Meizu has just announced its MX5 smartphone and it is available on sale today. In fact, at the time of writing this article, Snapdeal already has a ‘sold out’ banner on the page.

So is this low priced flagship worth buying? Well, our answer is yes. But it does come with some drawbacks. But if you are willing to deal with them, then it makes perfect sense to buy one (in the next sale).

Since the MX5 is priced at Rs 20,000 for the 16 GB model, it makes sense to compare it with the low cost flagships available today, like the OnePlus One, the Xiaomi Mi 4 and even the OnePlus 2.

Construction

Clearly, the most noticeable bits about the Meizu MX5 flagship is its all-metal body. Meizu has been bragging about how much time it takes to produce a single piece with the CNC machines, and we are going to buy it because it does look impressive.

Delving into the details, its not really all metal. There are bits of PPS material on the top and bottom back covers, that hide the antenna bands. This enables Meizu MX5 to not lose out on network reception, while looking like a proper flagship with a metal finish (thanks to the customized baking varnish). So Yes, Meizu is not offering you a run of the mill product, but indeed something that has been thought upon by its engineering and design team.

All of the above also makes the smartphone with a 5.5 inch display and a 3150 mAh battery as light as the smaller Mi 4.

Clearly, we cannot see the same quality showing up on neither the One Plus One and the Mi 4 and even the OnePlus 2 for that matter.

Hardware (CPU, GPU, Memory)

Coming down to the internal hardware, Meizu has chosen the recently announced 2.2 GHz MediaTek 6795 chipset (also known as the Helio X10). The chipset first made an appearance on the HTC One M9+ and was then picked up by Xiaomi for its Redmi Note 2 Prime.

While the 64-bit CPU is clocked at 2.2 GHz, it uses 8 cores instead of the 4 on the 801. So yes, this one is a performer but the performance is pretty much on par with the Qualcomm competition (it cannot beat the hot-headed Snapdragon 810 though).

Again, the MX5 uses a PowerVR Series 6 (Rogue) G6200 GPU which is a lot faster (up to 750 MHz) than the ageing Adreno 330 (578 MHz) inside the Mi 4 and the OnePlus One.

What really worries us, is the presence of just 16 GB of internal storage. This is a problem because the smartphone can record 4K videos; and as far as we know, 4K video recording takes up a lot of space. We would have preferred if Meizu dropped in a 32 GB memory module instead of the 16 GB one. Also, the lack of an SD card slot does not making sense on handset with such a beautiful display that will be used for media consumption.

Camera

Coming to the camera, the Meizu MX5 packs in a 20 MP Sony IMX220 Exmor RS BSI sensor with laser assisted autofocus and a dual-tone LED flash. We have quite a commendable set up here. One that will shame both the average camera on the OnePlus One and the better option on the Xiaomi Mi 4.

Fingerprint Scanner

A fingerprint scanner may be a big deal for many today since Android Marshmallow is expected to deliver native support for it and APIs for developers to make it more useful.

Out of the three, the MX5 is the only one to offer a fingerprint scanner under the home button, for the same price. So if a fingerprint scanner is on your check list, the MX5 should be on it as well.

It is important to note that the OnePlus 2 (64 GB), that sells for a sightly higher Rs 24,000 also sports the same. However, Meizu makes more sense out of it by allowing owners to not only unlock the smartphone, but also encrypts apps and documents as well.

Conclusion

If you ask us, the only two problems we have with the Meizu MX5 is its limited storage and the fact that there are a few service centres to get your phone fixed. Meizu confirmed at the brand launch that the company is working on the service bit and Meizu will be selling the 32 GB and 64 GB variants soon. Moreover, it also packs in quick charging unlike the OnePlus 2.

So there you have it. There’s clearly a reason why the Meizu MX5 (16 GB) is ‘sold out’ on Snapdeal right now. It packs in the right specs and offers a well-crafted device that will make even the OnePlus 2 with its mighty Snapdragon 810 shiver in the low-cost flagship race.

[Related: Top Smartphones Under Rs 20,000]

[Also Read: Dear OnePlus 2, You’re No Longer The “Flagship Killer”]

Tags : Meizu MX5, Meizu