MEIZU M2 (mini) is a budget baby with excellent quality. Excellent Smartphone meizu m2 mini Additional cameras are usually mounted above the device screen and are used mainly for video conversations, gesture recognition, etc.
Chinese manufacturers are confidently increasing their presence in the global smartphone market. More and more strong models that are in demand among buyers are appearing not only in the budget segment, but also in the middle price segment.
A striking representative of such “middle peasants”, which is able to compete with “flagships”, can be called the Meizu M2 Mini. The review of the device that we conducted for writing this article will show what capabilities this phone has and what to expect from it in practice. We will also consider reviews about the model and the 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 somewhat reduced functionality, which is why it is offered cheaper. However, when considering this phone, you should not confuse it with the “poor” Chinese models, which have the simplest and most “slow” processor, a small faded screen and a weak battery. No, this time the developers took a more responsible approach to reducing the price of the smartphone, choosing the best components for the money the buyer pays.
Unfortunately, the smartphone is not so affordable on the domestic market. Its cost is 13 thousand rubles - and this price rather characterizes the middle segment of phones. However, when we were preparing the review, we noticed that the phone operates quite smoothly and, judging by its functions, the investment is well worth the investment. Thus, it justifies even its not-so-budget price.
Appearance
It's no secret that Chinese manufacturers often pay attention to how the products of the most advanced companies, such as Apple or Samsung, are designed. In this sense, the M2 Mini, which we have reviewed, does not stand out from the range of these devices. Even from a quick glance at the image of the device, we can definitely say that it resembles the Apple iPhone 6. If you take the smartphone in your hand, the sensations are somewhat similar due to both similar dimensions and the same weight of the models.
Certain elements of the smartphone's body were clearly borrowed from the Apple company. For example, the design 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 fits very comfortably in the hand, looks solid, and is 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. The covers, by the way, can be changed at the user’s discretion - the manufacturer has a total of 4 of them in their assortment: gray, pink, blue and white.
Navigation elements
The described smartphone has some features due to the placement of functional holes and navigation elements. In particular, as you can see in the photos presented, the Meizu M2 Mini, which we are reviewing, has a large oval Home key. It is very similar to the fingerprint scanning button found on the iPhone. I would also like to mention the “rocker” for adjusting the sound, located on the side, and the display unlock button, installed a little higher.
Functional openings on the M2 include a speaker located at the bottom of the phone, as well as a port for connecting a charger. There is a headphone jack (3.5mm jack) at the top of the phone. The back cover of the smartphone also has holes for the camera and flash.
Screen
The phone display size reaches 5 inches. This is generally considered to be the optimal 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 suggests an average density of about 296 dots per inch. Graininess is not observed in everyday work, 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 it (due to its ease of sliding) and safe. As practical tests have shown, even after long-term 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 won’t talk about films and various additional coatings - this is an already obvious opportunity to “tune” your device and further secure it for the future.
Battery
The review dedicated to the Meizu M2 Mini model, customer reviews, as well as the technical characteristics 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 much more satisfied with your smartphone if it shows excellent battery life.
The model we are describing has a 2500 mAh battery. It turns out that it is not removable. Its volume is large enough to provide the model with 12-13 hours of calls. Thus, in economy mode, the phone will last 3-4 days without additional charging!
Software optimization plays an important role in the energy consumption of a smartphone. 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 reduce battery drain and extend the operating time of your smartphone.
CPU
The phone has a relatively new processor, which was introduced to the world only this year. We are talking about the quad-core “heart” of the device, delivering up to 1.5 GHz clock frequency for each of the cores. The GPU here is a Mali T-720 that supports OpenGL ES and Open CL.
As reviews note, the smartphone has some difficulties playing games (especially at higher requirements). As for day-to-day operation, just doing the basics makes everything work smoothly and smoothly.
Of course, a smartphone can be called a budget smartphone, so you shouldn’t count on “performance miracles” here. However, there are no special difficulties here.
Connection
The main capabilities (communications) in the device are no different from what is present in a lot of other phones in this class. In particular, this is the presence of a GSM module, support for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and the ability to work with GSP. The systems that support navigation on this smartphone also include GLONASS.
A positive aspect of the 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
The smartphone, as has become customary, has two cameras - the main one, whose matrix resolution is 13 megapixels, and the front one (5 megapixels). Of course, these technical characteristics may be “inflated” by the Chinese manufacturer in order to attract more Meizu M2 Mini buyers. A camera overview is what can help you understand what the device is actually like.
If you believe the reviews, 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 viewing angles. They are actually narrower than you see on many other phones.
The software part of the photo and video camera is also at its best 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 shutter speed, ISO options, and more.
operating system
The basis for the Meizu M2 Mini (which we are conducting a detailed review of) is Android version 5.1 (current at the time of release of the device). It is possible that the device is now adapted to work with the “six”, which appeared relatively recently.
True, we should immediately warn fans of the interface of this system: there is almost nothing “native” left on the device. The model comes pre-installed with a shell developed by the manufacturer. It's called Flyme and, frankly speaking, everyone's attitude towards it can be purely individual. A special feature of this version is, for example, the absence of the familiar system keys at the bottom of the screen. Instead, you can see three quick access buttons; and you can return to the main page or back by using various combinations of pressing the “Home” button.
Actually, this should be a review of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2, but in the two days I spent with it, I was so disappointed in it that I had 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 iXBT canceled the previous competition, without really explaining what would happen to the reviews that participated in it. Of course, you can’t popularize blogs like that, but the owner is a gentleman. Well, you can try to participate in the new competition.
Location determination
The device supports GPS and GLONASS. I realized that everything was perfect in determining the location in this device back in the apartment, when the smartphone found several satellites and determined the location in the room. For a detailed check I went outside. Rebooted the phone and launched test programs.2 seconds, and a bag of satellites spilled onto the screen. The signal is very powerful, 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 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 LTE bands B3 and B7 are supported. I checked two operators: MTS and Megfon. There were no problems with the operation 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 reserve. Speech can be heard clearly.
