Hello! I've been using my Meizu M1 Note (international version) for almost a month now and I'm sharing with you my experience with it. Before purchasing the M1 Note, I was using a Samsung Galaxy S5 (2014 flagship) and a BlackBerry Q10 (QWERTY smartphone). Both devices are LTE-capable but I use the former mainly for Internet and media consumption and the latter for calls and text messaging. I decided to buy an M1 Note mainly because I need a dual-SIM device, which supports LTE connectivity as well. For me, the convenience of carrying just one smartphone instead of two is priceless. And the very affordable price of the M1 Note (PhP8,599 on Lazada Philippines) was definitely a bonus. I was lucky enough to apply a discount code on my purchase, bringing its price down to PhP8,099. Oh, I got the white one because that's a safe color but it's also officially available in blue and pink in the Philippines.
Image by Meizu
Let's talk first about the actual specs of Meizu M1 (Blue Charm) Note. It measures 150.7 mm x 75.2 mm x 8.9 mm and weighs 145 grams. It packs a 5.5-inch IGZO display of 1080 Full HD resolution (401 ppi), protected by Gorilla Glass 3. Powering it is a 64-bit octa-core MediaTek MT6752 processor with 2GB RAM, a Mali-T760 GPU, and 16GB of non-expandable storage. There's a 13-MP Samsung-made primary camera with dual-LED dual-tone flash and a 5-MP front-facing wide-angle camera. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LTE, and dual-SIM connectivity are all supported and the phablet packs a meaty 3,140 mAh battery. The M1 Note runs Android 4.4 KitKat with Flyme 4.0 OS on top.
Image by Meizu
When I got it out of the box for the first time, I must say that it's a thing of beauty. It doesn't scream premium or high-end but it's definitely not cheap-looking too. It does remind me of a blown-up iPhone 5C, thanks to its glossy polycarbonate body and perhaps because of the positioning of its speaker grills and microphone. For me, it's neither a good or bad thing. As for the build quality, it felt solid in my hands but the SIM tray does not sit flush on phone's body. It could be a design flaw but it's not a big deal as well. The M1 Note can be slippery at times especially when you're trying to reach for something on its large screen but as with any smartphone, a jelly (TPU) case will give you a more secure grip. Speaking of cases and screen protectors, it's quite hard to find one in the Philippines. I've gone to some stalls in Greenhills to look for one but wasn't lucky enough to find one. Good thing, I managed to grab one from an online seller at OLX.ph. More cases are also available on Lazada Philippines (quite expensive) and several Facebook accounts (M1 Note Philippines Group).
Image by Meizu
Going to the dimensions of the M1 Note, yes it's big but not much larger than my Galaxy S5. It's definitely more compact than most handsets with the same screen size. Speaking of the screen, the Sharp IGZO display is comparable to some of the best LCDs in the market. At 100%, it's very bright and is legible under direct sunlight but if you move the brightness slider down to 50% or 70% for example, the phablet gets significantly dimmer. The blacks aren't that deep when compared to AMOLED displays but they're quite good for an LCD. I never encountered dead pixels or screen burn-ins but there's some weird bright sparks when watching fast-paced videos. However, I didn't encounter those when playing games, browsing through photos or surfing the Internet. Since the M1 Note has a 1080p Full HD resolution, its pixel density is quite high and you wouldn't notice any pixelation. In addition, the Gorilla Glass 3 protection also made sure my phone is free from scratches. Until now, I haven't bought my phone a screen protector and it's still scratch-free.
Image by Meizu
As for the performance, I must say that I'm not really a big fan of CPU and GPU benchmarks as they only matter to the geekiest of geeks. Nevertheless, I've seen in several tech sites that the M1 Note is quite a performer. In real-life though, my M1 Note has never encountered hiccups or lags. The Flyme OS is quite fluid and smooth. My photo gallery, phone book, music app all load fast unlike on my Galaxy S5. I've been playing games on it, specifically Clash of Clans. Never did my phone stutter or lag while playing the game. While you cannot actually see the actual RAM usage on the M1 Note, I can say that Meizu did a good job with RAM management. As stated above, the native storage is limited to 16GB, only about 12GB is available to the user. To make matters worse, there's no microSD card support. To me, it's not a big deal as I only have a hundred songs in my library, 20 videos or so, a couple of hundred photos, and some 30 other installed applications and games. There's always the cloud for more storage. Others may even opt for the USB OTG functionality. Plus, there's YouTube and Spotify for my daily dose of entertainment. My point is that 16GB storage is more than enough for an average user. Imagine how hundreds of millions of iPhone and Xiaomi users live with just 16GB storage. If they can, why can't you? Unless you plan to put your entire media collection on your phone, instead of an external hard drive, then there's no need to look for a smartphone elsewhere.
