meizu Pro 5 - let our readers decide by voting.

Meizu Pro 5 is one of the most interesting novelties of the year in terms of the combination of price and characteristics, and at the same time the most productive smartphone on the market at the moment. It turned out to be not so difficult to achieve this: it was necessary to install a powerful processor, fast memory and abandon the absurd, in my opinion, idea of \u200b\u200busing a display with a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels in a smartphone. And since everything is clear with the speed of this Meizu flagship, I propose to move on to a careful study of all other parameters of the smartphone.

What is it?

5.7-inch Android 5.1 smartphone with Exynos 7420 processor, as in the flagship Samsung smartphones of 2015 (along with fast LPDDR4 memory and UFS 2.0 flash drive, the fastest currently in mobile devices). ABOUT at the same time and very close in characteristics to the Meizu MX5, and surpasses it great in details.Equipped with a nanoSIM slot and a second, which can simultaneously accept another nanoSIM or microSD card up to 128 GB. It comes in versions with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of flash drive (like the one in our review) and 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of flash drive. The model is aimed primarily at the geek audience: the one that understands the meaning of the terrible words LPDDR4 or UFS 2.0 and does not twist its nose in front of the Chinese brand. The smartphone is equipped with a 21-megapixel Sony main camera and a 5-megapixel front camera. At the time of its appearance in our hands, the Meizu Pro 5 has the Flyme 4.5 shell, but there will be a version with Flyme 5 on sale, which we had the opportunity to try at the presentation of the smartphone, but it was not yet available - to experience it live.

What's with the design?

In my opinion, the company's designers approached the issue of the appearance of their flagship from such a position that you need to do well as people like, but you should not risk it. What do geeks love there? Metal, neat build, simple colors. We take an all-metal cover, make the case non-separable, thin, compact! For the spoiled ones, add a black or white version of the front panel, for geek girls - a golden cap. Voila! I believe that this is how the appearance of the flagship was created. Well, or just took the MX5, and slightly stretched it.

Of all the flagship phablets this fall, the 5.7-inch Pro 5 is the smallest and lightest. Although the device did not manage to bypass the August novelties Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge + and Note 5 in terms of compactness and display-to-body ratio.

The camera, as befits a decent camera in a thin smartphone, protrudes slightly. And the thin cuts in the metal, which perform more of a decorative function than a practical one (I was looking for a long time where they walled up communication modules, which are not so easy to transmit and receive a signal through metal), on the contrary, are buried in the case.

All hardware keys for smartphone control, despite the fact that this is just a sample, are made so excellently that you want to use them without stopping. Their location is convenient: the volume control buttons and the screen lock key are located on the right side (the left is reserved for card slots only).

The home key with fingerprint reader sits below the screen and is the only button to control Android. For the rest, there are gestures in the Flyme interface. For example, to go back, you need to touch the Home key. To lock the screen, just press and hold it for a while.

But the speaker is not as impressive as we would like, despite the praises of its sound quality at the presentation from the company. It is worth taking a smartphone in hand to play or watch a video, as it immediately turns out to be clamped in the palm of your hand. And in principle, it is far from the musicality of the Galaxy S6 (in all the faces of this model). It does not creak, it does not squeak, it makes decent sounds, it is not a shame in front of other competitors - and thanks for that.

The audio output is at the top. Next to him is a microphone and a pair of black plastic strips. Presumably, those same cherished antennas.

Meizu Pro 5 is the first smartphone in my hands with a USB Type C connector. Captain Obviously asks me to mention that a symmetrical connector is insanely convenient. The flip side of the coin is that you need to carry a charging cable with you everywhere, because no one else has such a thing until USB Type C becomes widespread. Once I ran into a situation where my test sample froze tightly (yes, this happens often with samples, because their software is usually raw). I went on a visit for a long time, and for some reason I was completely sure that the smartphone would return to working condition after contact with any laptop. But no, because I didn't have the cable with me. This was the last time I left home without him.

What about the fingerprint scanner?

This is my first time using a Meizu smartphone with a fingerprint scanner. Before that, I had to deal with such devices in Apple, Samsung, Huawei, HTC. The first three companies have implemented this opportunity efficiently. But no one can match the speed of the scanner in Pro 5 yet. The sensor reads information at the moment of touch instantly. I believe that only the brand new iPhone 6s / 6s Plus will be able to surpass it in operating speed. At the moment, the scanner allows you to unlock the device and make payments for purchases. But I have not yet encountered a single service that allows you to pay for purchases in this way.

What about the screen?

Behind the geeky part of the audience, indignation was noticed about the display resolution of Meizu Pro 5. Like, where is 2K? Why so little? The display of the novelty with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels has a pixel density of 386 ppi. For comparison, the iPhone 6s has 326 ppi, the iPhone 6s Plus has 401 ppi. In my opinion, this removes all the questions about pixel density, given the fact that Apple products are now defining the industry standards. In numbers, the maximum display brightness approaches 300 cd / m 2. This is, to put it mildly, a modest figure. I expected more from the Meizu display, although Super AMOLED sometimes suffers from insufficient brightness. In practice, neither in Chinese smog, nor in morning Brussels, nor in gloomy Kiev, I have not yet met the sun, which would make the screen unreadable. Summer is not yet soon. And winter is close - and the repeated test for gloves has not been passed.

In the display settings of your smartphone, you can change the color temperature.

