Meizu m5 laptop black. Review of Meizu M5 Note - an old friend in a new body. Technical characteristics of Meizu M5 Note

Jumping over the “four” in the serial number of the model, into the design of the metal body of the 5.5-inch Meizu smartphone M5 Note, first of all, made some changes. How to correct a “three” to a “five”, Vesti figured it out.Hi-tech

The expansion of Meizu's smartphone lineup looked quite rapid last year. So, if the world premiere took place in April, then the release of the M5 Note was announced in December. In the best Eastern traditions, the company in this case decided to omit the number “4”, which is associated with certain superstitions in Asia. Note that the model similar in name differs from the M5 Note quite significantly. In particular, the new product is available in three versions of RAM and internal memory - 3 GB/16 GB, 3 GB/32 GB and 4 GB/64 GB. All other technical details about the new smartphone are given below.

Specifications

Model: M5 Note (M621H)
OS: Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) with Flyme OS 5.2.11.0G shell
Processor: 64-bit MediaTek Helio P10 (MT6755), ARMv8 architecture, 8 cores ARM Cortex-A53 (4x1.8 GHz + 4x1.0 GHz)
Graphics coprocessor: ARM Mali-T860 MP2 (550 MHz)
RAM: 3GB/3GB/4GB LPDDR3 (933MHz, single channel)
Storage Memory: 16GB/32GB/64GB, eMMC 5.1, card support microSD memory/HC/XC (up to 128 GB)
Interfaces: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.0 (LE), microUSB (USB 2.0) for charging/syncing, USB-OTG, 3.5 mm headphone jack
Screen: capacitive touch, GFF (full lamination), 5.5-inch diagonal, resolution 1920x1080 pixels, pixel density per inch 403 ppi, brightness 450 cd/sq. m, contrast 1000:1, protective glass 2.5D
Main camera: 13 MP, 5-element lens, f/2.2 aperture, phase detection autofocus (0.2 s), dual dual-color flash, 1080p@30fps video
Front camera: 5 MP, 4-element lens, f/2.0 aperture
Network: UMTS 900, 2100; GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900; CDMA 800; LTE (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 38, 40); LTE Cat. 6 (300/50 Mbit/s)
SIM card format: nanoSIM (4FF)
Slot tray configuration: nanoSIM + nanoSIM, or nanoSIM + microSD/HD/XC
Navigation: GPS/GLONASS, A-GPS
Sensors: accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, Hall sensor, light and proximity sensors, fingerprint scanner
Battery: non-removable, lithium polymer, 4,000 mAh, support fast charging
Colors: dark grey, silver, gold, blue
Dimensions: 153.6x75.8x8.1 mm
Weight: 175 grams

Design, ergonomics

The new M5 Note smartphone has an all-metal body, similar to older, more advanced models, for example. Let us remind you that the rear panel has two inserts made of radio-transparent material.

In turn, for the antennas on the M5 Note body, like , only thin strips of radiotransparent material are now used. Thereby, new smartphone looks more "metallic". By the way, such a candy bar with rounded corners and edges is offered in the following colors: dark gray, silver, gold and blue (only the first three are available at the start of sales).

The overall dimensions of the M5 Note, compared to its predecessor, have remained virtually unchanged (153.6 x 75.8 x 8.1 mm versus 153.6 x 75.5 x 8.2 mm), which cannot be said about the weight (175 g versus 163 grams). However, this is easily explained, because light plastic inserts have now been replaced by heavier metal. As for the 5.5-inch “classmates”, as an example we can give similar parameters for (150.9x76.2x8.2 mm; 162 grams) and Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (151.0x76.0x8.45 mm; 165 grams).

The entire front surface of the M5 Note, including the screen, is covered with protective glass with a 2.5D effect (manufacturer unknown).

Above the display is traditionally a speaker grille, surrounded by light and proximity sensors (on the left), as well as a lens front camera and an LED indicator (on the right), which is not visible when not in use.

Below the display there is a mechanical key with a built-in mTouch 2.1 fingerprint scanner. Its basic functionality has not changed: tapping on this button activates the “Back” function, a short press with a hardware “click” returns to main screen(“Home”), and a long press (and hold) turns off the screen backlight. The "Recent Apps" button is replaced by swiping up from the bottom edge of the display.

On the right edge, in a small recess, there are volume rockers of different sizes and a power/lock button.

The left edge occupies a closed slot with a dual tray,

where either two nanoSIM format subscriber identification modules can be placed, or the place of the second one will be taken by a microSD memory expansion card.

The hole for the second auxiliary microphone remains at the top end.

But the 3.5 mm audio headset connector moved to the bottom end, where they assembled a hole for a “conversational” microphone, a microUSB connector between two mounting screws, as well as a decorative grille (three oblong holes) for a “multimedia” speaker.

