Meizu MX3

The MX3 is Meizu’s third flagship smartphone in their lineup. Design-wise the MX3 is very similar to the iPhone 3GS with its rounded corners and what experts call a timeless appeal. Unlike the iPhone though, you can remove replace the back case with a different color for customization. Surprisingly, the 2,400mAh battery is not removable, which left many critics confused. Giz China comments, “…this is the first phone I have ever reviewed which has a non-removable battery despite a removable panel.”

The most noticeable difference is the 5.1-inch FHD display. The display offers a stunning 1800 x 1080 pixel resolution, which translates to 412ppi pixel density. Critics commend the clarity of the screen as well as the viewing angles and color uniformity. While a 5.1-inch display might not be large, the thin 2.90mm bezels give reviewers the impression that the screen is much larger than its actual measurements.

For a smooth performance, Meizu opted for an 8-CPU-core Exynos 5 processor that comes with 4 1.6GHz cores and 4 1.2GHz cores. Despite having 8 cores, benchmark tests rank the Exynos processor below the HTC One M8 and Samsung Galaxy S5, both of which use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon quad-core processors. When performing real world tests, Android Authority found that it delivered incredibly fast performance without any noticeable lags when browsing the interface and multitasking. They mention, however, that, “multitasking…is probably a little too simplistic…it’s very possible that optimizations help provide for what is a very smooth experience.” On top of the speedy processor the MX3 is the first smartphone to offer up to 128GB of onboard storage.

Perhaps the one disappointment for critics was the 8MP rear camera. While they describe the color quality as “good” they also note that details themselves were not very clear. In addition, they add that noise levels were also very high and that the auto-focus feature was not very auto.

For the most part, reviewers would recommend the Meizu MX3 despite the shortcomings of its camera. Slashgear states, “Meizu continues to impress with their latest smartphone entry…”