Simplified version Meizu smartphone M2 Note has a Mini prefix, but the language does not turn at all to call the 5-inch device a "baby".

Price quality

Meizu M2 Mini is one of the best models in terms of price-quality ratio. It is equipped with a productive, as for budget segment devices, MediaTek 6582 processor (4 cores at 1.3 GHz) and has 2 GB of RAM. In synthetic tests, this bundle gives good performance results (31000 points in AnTuTu). Paired with an HD-resolution display, the “stuffing” ensures smooth operation of the interface and no lags. Android 5.1 OS is covered with its own Flyme shell. Its main distinguishing feature is the absence of a menu as such - all shortcuts and applications are placed on desktops.

Control

Smartphone control is implemented through the touch interface, as well as the Home key and the input of various gestures. Many fall in love with the Home button from the first time - it is both mechanical (a strong press returns to the home desktop) and touch (a light touch allows you to go back one position). The sign language has a developed structure and allows you to perform a lot of manipulations with the touch of one finger.

Memory

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

A photo

The phone's camera lacks stars from the sky: in good light, the main 13-megapixel module with a maximum aperture of f / 2.2 produces a good picture, but as soon as you start taking pictures in low light conditions, the quality of the photo drops. The front module is equipped with a 5-megapixel sensor and has software "buns" to improve selfies.

Worthy

Ultimately, a smartphone from Meizu can offer a set of decent features for a moderate price. It will be the choice for those who are looking for a budget device that can cope with everyday tasks by 100%.

As you know, in January of this year, Meizu introduced its budget smartphone, which was called Meilan or simply M1. Outside of China, this smartphone has become known as or Meizu Blue Charm. This device turned out to be quite successful and was in great demand. However, market realities and high level competition among Chinese manufacturers forced Meizu to release a new model in the budget segment after only six months, which received the following serial number - Meilan 2 or M2.

The Meizu M2 smartphone, known to us as the Meizu M2 Mini, received 2 times more RAM and internal memory compared to its predecessor. Appearance and general design concept at the same time remained almost the same. The novelty received a polycarbonate body with rounded corners and edges and in several colors. But inside the changes affected not only the amount of RAM and built-in memory. The M2 Mini also received a new quad-core MT6735 processor, which, although inferior in power to the MT6732 processor used in the previous model, still operates at the highest possible frequency for this chip of 1.3 GHz, unlike many budget smartphones, where the frequency was lowered up to 1.0 GHz.

The manufacturer also equipped the M2 Mini with a slightly less capacious battery compared to its predecessor, and a branded mBack button appeared on the front panel of the device, like its older brother.

The announced price of Meizu M2 Mini was only 599 yuan, which corresponds to about $94. And although it is not realistic to purchase this smartphone for the indicated amount, the M2 Mini still could not leave us indifferent and not cause an acute desire to get 1 copy of this device for testing in our studio.

What can you expect from a budget smartphone for this amount and from one of the most major manufacturers in China, you'll find out by reading the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone review based on our testing. Traditionally, we will announce our conclusions at the end of this article. In the meantime, happy reading!

Equipment

The Meizu M2 Mini smartphone comes in a traditional light cardboard package, which is well known to us from the recently tested Meizu M2 Note smartphone in our studio. At the same time, the size of the box of the younger model turned out to be more compact.

On the lid of the box, we see 2 hieroglyphs and the number 2, which can be translated as Meilan 2, which is the second name of this model used in China. Of the useful, it is worth noting that on the back of the box are indicated the cellular network frequencies supported by this instance.

Under the cover of the package you will find a tray with several compartments. In the largest on the left is the smartphone itself, under which you will find a manual in Chinese and a cable in a special recess under it.

In the compartment at the bottom right you will find a charger with a current capacity of 1.2A and a connector for the Asian standard sockets, and in the upper right corner you will find a special master key for removing the SIM card tray. By tradition, this master key has a cutout in the form of a cloud, corresponding in shape to the logo of the company operating system flyme.

The delivery set of the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone does not include any additional accessories, which is typical for this manufacturer. Transport films are applied on both sides of the device.

Our copy of the device was additionally equipped with a protective film and a silicone bumper case, but we recall once again that they are not included in the standard package.

So, the scope of delivery of the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone looks like this:

• The smartphone itself.
• Charger with a current strength of 1.2A.
• Branded white USB cable.
• Manual/warranty card in Chinese.
• A paperclip to remove the SIM tray.

Let's move on to the appearance of the smartphone.

Appearance

The front panel of the device is made of Dragontrail tempered glass from AGC (Asahi Glass Co.). A similar glass is installed on the older model, Meizu M2 Note.

At the bottom of the front panel there is a proprietary mBack button, also already familiar to us from the M2 Note model.

And in the upper part of the front panel you will find a slot for the earpiece, an event indicator, light and proximity sensors, as well as a front camera window.

The body of the device is made of polycarbonate, the same as in the older model. The volume and power buttons are located on the right side of the case.

And on the left side face you will find a tray for two SIM-cards Nano format. Slot number 2 is combined and allows you to install a Micro-SD card instead of a SIM card.

Both slots support 4G networks, but by installing one such card in one of the slots, another card in the second slot will work only in the GSM network. There is only one radio module in the device, so when making a call from one of the SIM cards, the second one will not be available at that moment.

At the top of the Meizu M2 Mini, we found only a standard 3.5 mm audio jack for a headset or headphones.