The back panel is decorated with a stylized Meizu logo, above which there are holes for a dual LED flash and the main camera lens.

At the bottom of the rear panel there is a place for an inscription from which you can find out about LTE support, as well as the name of the manufacturing company and the country of production.

The M5 Note feels pleasantly heavy in your hand. In principle, there are no problems with one-handed control; however, special options in the settings are designed to make it easier.

Screen, camera, sound

The M5 Note screen, like its predecessor, uses a 5.5-inch IPS matrix, on which, with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels (Full HD) and a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, the pixel density per inch according to the passport is 403 ppi. GFF (Glass-to-Film-to-Film) full lamination technology eliminates the air gap between the display layers, which is the basis for good anti-glare properties and reduces the reflection effect.

The stated contrast is 1000:1, and the maximum brightness is 450 cd/sq.m. At the same time, it is proposed to regulate the backlight level in a fairly wide range, either at your own discretion, manually, or automatically (the "Auto-tuning" option), based on information from the light sensor. Multi-touch technology allows you to process up to ten simultaneous clicks on a capacitive screen, which is confirmed by the results of the AntTuTu Tester and MultiTouch Tester programs.

In the settings, in addition to changing the font size, the ability to adjust the color temperature has been added. So it’s easy to make the colors warmer or, conversely, colder to suit your taste. To protect your eyes, it is proposed to enable the mode of the same name, reducing the amount of “harmful” light in the blue part of the spectrum (the image on the screen will begin to “yellow”). This option can be activated using a timer. The oleophobic coating allows your finger to slide across the screen quite easily, and it is also equally easy to remove small stains from the glass.

The photo capabilities of the M5 Note seem to have remained unchanged compared to . The main camera also boasts a 13-megapixel sensor and a 2-tone LED flash with different color temperature. The lens with 5-element optics has an f/2.2 aperture and fast (0.2 s) phase detection autofocus. Maximum resolution images is achieved with an aspect ratio of 4:3 and is 4208x3120 pixels (13 MP). Examples of photos can be viewed.

The front camera has a 5-megapixel sensor equipped with a wide-angle 4-lens lens with f/2.0 aperture. There is no autofocus or flash. The maximum image size in the classic aspect ratio (4:3) is 2576x1936 pixels (5 MP).

Both cameras can record video in Full HD quality (1920x1080 pixels) with a frame rate of 30 fps, while the content is saved in MP4 container files (AVC - video, AAC - sound).

The interface of the Camera application in the M5 Note, compared to its predecessor, has also not changed at all. True, to the “Auto”, “Manual”, “Portrait”, “Panorama”, “Focus Change”, “Slow Motion”, “Macro” and “GIF” modes, they also added “Scanner” (reading bar codes) . In the settings it is easy to activate the HDR mode, as well as determine the photo size and video quality. Focus and exposure metering can be performed separately. Shooting in manual mode (M) requires self-installation parameters of shutter speed, ISO, exposure compensation, saturation, white balance, etc. There are 11 filters available to create effects, including Black and White, Film, Oxidized, and more. It’s convenient to switch from the main camera to the front camera and back using vertical swipes. The volume rocker (both up and down) can also be used to release the shutter.

There have also been no fundamental changes in the sound capabilities of the M5 Note. Established funds smartphones allow you to listen to files with the FLAC extension, created by codecs for compressing audio data without loss of quality. After connecting the audio headset, you are offered to use a 5-band equalizer with presets and manual setting. The Voice Recorder application writes monaural recordings (44.1 kHz) to MP3 files.

Filling, performance

The M5 Note relied on the same 64-bit MediaTek Helio P10 (MT6755) platform as for .

Let us recall that the 8-core True8Core processor has four ARM Cortex-A53 cores clocked at up to 1.8 GHz, and four more at up to 1.0 GHz. At the same time, the 2-core ARM Mali-T860 MP2 (550 MHz) architecture with support for OpenGL ES 3.2 and OpenCL 1.2 is used as a graphics accelerator. At the same time, increasing energy efficiency while maintaining sufficient computing power is achieved by automatically adjusting the frequencies of the processor and video accelerator. Helio P10 can work in LTE-TDD, LTE-FDD Cat networks. 6 (300/50 Mbit/s), HSPA+, TD-SCDMA, EDGE, etc., and is also equipped with Bluetooth 4.0 LE and 2-band Wi-Fi interfaces.

The basic configuration of the M5 Note is complemented by LPDDR3 (933 MHz) RAM, which is controlled by a single-channel controller. Note that the smartphone variants with 16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB of internal storage (eMMC 5.1) have 3 GB, 3 GB or 4 GB random access memory, respectively. We received a device with a 3 GB/16 GB combination for testing.

On the synthetic benchmark AnTuTu Benchmark, we managed to “knock out” more than 47 thousand “virtual parrots”, which was obviously predetermined by the chosen hardware platform.

