The Meizu M5 review is a budget employee that you don't want to let go of. Smartphone Meizu M5S - a stylish budget employee

The most affordable model in the family

Historically, the situation is such that in the Russian market, the maximum sales are for smartphones of the lower price range (costing less than 10 thousand rubles), in which Meizu products were not presented until recently. The company decided to rectify the situation and released a really budget device M5c. At the very beginning of the summer, the manufacturer announced the start of sales in Russia of this most affordable of its products - a smartphone priced at 8,990 rubles, a detailed review of which we present today.

Main characteristics of Meizu M5c (Model M710H)

• SoC MediaTek MT6737, 4 cores ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1.25 GHz
• GPU Mali-T720
• Operating system Android 6.0
• 5 ″ IPS touchscreen display, 1280 × 720, 293 ppi
• Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB, internal memory 16 GB
• Nano-SIM support (2 pcs.)
• MicroSD support up to 128GB
• GSM / GPRS / EDGE networks (900/1800/1900 MHz)
• WCDMA / HSPA + networks (900/1900/2100 MHz)
• LTE Cat.4 FDD (B1 / 3/5/7/8/20), TD (B38 / 40) networks
• Wi-Fi 802.11b / g / n (2.4 GHz)
• Bluetooth 4.1 BLE
• GPS, A-GPS
• Micro-USB, USB OTG
• Main camera 8 MP, f / 2.0, autofocus, video 1080p
• Front camera 5 MP, f / 2.2, fixed. focus
• Proximity sensor, lighting, magnetic field, gyroscope
• Battery 3000 mAh
• Dimensions 144 x 71 x 8.3 mm
• Weight 135 g

Contents of delivery

Meizu M5c comes in a very small cardboard box, stylishly and laconically designed, without multicolor and clumsy. There are several compartments inside, separated by a partition.

The kit consists of a USB cable of a rather thick cross-section, as well as a power adapter with an output current of 1.5 A and a maximum voltage of 5 V. The key for removing the cards is attached to a cardboard folder with paper documentation in Russian.

Appearance and usability

Meizu M5c looks better than most of its counterparts in the lower price range. This is the case when the manufacturer does not simplify the design by changing only the materials. The device is very similar to its older brothers in the line, only its body is made not of metal, but of plastic. Some Meizu smartphones have received a similar version of the case before: for example, Meizu M2.

The design is simple and laconic, the one-piece plastic body with a flat back surface and rounded sides looks pretty and at the same time strict. Plus, it clearly looks more expensive than it is, especially in matte black.

The five-inch device can be called medium-sized by modern standards, it lies well in the hand, fits comfortably in any pocket, and due to the matte surfaces and a small mass it practically does not slip out of the hands. Nevertheless, one cannot say that prints are not visible at all on matte plastic, this is not the case. Remain on the plastic and stains from contact with the palms, the same can be said about the front glass. The smartphone will have to be wiped from time to time to make it look presentable.

M5c differs from its older relatives by the absence of some elements. Here, for example, there is no fingerprint scanner, there is no second microphone for the operation of the noise reduction system. Two rows of holes are cut at the bottom end, although there is, of course, only one speaker here. The universal Micro-USB connector located in the middle of this end supports connecting external devices in USB OTG mode, but this works, for some reason, not with all flash drives.

The top end contains only a 3.5 mm audio output for headphones; there is no additional microphone for the noise canceling system.

SIM cards are inserted into the side hybrid slot. It accepts either two Nano-SIM cards, or one Nano-SIM and one microSD memory card. It is curious that the device does not immediately detect the memory card, there is no hot swap, you need to reboot the smartphone.

Hardware mechanical buttons are installed on the other side. The keys are large, harsh, the response is clear, and are easy to touch.

The front panel is covered with a flat protective glass, there is no 2.5D effect here. Above the screen, sensors and a front camera peephole are habitually installed without its own flash. There is also an LED event indicator that shines with a soft milky light.

Under the screen, as standard for Meizu, there is one oval-shaped hardware key. True, it does not include a fingerprint scanner, like many modern models, including Meizu devices. But the button still contains a touch pad, with which you can use gestures to perform functions that are usually assigned to two adjacent buttons, which Meizu smartphones traditionally do not have: touching the button performs the action "Back", pressing - "Home", with a long hold you can extinguish screen.

On the back there is a camera module with a dual flash, nothing else on the back of the Meizu M5c.

At the time of the start of sales, only a version of the smartphone in a black matte case was available. A little later, red, blue, pink and gold variants should also appear on sale.

Screen

Meizu M5c is equipped with an IPS display with physical dimensions of 62 × 110 mm with a diagonal of 5 inches. The resolution is 1280 × 720, the dot density is about 293 ppi. The frame around the screen is about 4 mm wide at the sides, 15 mm at the top and bottom.

The brightness of the display can be manually adjusted or set to automatic settings based on the operation of the ambient light sensor. The AnTuTu test diagnoses support for 10 simultaneous multitouch touches.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the "Monitors" and "Projectors and TV" sections Alexey Kudryavtsev... Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the test sample.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are about the same as the screen of Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the turned off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - Meizu M5c, then they can be distinguished by their size):

The screen of the Meizu M5c is slightly lighter (the brightness according to the photos is 119 versus 113 for the Nexus 7). The doubling of reflected objects in the Meizu M5c screen is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen (more specifically, between the outer glass and the surface of the LCD matrix) (OGS type screen - One Glass Solution). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (such as glass / air) with greatly different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of intense ambient light, but their repair in the case of cracked outer glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be changed. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (better than Nexus 7 in terms of efficiency), so fingerprints are much easier to remove, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of ordinary glass.

With manual brightness control and when displaying a white field full screen the maximum brightness value was about 390 cd / m², the minimum - 4 cd / m². The maximum brightness is not high, but given the good anti-glare properties, even on a sunny day outdoors, you will be able to make out something on the screen. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable value. In the presence of automatic brightness control by the light sensor (it is located to the right of the front speaker slot). In automatic mode, when the ambient light conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. This function depends on the position of the brightness adjustment slider. If it is 100%, then in complete darkness, the auto brightness function reduces the brightness to 13 cd / m2 (normal), in an office lit with artificial light (about 550 lx) sets to 190 cd / m2 (suitable), in a very bright environment (corresponds illumination on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) the brightness rises to 390 cd / m² (to the maximum - this is what you need); if the adjustment is about 50%, then the values ​​are as follows: 4, 130 and 390 cd / m² (the first value is underestimated), the regulator by 0% - 4, 25 and 390 cd / m² (already the first two values ​​are underestimated, which is logical). It turns out that the automatic brightness control function works adequately and to some extent allows the user to customize his work for individual requirements. At any brightness level, there is no significant backlight modulation, so there is no screen flickering either.

This smartphone uses an IPS-type matrix. The micrographs show the typical IPS subpixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of photomicrographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screen has good viewing angles without a significant color shift even with large gaze deviations from the perpendicular to the screen and without inverting (except for the darkest when deviating along one diagonal) shades. For comparison, we present photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of Meizu M5c and Nexus 7, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to about 200 cd / m², and the color balance on the camera was forcibly switched to 6500 K.