The M2 only has one microphone. Surprisingly, this did not have a negative impact. The other party heard me clearly and clearly, without echo or extraneous noise, even when I was outside with a strong wind. But the lack of a second microphone had a significant impact on video recording, but more on that later.
In the courtyard, 4G Internet from MTS worked well. Browsing and 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 simply excellent.
2.4 GHz: 
5 GHz: 
I had a momentary shock when I went to the far corner of another room behind two reinforced concrete walls and measured the speed of the 2.4 GHz network. None of the devices that I have had or have even come close to this speed in this location:
With Bluetooth everything is simple. I connected the Samsung HM1700 headset, it works.
Sound
Forgive the sinner, but I am not an audiophile or a music lover. I can’t objectively evaluate the sound quality of the headphones.I found the sound to be good with the simple in-ear headphones from Sony. All frequencies are in place. I, as an ordinary consumer, enjoyed watching one episode of the series and listening to a couple of music tracks. I had no dissatisfaction. The volume reserve is good. With M2 you can transfer from a car to the metro, the volume is enough.
The external speaker is quite loud. He's alone. There is no kick drum effect. There are no rattles or overloads. Even with a software volume increase of up to 200% in MX Player, no deterioration in sound is observed. Due to the fact that the speaker is located at the end, the volume does not decrease when the device is lying on the table.
The phone rings loudly. You can hear it well in your bag. The power of the vibration motor is flawless.
Camera
Now we get to the worst thing about this smartphone. 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 your own conclusion. Maybe your assessment of beauty is a little different. .
The camera program itself has an excellent and user-friendly interface. There is even a manual mode with all operating parameters. There's even manual focusing. But the problem is with quality. The full Camera API 2 (from Android 5) is not supported: third-party programs do not have access to shutter speed control, RAW is not supported.
Very small dynamic range, low contrast, low but uniform sharpness. Intrusive and strong software processing, even in good lighting, the noise reduction works tirelessly. For a budget smartphone this is a 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 with an average frame rate of 16. The average bitrate is 9.5 Mbit/s. The quality is bad throughout. The camera is not suitable for video shooting in poor lighting. There is a lot of unnecessary noise in the soundtrack. I then recorded the video in complete silence - it makes noise.
Daytime video shooting
Good lighting. Handheld shooting. The smartphone recorded 1080p video with an average frame rate of 30. The average bitrate was 17 Mbit/s. The quality is average - low sharpness, jerky exposure changes, software stabilization is not supported.
Main camera at night
In automatic handheld mode, the smartphone decided to increase the shutter speed to 1/10 of a second. Shumodav chopped everything into cabbage.
Main camera at night (tripod)
The camera has a manual mode. We put it on a tripod. We set ISO 100, shutter speed - 2 seconds. Already good. But here, too, software processing never stops 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 much software processing.
Main camera indoors
Front-camera
According to MEIZU, the front camera uses some kind of FotoNation 2.0 processing and something to improve facial exposure. It would be better if they didn't write this at all. The software determines the area of the face and begins to automatically retouch and wash it so that nothing human remains there. The second photo is in a room with artificial lighting.
That's it with the camera. Join the fight in the comments.
Playing video
I understand correctly that you want to ask: “What can such a state employee do?” You do not want? Then I’ll ask myself and answer myself. This is a real media combine. It can play literally everything... that is required from a smartphone.2 files were used for the test:
- MKV container, 1080p24 H.264 video (8 bit, 11 Mbps), AC-3 audio, DTS audio.
- MKV container, 1080p24 HEVC/H.265 video (8 bit, 8 Mbps), AAC audio
The only downside is that there is no MHL support.
Internal storage, work with microSD cards and flash drives via USB OTG
A new system has 11 GB of free space on the internal storage.
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 actual linear read speed via a USB 3.0 card reader is 45 MB/s, 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 reading speed of microSD let us down. Maybe the budget SoC has some limitations in the controller, or maybe there is a software reason.
Now let's check what is really important in practice - the speed of writing files to the device from the computer and from the device to the 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 a modern device. But the reading speed (copying from the device to the computer) 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 internal speed limit, but writing is not up to internal speed.
Using USB OTG, you can connect flash drives to the device. I was surprised when I connected a flash drive with the NTFS file system. The smartphone accepted it with pleasure. Access was read and write. In the file manager, I could freely delete files from the flash drive and write something to it. A pleasant unofficial surprise.
Performance
The heart of the smartphone is the budget SoC from MediaTek MT6735. It contains 4 Cortex-A53 cores that operate at 1.3 GHz. 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 less powerful mode).
AnTuTu and Geekbench 3
| MEIZU M2 (MediaTek MT6735) | Xiaomi Redmi 2 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 410) | MEIZU M2 Note (MediaTek MT6753) |
|
| AnTuTu v5.7.1 | 27047 | 20899 | 30332 |
| Geeckbench 3 | 616/1714 | 483/1466 | 563/2627 |
3DMark and GFXBench
Charger
The kit includes a charger with a maximum current of 1.2A.
This immediately alerted me to the fact that the device consumes low current. I put the standard charger back in the box. Charging was performed using a high-quality Tronsmart TS-UC5PC charger. The M2 was connected with a quality micro-USB cable that is guaranteed to draw 2.5A of current. When charging, we used a port with a maximum current of 2.4A and closed Data contacts through a “harness” (Tronsmart calls this VoltIQ, but for most devices it is enough that they are simply closed).
The M2 does not support accelerated charging in any form. The maximum current was 0.9A. In 30 minutes the device was charged to 21%. 1 hour up to 43%. In 2 hours 20 minutes to 100%. If the full charge time is quite normal, then 21% in the first 30 minutes is too little for a modern smartphone.
Battery life
In general, the smartphone easily lasts for a day of use. An hour of video, browsing, using the camera, calls, messages. By evening I had 30% charge left.
The default performance mode (balanced) was used to test battery life.
Playing video
All radio modules are disabled. Brightness at 50%. We play a 1080p24 H.264 file. A full charge was enough for exactly 9 o'clock continuous playback.