And this is a useful option for those who notice imperfect colors on the screen. By default, the user gets such a traditionally "cool" picture with a traditionally wide color gamut for Super AMOLED displays.

At the value of the color temperature that seemed to me the most natural, the colorimeter showed the following result.

The most "warm" screen looks like this. In the end, I settled on this setting, because the technique cannot be fooled, the color rendition here is as accurate as possible.

In general, the colors here are bright, juicy, the contrast tends to infinity due to the ideal black color.The display of Meizu Pro 5 is insanely responsive and covered with a high-quality oleophobic coating. There are no complaints about the light sensor. The layer of glass that covers the screen (and is rounded around the edges like the iPhone of the last two generations) is so thin that it really feels like a finger is sliding across the image.

What about the battery?

After a few days of using the Meizu Pro 5, I got used to the fact that the smartphone does not have to be charged every day at night. A battery discharged to 10% is enough to fully get ready for the exploits of a new day as much time as I need for a shower, breakfast and makeup. I like that on this we agree with him. The main thing is to use the complete charger.

As for the autonomy, then, as I expected, the model remained within the same numbers as the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge +. This is an average working day, the ceiling is a day and a half, if you do not play games, do not abuse the camera and bypass the player. In general, under the conditions of a spherical horse in a vacuum. Taking into account the fact that lately I am too often on the move in new places, even in the energy-saving mode, my smartphone does not live longer than a day. This figure should improve by 11% with the release of Flyme 5.

How does he work?

In all performance tests, the Meizu Pro 5 takes first place. But this could already be predicted from the characteristics table. The Samsung processor that this model got is very powerful and modern, the memory is also the best here, and the Pro 5, with its simpler screen, requires fewer resources to work. Therefore, not only in synthetic tests, but also in life, the interface "flies". I managed to install fifty programs on my smartphone (don't ask which ones and why, everything is needed), several toys like Asphalt 8 and Real Racing 3 for the test. In principle, there is nothing to find fault with. I can't even imagine who and why might need a version with 4 GB of RAM, given that the smartphone has a microSD slot in place for a second SIM card, and the performance of the 3 GB version is heady enough. Except that in the energy-saving mode, Real Racing 3 twitches from time to time. But for game lovers there are "Balanced" and "Productive" modes, so you can't cry here either. The body of the smartphone does not overheat under load during the game. In general, I would describe its temperature as "barely glowing" in the productive mode, and in an energy-saving device it can only heat up by hand.

Our sample, like the subsequent “boxed” versions, runs under Android 5.1, and there is Google Play in the firmware for the global market. The rest of Google services, of course, will need to be installed independently.

Since Flyme 5 has not arrived to us yet, and we already had a review of Flyme 4.5 as part of the review of Meizu MX5, for example, I will not repeat myself here. But I will write about some of my impressions.

I have been using Meizu smartphones for a long time, so when I picked up the device, I re-mastered all the gestures to control the device. I personally like it when the smartphone has a physical Home button - so there is less chance of missing the space bar and falling out on the main desktop while typing and messages. Also, the Meizu shell is incredibly pleased with the absence of all kinds of trash from the manufacturer.

I do not grieve for the absence of other buttons familiar to androids. Although even after 10 days of constant use of the model, I subconsciously try to find them. Let me remind you that the new version of Flyme promises a lot of percent increase in interface speed, some content buns from content producers (the Chinese market will receive from local players, the rest, where Sony's content is present, will receive content from this company). And most importantly, it will be more similar to Android 5 and older. And I also really look forward to this, because somehow I managed to get used to Material Design, and in this device I really miss it. And in Flyme 5, the number of icons on the desktop will increase: after all, the 4x5 grid is too small for a 5.7-inch display.

I like that the Flyme interface has such a familiar feature as double-tap unlocking the screen, but when using a fingerprint scanner, it is not needed. In general, I have the impression that gestures are well thought out and comfortable, but this is not a thing that you get used to for life. And now it was not a stone in the Meizu garden, but in the industry garden as a whole. We are here, by the way, all expecting from the developers incredible, mind-blowing and chic ideas, without which life used to be dull and joyless, but they all do not exist.

Yes, and I will repeat myself here, although I already wrote in a report that the sound in the headphones of the smartphone is simply excellent - there is a separate sound chip. And in the most budgetary version of the model there is no headset, but you can buy (I know if this is "possible" in our country) a smartphone with a good EP 31 headset. Or even at a special price with acoustics.

The box in which the smartphone is delivered. In the version without cool headphones - just a plug

Well, since we looked at the box, here's another photo of the charger.

What about the camera?

Meizu Pro 5 is equipped with Sony Exmor RS IMX230 - 1 / 2.4 inch 21-megapixel sensor with laser autofocus, video recording in 4K (30p) or FullHD, but in slow motion. The same camera is installed, for example, in Moto X Style, which, in principle, does not complain about its photographic abilities. Focusing speed - 0.2 s, shooting - 0.7 s. The front camera is 5 megapixel.