Whereas on the bottom you will find 1 hole for a microphone, 4 holes for an external speaker and a Micro-USB port with OTG support between them.

At the top of the rear panel are the rear camera eye and a single-section LED flash. And at the bottom you will find the manufacturer's logo and an inscription indicating the country of manufacture.

The thickness of the Meizu M2 Mini case is 8.7 mm, like the older model. But in other measurements, the M2 Mini is more compact, as its display diagonal is 0.5 inches smaller.

Thanks to all this, as well as rounded edges, the body of the device is very comfortable to hold in your hand, as well as to use a smartphone with one hand.

By comparison, the M2 Mini is more compact than Doogee's Valencia 2 Y100 Pro and even more compact than its predecessor, the M1 Mini.

The assembly of the case of our Meizu M2 Mini instance turned out to be excellent. We did not find any squeaks or any backlashes in it, which is not expected from a budget device. The buttons and the SIM card tray do not dangle or rattle, and the ergonomics of the smartphone can be considered almost perfect. Finally, Meizu has placed the power and volume buttons on the right, where it is convenient to press them with the thumb of the right hand when necessary.

In general, in appearance, the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone can be considered a smaller copy of the M2 Note model, with the exception of the placement of buttons and the use of a single-section flash.

The dimensions of the Meizu M2 Mini case were 140.1 * 68.9 * 8.7 mm, and the weight was only 131 grams.

Display

Like the previous model, the M2 Mini has a 5.0-inch display. At the same time, the display resolution was 1280x720 pixels (294 ppi), while in the M1 Mini model it was non-standard and corresponded to 1280x768 pixels.

The manufacturer of the Meizu M2 Mini display is not known to us. It is made using GFF technology (glas-to-film-to-film full lamination) and is a sandwich of glass and two touch films, assembled without air gaps like OGS displays. The display has an anti-reflective coating that does its job well. However, the presence of an oleophobic coating is questionable, since the display collects fingerprints decently.

In the Multitouch test application, the Meizu M2 Mini display showed support for up to 10 simultaneous touches, which pleasantly surprised us, since this is practically not found in a budget device.

The viewing angles of the M2 Mini's display were good, although not the best. At some angles, the brightness is quite noticeably reduced, and the colors on the display take on a yellow tint. When viewed from a right angle, the color balance is slightly shifted to colder shades. The color rendition of the display is good, we did not reveal any serious distortions during the testing process.
Comparison of displays with Doogee Y100 Pro:

The margin of brightness of the M2 Mini screen is high, although it is somewhat inferior to the same indicator in the older model. The contrast level can also be considered high. Therefore, on a sunny day, you will not have problems with the readability of the display.

In general, we liked the display of the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone. Apparently, the manufacturer did not try to save on anything here, as a result of which we got one of the best displays among budget smartphones.

Let's get acquainted with the Meizu M2 Mini interface.

Interface and software platform

The Meizu M2 Mini smartphone is running an operating Android systems 5.1 Lollipop with Flyme 4.5 proprietary shell preinstalled. It is immediately worth noting the high response speed of the touchscreen and the very easy sliding of a finger on the glass. We did not find any lags or slowdowns in the interface in this device, and the smoothness of its operation is commendable.

Swiping down from the status bar will open a quick access menu to the main functions, where you can turn on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular data, activate silent mode and adjust the brightness of the display. Here you will also find the notification panel.

A single press of the mBack button will perform the "Back" function, and a long press will put the device into sleep mode or call the voice assistant.

Swiping up from the bottom of the desktop will open the recent panel running applications. And if you hold your finger on an empty spot on the desktop, then you will open the settings panel, with which you can add widgets, customize the wallpaper or the location of the icons.

Since during testing we used the version of the device with the Flyme 4.5.3.1U operating system, we did not find the Russian language for the menu in the settings. At the same time, the Russian keyboard is present in the smartphone.

Separately, we note the presence in the menu of the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone of various smart functions - unlocking with a double tap, activating various functions or applications using the corresponding finger pattern on the lock screen, and so on. There is also a SmartTouch function in the menu, which we examined in detail when testing the Meizu M2 Note smartphone. When this function is activated, a smart dot appears on the screen, a single click on which will perform the “Back” function, and with a double click on it you will close current application. If you swipe up from this point, you will go to the desktop, and swipe down to open the notification panel. In the same menu, you can assign an action for a long press on the mBack button.

In addition, in the M2 Mini menu you will find the option to set the power usage mode. Depending on the tasks at hand, you can select power-saving mode, balanced mode, or high performance mode.

In the screen settings, you can adjust the color balance by selecting a colder or warmer gamut with the slider. To transfer data between devices in the settings menu, you can select only Bluetooth.

The Meizu M2 Mini smartphone has an over-the-air firmware update function, although we did not use it, since the Russian language will not appear from this anyway. If you have the same firmware version, then you will have to install the firmware with the Russian language manually.

In Meizu smartphones purchased in China, the Russian language is present only in versions with firmware that has the letter “A” at the end, although it may disappear here when installing updates over the air. You can find more information about this on the Internet.
To install Google services in the app store from Meizu (AppCenter), enter "guge" in the search and install the desired application.

Benchmark performance testing

As we said above, the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone runs on a 64-bit Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system with a pre-installed proprietary Flyme version 4.5 shell. The device is powered by a 4-core 64-bit MT6735 processor with a core clock speed of up to 1.3 GHz.