White field perpendicular to screens:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field.

And the test picture:

The colors on the Meizu M5c's screen have natural saturation, the color balance between the Nexus 7 and the tested screen is noticeably different.

Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much for both screens, the contrast has decreased, but also not very much.

And white box:

The brightness at an angle of the screens has decreased (at least 5 times, based on the difference in exposure), but the Meizu M5c has a slightly lighter screen. When deviated diagonally, the black field does not lighten very much and acquires a purple or reddish tint. The photos below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is the same!):

And from a different angle:

When viewed from a perpendicular view, the uniformity of the black field is poor:

Contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is normal - about 800: 1. The response time for the transition black-white-black is 29 ms (16 ms on + 13 ms off). The transition between gray tones of 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) and back takes 43 ms in total. The gamma curve, plotted using 32 points at equal intervals in terms of the numerical value of the shade of gray, did not reveal a blockage in either the highlights or the shadows. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.49, which is higher than the standard value of 2.2. In this case, the real gamma curve strongly deviates from the power dependence:

This device has an aggressive dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness in accordance with the nature of the displayed image - the brightness of the backlight decreases in dark images in the middle. As a result, the obtained dependence of brightness on the hue (gamma curve) does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential display of shades of gray on almost the entire screen. For this reason, a number of tests - determining the contrast and response time, comparing black illumination at angles - we carried out (however, as always) when displaying special templates with a constant average brightness, and not monochromatic fields across the entire screen. In general, such a non-switchable brightness correction does nothing but harm, since a constant change in the brightness of the screen can at least cause some discomfort, reduce the visibility of gradations in the shadows in the case of dark images and the readability of the screen in bright light, since the brightness of the backlight is not the brightest in the average image is underestimated, and its already not an excess.

The color gamut is close to sRGB:

The spectra show that the matrix filters mix the components together to a moderate extent:

As a result, colors have natural saturation and hue. The balance of shades on a gray scale is medium, since the color temperature is much higher than the standard 6500 K, but the deviation from the spectrum of the absolute black body (ΔE) is below 10, which is considered an acceptable indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, the color temperature and ΔE vary little from shade to shade - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of the color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since the color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

This device has the ability to correct the color balance by adjusting the hue.

However, after correction, the white point hardly changes, and the color temperature and ΔE change very much. It looks disgusting, so it makes no sense to perform the correction.

To summarize: the screen has a low maximum brightness, but it has good anti-reflective properties, so the device can somehow be used outdoors even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable level. It is also acceptable to use the mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works adequately. The advantages of the screen include an effective oleophobic coating, no air gap in the layers of the screen and no flicker, as well as sRGB color gamut. Among the significant drawbacks, we attribute the poor uniformity of the black field, as well as the non-switchable dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness. Taking into account the importance of characteristics for this particular class of devices, the screen quality can be considered relatively high.

Camera

The front module of the Meizu M5c received a 5-megapixel sensor and a four-component lens with an f / 2.2 aperture, with a fixed focus and without its own flash. Naturally, there is a portrait decoration mode with several levels of adjustment, and there is also a manual mode with adjustments to light sensitivity, white balance, contrast, saturation, exposure compensation. With all this, the selfie camera shoots rather weakly: there are areas of blur even in the central part of the frame, the detail is generally low, which is why the image is friable. The dynamic range is narrow, so there are overexposures and underexposed areas in one shot.

The main camera uses a module with an 8-megapixel sensor, a four-element lens with an aperture of f / 2.0, there is a quite nimble phase detection autofocus and a dual, but not very bright flash. There is no stabilization system.

As usual, in the settings there is a manual mode for controlling the camera settings. If you turn it on, a setting slider appears, the same as for a selfie camera, with variable values ​​for light sensitivity (up to ISO 1600), exposure compensation, saturation and contrast, as well as white balance. There are few additional modes: a QR code scanner, panorama, animated GIF, there is HDR.

The camera can shoot video in a maximum resolution of only 720p, not only 4K video is not supported, but also Full HD. There is no stabilization function, a slight tremor of the hands is noticeable even in static shooting, but to say nothing of movement. The picture itself is juicy, bright, but there is no need to expect high details at this resolution. There are no complaints about sound recording, the sound is of high quality, without noticeable distortions, but apparently there is no noise reduction system here.

• Movie number 1
• Movie # 2 (18 MB, 1280 × [email protected] fps, H.264, AAC)

The camera can be called good. Despite the fact that unprocessed noises are visible in some places, details are not lost even in the distant shots, although there they are "tightened" programmatically. Sharpness is well maintained across the frame. As a result, the camera can be safely recommended for documentary photography.

Telephone part and communications

The communication capabilities of Meizu M5c include support for LTE Cat.4 (up to 150 Mbit / s), a number of LTE FDD and TDD frequency bands are supported, including all 3 FDD LTE bands of interest to us (band 3, 7, 20). In the city limits of the Moscow region the device behaves confidently, the signal reception quality raises no objections.

At the same time, only one Wi-Fi range (2.4 GHz) is supported, there is no NFC. You can standardly organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth 4.1 channels. The USB Type-C connector supports connecting external devices in USB OTG mode. The navigation module only works with GPS (with A-GPS). The first satellites during a cold start are detected within the first tens of seconds, the positioning accuracy is not bad. There is a built-in magnetic field sensor.

The phone app supports Smart Dial. In the contacts section, there are many settings for importing and grouping, but there are no settings for displaying a contact (last name, first name, other data) for an incoming call.

Software and multimedia

Google Android version 6.0 with Flyme OS proprietary shell is used as a software platform. The interface is nice, in the new version it looks even better, all interface and application icons have been redrawn, new animation options have appeared, and design themes have been added.

But, unfortunately, the time of maximum laconism in Flyme OS has passed irrevocably. Now it will no longer be possible to say that the new Meizu smartphone does not have a lot of garbage preinstalled programs. With the advent of the Hot Apps section, they are installed by default, there are many of them, there is even a separate folder with demo games that you need to buy for full use. Sberbank and Yandex applications have appeared, and you will not be able to refuse from their initial download - you can only delete it all one by one, then manually. At the same time, Google applications (gapps), including the Play Store, will have to be installed manually - initially, Meizu smartphones no longer have them. An alternative keyboard TouchPal is preinstalled, which has a lot of additional features.

To listen to music, we use our own proprietary audio player with the usual set of settings in the form of preset equalizer values, which can only be used with connected headphones. Both in headphones and through the loudspeaker the device sounds average: the sound is clear, without impurities, the volume margin is not excessive, high frequencies prevail. There is no FM radio in the smartphone. The microphone demonstrates satisfactory sensitivity, the voice recorder is quite suitable for recording lectures.