3D games
For testing I will use a new function 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 smartphone charge will last 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 slight. 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 a MEIZU M2.Information about the make, model, and alternative names of the specific device, if available.
Design
Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Materials used, colors offered, certificates.
| Width Width information - refers to the horizontal side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 68.9 mm (millimeters) 6.89 cm (centimeters) 0.23 ft (feet) 2.71 in (inches) |
| Height Height information - refers to the vertical side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 140.1 mm (millimeters) 14.01 cm (centimeters) 0.46 ft (feet) 5.52 in (inches) |
| Thickness Information about the thickness of the device in different units of measurement. | 8.7 mm (millimeters) 0.87 cm (centimeters) 0.03 ft (feet) 0.34 in (inches) |
| Weight Information about the weight of the device in different units of measurement. | 131 g (grams) 0.29 lbs 4.62 oz (ounces) |
| Volume The approximate volume of the device, calculated based on the dimensions provided by the manufacturer. Refers to devices with the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. | 83.98 cm³ (cubic centimeters) 5.1in³ (cubic inches) |
| Colors Information about the colors in which this device is offered for sale. | White Grey Pink Blue |
| Materials for making the case Materials used to make the device body. | Polycarbonate |
SIM card
The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.
Mobile networks
A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.
| GSM GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) is designed to replace the analogue mobile network (1G). For this reason, GSM is often called a 2G mobile network. It is improved by the addition of GPRS (General Packet Radio Services), and later EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) technologies. | GSM 850 MHz GSM 900 MHz GSM 1800 MHz GSM 1900 MHz |
| TD-SCDMA TD-SCDMA (Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access) is a 3G mobile network standard. It is also called UTRA/UMTS-TDD LCR. It was developed as an alternative to the W-CDMA standard in China by the Chinese Academy of Telecommunications Technology, Datang Telecom and Siemens. TD-SCDMA combines TDMA and CDMA. | TD-SCDMA 1880-1920 MHz TD-SCDMA 2010-2025 MHz |
| UMTS UMTS is an abbreviation for Universal Mobile Telecommunications System. It is based on the GSM standard and belongs to 3G mobile networks. Developed by 3GPP and its biggest advantage is providing greater speed and spectral efficiency thanks to W-CDMA technology. | UMTS 900 MHz UMTS 1900 MHz UMTS 2100 MHz |
| LTE LTE (Long Term Evolution) is defined as a fourth generation (4G) technology. It is developed by 3GPP based on GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA to increase the capacity and speed of wireless mobile networks. The subsequent technology development is called LTE Advanced. | LTE 1800 MHz LTE 2600 MHz LTE-TDD 1900 MHz (B39) LTE-TDD 2300 MHz (B40) LTE-TDD 2500 MHz (B41) LTE-TDD 2600 MHz (B38) |
Mobile communication technologies and data transfer speeds
Communication between devices on mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data transfer rates.
Operating system
An operating system is a system software that manages and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.
SoC (System on Chip)
A system on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device on one chip.
| SoC (System on Chip) A system on a chip (SoC) integrates various hardware components, such as a processor, graphics processor, memory, peripherals, interfaces, etc., as well as the software necessary for their operation. | MediaTek MT6735 |
| Technological process Information about the technological process by which the chip is manufactured. Nanometers measure half the distance between elements in the processor. | 28 nm (nanometers) |
| Processor (CPU) The primary function of a mobile device's processor (CPU) is to interpret and execute instructions contained in software applications. | ARM Cortex-A53 |
| Processor size The size (in bits) of a processor is determined by the size (in bits) of the registers, address buses, and data buses. 64-bit processors have higher performance compared to 32-bit processors, which in turn are more powerful than 16-bit processors. | 64 bit |
| Instruction Set Architecture Instructions are commands with which the software sets/controls the operation of the processor. Information about the instruction set (ISA) that the processor can execute. | ARMv8-A |
| Level 1 cache (L1) Cache memory is used by the processor to reduce access time to more frequently used data and instructions. L1 (level 1) cache is small in size and works much faster than both system memory and other cache levels. If the processor does not find the requested data in L1, it continues to look for it in the L2 cache. On some processors, this search is performed simultaneously in L1 and L2. | 32 kB + 32 kB (kilobytes) |
| Level 2 cache (L2) L2 (level 2) cache is slower than L1 cache, but in return it has a higher capacity, allowing it to cache more data. It, like L1, is much faster than system memory (RAM). If the processor does not find the requested data in L2, it continues to look for it in the L3 cache (if available) or in RAM memory. | 512 kB (kilobytes) 0.5 MB (megabytes) |
| Number of processor cores The processor core executes software instructions. There are processors with one, two or more cores. Having more cores increases performance by allowing multiple instructions to be executed in parallel. | 4 |
| CPU clock speed The clock speed of a processor describes its speed in terms of cycles per second. It is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). | 1300 MHz (megahertz) |
| Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) The Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) handles calculations for various 2D/3D graphics applications. In mobile devices, it is most often used by games, consumer interfaces, video applications, etc. | ARM Mali-T720 MP1 |
| Number of GPU cores Like a CPU, a GPU is made up of several working parts called cores. They handle graphics calculations for various applications. | 1 |
| GPU clock speed Running speed is the clock speed of the GPU, measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). | 600 MHz (megahertz) |
| Amount of random access memory (RAM) Random access memory (RAM) is used by the operating system and all installed applications. Data stored in RAM is lost after the device is turned off or restarted. | 2 GB (gigabytes) |
| Type of random access memory (RAM) Information about the type of random access memory (RAM) used by the device. | LPDDR3 |
| Number of RAM channels Information about the number of RAM channels that are integrated into the SoC. More channels mean higher data rates. | Single channel |
| RAM frequency The frequency of RAM determines its operating speed, more specifically, the speed of reading/writing data. | 640 MHz (megahertz) |
Built-in memory
Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed capacity.
Memory cards
Memory cards are used in mobile devices to increase the storage capacity for storing data.