Efficiency of use processor cores of the new smartphone looks, perhaps, more optimistic than the estimate of the amount of “horsepower” (Geekbench 4).

On the Epic Citadel visual test with the High Performance and High Quality settings, the average frame rate remained virtually unchanged - 57.3 fps, 56.9 fps, respectively. But on the Ultra High Quality setting it decreased by almost 1.7 times (33.3 fps).

Not surprisingly, the universal gaming benchmark 3DMark, where the M5 Note was tested on the recommended Sling Shot Extreme set, recorded a rather modest result (318 points).

The total number of points earned by the smartphone on the cross-platform benchmark Base Mark OS II was 279.

Of the 16 GB of declared internal memory, about 14.56 GB were available in the tested model, and about 10 GB were free. At the same time, like the one, to expand the existing storage, it is possible to install a microSD/HC/XC memory card with a maximum capacity of up to 128 GB. The dual tray into which the memory card is inserted is universal, and if you take up one place in it, you will have to sacrifice the installation of a second SIM card (nanoSIM format). You can also expand the built-in storage thanks to support for USB-OTG technology by connecting a USB drive.

When two nanoSIM cards (4FF format) are installed, one radio channel of the device operates with them in Dual mode SIM Dual Standby, in other words, both SIM cards are active, but when one is busy, the other is also unavailable. Both trays in the slot support 4G, while the SIM card for data transfer, as well as the priority network mode, is selected in the corresponding menu. The new smartphone has three main Russian FDD-LTE bands available - b3 (1,800 MHz), b7 (2,600 MHz) and b20 (800 MHz) with VoLTE support. Similar to its predecessor, the M5 Note's set of wireless communications also includes a dual-band Wi-Fi module 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 and 5 GHz) and Bluetooth 4.0 (LE). But, alas, they do not have an NFC interface.

To determine location and navigation, the built-in multi-system receiver uses GPS and GLONASS satellites. This is confirmed by the results of the AndroiTS GPS Test and GPS Test programs. There is also support for A-GPS technology (coordination over Wi-Fi and cellular networks).

The volume of the lithium-polymer battery equipped with the M5 Note (4,000 mAh) has decreased slightly compared to its predecessor (4,100 mAh). However, the smartphone now comes with a 24-watt power adapter UP1220E (5 V/9 V/12 V, 2 A), which supports mCharge fast charging technology.

The new product managed to earn 7,809 points in AnTuTu Tester battery tests. When the battery is 100% full, the manufacturer promises up to 30 hours of talk time, or 660 hours of standby, or up to 17 hours of watching videos, or up to 36 hours of listening to music.

In the "Power Management" settings section, depending on the expected load, you can switch the smartphone from the "Balanced" mode to the "Energy Saving" or "Productive" mode. In addition, in the "Optimize power consumption" section, it is proposed not only to manage the sleep mode of applications, but also to take advantage of flexible settings to save battery power - "Smart", "Super" or "Custom Mode".

Software Features

The M5 Note smartphone, in comparison with, received more recent firmware, represented by operating system Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) and the proprietary Flyme OS 5.2.11.0G launcher (they seem to promise to update to version 6.x), where all program shortcuts, folders and widgets are traditionally placed directly on the desktops.

Using fingerprints obtained from any angle (360 degrees) on the fast (0.2 seconds) mTouch 2.1 fingerprint scanner, you can lock not only the smartphone screen, but also access to files and applications.

The “Special Features” section still contains possible smartphone control gestures, including the SmartTouch control “ring” (not shown in the screenshot) with adjustable transparency.

The M5 Note retains the ability to split the screen to simultaneously display the work of two applications (so far only three - “Settings”, “Video” and “Google Maps”).

Purchase, conclusions

Thus, the “five” (Meizu M5 Note) compares favorably with the “three” () not only with the design features of the metal case, but also with the appearance of fast charging, as well as support for the LTE b20 frequency range (800 MHz). In addition, do not discount the presence of a fast fingerprint scanner and the expected model variant in the 4 GB/64 GB configuration (RAM/built-in memory). Note that even with 16 GB of storage, the amount of RAM is now 3 GB (and not 2 GB, as it was).

The shortcomings of the Meizu M5 Note, along with the inherited low performance, include the alternative installation of a second SIM card and memory card, and the lack of an NFC interface.

Official prices for Meizu M5 Note models in 3 GB/16 GB and 3 GB/32 GB configurations are 16,990 and 18,990 rubles, respectively. As for the 5.5-inch “classmates” in metal cases (memory capacities 3 GB/32 GB), then, at the time of testing, in large retail chains they asked for 16,990 rubles, and for Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 - 15,990 rubles . At the same time, let us remind you that we received a dual main camera (12 MP + 2 MP) and also an NFC interface (with support for Mifare Classic technology), but, however, a less capacious battery (3,340 mAh versus 4,000 mAh) . In turn, Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, along with a faster processor, boasts a slightly more capacious battery (4,100 mAh versus 4,000 mAh), as well as the presence of an IR port.