This processor is inferior in performance to the MT6732 chip used in the M1 Mini, although the manufacturer can be credited for not following the path of many other companies that installed a weaker version of this chip with a clock frequency of 1.0 GHz in their budget devices ( MT6735P or MT6735M).

For the graphics in the M2 Mini, the 2-core video accelerator Mali-T720 MP2 with a clock frequency of 600 MHz is responsible. The amount of RAM in this smartphone is 2 GB, and built-in - 16 GB. At the same time, about 11.5 GB is available to the user. Also recall that the display diagonal in the Meizu M2 Mini is 5 inches, and the resolution is -720p.

In the test of the Antutu v5.7.1 program, the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone showed 25617 points, which once again proves the presence of the MT6735 processor in it. full version. Almost the same result was shown by the smartphone we tested earlier. Although both of them lost almost 20% to the previous budget smartphone from Meizu, the M1 Mini model.

In the 3DMark test with a display resolution of 720p, the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone scored 3098 points.

And when testing graphics in the Epic Citadel program, the device produced a result of 37.7 frames per second at the same resolution of 1280x720 pixels and ultra high settings. These results are also close to those of the Mlais MX Base smartphone with similar hardware.

Let's check the operation of the smartphone in practice in the game Asphalt 8. With the maximum graphics settings for HD resolution, the Meizu M2 Mini coped with this game without any problems. However, after 10 minutes of play, the pyrometer showed the case heating up to 56 degrees, which we classify as “above average”. Although we did not experience much discomfort for the hands with such heating of the case.

Of course, you should understand that using the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone for modern games will not be the best solution, although you can spend some time playing games with this device if you want. Also, M2 Mini, despite its budget focus, is able to perform almost any everyday task assigned to it.

Testing built-in sensors and GPS

Let's check how the situation is with the built-in sensors in the Meizu M1 Mini smartphone. The Sensor List program showed the presence on board this device of an accelerometer, a magnetic field sensor, a gyroscope, an orientation sensor, a gravity sensor, a linear acceleration sensor, a vector rotation sensor, as well as light and proximity sensors. All of the above sensors work.

As you can see, the equipment of sensors in the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone is quite consistent with the level of smartphones in more expensive segments, and this device can rightfully be considered one of the leaders in this segment in terms of this indicator.

Let's move on to the operation of GPS navigation in the Meizu M2Mini smartphone.

After a cold start and no Wi-Fi connection, the smartphone connected to the satellites almost instantly. The positioning accuracy was 7-10 meters. It is also worth noting that the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone sees GLONASS satellites and connects to them without any problems. We focus on this point because its older brother, the M2 Note model, did not find GLONASS satellites at all during our testing.

Thus, when using the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone as a GPS navigator, you will have absolutely no problems.

Camera testing

The Meizu M2 Mini smartphone has a 13 MP rear camera with a sensor from Samsung, perhaps even the same as in the older model M2 Note. The design of this camera uses 5 lenses and protective glass Gorilla Glass 3 outside. The aperture value of the camera lens is F/2.2. The flash for the rear camera has a single powerful LED with a warm glow tone.

As for the front camera, here the manufacturer also installed a 5 MP OV5670 PureCel sensor from OmniVision, as in the M2 Note and M1 Note models. The camera design uses 4 lenses, and the aperture value was F / 2.0.

The camera interface in the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone is already familiar to us from the M2 Note model. Here you will find manual and automatic shooting modes, beauty shooting mode, panorama shooting mode, QR code scanning mode and slow motion.

In manual mode, you can independently choose the shutter speed, white balance, ISO, set the aperture value, and so on. And the "Beauty" mode will allow you to get spectacular shots of portraits.

In the camera menu, you will also find the ability to overlay various effects - sepia, monochrome and others, as well as the ability to activate the HDR function, overlay the grid for a more correct orientation of objects in the frame, activate electronic image stabilization, and so on. Maximum size the photo is 13 megapixels, and the maximum video resolution is 1080p at 30 fps.

When shooting with the front camera, you can use several software settings to correct the shape and size of the eyes, the shape and tone of the face, and so on. We have already seen the same features, called FotoNation 2.0 and Face AE, in the Meizu M2 Note smartphone. Also, for shooting from the front camera, you can manually set the white balance and ISO.

The maximum resolution of pictures from the front camera is 5 megapixels (2576x1936 pixels), and the maximum resolution of video is Full HD.

As for the operation of the built-in cameras in the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone, smooth and accurate autofocus, as well as the correct determination of the white balance, should be separately noted here. Pictures are well-colored and detailed, especially when shooting objects at close range. In general, as for a budget device, the cameras in the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone shoot very decently, and we cannot find fault with anything here.

Night

Selfie

Battery test

According to the manufacturer, the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone has a 2500 mAh battery. AT this device the battery is non-removable, like the older model, as well as its predecessor.

In the AnTuTu Battery Test program, the smartphone scored almost 5 thousand points. With the help of a special USB tester, with which we check the real capacity of the batteries, we found that when charging the M2 Mini smartphone from 0 to 100%, the battery was charged at 2316 mAh.
Of course, we do not rule out measurement errors, but still, the difference compared to the declared capacity turned out to be unexpectedly large. Has Meizu really decided to follow in the footsteps of some Chinese manufacturers overestimating the capacity of batteries in their devices “on paper”? Or does this feature apply only to our particular instance? Most likely, the company simply lied with interest, since if you hold the smartphone on charge for about 40 minutes, the battery charges up to the declared figure.