Screen
The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.
| Type/technology One of the main characteristics of the screen is the technology by which it is made and on which the quality of the information image directly depends. | IPS |
| Diagonal For mobile devices, screen size is expressed by the length of its diagonal, measured in inches. | 5 in (inches) 127 mm (millimeters) 12.7 cm (centimeters) |
| Width Approximate screen width | 2.45 in (inches) 62.26 mm (millimeters) 6.23 cm (centimeters) |
| Height Approximate screen height | 4.36 in (inches) 110.69 mm (millimeters) 11.07 cm (centimeters) |
| Aspect Ratio The ratio of the dimensions of the long side of the screen to its short side | 1.778:1 16:9 |
| Permission Screen resolution shows the number of pixels vertically and horizontally on the screen. Higher resolution means clearer image detail. | 720 x 1280 pixels |
| Pixel Density Information about the number of pixels per centimeter or inch of the screen. Higher density allows information to be displayed on the screen with clearer detail. | 294 ppi (pixels per inch) 115 ppcm (pixels per centimeter) |
| Color depth Screen color depth reflects the total number of bits used for color components in one pixel. Information about the maximum number of colors that the screen can display. | 24 bit 16777216 flowers |
| Screen area Approximate percentage of screen area occupied by the screen on the front of the device. | 71.63% (percent) |
| Other characteristics Information about other screen features and characteristics. | Capacitive Multi-touch Scratch resistance |
| Dragontrail glass GFF full lamination 1000:1 contrast ratio 450 cd/m² |
Sensors
Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that a mobile device can recognize.
Main camera
The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on the back of the body and is used for taking photos and videos.
| Sensor model | Samsung S5K3L2 |
| Sensor type | ISOCELL |
| Sensor size | 4.69 x 3.52 mm (millimeters) 0.23 in (inches) |
| Pixel size | 1.127 µm (micrometers) 0.001127 mm (millimeters) |
| Crop factor | 7.38 |
| Diaphragm | f/2.2 |
| Flash type The most common types of flashes in mobile device cameras are LED and xenon flashes. LED flashes produce softer light and, unlike brighter xenon flashes, are also used for video shooting. | LED |
| Image Resolution One of the main characteristics of mobile device cameras is their resolution, which shows the number of horizontal and vertical pixels in the image. | 4160 x 3120 pixels 12.98 MP (megapixels) |
| Video resolution Information about the maximum supported resolution when shooting video with the device. | 1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP (megapixels) |
| Video - frame rate/frames per second. Information about the maximum number of frames per second (fps) supported by the device when shooting video at the maximum resolution. Some of the main standard video shooting and playback speeds are 24p, 25p, 30p, 60p. | 30fps (frames per second) |
| Characteristics Information about other software and hardware features related to the main camera and improving its functionality. | Autofocus Continuous shooting Digital zoom Digital image stabilization Geographical tags Panoramic photography HDR shooting Touch Focus Face recognition White Balance Adjustment ISO Setting Exposure compensation Self-timer Scene Selection Mode |
| 5-element lens Corning Gorilla Glass 3 lens protection |
Additional camera
Additional cameras are usually mounted above the device screen and are used mainly for video conversations, gesture recognition, etc.
| Sensor model Information about the manufacturer and model of the photo sensor used in the device's camera. | OmniVision OV5670 |
| Sensor type Digital cameras use photo sensors to take photographs. The sensor, as well as optics, are one of the main factors in the quality of the camera in a mobile device. | PureCel |
| Sensor size Information about the dimensions of the photosensor used in the device. Typically, cameras with larger sensors and lower pixel densities offer higher image quality despite the lower resolution. | 2.95 x 2.21 mm (millimeters) 0.14 in (inches) |
| Pixel size The smaller pixel size of the photosensor allows more pixels per unit area, thereby increasing resolution. On the other hand, a smaller pixel size can have a negative impact on image quality at high ISO levels. | 1.151 µm (micrometers) 0.001151 mm (millimeters) |
| Crop factor The crop factor is the ratio between the dimensions of the full-frame sensor (36 x 24 mm, equivalent to a frame of standard 35 mm film) and the dimensions of the device's photosensor. The indicated number represents the ratio of the diagonals of the full-frame sensor (43.3 mm) and the photosensor of a particular device. | 11.74 |
| Diaphragm Aperture (f-number) is the size of the aperture opening that controls the amount of light reaching the photosensor. A lower f-number means the aperture opening is larger. | f/2 |
| Image Resolution Information about the maximum resolution of the additional camera when shooting. In most cases, the resolution of the secondary camera is lower than that of the main camera. | 2560 x 1920 pixels 4.92 MP (megapixels) |
| Video resolution Information about the maximum supported resolution when shooting video with an additional camera. | 1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP (megapixels) |
| 4-element lens |
Audio
Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.
Radio
The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.
Location determination
Information about the navigation and location technologies supported by your device.
WiFi
Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for transmitting data over close distances between various devices.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between various devices of different types over short distances.
USB
USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to exchange data.
Headphone jack
This is an audio connector, also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Connecting devices
Information about other important connection technologies supported by your device.
Browser
A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.
Video file formats/codecs
Mobile devices support different video file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital video data.
Battery
Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge necessary for their functioning.
