Meizu
Meizu 20 Review: A Solid Performer in the Mid-range Segment
The Chinese Consumer Electronics manufacturing brand Meizu is the 11th largest smartphone manufacturer in the world. Meizu phones are known for their flagship-grade features on a mid-range budget. Recently, the Meizu 20 became officially available globally. Let’s find out the key features, pros, cons, and price of Meizu 20 in Bangladesh.
Key Specs of Meizu 20
Design and Build Quality
Meizu 20 with its design would lead anyone to confuse it with the Samsung Galaxy S series. It has the same chamfered edges, flat design structure, aluminum frame, and glass front and back. The camera system is also vertically placed completing the replicative look.
Dimension-wise, the Meizu 20 comes in at 157.93 mm by 73.5 mm by 7.99 mm, weighing 190 g. The weight remains under 200 g mainly due to a smaller battery capacity on the Meizu 20.
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The choice of ports and buttons is as usual. There’s no headphone jack or an external micro SDXC on the 20. The fingerprint scanner is an in-display type with Meizu claiming 0.075 seconds response on the Ultrasonic mTouch 2.0 sensor. A secondary noise cancellation is positioned at the top with the sim tray at the bottom.
The Meizu 20 comes in gray, green, pink, yellow, and a colorway called Monologue. As for protection, the device is IP54 dust and splash-resistant.
The Display
The display on the Meizu 20 is a 6.55-inch OLED panel with a 144 Hz refresh rate and 1B colors. The resolution of the panel comes in at 1080 by 2400 pixels with a 20:9 aspect ratio and 402 ppi density. The near-symmetrical bezel on all sides means the Meizu 20 has a screen-to-body ratio of 89.2%). The high contrast ratio of 5000000:1 combined with 500 nits of typical and 800 nits of peak brightness makes for a pleasing viewing experience both indoors and outdoors.
On day-to-day use, the device maintains the 144 Hz speed. Touch response is smooth and media consumption is also great.
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At this price point, the display of the Meizu 20 is easily on par with the Honor 50, and Realme 11 Pro while slightly falling short of the recently launched Motorola Edge 50. Surprisingly enough, the 20 has a better refresh rate and pixel count than the latest Meizu 21.
Overall, it’s a great display that’s worth every buck.
The Camera
There’s a triple camera setup on the Meizu 20 with the main sensor being a 50 MP f/1.9 aperture and 24 mm lens. The main sensor is equipped with PDAF and OIS. The second sensor is a 16 MP f/2.4 16 mm 122 degrees ultrawide shooter. And lastly, there’s also a 5 MP f/2.4 depth sensor. The front camera is a 32 MP f/2.5 wide-angle shooter.
The camera performance of the Meizu 20 is impressive. Pictures taken outdoors had a decent dynamic range with great details. The color reproduction is also vibrant and it didn’t oversaturate the content. The nighttime images also produced similar results albeit with a bit of exposure issues. The wide-angle camera is also nearly on par with the main one in terms of details and contrast.
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The front camera produced characteristic beautified pictures which are common in most Chinese smartphones. But it also had good details and contrast balance.
The Meizu 20 can shoot up to 8K at 30 fps. but users will get the best result at 4K at 30 fps where both OIS and gyro-EIS kick in.
While the megapixel count isn’t a definitive metric, the Honor 50 (108 MP) and the Realme 11 Pro (100 MP) both have better sensors. The former even comes with a quad-camera system.
Processor and Performance
The processor on the Meizu 20 is Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 based on 4 Nm architecture. It has an octa-core chip design of 1x3.2 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510 with Adreno 740 GPU.
In terms of performance, the 8 Gen 2 still holds up compared to today’s flagships.
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Meizu 20 sports 12 GB of RAM. Its storage capacity ranges from 128 to 500 GB. Depending on internal storage the phone has three variants 12/128 GB, 12/256 GB, and 12/500 GB.
You’re looking at a score of 1532713 in Antutu 10 and 1991 (single core) and 5299 (multi-core) on Geekbench 6.