Results of the review of the Meizu M5 Note smartphone

Pros:

Updated metal body
Capacious battery, complemented by fast charging
LTE b20 band support (800 MHz)
4 GB/64 GB RAM/internal memory option
Fast fingerprint scanner

Minuses:

Low performance
Alternative installation of a second SIM card or memory card
No NFC interface

Meizu M5 Note- continuation of the bestseller M3 Note, with slightly modified characteristics. The body is completely metal, streamlined, and the corners are very nicely chamfered. The 5.5-inch FHD matrix has become better, but in terms of color rendering and contrast it almost falls short of more expensive models companies. Instead of standard touch buttons here is the branded mBack key with a fingerprint scanner. The audio jack was moved to the bottom edge, to the charging port and speaker. Volume control and “Power” remained in their positions - on right side, a hybrid slot for SIM cards and a flash drive is on the left. For a budget phone, the phone looks great and feels very nice in the hand.

The camera is represented by a 13 MP module. Compared to its predecessor, the photo quality here is better, especially in the dark. But this is still a minor update, which improved the detail of objects, increased dynamic range, however, autofocus sometimes misses, and exposure is sometimes determined incorrectly. In general, the level of photographs is tolerable, but you can find phones that take better photos. The videos are shot in FHD maximum; there is no electronic or, especially, optical stabilization. But there is a “Pro” mode, where shutter speed, ISO, etc. are adjusted. The front camera here is 5-megapixel, the result of its work can be described as “mediocre”.

As for the hardware, unfortunately, everything is the same. The heart of the device is MediaTek's Helio P10 (octa-core) with a dual-core Mali-T860 graphics chip. In synthetic tests, this “couple” scores below average and behaves the same in operation. True, the speed of the system is quite high. But games lag on settings that are higher than the minimum due to a weak video accelerator. The energy efficiency of the processor is not the best. A battery with a capacity of 4000 mAh provides operating time for two days. We added fast charging, now the battery is replenished by a little less than half in half an hour.

The gadget can have 3 or 4 GB of RAM, and permanent memory - from 16 to 64 GB. The fact that the minimum amount of RAM has been increased is a big plus; there is a reserve for the future. Meizu M5 Note turned out to be more interesting, but did not please with dramatic improvements. It lacks cameras and, especially, performance in 3D programs. But good firmware Flyme 6 loud noise, extremely durable battery, decent screen and gorgeous appearance. You can buy a smartphone, however, if you have a little more money, take a closer look at the sixth generation of this model range.

as well as the first fitness bracelet from MEIZU

In 2016, MEIZU released an unusually large number of smartphones. Yes, when compared with almost any other brand (not only Samsung, Sony or HTC, but also Chinese companies like UMI, Ulefone, etc.) the lineup MEIZU does not seem big, but for fans of the brand the situation is the opposite, they are used to 2-3, maximum 6 smartphones per year. Apparently, towards the end of the year, the company itself also began to understand that the situation was strange, and the release of the M5 Note model was to some extent a planned event, and to some extent it was a desire to begin rectifying the situation, to make the model range simpler and more understandable for users.

Specifications MEIZU M5 Note

Case materials: aluminum, 2.5D glass (front panel)
Operating system: Android 6.0, Flyme 5 (6)
Network: DualSIM; GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSDPA, LTE (TD/FDD-LTE) (nanoSIM)
Platform: MediaTek MT6755 (Helio P10)
Processor: eight-core, 64-bit, four cores 1.8 GHz (Cortex-A53) and four cores 1 GHz (Cortex-A53)
Graphics: Mali-T860
RAM: 3/4 GB LPDDR3
Storage memory: 16/32/64 GB
Memory card slot: yes, microSD (combined with nanoSIM slot)
Interfaces: Wi-Fi (a/b/g/n) Dual-Band, Bluetooth 4.0 (LE), microUSB connector (USB 2.0, MHL, USB-OTG, USB-Host) for charging/synchronization, 3.5 mm for headset
Screen: IPS LCD, 5.5” diagonal, resolution 1920x1080, ppi 403, automatic adjustment backlight level, protective glass
Main camera: 13 MP, f/2.2, 5 lenses, phase detection autofocus, dual LED flash, video recorded in FullHD
Front camera: 5 MP without autofocus, f/2.0, 4 lenses, video recorded in 1080p (shooting algorithms from ArcSoft)
Navigation: GPS (A-GPS support), Glonass
Additionally: mTouch fingerprint scanner, accelerometer, light sensor, proximity sensor
Battery: 4000 mAh, support fast charging
Dimensions: 153.6 x 75.8 x 8.1 mm
Weight: 175 grams

Case design and materials

In fact, the design of the new MEIZU M5 Note is full copy the MEIZU M3e smartphone presented a few months ago. The only difference is in the thickness of the case; in the M5 Note it is slightly thicker due to a more capacious battery; otherwise the devices are identical. That is, the smartphone has become more expensive and premium than the MEIZU M3 Note, which had plastic inserts painted to match the color of the metal. There is also plastic here, but these are thin lines that are barely noticeable and do not make a difference. So in terms of design and materials, the new M5 Note is closer to more expensive devices companies. Volumetric (2.5D) glass is also in place. In terms of quality of execution, this is also above average, not yet quite typical for budget devices. Due to all these factors, the smartphone feels expensive, definitely more expensive than it actually is.