| Capacity A battery's capacity indicates the maximum charge it can hold, measured in milliamp-hours. | 2500 mAh (milliamp-hours) |
| Type The type of battery is determined by its structure and, more precisely, the chemicals used. There are different types of batteries, with lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer batteries being the most commonly used batteries in mobile devices. | Li-Ion (Lithium-ion) |
| 2G talk time 2G talk time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged during a continuous conversation on a 2G network. | 23 h (clock) 1380 min (minutes) 1 days |
| 2G latency 2G standby time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 2G network. | 680 h (hours) 40800 min (minutes) 28.3 days |
| 3G latency 3G standby time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 3G network. | 680 h (hours) 40800 min (minutes) 28.3 days |
| Characteristics Information about some additional characteristics of the device's battery. | Fixed |
- Case materials: glossy or matte plastic (polycarbonate), tempered glass (front panel), magnesium alloy (case base)
- Available body colors: white, gray, pink, blue
- Operating system: Android 5.1, Flyme 4.5
- Network: 2G/3G/4G (including support for bands common in Russia for FDD-LTE), two nanoSIM cards with LTE support (in Meizu m1 mini LTE networks were supported by only one slot)
- Processor: quad-core, 64-bit, Cortex-A53 at 1.3 GHz, on the Mediatek MT6735 platform (in Meizu m1 mini 64-bit, Cortex-A53 at 1.5 GHz, Mediatek MT6732)
- Graphics subsystem: Mali T720 (in Meizu m1 mini Mali T760 MP2)
- RAM: 2 GB (Meizu m1 mini 1 GB)
- Memory for data storage: 16 GB (Meizu m1 mini 8 GB)
- Memory card slot: yes, supports cards up to 128 GB
- Interfaces: Wi-Fi (a/b/g/n) Dual-Band, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, microUSB connector (USB 2.0) for charging/synchronization, 3.5 mm for headset
- Screen: IPS matrix, 5” diagonal, resolution 1280x720 pixels, ppi 296, Dragontrail X protective glass, automatic backlight level adjustment, tempered glass
- Main camera: 13 megapixels, 5 lenses, f/2.2, 1080p video recording
- Front camera: 5 MP without autofocus, OV5670 sensor, 69 angle, 4 lenses, f/2.0, real-time effects application
- Navigation: GPS (A-GPS support), Glonass
- Additionally: accelerometer, light sensor, proximity sensor
- Battery: 2500 mAh
- Dimensions: 140.1 x 68.9 x 8.7 mm
- Weight: 131 grams
Introduction
The conveyor of the Chinese company Meizu does not stop for a minute. Over the past couple of years, a large number of different devices have come out of the oven, and recently we have seen a trend of several lines of devices appearing: MX, MX Pro, M Note, and, most likely, it will become a good tradition to release gadgets with the M mini prefix. However, in China the mini prefix is not used.
Not long ago, the Meizu M2 mini model was introduced (another name is Blue Charm m2). Artem Lutfullin said in his acquaintance with the device: “The main task that the company solved when creating a new model was to transfer it to an even lower price category, to the segment of ultra-budget solutions or simply practically the most affordable smartphones with normal characteristics.” It must be emphasized that these are not gadgets with poor TFT-TN screens and 1400 mAh batteries. In fact, with the M2 mini we get a stripped-down M2 Note in some respects.
Unfortunately, due to exchange rates, the Russian representative office of Meizu was unable to keep the cost of the device low. The price in China is about 7,000 in rubles. In our country, the cost of the M2 mini is 13,000 rubles. Frankly speaking, I was expecting a price of around 10,000 rubles or less.
Design, dimensions, control elements
Personally, I am happy when a company finds a design that is eventually implemented in future devices, emphasizing the seriousness of the corporation’s commitment to releasing new devices. Sometimes the appearance gets boring quickly: for example, Samsung had too many identical gadgets in terms of design, so in less than a couple of years such devices began to create an ambiguous impression.
It seems to me that Meizu has already found the appearance that will be recognizable, at least among those who understand mobile devices. To be fair, it should be said that the development team, when creating Meizu gadgets, was inspired by Apple products. Therefore, in part, the smartphones of the Chinese company may remind us of Apple phones.
The Meizu M2 mini from the front side is similar to the Apple iPhone 6, in person, not in the pictures. It's my opinion. Yes, the M2 mini does not have the notorious curved screen, but common features can be traced. The sensations in the hand are similar.
- Apple iPhone 6: 138x67x6.9 mm
- Meizu M2 mini: 140x68x8.7 mm
The shape of the case is rectangular, the corners are sloping, the front panel is flat, the back panel smoothly transitions to beveled edges. If we compare it with Meizu gadgets, then with the M2 Note. The MX4 Pro is also worth mentioning. Only it has a metal edge and the central button is more rectangular.
In terms of appearance, the device makes an excellent impression. Ergonomics also did not disappoint: due to its small width, smooth contours and weight of 130 grams, the M2 mini is very comfortable to hold in your hand and use for a long time. If it weren’t for the trend of smartphones being pushed in all directions, I would say that the size of the M2 mini is ideal.
The front panel is protected by AGC Dragontrail tempered glass. Not everyone knows Corning, but it’s also not bad. After a month of active use, there wasn’t a single scratch left on it (though I’m a neat person and I try to treat devices with care). There is an oleophobic coating, it is of average quality, that is, traces remain and cover the surface of the display abundantly, but no greasy residue remains. The finger glides well.
The body is monolithic, like most Meizu devices. The inside of the chassis is traditionally made of metal. The lid is plastic, or, as it is now fashionable to call this material, polycarbonate. Looks durable. Assembly without any complaints. Please do not write in the comments, saying that you bought an M2 mini the other day, and the body is all wobbly and creaking. I am describing a specific sample and cannot be responsible for other samples.
As for the colors of the rear panel, there are only four of them: white, grey, blue and pink. As far as I know, the first three colors are currently available for pre-order. I periodically use Meizu M1 Note in blue. Pleasant color, practically not easily soiled, although the material is glossy. By the way, matte is only gray.
It seems to me that the most strict and representative is matte gray, like the MX4 Pro.
At the top center of the front panel is the speech speaker. It is loud, the timbre is pleasant, there are enough highs and lows. The interlocutor can be heard clearly and intelligibly. Compared to the M1/M2 Note, their speaker is at about the same level. Only the MX4/MX4 Pro/MX5 is cooler - the volume there is one and a half times higher. Personal opinion.
To the left of the speaker are light and proximity sensors. There are no questions for them. On the right is the front camera and a small indicator of missed events.
There is a mechanical button under the display. It has an oval shape and a chrome-plated rim. The pressure is firm, the stroke is minimal, there is a barely audible “click” sound. The button is used to activate the backlight (short press when the screen is locked), exit to the desktop (short press in active screen mode), exit back (short press), lock the screen (long press in active screen mode). Comfortable!
Bottom – microphone, microUSB and speaker, top – 3.5 mm audio output for headphones.
There are metal slides on the left side. They can hold either two nanoSIMs, or one nanoSIM and a microSD memory card.