The processor can run all the leading game titles with ease. PUBG can be played at HDR Extreme setup. However, we found that it works best at Smooth Extreme Plus settings. There’s a constant frame rate between 50 to 60 fps. Titles like Genshin Impact and Asphalt 9 also worked smoothly.
The only noticeable gripe here would be the heating. Meizu claims to have a dedicated cooling system for the processor but the heating is very much apparent. However, gamers will not experience much throttling issues due to the heat.
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Meizu 20 easily trumps the Honor 50 (Snapdragon 778G), Realme 11 Pro (Dimensity 7050), and Motorola Edge 50 (Snapdragon 7 Gen 3) in terms of performance.
Software
Meizu 20 came with Android 13 out of the box when it launched. Now users will get the Android 14 as the brand has already updated to the latest firmware. It is running a custom Flyme OS which looks more or less the same as MIUI. Bloatware issues are as apparent as ever on the Meizu 20. And for the record, users can download Playstore from third-party sites to avail of Google services.
Battery and Charge Time
The battery on the Meizu 20 is relatively small at 4700 mAh. Meizu has included an 80W charger on the box of the 20. However, the device supports up to 67W wired charging with Meizu’s proprietary Super mCharge technology. Even with 144 Hz, expect to get around one whole day's worth of battery on a full charge.
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Pros and Cons of Meizu 20
Pros:
- 144 Hz high refresh rate OLED panel - 67W wired fast charging - Flat screen design - Great camera performance - Above-par video quality with up to 8K support- UFS 4.0 storage (for 256 GB and above storage variants)- Stereo speakers - Ring LED flashlight - Great for gaming and multitasking - IP54 rating.
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Cons:
- No headphone jack - No micro SDXC support - No wireless charging support - No reverse charging support - No optical zoom lens
The Price of Meizu 20
Meizu 20 is available in Bangladesh at around BDT 47, 000. The price may vary depending on the seller.
Verdict
Meizu 20 offers reliable performance backed up with powerful RAM, a rapid processor, a great camera, and a fast display. However, its noticeable drawbacks include heating issues. The provisions of wireless and rapid charging supports could make it a better deal. Other than that, the Meizu 20 can be a great mid-range phone for anyone looking for a hardcore daily driver.
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6 months ago
Meizu 21 Review: A Detailed Look at the Latest Flagship Killer
The Chinese smartphone brand Meizu has been known for manufacturing powerful phones at a comparatively lower price point. Their latest innovation is Meizu 21. This flagship killer was released in China on 30 November 2023. Does the phone live up to the mark? Let’s look at the features, pros, cons, and price of Meizu 21 in Bangladesh.
Key Features and Specs of Meizu 21
Design
The Meizu 21 smartphone features a 156.7 mm by 75.3 mm by 7.9 mm middle frame crafted from new aviation-grade aluminum. Its assembly utilizes advanced CNC machining, akin to techniques used in aviation, ensuring high precision. This design makes the device resistant to falls and pressure, enhancing durability.
With a slim profile of 7.9mm and weighing 198g, the Meizu 21 comes in four attractive colors: Unbounded Black, Meizu White, Ruiyi Cyan, and Smart Purple. The rear camera module adopts a borderless narrow-edge lens design with a black-coated lens ring. In contrast, the camera lens surface showcases a fine nano-etching process, creating a distinctive CD pattern.
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The Meizu 21 introduces the "Aicy Smart Ring" to elevate user interaction with its multi-scenario interactive ring light system. Additionally, its "Unbounded Antenna System 2.0" enhances signal performance by 30% compared to its predecessor, supported by mSmart Net technology for comprehensive network optimization. The screen’s bezel has been reduced to 1.74mm which is certainly praiseworthy.
Display
The Meizu 21 bears a 6.55-inch FHD+ Samsung OLED Display with a resolution of 2340 by 1080 pixels. This display offers vivid colors and sharp details, providing an immersive viewing experience. With a refresh rate of 120Hz, interactions with the device are smooth and responsive. The display's brightness reaches up to 1800 nits, ensuring clear visibility even in bright sunlight, and it employs 1920Hz PWM technology for enhanced brightness control.