The body colors are the usual white and gold with a white front panel, as well as blue and gray with a black front panel.

Dimensions

In terms of size, the MEIZU M5 Note is exactly the same as the MEIZU M3e, that is, comparable to the M3 Note and other smartphones with a 5.5" screen diagonal. I can’t call it compact among its classmates, but it doesn’t stand out on the big side either - it’s a typical average in this category in terms of size. The device is not too thick, but weighty.

Controls

All controls here are exactly the same as in any other MEIZU smartphone released in 2016. The power and volume buttons are on the right, a tray for two nanoSIM cards (or a SIM card and a memory card) is on the left, at the bottom there is a microUSB connector, a microphone, a speaker grille and a 3.5 mm mini-jack. On top is an additional microphone (noise reduction).

The fingerprint scanner is embedded in a mechanical key, which also acts as a back button thanks to the touch layer.

Screen

The device uses a 5.5" diagonal screen with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels based on an IPS matrix. A display with maximum viewing angles, a good reserve of brightness and close to natural color rendition. In terms of picture richness and brightness, the screen does not reach the displays in Meizu MX6 or Pro 6, but for an inexpensive smartphone it is quite good. If you compare it with the display in MEIZU M3 Note, you can notice the difference in better side, but not too obvious, in my opinion. There is an “eye protection” mode in which the screen works in warm colors. The oleophobic coating is excellent, there are no complaints here.

Platform, memory

The smartphone is built on the Helio P10 platform from MediaTek. It was also used in the M3 Note and M3e. This is not a top-end chip and not the latest for the end of 2016, to be honest, but for FullHD resolution and a device in the budget segment it is still a good option. Mali-T860 graphics. The smartphone has 3 or 4 GB of RAM, depending on the modification. The 16 and 32 GB versions have 3 GB of RAM, and the 64 GB version has 4 GB. The MEIZU M3 Note had 2 and 3 GB of RAM, also depending on the version. There is a slot for a microSD memory card, combined with a second slot for a nanoSIM card.

Camera

Both cameras, both the main one and the front one, change little in budget MEIZU in 2016, but in the case of the M5 Note there is good news. Firstly, the main camera with a resolution of 13 megapixels and phase focusing “by eye” began to take pictures a little better than in the M3 Note, this is especially noticeable on close-ups, where the smartphone is very good in its price category. Secondly, the algorithms for the front camera were developed by ArcSoft, known for its developments used by Vivo in the XShot smartphone with one of the best (to this day) cameras on the phone market. Yes, you can hardly squeeze much out of the front camera, but, in my opinion, the front camera in the MEIZU M5 Note actually takes noticeably better pictures than the M3 Note or M3e. Although, perhaps this is all a “placebo effect” and there really is nothing like that, I don’t know.

As with all other devices from Meizu, there is a complete manual mode shooting (this is good), and also the fact that the interface still cannot be rotated to landscape orientation (this is bad).

Interfaces

The device supports dual-band Wi-Fi. In 4G networks, the smartphone operates in all bands common in Russia. Bluetooth version 4.0 with support for the LE (Low Energy) profile.

Battery

The smartphone has a 4000 mAh battery, almost like the M3 Note. Taking into account the fact that more than six months have passed since the release of the latter and technology has advanced a little, we can expect similar operating times from smartphones.

2016 was an uncharacteristically productive year for Meizu. The manufacturer has significantly expanded its range of manufactured devices, covering literally all conceivable and inconceivable price niches:

from cheap to premium;
from plastic ones to phones encased in glass.

However, one of the most popular and popular was Meizu M 3 Note. And literally six months later, the company released an improved version, which was called M5 Note. You don't have to wait for the fourth version, since the number 4 is unlucky in China. The company's management appears to be very superstitious.

As you already understood, today we have a review of the Meizu M5 Note smartphone, which has a pleasant appearance thanks to its metal body and good autonomy for its class.

The phone comes in a white, minimalist cardboard box with the model name printed on the front and sides. The technical characteristics of the device are indicated on the back side.