On the right side there is a volume rocker key and a power button for the device. Slightly convex, with clear pressing. I liked the power button because you can definitely feel the press. There is a quiet high-frequency sound of a “click”, or rather a “click” that is pleasant to the ear.
On the reverse side there is a lens (it is mounted flush with the body) and a flash.
Overall, it turned out to be a cool device in terms of appearance, design ergonomics, ease of use, and so on.
Meizu M2 mini and M1 Note
Meizu M2 mini and Highscreen Power Five
Meizu M2 mini and Apple iPhone 5
Display
Meizu M2 mini uses a screen with a diagonal of 5 inches. Let me remind you that the M1/M2 Note has 5.5 inches, the MX4 has 5.36, and the MX4 Pro has 5.5. The physical size of the M2 mini display is 62x110 mm, the frame on top and bottom is 15 mm, on the right and left - approximately 3.5 mm. There is an anti-reflective coating.
The M2 mini display resolution is HD, that is, 720x1280 pixels, density is 296 pixels per inch. Matrix - IPS OGS. The screen-to-body ratio is 75.6%.
The maximum brightness of white color is 386 cd/m2 (for M1 - 480, for M2 Note - 409), the maximum brightness of black color is 0.52 cd/m2. Contrast ratio – 741:1.
The white line is the goal we are trying to achieve. The yellow line is the actual screen data. You can see that we are directly on the target curve - perfect value!
An average gamma value of 2.2 is ideal throughout the entire curve.
Judging by the level chart, there is a shortage of red, a lot of blue, and just right green. Judging by the graph, the higher the brightness, the more blue and less red.
The temperature remains virtually unchanged and remains around 8000 K.
Judging by the diagram, the data obtained does not quite correspond to the sRGB triangle. It is slightly shifted upward.
Almost all gray points are located outside the DeltaE=10 radius, which indicates that other shades of colors will be present in gray colors.
Although the viewing angles are maximum, at certain angles the screen even slightly inverts the picture. Of course, the matrix is not as cool as in the M1 Note and M2 Note, but for its price category (if you don’t take our prices) it’s quite suitable.
Behavior in the light
Behavior in the shadows
Viewing Angles
Settings
Battery
This model uses a non-removable Sony battery with a capacity of 2500 mAh.
When working with the device, the battery lasted for about 19-20 hours: about 20-30 minutes of calls per day, about 3-6 hours of 4G use, about 20 hours of Wi-Fi (constant synchronization of mail, Twitter, WhatsApp, " Skype” and so on), several dozen photos, 2 hours of listening to music.
In a more gentle mode (3G, music, a little less talking), the gadget works for up to two days. If you leave only data synchronization (Wi-Fi), you can count on 3-4 days. Up to 13 hours of continuous talk time.
Below is a screenshot with official data:
When the screen backlight brightness is automatically adjusted, the display operates for 2 to 3 hours.
Communication capabilities
The device is equipped with two nanoSIM slots. Both connectors support operation in the 4G LTE network, however, if one SIM is in LTE, the other automatically switches to the GSM network.
- GSM/GPRS/EDGE (900/1800 MHz)
- WCDMA/HSPA+ (900/2100 MHz)
- LTE (1800/2100/2600 MHz)
The rest is standard: Wi-Fi (a/b/g/n) Dual-Band (2.4 GHz/5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.0 LE, microUSB connector (USB 2.0 with OTG support) for charging/synchronization. GPS navigation works without problems. By the way, GLONASS is also available. There is no NFC chip.
Memory and memory card
Meizu M2 mini has 2 GB of RAM. At the moment, this is the typical volume of most mid-price smartphones. Here you need to understand that in China this device is considered a budget device, so 2 GB is cool. For us, the M2 mini falls into the middle DS section.
Built-in memory 16 GB EMMC 5.0 from Samsung. Unlike the M1 Note, the M2 mini (like the M2 Note) now has a slot for a microSD memory card. The maximum volume is up to 128 GB!
Cameras
Two cameras: main 13 MP (CMOS sensor from Samsung, 5 lenses, F2.2 aperture) protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3, front 5 MP (4 lenses, F2.0 aperture, 69 degree angle). The flash has one LED.
The camera shoots approximately at the level of the M1/M2 Note, that is, the waveform is good: the white balance is always fine, the detail is slightly above average, there is little noise, but there are small artifacts, the focus is accurate and fast.
The front camera is excellent: also accurate white balance, fairly good detail, minimal noise in poor lighting conditions, a wide viewing angle, but not the maximum among mobile phones.
The gadget shoots video in FullHD resolution at 30 fps in good lighting conditions and 15 fps in poor lighting conditions. Mono sound. The picture is clean and crisp. The only thing I didn't like was the viewing angle. It is frankly small, almost 30-40% of the frame is cut off relative to taking a photo.
The front camera shoots video in FullHD resolution at 24 fps.
As always, you have manual camera settings at your disposal: shutter speed, ISO value and other parameters. There are very few gadgets with such things, and none at all among inexpensive ones.
Sample photos
Performance
The device runs on the Taiwanese MediaTek MT6735 chipset. It was announced at the end of last year. This is a 64-bit SoC that contains 4 ARM Cortex-53 cores, 28 nm process technology, each clocked at up to 1.5 GHz. The graphics used are Mali T-720 with support for Open GL ES 3.0 and Open CL 1.2 API.
It should be noted that the MT6735 chip was created as an inexpensive solution for use in devices that can operate in various networks. Therefore, its main feature is LTE in our country.
The interface is very fast and smooth – two main advantages of the device. Applications launch instantly. With games, everything is not so smooth: you should not count on a large number of FPS and high quality graphics (BIA3 slows down, DeadTrigger at maximum also slows down). The smartphone is slightly weaker than the M1/M2 Note in this regard.
System Information
Performance tests
Software platform
The Meizu M2 mini smartphone runs on the Google Android operating system version 5.1. But, unfortunately, there is nothing left of the “five” here after the Chinese “rolled” the Flyme shell version 4.5 onto it. In fact, nothing new or interesting has appeared: the animation, icons, and general design are the same. It's sad, of course, because Android 5.0 is good without any decorations.
