Meizu MX4 Pro

“The Meizu MX4 Pro is every bit as good as the MX4 - in terms of looks and feel, build quality, connectivity and the custom Flyme OS launcher. The thing is most people probably have no idea just how good the stock MX4 is. But if the MX4 was an easy one to slip under European users' radar, the Pro version is more likely to get noticed. And for the right reasons, too.To begin with, it's the phone with the highest-res screen in the market. Now, the real value in that is still debatable but, like it or not, QHD screens are the way to go for the industry flagships.And even if you don't care about the screen resolution, the Pro still has plenty of upgrades to offer. A better chipset is one. Meizu have returned to their traditional chipset supplier, Samsung's Exynos, which powered the MX3. It's the latest generation, of course - the Exynos 5 Octa is ticking inside the Samsung Galaxy Alpha, too.An improved camera and a well-behaved and feature-rich fingerprint-scanning solution are other definite points in favor. A high-res selfie cam is not to be frowned upon either.It's a tight and focused list of improvements that cover just about everything that could have been better about the MX4. The obvious exceptions are the non-removable battery and the lack of memory expansion. Unfortunately, the 64GB version isn't widely available - just like it is for the stock MX4.”

“The MX4 Pro serves as a great example of the growth we’re seeing out of China. Just a few weeks back at CES 2015, we got to see a few high-quality but affordable devices from Chinese companies, and that is a trend that looks to be on the rise.Meizu is in the thick of this trend with a phablet offering that manages to be powerful but accessible at the same time. Its design choices aside, the shell is just a casing for all of the power that is found underneath. A QuadHD display, good performance, an enjoyable sound stage, and an above average camera all make the MX4 Pro a package we do hope to see more easily available in the US soon, which should also resolve the network connectivity issues I faced during my testing. It might not stand out very much, but dig a little deeper and you’ll find a pretty fun and powerful phone in the Meizu MX4 Pro.”

“The Meizu MX4 Pro builds up on the successful formula of the Meizu MX4: it keeps the signature simplistic, good-looking design and the futuristic minimal screen bezel. At the same time, Meizu is out competing with top flagships here: it includes a flagship-grade Quad HD display that looks fine, an adequate system chip, as well as a fast and reliable fingerprint scanner. In addition to all this, sound quality on the MX4 Pro is great and will please audiophiles. All of this works admirably well on the sleek and modern-looking Flyme Android skin.The only area where Meizu could have done a better work is the camera: the 20-megapixel shooter is not bad by any means, but it is much slower than you’d expect and has some issues with focusing and overall photo presentation.The MX4 Pro is the most expensive phone in Meizu’s lineup with a recommended price of $400 (2499 yuan) for the base model, which is around the typical cost of a China-made flagship device, and much more affordable than a similar smartphone from a well-established global company like Apple or Samsung. Resellers are likely to sell this for no less than $500 to the Western world, but even at that price, the MX4 Pro looks like a device well worth your consideration.”

“Meizu has done a wonderful job with the MX4 Pro, combining impressive build quality and raw power with intuitive software, to produce a great user experience. Unlike many Chinese smartphones, it doesn't come with the normal risks associated with importing and though more expensive than in China, the international price still represents great value for money. While many will be waiting to see what the first crop of 2015 flagships bring to the table, the Meizu MX4 Pro certainly is an interesting proposition for those currently looking for a high-end smartphone with a difference.”