We also tested the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone for autonomy when watching online videos on Youtube, where it lasted 5 hours and 39 minutes, which is a good result.

Thus, taking into account the weak processor and the low resolution of the display, the battery in the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone will last for at least 1 full day of use, and more economical users will charge this device once every two days. So, we have no complaints about the autonomy of this device.

Sound

Next, we will test the sound of the Meizu M2 Mini external speaker. We chose the most sonorous and expressive melody and listened to it ourselves. After that, we set the same melody when checking the volume level using a special device.

We can say that the external speaker of the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone does a good job. The sound from the speaker in this device is clear and has no distortion, although the maximum volume level is not the highest. Our words were confirmed by a special device, which recorded a maximum volume of about 92.5 dB. So, in this respect, the M2 Mini is nothing special.

To check the sound in the headphones, we downloaded a FLAC file to the smartphone's memory. Next, we listened to this audio file several times in Xiaomi Hi-Fi Mi headphones. And I must say, we were pleasantly surprised to find out how high-quality the sound of the melody turned out to be. Let's just say that in budget-class devices, the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone surpassed everyone in terms of sound quality in headphones. So, to enjoy listening to your favorite songs, this smartphone is definitely suitable.

For those who like to listen to the radio on the way to work, this device is not suitable, because, like many Meizu smartphones, there is no built-in FM receiver in the M2 Mini.

Well, we have already covered the main points, and now it's time to summarize our testing.

Results

Let's start with the advantages of the device:

1) An excellent combination of cost and equipment of the device. For the money (about $120) this is one of the best deals on the market.

2) High build quality of the device.

3) Sound in headphones. In this indicator, the M2 Mini will surpass many more expensive devices (or the P8000, and others).

4) The presence of a full version of the MT6735 processor.

To the advantages you can also add very good screen as for a budget smartphone, the presence of a convenient mBack button and solid built-in cameras.

Let's move on to the disadvantages:

1) The absence of the Russian language in the firmware, which disappears after the update even in those smartphones where it was previously present. What is it, the desire to force us to buy only official versions of smartphones with international firmware from local representatives of the company or an unfortunate omission - does not change the essence of the matter.

2) Lack of a separate slot for memory cards. Of course, now we have the option to install 2 SIM cards, unlike the M1 Mini. But putting the consumer in front of a choice - 1 memory card and 1 SIM card or 2 SIM cards and 11.5 GB of internal storage, is not entirely reasonable.

3) Weak sound from external speaker.

Despite some significant drawbacks, the main of which is the lack of the Russian language, the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone leaves us with only positive emotions. Of course, the absence of the Russian language will scare away many buyers, since paying extra for a device with an international firmware version from a local dealer will raise the final cost of this smartphone to a level that will allow you to buy a device with a larger diagonal or more powerful hardware in China. Let this device be from a less famous brand, but the Russian language will already be in it by default and will not disappear after updates. However, we hope that the manufacturer will change its policy, because competition in the market Chinese smartphones has now reached its peak. Otherwise, we expect devices with custom firmware versions to appear in many Chinese retailers in the very near future. And even if it will no longer be possible to use the “over the air” firmware update function, the Meizu M2 Mini smartphone is definitely worth it. After all, for just $120 you get a smartphone with an optimal screen size, high-quality display and excellent body assembly, balanced hardware and very pleasant sound in headphones. Believe me, this smartphone is able to give what no other budget smartphone will give - the pleasure of owning it.

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Video review

Characteristics

• Device type: smartphone.
• Available colors: white, gray, blue, pink.
• Case materials: plastic, glass.
• Operating system: Flyme 4.5 based on Android 5.1 Lollipop
• Networks (depending on phone versions*):

GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz (band 5/8/3/2);

TD-SCDMA: 1880-1920, 2010-2025 MHz;

UMTS: 900/1900/2100 MHz;

FDD LTE: 1800/2100/2600 MHz (band 3/1/7);

TDD-LTE 1900/2300/2500/2600 MHz (band 39/40/41/38)

• SIM cards: Dual Nano-SIM, Dual Standby
• Processor: MT6735, 64 bit, 1.3 GHz, 4 cores Cortex A53
• Video accelerator: Mali-T720 MP2, 600 MHz
• RAM: 2 GB LPDDR3 EMMC 5.0 (Samsung), 640 MHz
• Storage Memory: 16 GB, up to 128 GB Micro-SD card slot in SIM2 slot
• Interfaces: Micro-USB 2.0, dual band 2.4/5.0 GHz WiFi 802.11 (a/b/g/n), WiFi Hotspot, Bluetooth v4.0, OTA, OTG, 3.5mm audio
• Screen: IPS, 5.0"" HD (1280x720), GFF full lamination, 294 ppi, AGC Dragontrail glass
• Cameras: rear -13 MP (4160x3120), Samsung ISOCELL, f/2.2, 5 lenses + protective glass Gorilla Glass 3, autofocus, digital stabilization, LED flash (continuous shooting, digital zoom, geo-tagging, touch focus, recognition face, HDR, panorama, ISO selection, exposure compensation, white balance, timer, scene selection), video [email protected]; front - 5 MP (2576x1936), f/2.0, OmniVision OV5670, PureCel, 4 lenses, FotoNation 2.0
• Navigation: GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
• Battery: non-removable, SONY/ATL, 2500 mAh
• Dimensions: 140.1 x 68.9 x 8.7mm
• Weight: 131g

* - Smartphone Meizu M2 Mini in online stores can be found in 4 different versions:

1. International / official (Flyme OS 4.5.3 I, is supplied through official dealers outside of China, in Chinese online stores not available) - at the moment the only version that receives updates with the Russian language.

