Meizu has done a top notch job when it comes down to launching quality products at great prices. Proof of that is the latest Meizu M3 Note. However, not all of the companies product launches get high profile press coverage. It's with that in mind that today we'd like to talk to you guys about one of its most recent (low-key) launches; the Meizu M3.
Meizu's new model comes packed with some very interesting specs such as an octa core CPU, an HD display and 4G support. That said, it's not all good news, the smartphone isn't without its own set of drawbacks and that's why today we're intent on exploring these as we uncover the pros and cons of the Meizu M3.
Meizu M3 Pros and Cons Uncovered
Meizu M3 Cons
It's back to plastic basics
With the launch of the Meizu M3 Note, the company proved that it can develop tasteful mid range smartphones that border on the "premium" side of things. The company's first incursion towards the use of metal was with the Meizu Metal launched last october. However, it doesn't look like the new design made it to the Meizu M3.
On the contrary, the Meizu M3 features the same design present on the Meizu M2 Note with the only difference being the smaller form factor.
We're not claiming it's an ugly design but once you go down the path of metal you feel a little bit cheated on when the company goes back to plastic.
An HD screen in 2016
In the middle of 2016 when Full HD and 2K screens are all the rage it should be forbidden to launch a phone with a lower resolution than that. Nonetheless, that's exactly what Meizu has done with the Meizu M3 which features a 5 inch HD display.
I don't know if I would categorize this as a Meizu M3 con since many users will be happy to ignore this but it's definitely not going into our list of pros, that's for sure.
Android 5.1 instead of Android 6.0
Perhaps even more disturbing than having an HD display is the fact that the Meizu M3 comes with Android 5.1 Lollipop even though it's set to launch in june of 2016. This is especially disturbing when you consider that Android 6.0 Marshmallow launched in october of last year, almost one year ago.
Of course it's worth noting that the Meizu M3 comes with a heavy dosage of customization thanks to Flyme 5.1 so you won't really notice that much of a difference from an Android 6.0 version which would still feature the same kind of customization.
No dedicated microSD card slot
It's becoming increasingly common for us to see phones that make us pick between having a dual sim phone or having a phone with upgradable storage. The Meizu M3 is one of these phones, forcing users to decide if they want to have a dual SIM phone or if they want to just use one SIM card and use the other slot to expand storage up to an additional 128 GB. Is it really that hard to add a dedicated microSD card slot?
Non removable battery
Rounding up our list of Meizu M3 cons is the non-removable battery, a classic at this point. Specifically, we've got a 2870mAh battery that should deliver about a day's worth of usage according to the set of specs placed on this phone.
However, as we all know, batteries start malfunctioning after the 6-8 month mark so it's always advisable to purchase a smartphone that allows you to manually remove the battery. This is very typical these days but it's still a drawback that could've been easily avoided, especially with the plastic body.
Meizu M3 Pros
A 5 inch display that delivers great ergonomics
Not everyone wants a phone that's bigger than their hand. It's true that the bigger the smartphone the better for media consumption but for those of us who want a smartphone to surf the web, answer messages and watch a video now and then a 5 inch screen is the perfect compromise. Sure, it's not exactly the best size for single-hand usage but it's still in the neighbourhood of "single hand usability" for some tasks.
And yes, I'm very much aware that I pointed out the lack of a Full HD display as one of the Meizu M3 cons but the truth is, some people simply don't care all that much about a screen being HD or Full HD, especially when it comes to a 5 inch phone.
Solid internals
It's true that the M3 doesn't boost high end internals but it does feature a good set of mid range specs. Such a set is spearheaded by an octa core MediaTek MTK6750 CPU working at 1.5 GHz and 2 or 3 GB of RAM depending on the variant you choose. To this point, if you opt for the 16 GB version you'll get 2 GB of RAM while if you go for the 32GB version you'll get 3 GB of RAM.
For obvious reasons we would encourage anyone to purchase the 3 GB option, not only because it would handle multitasking better but also because it will make the smartphone's hardware remain relevant not just this year but also throughout the next couple of years.
Long lasting battery life
While it's true that we're not fans of the non-removable battery, we have to give credit to Meizu for placing a strong battery pack. Specifically, we've got a 2870mAh battery which should be capable of delivering over a day of battery life. This isn't bad when you consider that most smartphones these days have a rough time remaining charged after 7-8 hours of modest usage.
Great connectivity options
Most people limit themselves to look at the obvious cons and pros. However, some pros can be more subtle than others. Such is the case of the connectivity options of the Meizu M3. Meizu's new mid range smartphone could've offered a basic connectivity set but it didn't. Instead we've got 4G network support, a/b/g/n dual band WiFi connectivity, Bluetooth 4.0 and even an infrared sensor.
It's also worth noting that if you choose to upgrade your storage you may do so with a 128GB microSD card. When most smartphones typically offer up to 32 GB of expandable storage 128 GB sounds pretty good.
An unbeatable price
Finally, the biggest pro of the Meizu M3 is its price point. Meizu's new flagship mid range phone is available at varying prices throughout the world but the phone rarely goes above the $150 for the base model. If you think that for that price you get a 5 inch octa core smartphone with 2/3GB of RAM, a 13 megapixel rear end camera and a long lasting battery life it doesn't seem to shabby.
Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?
We're just about ready to wrap up our take on the Meizu M3's pros and cons and it's pretty clear that the advantages go far beyond the disadvantages. Sure, it's not the best smartphone in the market, but at its relatively low price point it delivers a solid experience with a team of developers backing the company and a great set of internals. Should you buy it? Well that's up to you.