Performance

The Meizu M5c hardware platform is based on the MediaTek MT6737 SoC, made according to the 28 nm process technology. The 64-bit platform configuration includes 4 Cortex-A53 processor cores operating at frequencies up to 1.25 GHz. The Mali-T720 video accelerator is responsible for graphics processing. RAM is 2 GB and user storage is 16 GB. Of these, in reality, less than 1 GB of RAM is free and only about 10.7 of ROM. There is a possibility of expanding memory by installing a microSD card, but you cannot install applications on it. It is also possible to connect external flash drives in USB OTG mode.

MediaTek MT6737 is one of the simplest in terms of capabilities of modern platforms for entry-level mobile devices, it is focused on the ultra-budget class of devices. You should not expect high performance indicators from such a platform, the hero of the review demonstrates only about 29K points in AnTuTu. The hardware capabilities of the review hero are minimal, the smartphone shows a low level in all tests. Here, not only demanding games and graphical tests, such as Mortal Kombat X and Epic Citadel, slow down noticeably, but sometimes delays are noticeable even when flipping through desktops and opening applications. Such a device certainly does not have a reserve for the future.

Benchmarking AnTuTu and GeekBench:

All the results obtained by us when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks, we have summarized in tables for convenience. Several other devices from different segments are usually added to the table, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry numbers). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison, it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, therefore, many worthy and relevant models remain behind the scenes - due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.

Testing the graphics subsystem in gaming tests 3DMark, GFXBenchmark and Bonsai Benchmark:

When testing in 3DMark for the highest performing smartphones, it is now possible to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).

Browser cross-platform tests:

As for benchmarks for evaluating the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowances for the fact that the results in them significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so that the comparison can be truly correct only on the same OS and browsers, and this possibility is available when testing not always. In the case of Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

AndroBench memory speed test results:

Heat images

Below is a thermal image back surface obtained after 10 minutes of running the battery test in the GFXBenchmark program:

Heating is more localized in the upper part of the device, which, apparently, corresponds to the location of the SoC. According to the heat chamber, the maximum heating was 38 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees), which is not very much.

Video playback

To test the "omnivorous" video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats that make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. Note that it is important for mobile devices to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is often impossible to process modern versions using processor cores alone. Also, do not expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are tabulated.

Further video playback testing was done by Alexey Kudryavtsev.

We did not find the MHL interface, like Mobility DisplayPort, in this smartphone, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see "Testing techniques for video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)"). Screenshots with an exposure of 1 s helped to determine the nature of the frame output of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p) and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels) and the frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps). In our tests, we used the MX Player video player in the "Hardware" mode. The test results are summarized in the table:

Note: If both columns Uniformity and Skips green ratings are set, this means that, most likely, when watching movies, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and skipping of frames will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems with the playback of the respective files.

According to the criterion for outputting frames, the quality of video playback on the screen of the smartphone itself is good, since in most cases frames (or groups of frames) can (but are not required) to be displayed with a more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without frame drops. The refresh rate of the screen is 58 Hz, so in the case of files with 60 fps, at least two frames per second are skipped, but sometimes more, and several in a row. When playing video files with a resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels (720p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the edge of the screen, one to one pixel by pixel, that is, in the original resolution. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235: in shadows and highlights, only about a couple of shades merge with black and white, respectively.

Battery life

The non-removable battery installed in the Meizu M5c has a capacity of 3000 mAh. With such a battery, the hero of the review demonstrates modest but satisfactory autonomy results. In real operating scenarios, the charge is enough for half a day or a day, depending on the load, but you should not count on more for sure.

The tests were traditionally carried out at the usual level of power consumption without using power saving functions, although these, of course, are provided in the device.

Continuous reading in the Moon + Reader program (with a standard, light theme) at the minimum comfortable brightness level (the brightness was set to 100 cd / m2) with auto scrolling lasted about 14 hours until the battery was fully discharged, and with continuous high quality video viewing (720p) with the same brightness level via a Wi-Fi network, the device operates for about 9 hours. In 3D games mode, the smartphone can work up to 5.5 hours.

From a standard power adapter with a maximum output current of 1.5 A, the smartphone is charged for 3 hours with a current of 1.28 A at a voltage of 5 V. The smartphone does not support wireless charging.

Outcome

The Meizu M5c smartphone is pretty simple in all respects. Low screen resolution, very weak hardware platform, lack of a fingerprint scanner, NFC, support for the H.265 codec and satellite systems Glonass and BeiDou, as well as a modest level of autonomy and the presence of a large number of junk pre-installed useless applications, including demo games. - all this is not very happy. On the other hand, Meizu products traditionally boast high workmanship, no obvious defects, and imperfections. Everything stated is in place, there are no shortcomings. For a certified smartphone priced at 8990 rubles in Russian retail, this product is quite suitable, but you need to understand that this is a typical "workhorse", and not a versatile device for multimedia entertainment. For them, the Meizu M5c does not have enough strength and capabilities.

The updated representative of the most affordable line of smartphones of the company, now in a metal case

It seems that quite recently the most affordable smartphone in the company's lineup, Meizu M5, saw the light, and the manufacturer is already bringing to the market its updated version of the M5s. This model is analogous to the M5, but is intended to satisfy the taste of those users who prefer the reliability of a metal case to polycarbonate, since the M5 was released in a plastic case. But in general, this is the same compact and affordable mobile device that is equipped with a fast fingerprint scanner, can work in LTE networks, has a slot for microSD memory cards, a capacious 3000 mAh battery, and even supports fast charging.

Main characteristics of Meizu M5s (model M612H)

• SoC MediaTek MT6753, 8 cores ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1.3 GHz
• GPU Mali-T720
• Operating system Android 6.0
• 5.2 ″ IPS touchscreen display, 1280 × 720, 282 ppi
• Random access memory (RAM) 3 GB, internal memory 16/32 GB
• Nano-SIM support (2 pcs.)
• MicroSD support up to 128GB
• GSM / GPRS / EDGE networks (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• WCDMA / HSPA + networks (850/900/1900/2100 MHz), TD-SCDMA
• LTE Cat.4 FDD (B1 / 3/7), TD LTE (B38 / 40) networks
• Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n (2.4 and 5 GHz)
• Bluetooth 4.0 BLE
• GPS, A-GPS, Glonass
• Micro-USB, USB OTG
• Main camera 13 MP, autofocus, f / 2.2, video 1080p
• Front camera 5 MP, f / 2.0, fixed. focus
• Proximity sensor, lighting, magnetic field, fingerprint, accelerometer, gyroscope
• Battery 3000 mAh
• Dimensions 148 x 73 x 8.4 mm
• Weight 147 g

Contents of delivery

The packaging of the latest Meizu mobile products is made in the same style. This is a white rectangular box made of solid matte cardboard, almost completely devoid of inscriptions and pictures, with only one logo on the lid and a sticker with basic information on the bottom of the box. Everything is stylishly decorated, executed with high quality. Inside, all the content is laid out in separate cells.

The set consists of a connecting cable of a rather thick cross-section and a powerful mains adapter with an output current of 2 A and a variable voltage of 5/9/12 V. The key for removing the cards is attached to a cardboard folder with paper documentation.