I already managed to grumble to the camera in a report from the presentation of Pro 5. The mutterings about night shooting and low-light photography turned out to be completely fair - it cannot compete with other flagships (except for the HTC One M9, which turned out to be absolutely not a star). But during the day, she is wonderfully good. And in macro photography, in principle, also does not disappoint. Even in dubious conditions, objects are not blurred on the first try and, in general, without any special claims. Regarding the fact that the camera quickly shoots in motion and does not smear the result (as Sony claims, in fact, in describing the characteristics of the sensor), I can not say anything with certainty. But it seemed to me that the LG G4, which appeared on time at my fingertips, surpasses the Meizu Pro 5 in the results of shooting "hastily" (an example of a photo in original resolution).

The camera interface is incredibly ascetic.

I don't want to leave you feeling like the camera in the device is worthless. No, it’s very good and doesn’t make the user think for a long time about what and how to take pictures to make it look good. In my opinion, it matches the capabilities of the flagships of the previous generation, while in this Samsung, Apple and LG managed to take one more step forward in mobile photography. And the new firmware has a chance to correct the situation for the better, since the device has the potential.

What are the alternatives?

In the segment of top-end smartphones, giving advice on choosing a specific device is always both hellishly difficult (after all, everyone has their own likes and favorite brands) and very simple. For example, in this case, there are two key questions: is the brand important to you and that the camera is the best? If so, then this model is not for you. You need some kind of Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge + or LG G4. or a new iPhone. We have not yet checked how things are with the camera of the Sony Xperia Z5 (and at the same time with the sales dates), so we will not advise. If you are a geek or are simply more relaxed about brands, and you like to count money, then we can suggest an alternative to this model - this is the Nexus 6P. Smartphone manufactured by Huawei. Apparently, with just an excellent camera. With the new Android 6.0 out of the box and for about the same money. And it also has a 2K display, which can please the user's self-esteem. The smartphone is also packaged in a metal case and is available in several colors. The most noticeable visual difference of this flagship is the location of the fingerprint scanner - it's on the back, like in the Huawei Mate S. Basically, in an environment where the scanner works well (and Huawei is doing well with that), the location is not so critical. I'm very curious if it will support the trackpad mode that the Mate S has. If so, then this arrangement is doubly justified. It is also curious when users from our country will be able to appreciate the merits of Android Pay. However, that's another story. And in the context of this comparison, it is worth mentioning in defense of Meizu that the Pro 5 has a memory card slot, which Nexus always lacks. But it also acts as a second SIM card slot. And its dimensions are more modest, but at such a scale it is not so noticeable.

If in choosing a flagship you are based not so much on the display diagonal as on the price and characteristics, then we advise you to also pay attention to the Samsung Galaxy S6. The smartphone managed to get a little cheaper, so it falls into the competition for the Meizu Pro 5 in terms of price and filling.

In the dry residue

For a couple of weeks of using the Meizu Pro 5, I did not have any complaints about the device, except perhaps the autonomy, which this year is still not at the height of all flagships. The device works insanely fast, has a pleasant and responsive display with good color rendering, fits organically in the hand (as much as a 5.7-inch smartphone can do) and does not suffer from overheating of the case. Those who have to lay out their hard-earned money for the device, no doubt, will also be attracted by the financial side of the issue - it is more affordable than the rest of the top smartphones of this year. Also, Meizu Pro 5 is waiting for a pleasant update of the proprietary shell. There is only one thing in which the device falls short of the competition (not imaginary, like the display resolution) - it is photographic capabilities, which are very good, but not amazing. But I think the price may well sweeten this pill.

5 reasons to buy Meizu Pro 5:

• this is one of the fastest smartphones on the market at the moment, and there is still a version with 4 GB of RAM!
• this is the most affordable smartphone with such cool features;
• it seems to have a slot for a second SIM-card, and there is also a slot for a memory card;
• the sound in the headphones is worthy of the ear of a music lover, and you are just a music lover;
• there is nothing superfluous in the shell.

3 reasons not to buy Meizu Pro 5:

• you know that it will be possible to get a smartphone already on Android 6.0, so you are not interested in other options;
• you think a flagship smartphone should have the highest resolution display available when it launches;
• for you, the camera in your smartphone is the main thing and you will choose the best device for this parameter.

Also read our What you need to know before buying Meizu Pro 5.

In the fall of 2015, Meizu released its most expensive and technologically advanced smartphone - Meizu Pro 5. Fingerprint sensor, NFC support, USB Type-C connector, UFS 2.0 high-speed memory - these are just some of the technical "bells and whistles" of the device.

According to expectations, the model should have received the name "Meizu MX5 Pro", since it is the Pro version of the MX5 smartphone and a logical continuation of the entire line as a whole. At the time of this writing, the minimum price of the device in stores is 525 and 690 USD, respectively, depending on the version.

The technical capabilities of this smartphone are able to satisfy the needs of even the most demanding users.

Appearance

The design of the smartphone has many similar elements to the appearance of the iPhone 6 Plus. The case is matte, made of metal, the front part is covered with protective glass with rounded corners (2.5D technology). The camera eye protrudes slightly from the body, however, you shouldn't worry about it: the optics are reliably protected from scratches by a sapphire crystal. Due to the rather large (5.7 inches) display, the case is relatively long: 156.7 mm. The width was 78 mm, the thickness was 7.5 mm, and the weight was 168 g.

CPU

As a processor, a development from Samsung is used: an eight-core, 64-bit Exynos 7 Octa 7420 chipset. The video chip is an eight-core Mali-T760 MP8 (772 MHz). Thanks to this hardware, the performance of Meizu Pro 5 is more than enough. At the moment, there are hardly any tasks performed on the Android platform that could fully realize the potential of a device with such characteristics. Even the most resource-demanding games run smoothly and run smoothly with maximum graphics settings.