Multimedia
The music player is standard for Meizu. The speaker has a very high volume, I think it was “inherited” from the M1/M2 Note. Clean, no overload.
The sound in the headphones is loud, but a little quieter than in the M2 Note. The quality is great. As always, there is an equalizer and Dirac HD Sound (sometimes it is useful).
There is still no radio - very strange. The video player has not changed, but a special button has appeared to display other videos in memory. The device “plays” any video in resolutions up to FullHD and a maximum bitrate of 40 Mbit/s.
Conclusion
I like the way the Meizu company thinks - fellow Chinese are moving in the right direction, in my opinion. Maybe an even more affordable device will appear. In this case, a segment that is still inaccessible to the company will close: inexpensive - mini, middle segment - Note, expensive - MX, premium - Pro, and the most budget ones... well, I don’t know what they’ll be called Meizu.
The device made an extremely positive impression. It has a nice appearance, excellent ergonomic design, several colors to suit every taste, good technical characteristics, fairly long operating time, good cameras and the ability to operate in fourth generation networks.
Up to 15,000 rubles, I often recommend taking either the M1 Note, or for 4G lovers, the M2 Note. Now we can recommend the Meizu M2 mini among compact smartphones with excellent hardware.
Competitors:
- Highscreen Power Five. Costs about 15,000 rubles. Amoled HD screen, 5000 mAh battery, LTE, metal body. The downside is the 8 MP camera, the Pentile is visible.
- Philips Xenium V526. It also costs about 15,000 rubles and is practically an analogue of Highscreen.
- ZTE Blade S6
- ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE500CL
- Lenovo S60
Pros of Meizu M2 mini
- Sturdy body
- Great build
- Ergonomic design
- Loud speaker
- Good cameras
- Capacious battery
- Two SIM cards
There are no downsides as such, but I would like a better IPS matrix (at least like the M1 Note) and a slightly lower cost of the device.
I have been interested in the M mini line for a long time, but I did not order the first version, because... In Russia only Gsm networks work, and now this is really sad. But when they announced the second generation with support for Wcdma and Lte-fdd, I definitely decided for myself! I'll take it!The second generation of M2 mini, it received a slightly weaker processor, but now works perfectly in Russian frequencies, and also acquired a mechanical button.
Characteristics:
- Communication: 2 nanoSIM cards with support for Russian LTE (1800\2100\2600)
- Display: 5”, 1280x720 pixels (HD, 296ppi), brightness 400cd/m2
- Processor: 4-core MediaTek MT6735 1.3GHz (ARM cortex-A53 1.3GHz x 4)
- Graphics: Mali T720 MP2/450MHz
- RAM: 2 GB LPDDR3 666 Mhz
- Internal memory: 16 + microSD
- Camera: 13MP f2/2 5 lenses, 30 photos per second, panoramic lenses.
- Front camera: 5MP, f2/0 4 lenses, wide shooting angle (69 degrees), Face AE light boost technology, support for FotoNation selfie smart algorithm
- Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n; 2.4GHz/5GHz)
- Bluetooth 4.0 BLE
- microUSB with OTG support, USB-HOST
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Navigation: GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, digital compass
- Battery: 2500 mAh
- Dimensions: 140.1 x 68.9 x 8.7 mm, weight 135 g
- Body colors: grey, pink, blue and white
Equipment and appearance
The device is packed in a square thin box with a minimum number of inscriptions, complete minimalism. It looks beautiful and pleasant.
Inside you will not find much, a phone, instructions, a data cable, a plug and a paper clip. 
The device itself looks beautiful, I have a white device, it seems like the gray one looks even better, well, at least that’s what they say.
There is also a white version - glossy and slippery, although it lies comfortably in the hand, it still tends to slip out. 
There are no complaints about the assembly, everything is assembled just fine, the lid is not removable, there are no backlashes, nothing creaks or sticks out anywhere. This is a solid 5+!
The main button was replaced with a mechanical one, which has 2 functions: Pressing - home, tapping (touching) the button - back. There is no menu button, but during the entire period of use, I practically never had a moment when it was necessary.
The mechanical button itself divides the opinion of the people; some like it, while others are quite the opposite. Personally, I really liked it and quickly got used to it.
The button is plastic and has a chrome rim. 
Perhaps you could immediately notice the gap between the case and the screen under the button, no, it was not a device like that, initially everything was fine, I just used it for the first week with an old cable from another phone, and for some reason it was very difficult to insert and remove from phone, which is why this happened :(
So from the first days it is better to use only the original charging cable.
On the left are the power button and volume rocker.
They fit well, do not wobble, the only thing is that they are too easy to press, they could have made it a little tighter, but this is nit-picking.
There is nothing on the right side. 
On top there is only a 3.5mm headphone jack 
Bottom: 1 microphone, micro-usb input, external speaker. 
On the back is the main camera and 1 LED flash 
Front Sensors, front cameras and earpiece
Screen
The resolution is 1280x720 pixels, which is quite optimal for 5 inches.For some reason, many people complain about the screen, although I didn’t see anything bad in it, it’s an ordinary medium-cheap IPS that doesn’t have enough stars in the sky, but at the same time it’s not bullshit. The picture is juicy, there is enough brightness reserve, you can use the device on a sunny day, the viewing angles are almost maximum, color distortion is only at very large angles, this is especially true on dark colors, they begin to turn yellow.
The screen itself is covered with not the coolest glass (the glass didn’t burn), but it’s quite normal, it doesn’t have a very good oleophobic coating, but I didn’t have any problems with wiping off the dirty glass.
Viewing Angles
Performance and technical component
For a state employee, it has a typical filling in the form of MTK6735 and 2 gigs of RAM.The processor is not cut down, for most tasks both the processor and the amount of memory are enough.
Even when choosing a balanced option (there is also High performance) in Antutu, it gives: ~27,000 parrots
I didn’t notice any microlags when working with desktops, menus, etc.
In terms of toys, well, here the 6735 was driven and more than once, as many as possible, really demanding games lag, but otherwise it runs without any problems.