Opening the box we find:

a small cardboard insert with a branded clip for the SIM tray hole;
two booklets, one of which is a small user manual, the second is a warranty card;
white block charger, quite solid and weighty with a declared current of 2A;
USB cable is white. Unfortunately, it's not Type C again.

The equipment is not rich, but there are all the most basic things.

Design

Meizu M5 Note has undergone minimal changes in comparison with its predecessor, except that it has become a little thinner and more convenient, but nothing more.

On the right side there is a volume rocker and a power button. On the left there is a slot for SIM cards. A standard scheme is used, thanks to which you can install either 2 Nano-SIM or 1 Nano-SIM and a memory card. On the top side you can find an additional microphone for noise reduction.

On the bottom end:

A loudspeaker whose cut is made in a slightly different style compared to its predecessor.
USB connector.
Microphone that produces good quality speech transmission.
3.5 mm jack for connecting a stereo headset. In M 3 Note this connector was on top.

If we talk about the sound in general, then it is quite good for its price tag. Maximum volume average, however, in a noisy crowd you will still hear your gadget. The sound in the headphones is good - there is volume and a hint of bass.

On the front side there are:

sensors;
speakers;
front camera peephole;
multifunctional Home button with a built-in mTouch 2.1 fingerprint scanner, which in fact is not very fast. But let's take a closer look at this.

As for the fingerprint scanner, both for budget smartphone he is very good here. We do not deny that on flagships the scanner recognizes the owner’s fingerprints more quickly, however, the speed, convenience and responsiveness of mTouch 2.1 is one of the best in its price range.

If you turn the device over, then on the back there are:

13 MP main camera peephole;
dual flash;
Company `s logo.

We would also like to note that there are no more plastic inserts, as is the case with the M 3 Note. And this is a big step forward.

Screen

The Meizu Note 5 display has the same Full HD IPS matrix with a diagonal of 5.5 inches, maximum viewing angles and a pixel density of 401 ppi. This is exactly the matrix installed in the previous M3 Note.

There are no special complaints about it, except that in the sun sometimes the maximum brightness is not enough, but the minimum brightness will please you, especially if you like to read before bed. In addition, a vision protection mode is provided, which, of course, is a huge plus.

Processor and OS

Specifications Meizu phone The m5 Note is the biggest problem. It actually uses a slightly outdated processor from MediaTek, namely Helio P10. 8 cores operate at a maximum frequency of 1.8 GHz (ARM Cortex-A53). The Mali-T860 is responsible for the graphics.

The RAM has been increased and now even the cheapest version has at least 3 GB, but there is also a version with 4 GB. The volume of the built-in storage will vary depending on the version - from 16 to 64 GB. But it’s worth remembering that, for example, if you take a model with 32 GB, then about 29 GB of it will actually be available. the rest will be taken up by system files.

Out of the box the phone is controlled by the operating system Android system version 6.0. It may not be the latest operating system, however, thanks to the proprietary Flyme shell, the owner still doesn’t feel the difference between Android versions. The shell is very balanced and quite nimble. It’s definitely impossible to find fault with it for lags and freezes, because they simply don’t exist.

In everyday use, in the browser, when working with M5 applications, the Note performs well thanks to a well-optimized shell that works flawlessly. However, we strongly advise against setting graphics settings above average in demanding games. The tanks will run at minimum settings, but there is slight heating in the chamber area.

Special applications provide the following indicators:

Geekbench 678 in Single Core test and in Multi Core 2327.
Bonsai Benchmark gave 2921. Average fps 41.7.

The optimization is simply amazing. Even on an average processor everything flies.

IN daily work this phone will not disappoint, but if you want to take it for games, then difficulties will arise.

Autonomy

According to the manufacturers, a non-removable accumulator battery volume 4000 mAh. The volume is similar to its predecessor, however, it now has the ability to quickly charge using MediaTek Pump Express technology. The maximum power of the adapter out of the box is 18B.

Use only standard USB cable, because anything else can lead to trouble. The cable may swell and the only thing you can do after this is throw it away. During fast charging with a standard cable, the phone gets warm (which is normal), but the cable is cold.

Charging time indicators: from 0 to 30% in 15 minutes, up to 50% charges in about 30 minutes, up to 80% in exactly an hour. It will take about 20 minutes to finish off the remaining 20%, which is quite bearable for such a volume.

At maximum brightness and watching videos on YouTube, the smartphone asks to be recharged after about 6 hours. Full HD video can be watched for up to 8 hours. A good and worthy result.

This gadget is enough for one day of extreme work with:

video;
YouTube;
movies;
games;
calls, etc.

But if you use it in medium format, then the budget device will last about 1.5-2 days.

Camera

Two camera modules are installed inside:

The main one is 13 MP. There are no fundamental changes, about 10-15% of quality has been added. There is autofocus. The video is also recorded in Full HD. There is a manual mode that allows you to configure everything at your discretion.
Front 5 MP. The video is Full HD, but there is no autofocus.