Memory

On sale you can find 2 versions of the smartphone: with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of ROM, as well as with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of main memory. It is noteworthy that the main flash memory is made using UFS 2.0 technology. This makes I / O speeds 2.7 times faster than conventional flash memory used in most modern smartphones. As a result, devices with this type of memory are better at multitasking and can play UHD video without any lag. The memory card slot can work with microSD flash drives with a capacity of up to 128 GB.

Autonomous work

The battery is not very capacious: 3150 mAh. Nevertheless, such a capacity is enough for the smartphone to work without recharging, a day is reconciled in the following mode: WiFi is on for 5 hours, half an hour of phone calls, using the camera (a couple of dozen pictures), 60 minutes of listening to music, access to 3G and 4G networks for for 10 hours to synchronize mail, instant messengers, etc.

If you use your smartphone less intensively, you can expect to work without recharging for two days. The time of a continuous telephone conversation can be 13 hours. If you play resource-intensive 3D games, the battery will run out in 4.5 hours.

The smartphone can be charged up to 65% in half an hour, thanks to Charge 2.0 technology. The TI BQ27532 chip is responsible for the safety of fast charging, as well as prevention of premature battery wear, which "monitors" the battery and the voltage level.

Camera

The main camera received a 21.16 MP Sony IMX230 sensor. Module specifications: 6-lens optics, f / 2.2 aperture, phase detection autofocus, dual flash with different shades. A lot of parameters can be built into the camera interface, including manual adjustments of exposure compensation, ISO, shutter speed, saturation and contrast.

The camera focuses very quickly and fairly accurately. An effective noise reduction system is used when shooting. Macro photography is great, lovers of shooting small objects will love it. During the day, in good light, you can get pretty decent pictures. When looking at photographs of distant objects, you may notice a slight loss of detail.

Photos taken during night shooting are inferior in quality to images taken with the Huawei Honor 7 and LG G4 smartphones. Nevertheless, in the right hands, you can get quite a decent result.

Videos can be recorded in 4K resolution. It is also possible to make slow motion (120 FPS). The 5 MP front camera does not stand out with anything special, and it will do only for video communication.

Display

Meizu sticks to its style: Despite the fact that the Pro 5 is equipped with a rather big 5.7-inch SuperAMOLED display, it received a resolution of 1920x1280. Nevertheless, FullHD resolution with a pixel density of 387 ppi is quite enough for the image to be of high quality. The advantages of the display include excellent image display, including brightness, contrast, saturation and viewing angles. The display also boasts an oleophobic coating and Gorilla Glass 3 protection.

Network communications

On the side end there is a slot in which you can simultaneously place either two nano-SIM, or one microSD flash drive and one SIM card. Such a decision cannot be justified by the economy of space and the small thickness of the case, especially considering the 5.7 ”display diagonal and the immodest dimensions of the device. This is more like an artificial limitation.

The smartphone supports 3G and 4G networks. There are NFC and GPS modules. The smartphone uses a USB Type-C connector, with support for USB-OTG (for connecting external devices), and MHL (for connecting a smartphone to monitors and TVs).

Sound

Responsible for high-quality sound is the ESS ES9018K2M chip, which is paired with the TI OPA1612 amplifier. Thanks to this, the sound of the main speaker is much louder than any other smartphone from Meizu. Moreover, it is clean, free of interference and noise. Various formats can be played without loss of quality. You can only experience the full potential of a single sound chip if you use high-quality headphones.

Software part

Initially, Meizu Pro 5 runs on Android 5.1. On top of the OS is the Flyme 4.5.4I shell (with the ability to upgrade to version 5), which seriously changes the appearance of the system and complements it with its functions.

Additionally

At the bottom of the display is an mTouch 2.0 fingerprint scanner built into the button. The scanner reads the fingerprint pretty quickly, the percentage of unsuccessful attempts goes to zero. If you click the button, the desktop will open. With the mBack function, you can go back to “Back” from a menu or application with just a touch of a button. With a long press on the button, the smartphone will go into "sleep mode".

Pros and cons of Meizu Pro 5

pros

• thanks to powerful hardware, the performance reserve will last for a long time;
• good camera that allows you to take high-quality pictures and record video in 4K resolution;
• loud and high-quality sound of the main speaker;
• uSB Type-C connector with MHL and OTG support.

Minuses

• the camera lacks optical stabilization when filming;
• the combined slot does not allow using a USB flash drive and 2 SIM cards at the same time.

Our review of the smartphone Meizu Pro 5

The manufacturer managed to make Meizu Pro 5 truly impressive: excellent performance, wide functionality, high-quality performance at the level of more famous brands. True, the device is not cheap, but it's worth it. It is recommended to take a closer look at the version with 3/32 GB: the memory will be enough for most users, and it is more affordable in price. In addition, judging by the review, the rest of the functionality is no different from the 4/64 GB version.