2. Universal / Public (M578, Flyme OS 4.5.3 A, for any operators within China - GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS2100 (B1), LTE2100 (B1), TD-SCDMA2000, LTE850 (B5), TD-SCDMA1900, LTE1800 (B3), LTE2600 (B7), LTE900 ( B8), LTE800 (B20), TD-LTE2600 (B38), TD-LTE2500 (B41), TD-LTE2300 (B40), TD-LTE1900 (B39)) is the most common and most suitable for our countries.

3. For China Unicom (M578U, Flyme OS 4.5.3 U - GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS2100 (B1), LTE2100 (B1), TD-SCDMA2000, TD-SCDMA1900, LTE1800 (B3), TD-LTE2600 (B38), TD-LTE2500 (B41), TD-LTE2300 (B40), TD-LTE1900 (B39)).

4. For China Telecom operator (M578C, Flyme OS 4.5.3 Q - GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, CDMA800 (BC0), LTE2100 (B1), LTE1800 (B3), TD-LTE2500 (B41) ) .

5. for China Mobile (M578M, Flyme OS 4.5.3 FROM- GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS2100 (B1), TD-SCDMA2000, TD-SCDMA1900, TD-LTE2600 (B38), TD-LTE2500 (B41), TD-LTE2300 (B40), TD-LTE1900 (B39)).

The Flyme OS 4.5.3A firmware version can be installed by sellers independently on any carrier version of the smartphone and is not a determining factor in identifying the device being sold. Supported frequency ranges should be checked with the seller.

Actually, it should be xiaomi review Redmi Note 2, but in the two days that I spent with it, I was so disappointed in it that there was no desire to finish the review. Because reviews are just a hobby and entertainment for me, then the smartphone was quickly sold at a good price for me and forgotten. And then there's iXBT canceled the previous contest, without really explaining what will happen to the reviews that participated in it. Of course, blogs cannot be promoted in this way, but the owner is a gentleman. Well, you can try to participate in a new competition.

Location determination

The device supports GPS and GLONASS. The fact that with the determination of the position in this device, everything is perfect, I understood back in the apartment, when the smartphone found several satellites and determined the location in the room. For a detailed check went outside. Rebooted the phone and ran the test programs.

2 seconds, and a bag of satellites spilled onto the screen. The signal is very strong, it sees GPS and GLONASS satellites. The error is 2 meters! The result is excellent.

For navigation programs, the smartphone contains a digital compass.

Telephone part and communications

The smartphone supports TD-LTE (1900/2300/2600 MHz), FDD LTE (1800/1900/2600 MHz), WCDMA/HSPA+ (850/900/1900/2100 MHz), GSM/GPRS/EDGE (900/1800 MHz) . Those. Our (Russian) main ranges of LTE B3 and B7 are supported. I checked two operators: MTS and Megfon. There were no problems with the work of 4G and 3G.

You can install two SIM cards, but, as is the case in most cases, there is only one radio module. Those. Both are in standby mode, and one is in operation. To work in 4G / 3G networks, you can assign any card in the settings, the other will automatically work in GSM.

I liked that the system immediately built-in the ability to record telephone conversations. You can record individual conversations or all at once.

The speaker has a good volume margin. Speech is heard clearly.

M2 has only one microphone. Surprisingly, this did not have a negative impact. The opposite caller heard me clearly and clearly, without echo and extraneous noise even when I was outside with a strong wind. But the lack of a second microphone had a great effect on video recording, but more on that later.

In the yard, 4G Internet from MTS worked well. Browsing, watching YouTube did not cause any problems.

The Wi-Fi module supports 802.11a/b/g/n (2.4/5.0 GHz). The speed indicators at 3 meters from the base station with line of sight are just excellent.

2.4GHz:

5 GHz:

I had a short-term shock when I went to the far corner of another room behind two reinforced concrete walls and measured the speed of a 2.4 GHz network. None of the devices that I have had and have even come close to giving out such a speed in this place:

With Bluetooth, everything is simple. I connected the Samsung HM1700 headset, it works.

Sound

Forgive the sinner, but I'm not an audiophile or a music lover. I cannot objectively evaluate the sound quality in the headphones.

In simple in-ear headphones from Sony, the sound seemed good to me. All frequencies are in place. I, as an ordinary consumer, enjoyed watching one episode of the series and listened to a couple of music tracks. I didn't have any dissatisfaction. The volume margin is good. With M2 you can transfer from the car to the subway, the volume is enough.

The external speaker is quite loud. He is alone. There is no barrel effect. There are no rattles or overloads. Even with a software volume boost of up to 200% in MX Player, no deterioration in sound is observed. Due to the fact that the speaker is located on the end, the volume does not decrease when the device is placed on the table.

The phone ringer is loud. You can hear it well in the bag. The power of the vibration motor is flawless.