The cameras on the smartphone are frankly average. This applies to both front and main.

The saddest thing is that, as in the case of the screen, processor and much more in this device, no changes have occurred in comparison with its predecessor. The camera modules installed are absolutely identical. Of course, the manufacturer assured that slightly more advanced processing algorithms are used when creating photographs, however, in general, the quality of the final images remains at approximately the same level. And it is far from being at the highest level.

Results

Meizu M5 Note is not a full-fledged successor to the Meizu M 3 Note, but rather its restyling with some cosmetic changes, both visually and internally. The gadget definitely feels better in the hand, and it looks the same. The huge plastic inserts clearly did not paint the Troika, they are not here and back panel began to look much more harmonious.

Let's look at the pros and cons that we were able to highlight.

The advantages include:

all metal body;
perfect assembly (plastic seams cannot be felt with your fingers);
fast charging support;
excellent autonomy;
Not a bad display, but absolutely the same as in its predecessor.

The performance of the new product is average. If you are not an avid gamer, you definitely won’t feel any discomfort.
Price.

Video

You can watch the video review of 5m below

Of course, they are good, but few can afford such things. And here inexpensive smartphones A-brands, as a rule, look boring and do not evoke any emotions. And strictly speaking, they cannot be called such budget ones; 15 thousand rubles is quite a common price for an ordinary Samsung or Sony. But with the flourishing of Chinese manufacturers in the last two years, many devices have appeared on the market at prices up to 10,000 rubles, which are in no way inferior to more expensive and famous competitors. And by this year, among the owners of such pipes there are almost no people left who “could not afford anything else.” Now demand is dictated by those “who do not consider it necessary to overpay for a brand and believe old stereotypes.”

And if we talk about the best representatives of the Middle Kingdom, then after Huawei Xiaomi and Meizu immediately come to mind. The latter recently released the M5 Note, which costs about 8 thousand rubles and leaves virtually no chance for other budget handsets. However, let's find out why exactly it is so good and whether there were any pitfalls?

Specifications

	Meizu M5 Note	Meizu M3 Note	ZTE Blade V7 Max	Samsung Galaxy J7	Huawei P9 Lite
Screen		5.5 inches, IPS, 1920 × 1080 pixels, 403 ppi, capacitive multi-touch	5.5 inches, IPS, 1920 × 1080 pixels, 401 ppi, capacitive multi-touch	5.5 inches, Super AMOLED, 720 × 1280 pixels, 401 ppi, capacitive multi-touch	5.2 inches, IPS, 1920 × 1080 pixels, 424 ppi, capacitive multi-touch
Protective glass	No data	Safety glass Dinorex T2X-1	No data	No data	No data
CPU		MediaTek Helio P10 MT6755M: eight cores ARM Cortex-A53 (4 × 1.8 GHz + 4 × 1.0 GHz)	MediaTek Helio P10 MT6755M: eight cores ARM Cortex-A53 (4 × 1.8 GHz + 4 × 1.1 GHz)	Exynos 7870 Octa: eight Cortex Cortex-A53 cores (4 × 1.6 GHz, 4 × 1.0 GHz)	HiSilicon Kirin 650: eight cores ARM Cortex-A53 (4 × 2.0 GHz + 4 × 1.7 GHz)
Graphics controller	ARM Mali-T860 MP2, 550 MHz	ARM Mali-T860 MP2, 550 MHz	ARM Mali-T860 MP2, 550 MHz	Mali-T830 MP2, 600 MHz	Mali-T830 MP2, 600 MHz
RAM	3/4 GB	2/3 GB	3/4 GB	2 GB	2 GB
Flash memory	16/32/64 GB	16/32 GB	32 GB	16 GB	16 GB
Connectors	1 × micro-USB 2.0	1 × micro-USB 2.0	1× USB Type-C 1.0	1 × micro-USB 2.0	1 × microUSB;
		1 × 3.5mm headset jack;	1 × 3.5mm headset jack;	1 × 3.5mm headset jack;	1 × 3.5mm headset jack;
	1 × nano-SIM	1 × nano-SIM	1 × nano-SIM	1 × nano-SIM	1 × nano-SIM
		1 × nano-SIM/microSD (universal)	1 × nano-SIM/microSD (universal)	1 × nano-SIM/microSD (universal)	1 × nano-SIM/microSD (universal)
Cellular connection 2G		GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz	GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz	GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz	GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
Cellular 3G		DC-HSPA 850/900/1900/2100 MHz	DC-HSPA 850/900/1900/2100 MHz	DC-HSPA 850/900/1900/2100 MHz	DC-HSPA 850/900/1900/2100 MHz
Cellular 4G		LTE Cat. 6 (300 Mbit/s, 50 Mbit/s), bands 1, 3, 7, 38, 39, 40, 41		LTE Cat. 7 (300 Mbit/s, 150 Mbit/s), bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 18, 19, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41	LTE Cat. 4 (150 Mbit/s, 50 Mbit/s), bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 18, 19, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41
WiFi	802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2.4/5 GHz	802.11a/b/g/n/ 2.4/5 GHz	802.11b/g/n/ 2.4 GHz	802.11b/g/n/ 2.4 GHz	802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2.4/5 GHz
Bluetooth	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.1	4.1
NFC	No	No	No	Eat	Eat
Navigation	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
Sensors		Illumination, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass)	Illumination, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass)	Illumination, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass)	Illumination, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass)
Fingerprint's scanner	Eat	Eat	Eat	Eat	Eat
Main camera		13 MP, ƒ/2.2, phase autofocus, LED flash, Full HD video recording	16 MP, ƒ/2.0, contrast autofocus, LED flash, Full HD video recording	13 MP, ƒ/1.9, contrast autofocus, LED flash, Full HD video recording	13 MP, ƒ/2.0, contrast autofocus, LED flash, Full HD video recording
Front-camera		5 MP, no autofocus, no flash	8 MP, no autofocus, no flash	5 MP, no autofocus, LED flash	8 MP, fixed focus
Nutrition	Non-removable battery: 15.2 Wh (4000 mAh, 3.8 V)	Non-removable battery: 15.6 Wh (4100 mAh, 3.8 V)		Removable battery: 12.54 Wh (3300 mAh, 3.8 V)	Non-removable battery: 11.4 Wh (3000 mAh, 3.8 V)
Size	153.6 × 75.8 × 8.1 mm	153.6 × 75.5 × 8.2 mm	154 × 76.5 × 7.2 mm	151.7 × 76 × 7.8 mm	146.8 × 72.6 × 7.5 mm
Weight	175 g	163 g	160 g	170 g	147 g
Water and dust protection	No	No	No	No	No
operating system	Android 6.0 Marshmallow, Flyme 5.2 shell	Android 6.0 Marshmallow, Flyme 5.0 shell	Android 6.0 Marshmallow, MiFavor shell	Android 6.0 Marshmallow TouchWiz shell	Android 6.0 Marshmallow, Emotion UI shell
Current price	8,990 rubles	7,000 rubles	17,990 rubles	15,990 rubles	15,990 rubles