Appearance and usability

Meizu M5s received a nice case, made in a design typical of the latest Meizu mobile devices. Modern smartphones of the company from the top level to the most affordable are almost identical to each other and differ only in size and materials.

In this case, metal with plastic was used - the cheapest option, when not only the rear inserts, but all the end parts are made of plastic. That is, here all the cutouts for connectors, grilles and holes are made in plastic, and not in metal, the metal here is only the middle part of the back cover.

To the manufacturer's credit, he managed to choose the color and texture in such a way that the appearance of the differences between these parts is practically not noticeable, however, to the touch, of course, plastic differs from metal.

As for the size, in this regard, by modern standards, Meizu M5s can be called, if not compact, then certainly a medium-sized mobile device. The thickness of the case is small, the weight is also small, the corners are noticeably rounded in plan, due to this, the smartphone fits comfortably in any pocket, it has no sharp corners and edges.

Both the metal part of the surface and the plastic part are completely non-slippery and not easily soiled, there are no fingerprints on them, the device does not slip out of hands. There is no special need to put on a case here, and I don't want to close a rather attractive case. The smartphone is really good-looking, well-tailored, all the details are clearly matched to each other, the body is monolithic, and there is a feeling that it will maintain a presentable appearance for a long time.

To install cards, a side connector is provided as standard, it is a hybrid one, that is, you can install either two SIM cards of the Nano-SIM format, or one SIM card and one microSD memory card in two slots. Hot swap supported.

Mechanical power and volume control buttons are installed on the opposite side edge, on the right. The keys are large, stand out noticeably, they are easily groped blindly, the travel is elastic, the response is clear, there are no complaints about these elements.

The entire front panel is covered with 2.5D glass with sloping edges. Above the screen, sensors are habitually installed, a front camera peephole without its own flash, and there is also an LED event indicator. This small milky dot begins to pulsate in a leisurely rhythm only after a missed call; the indicator in Meizu smartphones does not react to the charging process.

In the lower part under the screen, one mechanical key is installed as standard for Meizu, but there are no adjacent buttons, even touch-sensitive ones. The button contains the pad of the fingerprint sensor; to unlock the smartphone, you must press it. There are no complaints about the operation of the fingerprint scanner, the recognition is fast and clear, you can register up to five fingers.

The rear panel contains a non-protruding camera module and a very bright dual-tone dual-tone flash. On a hard surface, the smartphone lies steadily, does not wiggle when you touch the screen.

The sound comes out of the main speaker at the bottom end, covered by one of the symmetrical sectors of the grille. The second can hide the earpiece. Here, in the middle, there is a universal Micro-USB connector that supports connection in OTG mode.

The upper end is customarily given over to a 3.5 mm headphone jack, but the hole of the second, auxiliary microphone on the Meizu M5s case was never found.

Meizu M5s is available in four color options, but only three of them have arrived in the Russian official retail: dark gray, silver and gold. Apparently, the pink version is not intended for the Russian market. The front panel under the glass always has a white or black color, Meizu never paints the facades of its smartphones in the general color of the case.

Screen

The Meizu M5s is equipped with an IPS display with 2.5D glass with sloping edges. Its physical dimensions are 66 × 116 mm with a diagonal of 5.2 inches. The resolution is 1280 × 720, the dot density is about 282 ppi. The bezel around the screen has a total width of just over 3.5 mm on the sides, and about 16 mm at the bottom and top.

The brightness of the display can be manually adjusted or set to automatic settings based on the operation of the ambient light sensor. The AnTuTu test diagnoses support for 5 simultaneous multitouch touches. Unlike older models, for example the same M5 Note, there is no eye protection mode to prevent eye fatigue with filtering the intensity of blue light.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the "Monitors" and "Projectors and TV" sections Alexey Kudryavtsev... Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the test sample.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are no worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the turned off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - Meizu M5s, then they can be distinguished by their size):

The screen of Meizu M5s is the same dark (brightness according to photos is 117 for both). The doubling of reflected objects in the Meizu M5s screen is very weak, this indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen (more specifically, between the outer glass and the surface of the LCD matrix) (OGS type screen - One Glass Solution). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (such as glass / air) with greatly different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of intense ambient light, but their repair in the case of cracked outer glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be changed. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (better than Nexus 7 in terms of efficiency), so fingerprints are much easier to remove, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of ordinary glass.

With manual brightness control and with the display of the white field on the whole screen, the maximum brightness value was about 400 cd / m², the minimum - 2 cd / m². The maximum brightness is quite high, and given the excellent anti-glare properties, readability even on a sunny day outdoors should be at a decent level. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable value. In the presence of automatic brightness control by the light sensor (it is located to the left of the front camera eye). In automatic mode, when the ambient light conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. This function depends on the position of the brightness adjustment slider. If it is 100%, then in complete darkness, the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 110 cd / m2 (bright), in an office illuminated with artificial light (about 550 lx) it sets to 270 cd / m2 (suitable), in a very bright environment (corresponds illumination on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more), the brightness rises to 400 cd / m² (to the maximum - this is what you need); if the adjustment is about 50%, then the values ​​are as follows: 30, 180 and 400 cd / m² (suitable values), the regulator at 0% - 2, 60 and 400 cd / m² (the first two values ​​are too low, which is logical). It turns out that the automatic brightness control function works adequately and to some extent allows the user to customize his work for individual requirements. At any brightness level, there is no significant backlight modulation, so there is no screen flickering either.

This smartphone uses an IPS-type matrix. The micrographs show the typical IPS subpixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of photomicrographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screen has good viewing angles without a significant color shift even with large gaze deviations from the perpendicular to the screen and without inverting (except for the darkest when deviating diagonally to three corners) shades. For comparison, we present photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of Meizu M5s and Nexus 7, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to about 200 cd / m², and the color balance on the camera was forcibly switched to 6500 K.

White field perpendicular to screens:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field.

And the test picture:

Colors on the screen of Meizu M5s have natural saturation, the color balance of the Nexus 7 and the tested screen is noticeably different.

Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much for both screens, the contrast has decreased, but also not very much.

And white box:

The brightness at an angle at the screens decreased (at least 5 times, based on the difference in exposure), and decreased approximately the same. The black field, when deviated along the diagonal, is lightened weakly and acquires a purple tint. The photos below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is the same!):

And from a different angle:

When viewed from a perpendicular view, the uniformity of the black field is good:

Contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is normal - about 800: 1. The response time for the transition black-white-black is 24 ms (14 ms on + 10 ms off). The transition between gray tones of 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) and back takes 38 ms in total. The gamma curve, plotted using 32 points at equal intervals in terms of the numerical value of the shade of gray, did not reveal a blockage in either the highlights or the shadows. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.29, which is slightly higher than the standard value of 2.2. In this case, the real gamma curve deviates slightly from the power dependence:

We did not reveal the presence of dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness in accordance with the nature of the displayed image, which is very good.