Camera

So we got to the worst thing that this smartphone has. In words, everything is great: 13 MP Samsung CMOS, f / 2.2, 5-element optics.

I will write my opinion, and then look at the pictures and videos for yourself and draw a conclusion for yourself. Maybe your assessment of the beautiful is a little different. .

The camera program itself has an excellent and user-friendly interface. Even eat manual mode with all operating parameters. There is even manual focus. But the problem is with the quality. The full Camera API 2 (from Android 5) is not supported: there is no access to exposure control in third-party programs, RAW is not supported.

Very small dynamic range, low contrast, low but uniform sharpness. Obtrusive and strong software processing, even in good lighting, the noise reduction works tirelessly. For a budget smartphone good camera. But among all smartphones, the level is below average.

Everything is in order.

Night video shooting

artificial lighting. Tripod. The smartphone recorded 1080p video at an average frame rate of 16. The average bit rate is 9.5 Mbps. The quality is poor throughout. The camera is not suitable for video recording in poor lighting conditions. A lot of extra noise in the audio track. I then recorded the video in complete silence - it makes noise.

Day video shooting

Good lighting. Handheld shooting. The smartphone recorded 1080p video at an average frame rate of 30. The average bit rate is 17 Mbps. The quality is average - low sharpness, jerky change in exposure, software stabilization is not supported.

Main camera at night

AT automatic mode with hands, the smartphone decided to increase the shutter speed to 1/10 second. Shumodav shredded everything into cabbage.

Main camera at night (tripod)

The camera has a manual mode. We put on a tripod. We set ISO 100, shutter speed - 2 seconds. Already good. But even here, software processing does not get tired of working.

Main camera during the day

Handles macro. All images have the same problems: very small dynamic range, low contrast, low sharpness across the entire field, too pronounced software processing.

Main indoor camera

Front-camera

According to MEIZU, front-camera uses some kind of FotoNation 2.0 processing and something to improve the exposure of the face. It would be better if they didn't write it at all. The software determines the area of ​​the face and starts automatically retouching and soaping it so that nothing human remains there. The second photo is indoors with artificial lighting.

This is the end of the camera. Join the fight in the comments.

Video playback

I understand correctly that you want to ask: “What can such a state employee do?”. You do not want? Then I will ask and answer myself. Here is a real media combine. It can play literally everything... that is required from a smartphone.

For the test, 2 files were used:

• MKV container, 1080p24 H.264 video (8bit, 11Mbps), AC-3 audio, DTS audio.
• MKV container, 1080p24 HEVC/H.265 video (8bit, 8Mbps), AAC audio

The test used a regular video player and the most popular MX Player.

The only downside is that there is no MHL support.

Internal storage, work with microSD cards and flash drives via USB OTG

In a fresh system, 11 GB of internal storage is free.

The OS supports the exFAT file system, i.e. you can safely use cards up to 128 GB. For the test, I will use a fast A-Data Premier 32Gb UHS-I card. The real linear read speed via USB 3.0 card reader is 45 MB/s, the linear write speed is 18 MB/s.

Let's see the internal speed of working with ROM and microSD. Although this information is not of practical use, you need to know it for the next step.

For ROM, the speed is normal for modern smartphones. But the microSD read speed let us down. Maybe some restrictions in the controller have a budget SoC, or maybe a software reason.

Now let's check what is really important in practice - the speed of writing files to a device from a computer and from a device to a computer. Devices are mounted in the system using the MTP protocol.

A 3 GB file is written from the computer to the internal memory in 4 minutes 21 seconds, i.e. 11 MB/s. very slow for modern device. But with a reading speed (copying from a device to a computer) it is much better - 29.5 MB / s, almost at the limit of USB 2.0.

A 2 GB file is written from a computer to a microSD card in 2 minutes 50 seconds, i.e. 13 MB/s. Reading speed - 26 MB / s. Reading is at the limit of the internal speed, and writing does not reach the internal speed.

Using USB OTG, you can connect flash drives to the device. I was surprised when I plugged in a flash drive with file system NTFS. Smartphone accepted it with pleasure. Access was read and write. In the file manager, I could freely delete files from the USB flash drive and write something to it. Nice informal surprise.

Performance

The heart of the smartphone is a budget SoC from MediaTek MT6735. It contains 4 Cortex-A53 cores that run at 1.3GHz. The ARM Mali-T720 controller is responsible for the graphics part. The smartphone has 2 GB of RAM. In the smartphone settings, you can choose one of three performance modes. All tests were run in maximum performance mode. The results of other smartphones are taken from the iXBT website, they are obtained in the default mode (they may be underestimated due to a lower performance mode).

AnTuTu and Geekbench 3

	MEIZU M2 (MediaTek MT6735)	Xiaomi Redmi 2 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 410)	MEIZU M2 (MediaTek MT6753)
AnTuTu v5.7.1	27047	20899	30332
Geeckbench 3	616/1714	483/1466	563/2627

3DMark and GFXBench

Charger

The kit comes with a charger with a maximum current of 1.2A.

This immediately alerted, the device consumes low current. I put the original charger back in the box. Charging was performed using a high-quality Tronsmart TS-UC5PC charger. M2 was connected with a quality micro-USB cable, which is guaranteed to be able to use current with a power of 2.5A. Charging used a port with a maximum current of 2.4A and closed the Data contacts through the “strapping” (Tronsmart calls this VoltIQ, but for most devices it is enough that they are simply closed).