The new line of Meizu Pro has been replenished with a smartphone that boasts a powerful processor, a large amount of very fast memory, high-quality sound, an advanced camera, a smart fingerprint scanner, etc. Vesti.Hi-tech checked all the "chips" of this technological flagship

This year, Meizu has identified the line of its smartphones, of which, as it turned out, there are only three - MX, M and Pro. At the same time, it seems that the first device in the "professional" line appeared even before its announcement, in 2014. It was the so-called "music business flagship", from the name of which, it seemed, it followed that it was an advanced version. The idea in the company itself, apparently, was a little different, which later was embodied in the design of a separate Pro line. So, after the summer premiere of the next gaming flagship, the number of "professionals" was replenished with no less musical model number "five", which Meizu, without false modesty, called "the ultimate solution for the most demanding users."

Specifications

• Model: Pro 5
• OS: Android 5.1 with Flyme OS 4.5.4.2I shell
• Processor: 8-core 64-bit Samsung Exynos 7420, ARM big.LITTLE GTS architecture (4x ARM Cortex-A57 2.1GHz + 4x ARM Cortex-A53 1.5GHz)
• Graphics coprocessor: ARM Mali-T760 MP8 (770 MHz)
• RAM: 3 GB / 4 GB, dual channel, LPDDR4, 1600 MHz
• Storage memory: 32GB / 64GB (UFS 2.0), microSD / HC / XC card slot (up to 128GB)
• Interfaces: Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.1 (LE), NFC, USB Type-C (OTG, Host), 3.5 mm for headphones
• Screen: capacitive touchscreen, manufactured by Samsung, Super AMOLED matrix, 5.7-inch diagonal, resolution 1920 × 1080 pixels, pixel density per inch 387 ppi, contrast ratio 10,000: 1, brightness 350 cd / sq. m, 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• Cameras: main - 21 MP, optical size 1 / 2.4 inches, Sony IMX230 Exmor RS, 6 lenses, aperture f / 2.2, phase and laser autofocus, dual two-tone flash, video 4K @ 30fps, slow motion 120 fps, sapphire crystal, blue IR cut filter; frontal - 5 MP, OmniVision OV5670, aperture f / 2.0, Blue Glass, Full video [email protected] fps
• Sound: 32 bit, 2-channel DAC, Saber ESS Technology ES9018K2M + 2-channel TI OPA1612 amplifier + passive filter, D-class amplifier NXP TFA9890 (for speaker)
• Network: GSM / GPRS / EDGE, WCDMA / HSPA +, LTE Cat. 6, FDD-LTE (1800/2100/2600 MHz)
• SIM card: two nanoSIM (4FF format)
• Navigation: GPS / GLONASS / Beidou (BDS), A-GPS
• Sensors: gyroscope, compass, Hall sensor, accelerometer, light and proximity sensors (infrared), biometric sensor (mTouch 2.1 fingerprint scanner)
• Battery: non-removable, lithium-polymer, 3,050 mAh, fast charging mCharge (up to 65% in 30 minutes)
• Colors: silver with a black front panel, silver with a white front panel Dimensions: 156.7x78.0x7.5 mm
• Weight: 168 grams

Design, ergonomics

As befits a true flagship, the Pro 5 received a monolithic metal unibody case. At the same time, to say that the novelty is similar to it means simply to say nothing. It is impossible to confuse these devices at first glance, unless only because the dimensions of the Pro 5 are slightly larger in plan, due to the increased screen diagonal by 0.2 inches (156.7x78 mm versus 149.9x74.7 mm).

But the changes in the thickness of the case cannot be seen by eye at all (7.5 mm versus 7.6 mm). The difference in weight is more significant - 168 g versus 149 g. There are, of course, other differences that are not so obvious, but more about them below.

Like the "younger" brother, on the back of the Pro 5 there are two plastic inserts. As you know, a material such as polyphenyl sulfide (PPS, PolyPhenylene Sulfide) is distinguished not only by high strength and elasticity, but also by good radio transmission, which is vital for smartphone antennas. Metal and plastic are visually separated by embossed stripes. In the Russian retail Pro 5 is available so far only in two colors: silver with a black bezel and silver with a white bezel. We got the last color option for the test.

The entire front surface of the case, including the screen, is protected by a slightly convex 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3, which smoothly "flows" to the edges with shiny bevels. There is an oleophobic coating - your finger slides across the screen quite easily.

Above the display (from left to right) are the LED notification indicator (it does not notify about charging), a small narrow grille of the "earpiece" speaker, light and proximity sensors, and a front camera lens.

An oval touch-mechanical button with a built-in mTouch fingerprint scanner based on a capacitive panel took its place under the screen, which changed version 2.0 to 2.1 in Pro 5.

In a closed slot on the left edge, there is a tray for two nanoSIM cards, while the second subscriber identification module can be easily replaced with a microSD memory card. Such space saving, given the relatively large dimensions of the smartphone, can cause nothing but bewilderment. A curly key clip with Flyme lettering is included.

On the right edge are the volume rocker and the power / lock button.

At the top, there is a 3.5 mm audio headset connector and a hole for a second microphone.

The bottom end has practically not changed - a symmetrical USB Type-C connector for charging and communication with a computer, replacing microUSB, is here surrounded by the same grille of a "multimedia" speaker (in the form of four round holes) and a hole for a spoken microphone. The design is complemented by the 5-point sprocket slotted mounting screws on the sides of the aforementioned connector.

On the back panel, which practically does not collect fingerprints, the Meizu logo was not only raised from the bottom to the top, but also changed its style.

There, as before, there are two holes, one for the main camera lens covered with sapphire glass, which protrudes slightly above the surface, and the other is divided between a two-color LED flash and laser autofocus.