The color gamut is sRGB:

The spectra show that the matrix filters mix the components together to a moderate extent:

As a result, colors have natural saturation and hue. The grayscale balance is medium, since the color temperature is well above the standard 6500 K and rises towards darker shades, but the deviation from the spectrum of the absolute black body (ΔE) is below 10, which is considered an acceptable indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, ΔE changes little from shade to shade - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of the color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since the color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

This device has the ability to correct the color balance by adjusting the hue.

In the graphs above, the curves Without corr. correspond to the results without any color balance correction, and the curves Heat- data obtained after moving the slider to the extreme position to Warm... It can be seen that the white point almost does not change, but as the lightness of the hue decreases, the color temperature and ΔE change very strongly. It looks disgusting, so it makes no sense to perform the correction.

To summarize: the screen has a fairly high maximum brightness and has excellent anti-glare properties, so the device can be used outdoors without any problems even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable level. It is also acceptable to use the mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works adequately. The advantages of the screen include an effective oleophobic coating, no air gap in the layers of the screen and no flicker, good black stability to deviation from the perpendicular to the screen plane and sRGB color gamut. There are probably no significant shortcomings. The screen quality can be considered high.

Camera

The front module here has a 5 megapixel sensor with a four-element wide-angle lens and an f / 2.0 aperture, with a fixed focus and without its own flash. There is a manual settings mode, exactly the same as that of the main camera (sensitivity up to ISO 1600, shutter speed up to 1/5000 s, white balance, exposure compensation scale, saturation, contrast).

The camera shoots well for the level of selfies: there are no complaints about detail and color reproduction, sharpness in the center of the frame - too, high sensitivity, wide dynamic range allows you to find an acceptable balance in manual mode even with rather bright backlight.

The main camera uses a 13-megapixel sensor module and a five-element lens with a maximum aperture of f / 2.2, and is equipped with fast phase detection autofocus. The flash is installed here very bright, two-tone, but there is no stabilization system.

There are two control modes in the settings, automatic and manual, as well as several additional ones, such as HDR, portrait beautification, panorama, QR code scanning, slow motion and several others. If you turn on the manual mode, then sliders with variable values ​​of shutter speed up to (1/5000 s), sensitivity (up to ISO 1600), manual focus, white balance, and exposure compensation scale will appear. In all modes, it is possible to manually select the metering point. In this case, the green frame in the frame is responsible for the focus point, and the white circle for the metering point. To align the exposure for a specific object, you need to move the round frame to this object, and the camera will set the required exposure.

Using the Camera2 API, you cannot transfer camera control to third-party applications, and there is no way to save images in RAW.

The camera can shoot video in the maximum resolution Full HD @ 30 fps, there is a slow motion mode, there is no stabilization function. In general, the camera copes well with video shooting: sharpness, color rendition and detailing are normal, the brightness is also enough. There are practically no complaints about sound recording: the sound is clear, loud, the noise reduction system almost always adequately copes with the noise of the wind.

• Movie # 1 (47 MB, 1920 × [email protected] fps, H.264, AAC)
• Movie # 2 (24 MB, 1920 × [email protected] fps, H.264, AAC)
• Movie # 3 (29 MB, 1920 × [email protected] fps, H.264, AAC)

	The text has been worked out well.
	The camera copes well with macro photography.
	Except for the trees, the sharpness of the plans is not bad.
	The program just dissolves small branches.
	The numbers of the cars are clearly distinguishable.
	Decent sharpness in the center of the frame.

The camera can be called good, although it has enough shortcomings. In the corners, zones of confusion often appear, and the program for some reason does not digest small branches, which is why incomprehensible translucent clouds appear in their place. Especially often a similar fate awaits the trees at the edges of the frame, in the center they have a chance to remain intact. In general, sharpness in the center, and sometimes at the edges, is quite good, so the camera can handle documentary shooting quite well.

Telephone part and communications

Communication capabilities of Meizu M5s include support for LTE Cat.4 (up to 150 Mbps), five LTE frequency bands are supported, including 3 FDD LTE bands (band 1, 3, 7) and two TD LTE bands (band 38 and 40 ). This model does not support LTE 800 MHz (Band 20), which better than others meets the requirements for communication indoors, as well as in sparse areas, this can be a certain problem for users in regions far from cities. The device behaves confidently within the city limits of the Moscow region, the quality of signal reception raises no objections.

The smartphone also supports both Wi-Fi bands (2.4 and 5 GHz), there is Bluetooth 4.0 BLE. You can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. There is no NFC module in the device. Micro-USB connector supports connecting external devices in USB OTG mode. The navigation module works both with GPS (with A-GPS) and with the domestic Glonass, but without the support of the Chinese Beidou. The first satellites on a cold start are detected within the first minute. Clarity of positioning is not satisfactory, but as for the speed of work, we have seen faster navigation modules in smartphones. There is also a magnetic compass in the device, which is required for navigation programs.

The smartphone does not support dual 3G / 4G SIM cards at the same time. That is, for example, the SIM-card of the Tele2 operator in Moscow will not work in 3G for voice communication, if another slot is assigned for data transmission in 4G. The interface in Meizu smartphones, like that of Huawei, traditionally does not allow choosing a specific card for voice calls and SMS in advance, only during connection. In advance, you can only assign a card for data transfer. The cards work in Dual SIM Dual Standby mode, there is only one radio modem here.

Software and multimedia

Google Android version 6.0 with its own proprietary shell Flyme OS of the fifth version is used as a software platform. This is the last version so far, but it is no longer new, it has long been used in all Meizu smartphones, we met with it in the flagship Meizu MX6 and Meizu Pro 6 Plus. The shell has become even lighter in comparison with the fourth version, all interface and application icons have been redrawn, new animation options have appeared, and design themes have been added. The new version of the interface has a special Editor's Choice section, which advises the most common programs, and also allows you to download and install Google applications. And this must be done, since now the purchased new Meizu smartphone does not even have the usual Google Play store initially installed. As usual, there are almost no additional programs, only the file manager and the phone manager are preinstalled - a complex utility responsible for security, working with memory, speed, etc. There is an interesting program with tools: a magnifying glass, a flashlight, a ruler, a compass and a mirror. The flashlight, by the way, can work in a blinking SOS mode. The default keyboard does not support Swype-type strokes by default, but usually the user is immediately given the opportunity to switch to the pre-installed TouchPal keyboard with a much wider set of capabilities, including stroke input, custom dictionaries, backup, and even with its own TouchPal cloud.

To listen to music, we use our own proprietary audio player with the usual set of settings in the form of preset equalizer values, which can only be used with connected headphones. Both in the headphones and in the loudspeaker the device sounds average: the sound is clear, without impurities, the volume reserve is not excessive, high frequencies prevail.

There is no FM radio in the smartphone. The dictaphone demonstrates satisfactory sensitivity and is quite suitable for recording lectures.