M2 does not support accelerated charging in any form. The maximum current strength was 0.9A. In 30 minutes, the device was charged up to 21%. Up to 43% in 1 hour. 2 hours 20 minutes to 100%. If the full charge time is quite normal, then 21% in the first 30 minutes is too short for a modern smartphone.

Battery life

In general, the smartphone is quietly enough for a day of use. An hour of video, browsing, using the camera, calls, messages. By the evening I had 30% of the charge left.

For testing time battery life the default performance mode (balanced) was used.

Video playback

All radios are disabled. Brightness by 50%. Playing a 1080p24 H.264 file. A full charge was enough for 9 o'clock continuous playback.

3D games

For testing I will use new feature in GFXBenchmark. The T-Rex test is launched for 30 minutes, the program analyzes how the battery is consumed, and then gives the predicted operating time with such a load and with such consumption.

278 minutes. Those. for games, a full charge of a smartphone is enough for approximately 4 hours 30 minutes. This is a good result. The graph shows that the battery was discharged evenly. During the test, the heating of the smartphone was small. GFXBenchmark showed 35 ºC. There was no throttling during the test.

Conclusion

This is a great budget smartphone. The main complaint is only the camera. For $120, you probably won't find anything better. If your schoolchild has an old or budget smartphone, then it's time to give him MEIZU M2.

Meizu M2 Mini is a smartphone from a not yet very well-known brand. It is worth saying that the device left behind only positive impressions. And we will start, as usual, with the filling. So, the smartphone processor has 4 cores of 1300 MHz each, except for this, RAM 2 GB capacity makes it possible to run the most demanding applications and most modern games. In addition, Meizu M2 Mini has pretty good cameras. In terms of build quality, this case the device was also able to prove itself only on the good side - nothing creaks and does not fall off. Together with a well-thought-out shell, a pleasant appearance and a high-quality matrix, the device hints at a more detailed and long-term acquaintance, therefore, we will recommend it to a large circle of users with various tasks regarding the use of the device

Features and price

OS - Android 5.1;

Screen - 5 inches;

Extension -1280*720;

Camera - 13 MP;

Front - 5 MP;

Processor - MediaTekMT6735/1300 MHz 4 cores;

Built-in memory - 16 GB;

Battery - 2500 units;

The price is about $130;

Reviews

- The smartphone fits perfectly in the hand;

- Modern appearance;

- Relatively good hardware, especially considering the cost of the device;

— High-quality communication;

- A good shell from the manufacturer;

- Convenient button - sensor;

- Meizu M2 Mini has a fairly high-quality matrix, with good color reproduction;

— High-quality assembly;

- Support for two SIM cards, which can undoubtedly be considered a plus;

- Just a huge amount of positive feedback on the Internet and on specialized forums;

- Fits perfectly in the hand;

- The sound quality is quite acceptable, but the stars will not be removed from the sky;

- Getting root rights without dancing with tambourines;

- A small amount of pre-installed software that does not take up much space;

- High-quality cameras, both main and front;

- As many as three different power saving modes;

- It is almost impossible to scratch both the screen and the camera;

- No menu;

- Expensive branded accessories from the manufacturer, moreover, their choice is small;

- After 10 percent, the battery starts to sit down very quickly;

- Concerning herself battery, then it is quite suitable;

— Expensive spare parts for this smartphone model;

- An excellent touchscreen that will respond to any of your touches;

— The case collects fingerprints;

Conclusion

Pros:

• quality matrix. The color reproduction is really at a high level;
• Powerful iron at the declared cost;
• Ease of use. A large number of solutions that make it possible to use a smartphone much more conveniently;

In contact with

Chinese manufacturers are confidently increasing their presence in the global smartphone market. More and more strong models that are in demand among buyers appear not only in the budget, but also in the middle price segment.

Meizu M2 Mini can be called a bright representative of such "middle peasants", which is able to compete with the "flagships". The review of the device that we did for this article will show what capabilities this phone has and what you should expect from it in practice. We will also consider reviews about the model and characteristics of those who managed to work with this device.

Positioning

By the name of the model, we can say that it is defined by the developer as a simplified, more affordable version of the "main" device - the Meizu M2 Note smartphone. Mini (which we will review) has a somewhat reduced functionality, due to which it is offered cheaper. However, considering this phone, one should not confuse it with the "wretched" Chinese models, which have the simplest and "slowed down" processor, a small faded screen and a weak battery. No, this time the developers approached the cheaper smartphone more responsibly, choosing the best components for the money paid by the buyer.

Unfortunately, on domestic market smartphone is not so affordable. Its cost is 13 thousand rubles - and this price characterizes, rather, the middle segment of phones. However, when we were preparing the review, we noticed that the phone works quite smoothly and, judging by its functions, the investment pays off completely. Thus, even its not the most budgetary cost, it justifies.

Appearance

It's no secret that Chinese manufacturers often turn their attention to how the products of the most advanced companies, such as Apple or Samsung, are arranged. In this sense, the M2 Mini, which we have reviewed, does not stand out from a number of these devices. Even a cursory glance at the image of the device, you can definitely say that it resembles Apple iPhone 6. If you take a smartphone in your hand, then the sensations are somewhat similar due to both similar dimensions and the same weight of the models.