Operating system and operating time
The device runs on Android 5 and Flyme OS shell.Here you can write a separate review about it, this is really a full-fledged shell for the phone, not like Doogee or any similar comrades, they take Naked Android, change the icons to disgusting ones, put in a few little things and voila! Doogee OS!
NO! Here, EVERYTHING, or almost everything, has really been processed, because it’s not the first day that machines have been producing meise and they were able to not only create it, but also optimize it and polish it.
She herself leaves a positive impression, despite the fact that she has her own disadvantages, although some of them are corrected with various crutches, in general, it is a solid and pleasant shell.
Now there are some problems with Russian, initially it was not there, i.e. only English, Chinese and a few other languages are promised to be officially returned soon.
At the moment there are 3 options:
1) Ask the Chinese to install Russian, they usually ask about 3 bucks for this, when updating/resetting Russian will disappear.
2) Install MoreLocale 2 + several files from 4PDA, it will Russify almost everything, also when updating/resetting Russian will disappear. (I chose this option)
3) Use the device in English and wait until the meiza is officially returned to Russian in the firmware.
System screenshots
Working hours
Here the device very pleasantly surprised me, in general I thought that it would be similar to most Chinese devices in this price range, i.e. every evening - recharging, but everything turned out to be much better.Of course, if you wish, you can plant it in half a day.
I generally had about 35%-45% left at the end of the day.
In terms of use, nothing special: about 30 minutes of calls, up to an hour of Internet surfing, 1-2 hours of Internet radio and every little thing like a camera, VKontakte, Vibers, etc. in small quantities.
Wifi and GPS are always on, screen brightness is automatic. 
Camera
Main camera 13MP f2/2 5 lenses from Samsung.This is an honest 13 megapixels, without interpolation.
Considering its price, it takes good pictures; devices in the same price category are clearly inferior in all respects.
First of all, I would like to note the software, for which any closest competitors are simply nervously smoking on the sidelines. Auto, manual settings (white balance\exposure compensation\shutter speed up to 10 sec\focal length), qr scanner, slow motion and all sorts of more familiar ones like portrait, panorama, etc.
In good lighting, the pictures come out well, although they lack a little contrast.
Focus works quickly. 
Some more photos
You also get pretty good macro shots, it’s best to take them in manual mode, otherwise it can be difficult to get the right focus in auto mode 
More macro shots
When there is no longer enough lighting, the focus begins to work noticeably slower, and the pictures begin to blur. 
However, for example, in the same Doogee y100 pro, the device produces better quality pictures
Top M2 Mini
Bottom Doogeee Y100 PRO 
The front camera is 5MP and has autofocus.
For a front camera it takes decent pictures, but nothing special. 
Video writes 30 fps, FULL HD
The quality is not bad, you can shoot it.
There is also a function SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOW MO
In fact, this is more like marketing bullshit, because it will not bring real usefulness and little more than anyone will use it.
There is only one reason - the recording quality is sooooooo bad, despite the fact that it only writes in 640x480, the quality is terrible.
But the presence of such a function in a device at such a price is impressive.
And here it’s more likely that the problem is not in the camera, but in the processor, which is simply not initially designed for such tasks; when shooting, it begins to heat up noticeably.
Full archive with photos and videos here:
conclusions
I tried not to write too much about the disadvantages during the entire review and concentrate all attention on them in the conclusions, they are there, some will be significant for some, for others not, but let's start with the good.pros
+ Fast device+ Really good camera for its price range
+ Excellent build
+ Good earpiece (it’s really good, you can hear it clearly, there’s plenty of volume)
+Flyme OS
+ Appearance, it still looks nice
+ Support (meizu does not put a bolt on its products immediately after release, like other Chinese, I think there will be updates for at least 1 year, or even 2-3)
+ Battery
Controversial points depending on everyone's taste
± Mechanical button, some people don’t like it, but on the contrary, I really, really like it.± Screen, I didn’t know where to put this, so I put it here, the screen is not bad, but nothing more, so if a very good screen is important to you, keep this in mind
± Temporary official absence of the Russian language in the firmware.
± Glossy and slippery (matte gray, everything should be better in this regard)
± The sound is in headphones, there is no separate DAC, the sound is not that bad, rather it is usually flat, and if you have some expensive ears, you may be disappointed.
± You can use EITHER 2 SIM cards at once, OR 1 SIM + flash drive. Option 2 SIM + flash drive NO
Minuses
- 1 microphone- A lousy external speaker, alas, yes, it’s a complete mess, most melodies play extremely badly, so if you want to put your song on the ringer, you’ll have to spend a long time choosing the one that will sound normal. Forget about listening to music through it.
- 4G, when I turned it on and surfed the Internet for 10-20 minutes, my device (the place where the processor is located, to the left of the camera) heated up to such an extent that it was difficult to hold it in that place, so I immediately turned off this 4G.
- Maybe it’s just me, maybe a firmware glitch, but turning on the device from sleep takes 1-2 seconds. When I take the phone to look at something during a conversation, I have to wait 2-4 seconds for the screen to light up, unpleasant little things.
- The glass of the device is still not the best, the first days I generally went with the factory film, it’s matte, my finger glides over it perfectly, if it weren’t for the inscriptions on it, I wouldn’t take it off :)
- The plastic on the back cover of the phone is most likely one of the cheapest, so it may wear out/crack quickly.
So, if you are looking for a 5-inch device in the price category up to $130-$140 (reseller price), then in my opinion this will be an excellent choice. Good hardware, a well-thought-out shell from the manufacturer that has been in place for many years, updates will be available for at least 1 year, although it has its drawbacks.
Did Meizu manage to make the perfect 5 inch? Alas, no, they had to save on something, and that’s where they failed, although I would have gladly thrown in another 1-2 tens of dollars if they had eliminated all these shortcomings in the device, but this will most likely be in the Meizu m3. Now we just have a good-quality device.
Competitors?
... among devices with a 5-inch screen and in this price category, I don’t see them. Really competitors, and not some alternative options that are $15 cheaper, but in comparison suck on all counts.