Performance

The hardware platform is based on a single-chip system MediaTek MT6753, made using 28-nanometer technology. This SoC includes eight 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 cores up to 1.3 GHz. A dual-core GPU Mali-T720 is responsible for graphics processing. The RAM is 3 GB and the built-in flash memory is 16 or 32 GB. About 25 GB initially free for the user's needs in a version with 32 GB of flash memory. There is a possibility of expanding memory by installing microSD cards, but then you will have to remove one of the SIM-cards. In addition, applications cannot be installed on the memory card here. It is possible to connect external flash drives in USB OTG mode.

MediaTek MT6753 is not a very productive platform, it is below the confident average, presented, for example, by Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC and MediaTek MT6755 (Helio P10). Here the level is, rather, closer to the weaker Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 in terms of capabilities, but even that in all respects is slightly ahead of today's heroine. Nevertheless, the smartphone is confidently coping with the tasks at hand, the interface has no slowdowns, as well as in games. One has only to take into account that games here cannot be presented in maximum quality, since the display resolution of the Meizu M5s is only 720p.

Benchmarking AnTuTu and GeekBench:

All the results obtained by us when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks, we have summarized in tables for convenience. Several other devices from different segments are usually added to the table, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry numbers). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison, it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, therefore, many worthy and relevant models remain behind the scenes - due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.

Testing the graphics subsystem in gaming tests 3DMark, GFXBenchmark and Bonsai Benchmark:

When testing in 3DMark for the highest performing smartphones, it is now possible to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).

Browser cross-platform tests:

As for benchmarks for evaluating the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowances for the fact that the results in them significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so that the comparison can be truly correct only on the same OS and browsers, and this possibility is available when testing not always. In the case of Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

AndroBench memory speed test results:

Heat images

Below is a thermal image back surface obtained after 10 minutes of running the battery test in the GFXBenchmark program:

It can be seen that the heating is more localized in the upper part of the device, which, apparently, corresponds to the location of the SoC microcircuit. According to the heat chamber, the maximum heating was 38 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees), which is not very much.

Video playback

To test the "omnivorous" video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats that make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. Note that it is important for mobile devices to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is often impossible to process modern versions using processor cores alone. Also, do not expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are tabulated.

According to the test results, traditionally for Meizu smartphones, the hero of the review turned out to be equipped with all the necessary decoders that are needed to fully play most of the most common multimedia files on the network, including audio files (AC3).

Further video playback testing was done by Alexey Kudryavtsev.

We did not find the MHL interface, like Mobility DisplayPort, in this smartphone, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see "Testing methods for video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)" Red marks indicate possible problems related to the playback of the corresponding files.

According to the criterion for outputting frames, the quality of video playback on the screen of the smartphone itself is good, since in most cases frames (or groups of frames) can (but are not required) to be displayed with a more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without frame drops. The screen refresh rate is 58 Hz, so for files with 60 fps, at least two frames per second are skipped. When playing video files with a resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels (720p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the edge of the screen, one to one pixel by pixel, that is, in the original resolution. The brightness range displayed on the screen differs from the standard 16-235 range: in the shadows a dozen shades merge with black, and in the highlights several shades "whiter than white" are displayed, which reduces the brightness and contrast of the image of a typical video file.

Battery life

The non-removable battery installed in the Meizu M5s has a capacity of 3000 mAh. This is far from the most capacious mobile battery to date, so the results of the smartphone in all tests are also average. In real scenarios of use with a normal average statistical operating mode, the hero of the review is able to calmly hold out without recharging for a day, but it is better not to count on much and put the device on charge every night.

Testing has traditionally been conducted at typical power consumption levels without using power saving features.

Continuous reading in the Moon + Reader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (the brightness was set to 100 cd / m2) with auto-scrolling lasted about 13 hours until the battery was fully discharged, and with continuous viewing of high quality video (720p) with the same brightness level via a home Wi-Fi network, the device operates for about 10 hours. In 3D games mode, the smartphone can work for almost 4 hours.

The smartphone supports mCharge fast charging. Thanks to it, the device really does not need so much time to fully charge the battery. From the supplied power adapter, the smartphone is charged for a maximum of 1 hour 10 minutes with a current of 1.5 A at a voltage of 9 V.

Outcome

The most affordable of Meizu smartphones, Meizu M5, went on sale in Russia at a price of 11 thousand rubles. The M5s version at the start of sales is offered for 3 thousand rubles more: for 14 thousand rubles with 16 GB of flash memory and for 15 thousand rubles with 32 GB of flash memory. However, at the time of the article's publication, few official proposals were drowning in the sea, shall we say, of alternative proposals that reduced the cost of new items to 8 and 9 thousand rubles, respectively.

Meizu's smartphone turned out to be decent; despite the positioning and low price, this device is not inferior to many smartphones of a confident mid-range - except for the screen resolution. The display here has a resolution of only 720p, and this somewhat lowers the level of the smartphone in comparison, for example, with the same Meizu M5 Note, which is positioned precisely as a strong midrange and costs more.

The rest of the Meizu M5s has a solid body with a nice design, good hardware and quite high-quality cameras for this level, which is important. The sound, the level of autonomy and communication capabilities are quite satisfactory. Solid performance, coupled with the absence of any frank flaws and defects, allow us to consider Meizu M5s as one of the most interesting products in its class and in its price category.

Every day, in the hands of real users, you can increasingly see the Chinese Xiaomi and Meizu. Balanced entry-level smartphones are the main driving force behind the sales of these devices. Our today's guest Meizu M5 belongs to this segment.

Equipment

The smartphone comes in a white cardboard box with typical contents: charger, cable, a couple of pieces of paper and a branded cloud clip.

Design

Having skipped the number "4" for religious or some other reasons (however, this did not stop the company from releasing the Meizu MX4 earlier), Meizu introduced the new M5 at the end of 2016.

The design of the device may seem controversial. Unlike last year's Meizu M3s, where metal was used, the M5 is more like the Chinese version of the Meizu M3 (Meizu M3 mini in common people), since the base of the case is polycarbonate. The manufacturer explains this by the fact that the model is positioned as a youth smartphone with an abundance of body colors.

The screen is still covered with a 2.5D protective glass, but its diagonal has increased and is now 5.2 inches. The phone is comfortable in the hand, the build quality is at a decent level, nothing backlash or creaks, it certainly doesn't give away cheap things.

The increase in the M5 display indicates that now the minimum diagonal of Meizu smartphones will be exactly 5.2 inches. Of course, not everyone will like this, but the manufacturer is most likely looking for a middle ground between 5.5 and 5 inches.

Meizu M5 (left) and Meizu M3 (right)

The controls are located in a familiar and convenient way - at the bottom of the screen is the mTouch 2.1 multifunctional button, on the right are two physical volume and lock keys, on the left is a hybrid tray for two NanoSIMs, and on the bottom is a MicroUSB connector. But the transfer of the 3.5 mm jack to the bottom end of the phone is a definite plus.

The front panel has symmetrical margins at the top and bottom, and the event indicator is located at the top of the screen next to the camera.

Screen

The display of the device is made using IPS technology and has an HD resolution. Compared to previous models, the screen quality has been significantly increased. The backlight brightness varies from 1.9 to 400 cd / m², a measured contrast ratio of 1 in 1047 is a good result. Meizu M5 adopts improved full screen lamination technology, which improves contrast readability in the sun.