Separate elements of the smartphone case were clearly borrowed from the "apple" company. For example, the arrangement of the frame around the perimeter of the phone, the appearance of the Home key (except for the fact that it is more elongated), the layout of materials on the Meizu M2 Mini. The review clearly demonstrates that the smartphone is implemented in the same style, which is, in fact, a win-win for many developers from China.

And this is confirmed not only by our personal experience with the phone, but also by the reviews provided. Due to its dimensions, the model lies very comfortably in the hand, looks solid, pleasant to the touch.

The design of the phone itself is non-separable, which significantly increases its strength. The back cover is plastic, while the base of the device is made of metal. Lids, by the way, can be changed at the discretion of the user - in total, the manufacturer has 4 pieces in their assortment: gray, pink, blue and white.

Navigation elements

The described smartphone also has some features due to the placement of functional holes and navigation elements. In particular, as you can see in the presented photos, the Meizu M2 Mini, which we are reviewing, has a large oval "Home" key. It is very similar to the touch button for scanning the fingerprint that the iPhone has. I would also like to mention the “rocker” for adjusting the sound, located on the side face, and the display lock release button, installed a little higher.

From the functional openings on the M2, there is a speaker located at the bottom of the phone case, as well as a port for connecting charger. There is a headphone jack (3.5mm jack) on the top of the phone. The back cover of the smartphone also has holes for the camera and flash.

Screen

The display size of the phone reaches 5 inches. This is considered to be the best indicator, taking into account the needs of modern users and the capabilities that phones of this class have. The screen resolution is 1280 x 720 pixels, which allows us to talk about the average density - about 296 dpi. Graininess in everyday work is not observed, although, if you want, you can still detect pixels in some places.

The display glass is also protected (we are talking about AGC Dragontrail technology) and covered with a special oleophobic layer. Due to this, it is pleasant to work with him (because of the ease of sliding) and safely. As practical tests have shown, even after prolonged use of the device in moderate mode, not a single scratch appeared on the glass. Although we would still recommend purchasing a case for your Meizu M2 Mini, especially since their range is very wide on any Chinese portal! We will not talk about films, various additional coatings - this is already an obvious opportunity to “tune” your device and further secure it for the future.

Battery

A review dedicated to the Meizu M2 Mini model, customer reviews, as well as technical specifications of the device contain a lot of information about the behavior of the battery. This is not surprising, because the "endurance" of the battery directly determines the comfort of using the device. Accordingly, you will be an order of magnitude more satisfied with your smartphone if it shows excellent autonomy.

The model we describe has a 2500 mAh battery. She, as it turned out, is not removable. Its volume is large enough to provide the model with 12-13 hours of talks. Thus, in economy mode, the phone will last 3-4 days without additional charging!

An important role in the energy consumption of a smartphone is played by software optimization. So, as the review dedicated to Meizu M2 Mini 16Gb showed, the smartphone has the ability to switch to one of three power modes, which are called "Energy Saving", "Balanced" and "Productive". By switching between them, you can further significantly reduce battery drain and extend the life of your smartphone.

CPU

The phone is set relatively new processor, which was introduced to the world just this year. We are talking about - the quad-core "heart" of the device, issuing up to 1.5 GHz clock frequency for each of the cores. GPU here is the Mali T-720, which supports OpenGL ES and Open CL.

According to reviews, the smartphone has some difficulties with playing games (especially on higher requirements). As far as day-to-day work is concerned, simply doing the basics makes everything run smoothly and smoothly.

Of course, a smartphone can be called a budget one, so you should not count on “miracles of performance” here. However, there are no particular difficulties here.

Connection

The main features (communication) in the device are no different from what is present in the mass of other phones of this class. In particular, this is the presence of a GSM module, support for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, the ability to work with GSP. Among the systems that support navigation on this smartphone, GLONASS can also be attributed.

The positive point of Meizu M2 Mini (the firmware installed on the device does not play a role) is the ability to work with LTE. Moreover, in the settings menu, the user can independently choose in which mode this or that SIM card will be available.

But NFC is not observed here, so you will have to forget about other “remote things”.

Camera

On the smartphone, as it has become established, two cameras are installed - the main one, the resolution of the matrix of which is 13 megapixels and the front one (5 megapixels). Of course, these specifications may be “inflated” by the Chinese manufacturer in order to attract more buyers of the Meizu M2 Mini. An overview of the camera is what can help you understand what the device actually is.

If you believe the reviews, then the quality of the shooting can be called good. Both cameras maintain color balance at a decent level, convey saturation, and maintain image sharpness. The only remark can be made, perhaps, regarding the cut off viewing angles. They are indeed narrower than you see on many other phones.

The software part of the photo and video camera is also on top here - the device has a wide range of settings that can significantly change the quality of the resulting image. For example, here you can adjust the shutter speed, ISO options, and more.

Operating system

Base work for Meizu M2 Mini ( detailed overview which we are conducting) is the version of Android 5.1 (current at the time of the release of the device). It is possible that now the device is adapted to work with the "six", which appeared relatively recently.

True, fans of the interface of this system should immediately be warned: there is almost nothing left of it “native” on the device. The model is preinstalled with a shell developed by the manufacturer. It is called Flyme and, to be honest, everyone's attitude towards it can be purely individual. A feature of this version is, for example, the absence of the system keys familiar to us all at the bottom of the screen. Instead, there are three shortcut buttons; and you can return to the main or back by various combinations of pressing the “Home” button.