The metal on the back panel is quite pleasant to the touch, but due to the increase in overall dimensions and weight, the Pro 5 is, of course, less convenient to handle with one hand than with. True, the settings also provide options for useful gestures for control.

The fingerprint scanner

Debuting in the "musical" flagship, the touch-mechanical button with a built-in mTouch scanner has already changed its shape to a more rounded one. It remained the same in Pro 5, with a more recent version 2.1. Recall that when you press this button in a stainless steel frame, when the display is locked, its backlight turns on, and when it is unlocked, the transition to the main screen ("Home") is activated. The usual touch of the touch layer (tap) of this button launches the "Back" function, but when pressed and held, the smartphone is locked.

The use of a fingerprint scanner is preceded by a simple procedure for registering papillary patterns from one to five fingers, after which, to activate the recognition process, simply put the selected finger on the sensor pad. Meizu claims that the recognition speed (scanner activation plus data processing) in the mTouch 2.1 version is the same 0.48 seconds, and the correct recognition angle is 360 degrees.

Fingerprint unlock is used in conjunction with a (4-6 digit) PIN. In addition, using mTouch 2.1, it is proposed to protect any of the applications installed in the smartphone (browser, Gallery, video player, etc.), which can be launched only after checking the owner's fingerprint, even if the device is unlocked at that time. But the possibility of paying in a Flyme account using a fingerprint scanner in Russia is still unnecessary.

By the way, it will not be possible to reset the Pro 5, which is locked with a fingerprint, to factory settings. And not only from the program menu, but even using a special combination, including a sequence of pressing mechanical buttons (power / lock and volume rocker).

Screen, camera, sound

The front camera is based on the OmniVision OV5670 photo module with a 5-megapixel BSI sensor and a wide-angle lens with an f / 2.0 aperture. Flash and autofocus are missing here. The maximum resolution is achieved with the classic aspect ratio (4: 3) - 2592x1944 pixels (5 MP).

The main camera can record videos in 4K mode (3840x2160 pixels, 16: 9) at 30 fps. In turn, slow motion (100/25 fps) is available only in HD quality (1280x720 pixels). The content is saved in MP4 container files (HEVC - video, AAC - sound). But for the front camera, the best recording quality is Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels, 16: 9) at 30 fps.

The Camera app interface hasn't changed. In addition to automatic and manual modes, macro photography is still available here, as well as panoramic and portrait modes. In addition, "Scanner" can read QR and one-dimensional barcodes. And for "Portrait" such options as "Eyes", "Lifting", "Smooth Skin" and "Whitening" are relevant. The "Change focus" mode allows you to create seven frames (5.3 MP, 2656x1992 pixels, aspect ratio 4: 3) with different depth of field and then select the desired one.

The "multimedia" speaker of the smartphone is located at the bottom end of the case, so its grille does not overlap, even when the device lies on a flat surface. Monaural sound is quite loud and clear, with a presence of low frequencies. Note that the TFA9890A microcircuit from NXP Semiconductors is specially dedicated to the speaker. Functionally, it is a class D switching amplifier, characterized by high output power with low consumption. Such devices using pulse-width modulation (transistors operate in a key mode) are especially good at low frequencies.

After connecting headphones or an audio system to your smartphone, you can use the 5-band equalizer with presets and manual adjustment, as well as Dirac HD Sound sound enhancement technology with profiles for different types of headphones. You can listen to audio files packed with codecs for compressing audio data without losing quality, for example, with the FLAC extension, using the standard means of a smartphone. Hi-Fi channel Pro 5 was equipped with a 32-bit, dual-channel and high-speed (up to 384 kHz) Saber ES9018K2M DAC (signal-to-noise ratio up to 114 dB, dynamic range up to 123 dB) from ESS Technology, as well as an operational amplifier TI OPA1612 (coefficient 120 dB common mode attenuation up to 80 kHz) from Texas Instruments. For the passive low-pass filter, thin-film capacitors and high-precision resistors were used. All this, in theory, allows you to reproduce studio quality sound (24-bit, 192 kHz). There is no FM tuner function in the unit. At the same time, only the version of the smartphone with 4 GB / 64 GB (RAM / built-in) memory is equipped with branded headphones.

We tested the smartphone with the expensive Oppo PM-3 headphones (see photo above), equipped with planar magnetic speakers. The impressions were very positive, especially from listening to jazz and classical music - the sound is very clear and authentic, you literally feel each instrument separately, a kind of presence effect is created. True, modern electronic and pop music in such headphones that truthfully transmit all the frequencies present at the recording, I want to "cheer up" from below with the help of an equalizer. The fact is that, unlike most of the cheaper headphone models, the PM-3's bass is not lifted up for the sake of mass tastes.

Filling, performance

Generally speaking, all of the major changes in the Pro 5 are hidden under the hood. Indeed, a single-chip system (SoC) Exynos 7 Octa 7420 manufactured by Samsung Electronics, created taking into account the design standards of 14 nm, found its application here as a base platform.