Meizu M3 (left) and Meizu M5 (right)

As for a budget smartphone, the screen is well calibrated and has a calm, natural color reproduction. Naturally, you can adjust the color temperature to your liking.

In general, there are no complaints about the screen, graininess is not striking, there is a decent color rendition, contrast and wide viewing angles. Naturally, someone will say that HD-resolution is "not ice" on such a diagonal, but maybe then it is just worth taking a closer look at more expensive models?

Platform, sound

What the developer's hand did not touch was the hardware filling. Everyone, of course, understands that the device is budgetary, but the “new” device on the exact same platform as the past raises questions. The budget chip MediaTek 6750 is used - it has 8 Cortex-A53 cores operating in two clusters with frequencies of 1 and 1.5 GHz, respectively. Integrated graphics - Mali T860. The smartphone is available in two configurations with 16/2 and 32/3 GB of memory. You can expand the built-in memory by using a microSD memory card by installing it instead of the second NanoSIM.

Meizu M5 shows in benchmarks quite predictable and comparable to its predecessor ( ) results. The platform is clearly not for gamers, for this purpose there are more powerful models. But M5 copes with browsing, social networks and mail with a bang. It is also worth noting the overall stability of the system, fast switching between programs and minimized games, no lags, sudden freezes and reboots. FlymeOS is not in vain considered one of the most bugless shells on Android.

In the power supply system settings, you can select one of the performance profiles, this will allow you to customize the device for specific tasks.

There are also no criticisms for the rest of the functionality. Wi-Fi and GPS are working as expected.

The sound in the headphones remained at the same good level, but the call loudspeaker began to sound a little better. In short, all without any special claims, taking into account the price of the device.

A single function key, mTouch 2.1, has a built-in fingerprint scanner. According to the company Meizu, it should work faster than the models in the M3 line. In practice, the speed and accuracy of the response did not raise any questions.

Working hours

From the "passport" data it is known that a battery with a capacity of 3070 mAh is used. Compared to the previous model, the increase in capacity by 50 mAh is not critical, but given the increased diagonal of the screen, I would like to see a bigger battery.

Under standard load: Internet surfing, social networks, calls, photos - Meizu M5 easily lasts two daylight hours, with intensive use you can count on a day of work.

Shell

Our test sample Meizu M5 came from China - Flyme OS 5.2 based on Android 6.0 with the YunOS 5.1.1 add-on is used as the operating system. We received the device from the store, completely ready for use. Even if the seller does not bother with such preparation, it will be possible to install Google services from the built-in app store, localization (partial) can be done using MoreLocale2. In the "official" deliveries, you can find devices from the global version of FlymeOS, but the version on YunOS does not differ from the point of view of the performance of third-party programs. The same Google Now works correctly and is always ready to help - "OK Google"!

All system control is built around a single multi-function key and swipes. A simple touch of the button works as "Back", a quick press is responsible for returning to the home screen ("Home"), holding it locks the device. A swipe from the bottom edge of the screen brings up a list of running applications. At first, this scheme of work may cause some inconvenience, however, having quickly mastered it and picking up devices from other manufacturers, you appreciate the convenience of the Flyme shell.

Cameras

The main camera is built on the basis of a 13 megapixel sensor with f2 / 2 aperture. With an eye on the M3s, the quality of the images has not changed much, but the autofocus has become faster and catches the subject more confidently, and the automatic white balance has been slightly tightened (the pictures get less overexposure and under-highlights). If you can count on decent image quality in good lighting conditions, then in the evening and twilight everything is not so much fun.

Front wide-angle camera with a resolution of 5 megapixels and an aperture of f / 2.0. Subjectively, there is a slight improvement in detail and shooting speed.

Site score

Pros: build quality, variety of body colors, comfortable shell, autonomy, screen, fingerprint scanner on the front panel, 3.5 mm jack on the bottom

Minuses: glossy body (in some colors), hardware platform, cameras would be better, secondary design

Conclusion: Another variation of a modern budget smartphone turned out to be interesting. Compared to its predecessor, the abandonment of the metal case seems to me not critical, but the transfer of the headphone output to the lower edge made the device a little more convenient. The new display is slightly larger and better in picture quality. The bottom line is that we have small cosmetic changes and improvements that can play a decisive role for someone when choosing, so that Meizu M5 will definitely find its buyer.

Pre-installed OS

M5 is a continuation of the line of budget smartphones from Meizu, the last generation of which included devices such as M3s, M3e and more expensive M3-Note and M3 Max. This is the most affordable model among, which is notable primarily for the polycarbonate body.

Good smartphones in a plastic case, due to the widespread fashion for the use of metal, is now quite difficult to find - usually cheap Chinese are produced in plastic, with a stretch, suitable for comfortable use. But not everyone likes metal cases, and the M5 has the potential to become an outlet for such people. Let's start our review of Meizu M5 and see if it deserves the title of a good smartphone.

Price and main characteristics

M5 is one of the most affordable Meizu smartphones in Russian retail. In version 2/16, the device can be taken for 11 thousand rubles, in 3/32 - for 13 thousand. Available in matte black, blue, and glossy mint and gold. According to users, the M5 looks the most aesthetically pleasing and expensive in black, it was he who became the hero of our review.

Specifications:

Display: 5.2 ", FHD 1280 * 720 px;
processor: MediaTek M6750 (1.6 GHz) + Mali T860-MP2 video accelerator;
RAM: 2/3 GB;
internal memory: 16/32 GB + micro SD memory cards up to 128 GB;
camera: main - 13 MP, front - 5 MP;
communication: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, LTE;
battery: 3070 mAh

Case dimensions - 147 * 73 * 9 mm, weight - 183 grams. The smartphone runs on Flyme 5.X out of the box, but an update to the 6th version of the proprietary shell is expected in the near future.

Completion and appearance

Meizu M5 comes in a simple white cardboard box, in which you can find the smartphone itself, a USB cable and a charging adapter (2A), as well as a clip for removing the card tray and technical documentation. All accessories are packed in small individual boxes and are of very good workmanship.

The M5 body is made of polycarbonate, it is a monolithic boat, the side edges of which are a continuation of the back cover. As for the build quality, there are no complaints about the tested sample - everything is at the highest level: we did not find any backlash or squeaks, the mTouch button is set flat, the side keys have a pleasant soft stroke.

The front surface of the smartphone is covered with 2.5D tempered glass. It's not Gorilla Glass, but after 2 weeks of using the smartphone, not a single scratch appeared on it. The oleophobic coating is not bad - a finger glides on the screen easily, but prints remain. Above the screen is a speaker grill, a miniature front camera module, a set of sensors and an LED event indicator that glows blue and white.

The proprietary mTouch 2.1 multifunctional key is located under the screen. It functions as a fingerprint scanner, Back (when touched) and Home (when pressed). Also, with a long press, you can turn off the screen backlight, and through the standard software, password-protected applications or memory sections selected by the user.