Design, ergonomics and software

Last year there was an M5 Note this year. The four in the name is traditionally omitted and this is a common practice among Asian companies.

There are not many external differences between the M3 Note and M5 Note, but they all came in handy. The first thing you should pay attention to is the shape of the case. The smoothly rounded edges of the M3 Note did not seem like the best idea to the designers; now the body is more angular and rough. But, oddly enough, this makes the phone look much more expensive. In terms of the overall level of performance, the Meizu M5 Note is in no way inferior to the iPhone 6.

The upper and lower dies of the rear panel are made of metal, unlike the plastic ones of its predecessor. And the inevitable plastic “window” for the antennas of wireless modules has turned into a thin strip on top - exactly like the same sixth-generation iPhone.

The dimensions of the case remain the same, even its thickness does not differ, despite the fact that the battery has slightly lost capacity. Because of new form the smartphone began to look thicker. But this is a purely visual feature; in practice, 8.3 mm is normal. The previous model looked thinner precisely because of the rounded ribs, but here we have a perfectly flat back cover. And the camera, by the way, does not protrude beyond the body - it is even slightly recessed inside. So those who like to put the gadget on the back don’t have to worry - the lens won’t be scratched.

As you can see, I came to test a white M5 Note, but this model also exists in dark gray, gold and blue versions. On the left side of the case there is a tray for SIM cards and memory cards. Below are two familiar connectors: mini-jack and microUSB. Well, on the right, in the usual places, are the power key and a double button for adjusting the volume.

The most unusual for Android world(and very characteristic of Meizu) there will still be the absence of three traditional buttons. The M5 Note, like other Meizu models, works just fine with one key on the front panel. It is large, convenient, located right in the center below the screen, and has a built-in fingerprint scanner. The miracle button responds not only to physical clicks, but also to gestures. For example, to return to the previous screen, you just need to touch a key without pressing it. Of course, it will be unusual compared to other smartphones, but overall, in terms of convenience, this option is no worse.

The fingerprint sensor works like a clock, and the smartphone unlocks in a split second. Difficulties arise only with wet and heavily soiled fingers, in which case it is better to enter a PIN code or pattern key.

The operating system is not the most current one Android version- 6.0 Marshmallow, but the fifth generation Flyme OS shell compensates for this shortcoming. There are few proprietary applications, which is especially pleasing after the intrusive handsets of ASUS, ZTE and BQ Mobile. There are no complaints about the speed of the system. The only thing I really didn't like was the icon design in the default theme, but this can be easily fixed in the settings.