The big.LITTLE GTS configuration includes two clusters of four cores: ARM Cortex-A57 at 2.1 GHz and ARM Cortex-A53 at 1.5 GHz. For processing graphics on the chip, a special accelerator ARM Mali T760 MP8 (770 MHz) with eight execution units is provided. Recall that the 64-bit MediaTek MT6795 Helio X10 Turbo chip (8 cores ARM Cortex-A53 2.2 GHz) is used. The basic stuffing of Pro 5 is complemented by 3 GB or 4 GB of fast RAM (2-channel LPDDR4, 1600 MHz), the installed capacity of which depends on the amount of internal storage (32 GB or 64 GB, respectively). By the way, the latter is also difficult to call slow. Thanks to UFS 2.0 (Universal Flash Storage) technology, it is 2.7 times faster than eMMC 5.0 flash memory.

With a powerful processor and plenty of fast memory, the Pro 5 feels confident in all types of tasks.

This is confirmed by the high results on synthetic tests AnTuTu Benchmark

and Vellamo benchmarks.

Significantly, the new flagship performed on the Epic Citadel visual test. At variable settings of High Performance, High Quality and Ultra High Quality, the average frame rate at a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels was practically unchanged, since it differed only in random fluctuations - 59.4, 59.1 and 59.3 fps.

On the universal gaming benchmark 3DMark in the recommended Sling Shot tests (OpenGL ES 3.1), the new flagship also showed an excellent result (1,293).

The Pro 5 also did not disappoint on the BaseMark OS II cross-platform benchmark, where the total number of points earned was 1,698.

In the model with 32 GB of declared internal memory, which we got for testing, about 24.8 GB is available. The storage can be expanded with microSD / HC / XC memory cards up to 128GB. But the tray where the memory card is inserted is universal, and, having taken a place in it, you will have to sacrifice the installation of a second SIM card (nanoSIM format). Such a replacement may be technically effective ("I want this" or "I want this"), but in practice it is not very convenient.

Thanks to the support of USB-OTG technology, you can connect a USB flash drive to the device, however, due to the lack of an appropriate adapter cable for the USB Type-C connector, we failed to verify this.

Both Subscriber Identity Modules (SSI) trays support 4G networks. In the settings, you should specify which nanoSIM card will work with LTE, since for the other only GSM networks will remain. Unfortunately, only two "Russian" FDD-LTE frequency bands are available - b3 (1,800 MHz) and b7 (2,600 MHz). But the most common of them - b20 (800 MHz) for some reason turned out to be "overboard". The Pro 5 also includes a 2-band Wi-Fi module 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac (2.4 and 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.1 (LE) and NFC.

The built-in multi-system receiver uses the satellites of the GPS, GLONASS and BDS constellations for positioning and navigation, which is confirmed by the results of the AndroiTS GPS Test program. There is also support for A-GPS technology (coordination over Wi-Fi and cellular networks).

The new flagship was equipped with a 3,050 mAh lithium polymer battery, the capacity of which turned out to be 100 mAh less than that of (3,150 mAh). In the "Battery" section of the settings, depending on the expected load, you can forcibly switch the smartphone from the "Balanced" mode to "Energy saving" or "Performance". The kit with the smartphone includes the UP1220E fast charging adapter (5 V / 9 V / 12 V, 2 A), which, supporting mCharge technology, allows you to fill the battery up to 65% in just half an hour.

Note that a cable for USB Type-C is still a rather rare thing, this should be borne in mind if you have to charge your smartphone away from home, where such an accessory may simply not be available.

The energy efficient filling of the Pro 5 affected the AnTuTu Tester battery test results, where the new flagship earned a record 10,406 points. The test set of videos in MP4 format (hardware decoding) and Full HD quality at full brightness ran continuously (in "Balanced" mode) for about 9.5 hours.

Features of the software

The smartphone runs on the Android 5.1 (Lollipop) operating system with the proprietary Flyme OS 4.5.4.2I shell installed on top of it. The latest update to version 5.0 is expected in the near future.

In the meantime, neither the appearance nor the capabilities of this launcher, in comparison, for example, with smartphones, have changed. The set of pre-installed applications is also extremely minimal.

Purchase, conclusions

The new flagship Meizu Pro 5, having absorbed, it seems, all the best, really succeeded. At the same time, I would like to especially note its powerful processor, a large amount of high-speed RAM and built-in memory, a good camera with a laser rangefinder and phase focusing, high-quality sound in headphones, support for two nanoSIM cards, fast charging and a smart fingerprint scanner.

At the same time, one should blame the impossibility of simultaneous installation of a second subscriber identification module and a microSD memory card, the lack of an FM tuner and optical stabilization of the camera.

Now for the price. For the Meizu Pro 5 version with 3 GB / 32 GB (RAM / internal) memory, they now ask for 37,990 rubles, and with 4 GB / 64 GB (the one with branded headphones) - 40,990 rubles. Like all previous premium Meizu models, the new device looks pretty good compared to competitors. With such a sophisticated filling, its price does not seem too high. Indeed, according to Yandex.Market, for example, the flagship (3 GB / 32 GB) was offered at the time of testing, on average, 37,990 rubles, (3 GB / 32 GB) - 39,990 rubles each, (4 GB / 64 GB) - 49,990 rubles each, (3 GB / 32 GB) - 44,990 rubles each.

The results of the review of the smartphone Meizu Pro 5

Pros:

• Powerful processor
• Large amount of high-speed memory
• Advanced camera with laser and phase focusing
• Hi-Fi sound in headphones
• Support for two nanoSIM cards
• Fast charging
• Fingerprint scanner

Minuses:

• Alternative installation of a second nanoSIM card and microSD memory card
• Lack of optical stabilization of the camera
• No FM tuner

Less than a year later, Meizu rushed to release a new, truly grown-up flagship without any compromises - Pro 5. What you need to know about the new product? A case that looks suspiciously like an iPhone 6, 2.5D glass, a processor like the Samsung Galaxy S6, and updated audio components for even better sound. More details below.