The upper end of the smartphone is devoid of any functional elements. At the bottom there is a multimedia speaker hole, an earpiece microphone, a micro-USB port and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

On the right side there is a power key and a volume rocker. The keys are snug and have a pleasant travel with soft click feedback.

On the left side there is a slot for a hybrid tray with cards. The smartphone works with Micro-SD flash drives and Nano format sim cards.

In the middle of the back of the case, the Meizu logo flaunts. Above it there is a double flash and the main camera module, framed by a ring of protective glass. The optics are made flush with the body surface. At the very bottom of the back cover there is an inscription indicating the manufacturer and country of assembly of the smartphone, it does not spoil the look of the smartphone, as it is almost invisible.

Now about the subjective impressions of use. Meizu M5 in black just looks gorgeous, the device looks and feels much more expensive than its cost. In the hand 5.2 '' the device sits like a glove, the ergonomics is excellent, if you get used to it, you can easily operate it with one hand. Among the shortcomings - the matte body collects fingerprints and is covered with scratches, which can be seen in the photo above.

Screen

Meizu M5 is equipped with a 5.2-inch screen with a resolution of 1280 * 720 pixels and a pixel density of 282 ppi. You can only complain about the lack of FHD, otherwise the screen is good - it is a high-quality IPS panel made using OGS technology (without an air gap) with accurate color reproduction, good contrast and decent levels of minimum and maximum brightness.

Automatic brightness control works correctly, in the sun the screen remains readable in any conditions, which is largely ensured by the presence of a high-quality anti-reflective coating.

When changing the viewing angles, there is a noticeable inversion of the brightness level, which absolutely does not interfere in practice, the color rendition does not tolerate changes visible to the eye. Flyme allows you to fine-tune the color temperature using a slider, rather than choosing one of several preset profiles. There is also an eye protection mode, which helps out pretty well when reading from the screen in a dark room.

Multi-touch works out 10 touches. In general, the screen of Meizu M5, in direct comparison with the similarly priced Xiaomi Redmi 3S, loses somewhat in contrast, but noticeably surpasses the competitor in terms of clarity and color quality, and in general leaves a more pleasant impression.

Performance

Meizu M5 is powered by the budget MediaTek MT6750 chipset (28 nm, 8 cores, 1-1.5 GHz). In synthetic tests, this hardware platform predictably gains far from record results:

AnTuTu Benchmark - 41 thousand points;
GeekBench - 2117 (multi-core), 576 (single);
Epic Citadel - 60.5 fps (High Quality), 48.9 fps (Ultra Quality).

The M5 is not a gaming smartphone, but if you wish, you can play any toys on it (the heaviest ones - at medium and minimum graphics settings). The device practically does not heat up under load, noticeable heating is felt only in the area of ​​the Wi-Fi module when downloading large files for a long time.

In everyday work, the smartphone pleases. Thanks to the excellent optimization of the proprietary Flyme shell, it works flawlessly quickly, without any jams or delays. 3 GB of RAM is enough for surfing the Internet with a bunch of open tabs and launching many applications in the background, and the built-in storage can be expanded with a flash drive up to 128 GB or a USB drive (M5 supports USB-OTG technology).

Camera

The camera is the weak point of the Meizu M5. The main 13 MP module (phase detection autofocus, f / 2.2 aperture) allows you to get decent pictures on the machine only in the presence of good lighting. The worse the shooting conditions, the less detailed and noisier the picture becomes.

You can make good shots with the proper use of the manual settings mode; a standard camera provides all the completeness of actions - from the choice of ISO and white balance, to setting the shutter speed and depth of field. We also note the very high speed of the camera application - focusing, shooting and saving photos are done in a matter of seconds.

In terms of video recording, it is expectedly mediocre, although the sound is written very decently and there is a possibility of slow-mo shooting. But the front camera (5 MP, f / 2.0) exceeded expectations - selfies are sharp, detailed and, in general, are pleasing.

Speaker, sound quality

The multimedia speaker of the Meizu M5 disappoints - not the highest volume reserve (although the incoming call is heard even in public transport), the complete absence of low frequencies and, as a result, even the slightest hint of sound volume. It will work for watching a video, but you will not listen to music with pleasure from a smartphone.

The sound in the headphones is doing well. The smartphone has a balanced sound with a powerful, elastic bass, calm high frequencies and a well-developed mids. The undeniable advantage is support for uncompressed FLAC 192/24 out of the box.

Battery

The Meizu M5 has a 3070 mAh battery, from the supplied adapter (2A) it is fully charged in 100-110 minutes. With very active use, the smartphone confidently holds on to the working day, if you save the charge and use the preset power saving modes, then it is quite possible to get two days of battery life from the device.

During testing, the M5 lasted 7.5 hours with HD video playback at maximum screen brightness, 3.5 hours with continuous gaming and about 50 hours with music playback. The indicators are not bad, besides, there is a "super-economy" mode, which turns the smartphone into a dialer. In extreme cases, it is quite useful.

However, when buying an M5, it should be borne in mind that many smartphones, including the tested sample, have a problem with an accelerated discharge in standby mode. In short, the smartphone does not go into deep sleep, which is why it loses 8-10% of its charge overnight, while 2-3% is considered the norm. Meizu said that this is a software problem and the company's engineers are working to fix it. If you do not pay attention to this, then the autonomy of the smartphone can be called quite normal - it holds an honest working day from one charge.

Communication and Internet

Meizu M5 is equipped with a hybrid card tray and can work with two Nano-SIM, while both SIM cards support connection to LTE networks. Also from the wireless interfaces there is a 2-band WiFi (2.4 + 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.0. The smartphone also supports the USB-OTG protocol.

Navigation by GPS and GLONASS satellites works perfectly, even at a cold start, synchronization occurs almost instantly. But the signal reception quality is not the best. In places with good coverage of the operator's network, there are no problems, but when traveling by train or by car, the signal often falls off or stays at the level of 1-2 strips.

Video review of Meizu M5

Competitors, conclusion

After lengthy testing, Meizu M5 left a positive impression of itself. This is an excellent budget smartphone that visually looks and feels like an expensive device - it has a chic appearance (in black), a good storage capacity, an excellent display for its price, and also boasts fast and smooth operation and good battery life. The budget nature of the device is only given by a non-record performance, which you will not even notice if you do not play heavy toys, and a mediocre main camera (while the quality of selfies is at a very good level).

If you want to get a high-quality, pleasant to use and at the same time inexpensive smartphone, then the M5 can be safely considered for purchase. Alternatives: with 5.5 '' screen - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro (better performance), (design, camera, autonomy); 5.2 ″ - Asus ZenFone 3 Max (better autonomy, worse screen), or 5-inch or Meizu M3s (budget option).

In Russian retail, the price of the M5 at 13 thousand rubles for the version looks somewhat overpriced, for example, in Ukraine the official device can be taken for 9 thousand. Therefore, if you are interested in a smartphone, we recommend that you consider buying it on AliExpress.

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