The screen-to-body ratio is approximately 89.3%, offering a large viewing area. The symmetrical bezels are incredibly slim, measuring just 1.74mm.
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Performance and Hardware
The Meizu 21 is equipped with the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 4nm chipset, featuring an octa-core CPU with a unique architecture of Cortex-X4, Cortex-A720, Cortex-A520, and Cortex-A720 cores, delivering high-performance capabilities. The chipset is fabricated using a 4nm process. Its Adreno 750 GPU enhances graphic rendering for smooth gaming and multimedia experiences.
Meizu 21 runs on Android 13 with the Flyme 10.5 interface. The device sports 12GB LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB UFS4.0 flash memory, offering ample storage and efficient multitasking. Performance tests reveal improved CPU and GPU performance compared to its predecessor, with enhanced gaming capabilities and lower power consumption. The device features a large heat dissipation area, maintaining stable performance during heavy gaming sessions.
Camera
The Meizu 21 features a triple rear camera setup, headlined by a 200MP (f/1.7) primary lens, accompanied by a 13MP (f/2.4) ultra-wide lens and a 5MP (f/2.4) wide-angle lens. The main camera supports features like Ring-LED flash, panorama, and HDR, with video recording capabilities of up to 8K resolution with gyro-EIS.
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It has a 32 MP (f/2.4) selfie camera with HDR support on the front side, offering various filters and effects. The camera software supports dynamic range and manages colors and contrast effectively.
The device's native camera app provides several modes and filters, allowing users to make the most of the secondary lenses for improved photography. While low-light performance is commendable with reduced noise, night mode enhances color vibrancy.
The rear camera can shoot 8K footage at maximum with gyro-EIS. However, the quality of videos is comparatively lower than the other competitors in its price ranges.
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Battery and Charger
The Meizu 21 is powered by a built-in 4800 mAh battery. It supports rapid 80W fast charging, allowing a full charge in just 40 minutes, as per Meizu's claims. This device incorporates Meizu Ice World cooling technology and OneMind 10.5, along with a large heat dissipation stack area of 37345mm², ensuring a balanced performance and battery life. With NFC and infrared remote control support, it's versatile in connectivity.
The Meizu 21 runs on Flyme 10.5, featuring Aicy AI and Flyme AR. Users can enjoy up to 5+ hours of screen time on a single-round charge, along with approximately three hours of gameplay and additional hours of content streaming.
With 80W wired charging, convenience meets efficiency in powering up the Meizu 21. However, modern features like reverse and wireless charging could make it a better deal.
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The Price of Meizu 21 in Bangladesh
Meizu 21 phone’s 12/256GB ROM version is currently available in Bangladesh at around BDT 62,000. However, the price may vary depending on the sellers.
Pros and Cons of Meizu 21
Pros
- Impressive Display with 120Hz refresh rate and 1800 nit brightness- Powerful Snapdragon chipset for high-performance capabilities- Versatile and dynamic camera system- Large battery with fast charging- Elegant design with slim bezels and four attractive color options- Advanced features, including Flyme 10.5 OS- Ultrasonic Finger Reader and Dual Stereo Speakers.
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Cons
- Average camera software- Outdated Android interface- No support for reverse or wireless charging- Uses an older version of the Type-C port- Lacks a microSD card slot- Lacks the audio jack- No gorilla glass protection.
Conclusion
The Meizu 21 offers users a good experience with its impressive performance, stunning display, and long-lasting battery life. However, it's essential to acknowledge its shortcomings, such as the lack of gorilla glass protection on display, lack of wireless and reverse charging support, average camera software, outdated Android interface, etc.
Despite these drawbacks, the Meizu 21 remains a standout choice for those seeking a blend of sophistication and functionality. People who need a reliable phone for gaming and heavy tasks can go for Meizu 21.
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6 months ago