Image by Meizu
Speaking of Flyme 4, it's very much inspired by iOS as it lacks an app drawer, which may be a good or bad thing, but it really didn't bother me. There's no bloatware and all the essential apps are covered. Since my M1 Note is the "I" or international version, then I have access to the Play Store and Google Play services. While I can open the built-in App Center and Themes apps from Meizu, their use of Chinese language would hinder me from effectively using them. For me, the best part about the Flyme 4 is its simplicity especially for an Android-powered device. The phone book and dialer are combined in one app. The clock, calendar, calculator, recorder, and memo apps look neat. The Security app is quite useful as you can easily clean viruses and junk files. Meanwhile, the Painter app will show your creativity in drawings and doing sketches. There's really not much to complain about in terms of design and user experience. But unlike Samsung's TouchWiz or HTC's Sense, the Flyme 4 may take some time for you to get used to. Since the M1 Note has no back button except for one capacitive home button plus it's heavily gesture-based, there will be a learning curve in navigating the said device. But it took me only 3 days to get used to it. Meizu has promised future updates for the Flyme OS so an Android Lollipop update should be around the corner.
Image by Meizu
Now, we go to the camera, which is usually a main-selling point for smartphones and phablets alike. The M1 Note has a 13-MP camera made by Samsung. It is rich with features like Auto, Manual, Beauty, Lightfield, Panorama and more. In every day use, the Auto mode would suffice. Beauty mode is especially handy when taking selfies. The Manual mode is for those who like tinkering their camera as it adjusts shutter speed, ISO, exposure, and focal length. Lightfield is similar to the Lumia Refocus app, Samsung's Selective Focus or Sony's Background Defocus. The M1 Note also takes burst shots, panoramas, HDR photos, and more. In general, the photos taken by the M1 Note are good with fine details and great looking colors. It kinda struggles in low light situations especially when your hands are shaky. The photo quality is not the best out there but easily one of the best in its class and price range. As for the 5-MP selfie camera, it gets the job done. You can even apply filters and edit faces to give one a better look. The M1 Note is also capable of recording 1080p Full HD videos, along with 720p HD and 480p. The video quality is surprisingly good but nothing extraordinary. Media playback was never an issue for me as well as it played all the songs and videos I transferred to my phone. The sound produced by the phone is kinda hollow and soft but can easily be remedied by an amplifier or a good pair of earphones. Anyway, here are some photos taken from my M1 Note.
When it comes to connectivity, the M1 Note has all the standard features like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, compass, and more. It also has dual-SIM connectivity but only SIM 1 supports FDD-LTE. As mentioned above, there is no microSD card support but has support for USB OTG. It also has all kinds of sensors: hall effect, gravity, proximity, ambient light, gyroscope, and a notification light that can be found under the capacitive home button, which brings about the iconic halo effect. The M1 Note is also equipped with a 3,100 mAh non-removable battery, which lasts about a day for very heavy usage but moderate users can make their phone's battery last for roughly 2 days. The good thing is that it does not take that long to fully charge the M1 Note.
Image by Meizu
There you have it! The Meizu M1 Note definitely has an answer to most of your smartphone needs. And its competitive pricing really adds to its irresistible value proposition. That is not to say that this phablet is perfect. For one, having a 5.5-inch screen is deemed too big by some users. Non-expandable storage and a non-removable battery would also be a concern for some. And as stated earlier, the Flyme OS takes some getting used to. If you can go past these concerns, then the Meizu M1 Note is definitely for you. It offers the best bang per buck of any phablet available in the market. I highly recommend that you try and get one.
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