We have already said more than once that times have changed and the iPhone 6 has already been copied by all and sundry. Only Meizu was somehow late, but that's okay - the same body in the iPhone 6S will be relevant for another year, so many companies still have a chance. The most interesting thing is that users do not care about all this, in fact, like Apple itself. No offense to you, going to court or other attacks. But back to our new product.

The body of our device is made entirely of metal. On this account, there are even special photographs of how this important component of the smartphone is produced. Look at them and get aesthetic pleasure.

Alleluia! Pro 5 lowered the display resolution to 1920 x 1080 pixels and increased the diagonal to 5.7 inches.

The dot density, of course, has decreased and is 387 ppi, instead of 546 ppi in its predecessor. Personally, I can only welcome this step, since installing a Quad HD screen in practice does not bring any special user experience - well, you will not see these tiny pixels in normal, normal use (30-40 from screen to eye). Nobody needs it! But now power consumption and system resources are spent more efficiently. Of course, I haven't held the device in my hands yet, but in theory this is always the case.

But the use of Super AMOLED-matrix in the "five" is a wake-up call.

Crumpled colors, wild contrast and greens when the screen is tilted in any direction - all this, most likely, awaits the owners of the new flagship. I would like to be wrong, but I have not yet met a high-quality AMOLED screen in comparison with IPS from anyone except the most fresh Samsung products.

• contrast ratio 10000: 1
• protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• 2.5D - glass panel (curved at the edges)

As before, a fingerprint scanner is integrated into the button on the front. There is already the next, more advanced generation of the sensor called mTouch 2.1. Let's talk about what has improved compared to the sensor in. The resolution for scanning (something like that) has increased by 81%, the fingerprint reading speed is now 0.48 seconds, and now you can attach the owner's fingerprint protection to individual applications and folders. Protection, so to speak, from curious friends whom you do not feed with bread, but let them find in the device's memory photos of your girlfriend (well, or friend) in negligee.

In general, all this is empty. Specifications Meizu Pro 5 best of all to compare visually, with it. All improvements are marked in green.

I think you have already realized that there will be two versions of the smartphone available: standard and advanced. In the first case, the user gets 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal memory, and in the second - 4 and 64 GB, respectively. It is worth noting that all the components here are made by Samsung, from the processor to the memory: UFS 2.0 is the very latest type of built-in storage, and LPDDR4 modules are preinstalled as RAM. Thus, the device comes close to the performance of the Samsung Galaxy S6. Until now, no one has overtaken the latter in synthetic tests, so the Pro 5 has every chance to do it. We expect "over 65000" virtual parrots in AnTuTu.

Declared support for two SIM-cards form factor Nano SIM (instead of one of the cards, you can install a Micro SD card). Previously, it was possible to install only one Micro SIM card and be content with only the memory that was available in your package. Now you can do this and that.

Equipping Meizu flagships with advanced audio components continues. Now a separate audio chip ESS ES9018K2M (dynamic range 123 dB) is used as the internals, as well as an OPA 1612 amplifier and ceramic film capacitors. Again, this is a smartphone with serious ambitions in the field of quality sound. Moreover, we are talking about the external speaker, for the sound output on which a special NXP TFA9890 chip is responsible. Application, gentlemen!

The official press release states that the user only needs to get high-quality headphones and go into the realm of awesome sound. I was alarmed only by the fact that the bundle lacks any standard headset. This is confirmed by the photo below.

In general, representatives of the company are clearly hinting at their third-party headphones - EP-31.

The following is known about the battery life. Despite the decreased capacity of the battery from 3350 to 3050 mAh, the smartphone promises to live without recharging for about the same time as its predecessor. Responsible for this is a system based on a Samsung Exynos 7420 chip (the processor is created using 14nm technology). There is also a fast charging technology mCharge: 65% in half an hour.

The built-in shell of Flyme 5.0 has also been updated. All beauties, of course, have been improved and retouched with an eye on usability. However, recording calls and obtaining ROOT rights - all this remained according to the good old tradition.

It's great that not only the new flagship will get the latest version of the shell, but in general all the latest smartphones of the company should be updated to the current version of the software.

The first in line was, of course, MX5, for which the update will arrive on September 25, that is, this Friday.

Well, now let's move on to the fun part - let's talk about the price. Towards the end of November this year, the device will enter the official sales channels in Russia. There is no exact information about the price now, but you should not wait the price tag is less than 35,000 rubles (by the most conservative estimates). We have something to start from: in China, the smartphone will be sold at a price of 2799 Chinese yuan for a modification with 32 GB of internal memory, which corresponds to 29,000 rubles in domestic currency. The stuffed model will be delivered at a price of 3099 yuan, which in terms of rubles is no less than 32,000 rubles.

The pre-order for the device is open on the official website of the company until October 12. However, you will not be able to buy anything there if you are not Chinese.

Four colors will be available for sale: gray or silver, dark gray (graphite), light gray and gold. No pink for you. My personal thanks to the company for this.

Price: from 29,000 rubles (they have)