Meizu breaks yearly smartphone shipment record with 22 million total in 2016

22 million unit sales doesn’t sound like a lot by Samsung or Apple’s mobile industry-leading standards, and it’s also a drop in the ocean compared to some of Huawei’s increasingly remarkable quarterly smartphone shipment numbers of late.

But for Meizu, it’s actually a new yearly record, up a healthy 10 percent from 2015’s 20 mil tally. Similar to many budget-focused compatriots, this China-based gadget vendor could use a stronger presence in international markets, where it only managed to unload 2 million of its Flyme OS-skinned, Android-powered handhelds between January and December 2016.

That left a robust 20 million smartphones distributed domestically over the past 12 months, which however still wasn’t a big enough score to contend the likes of OPPO, Vivo or Xiaomi. 2017 marks the beginning of a potentially beautiful friendship lucrative alliance with global semiconductor champ Qualcomm, and at least one Snapdragon-packing Meizu device is reportedly slated for a commercial launch during the year’s final calendar quarter, at the latest.

You probably shouldn’t rule out seeing that same phone in Western stores, though something tells us it’s not going to be a flagship model. The flagship is coming exclusively to Chinese shores around June, according to fairly plausible gossip, with a MediaTek Helio X30 processor inside, curved screen and Pro 7 name… presumably.

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Meizu m5 Note launches in China starting at $131

If you’re wondering what the MeiBlue note5 is, you’re probably looking at Meizu’s latest budget buster of a phone, known to us as the m5 Note. It’s another respectably specced phone with a praise-worthy pricing scheme.

There’s the 5.5-inch full HD screen, an octa-core MediaTek Helio P10 processor, cameras for 5-megapixel selfies and 13-megapixel landscapes, a fingerprint sensor and a 4,000mAh battery with 18W charging for fast top-ups.

The initial batch that is up for reservations is for the version with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of storage (microSD-expandable by up to 128GB) and that is going up for ¥899 or $131 starting December 8.

We expect a 3GB/32GB to go for ¥999 or $145 later on and a 4GB/64GB SKU docked at ¥1,499 or $231.

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Meizu m3x starts at around $250 with snazzy design, Helio P20 power, high-end camera

In case Meizu’s mid-range Android smartphone family didn’t feel convoluted enough, the Chinese OEM just took the wraps off the 5.5-inch m3x, joining the super-low-cost 5-inch m3 and m3s, slightly pricier 5.5-inch m3e, and jumbo-sized 6-inch m3 Max.

Clearly not as attractive for power users as the Pro 6 Plus, the Meizu m3x caters to budget-conscious fashionistas with a shiny (literally) glass back and ceramic crystal coating in eye-catching Pearl White, Phantom Blue, Gold and Obsidian Black colors.

The 2.5D curved display sports respectable Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) resolution, while an octa-core Helio P20 processor runs the hardware show in lieu of the m3 Max and m3e’s P10. You can opt for 32 or 64GB internal storage, and 3 or 4GB RAM, with pre-orders underway today in Meizu’s China homeland at 1,699 and 1,999 Yuan ($247 and $290) respectively.

Both m3x configurations of course pack the same rapid-charging 3200mAh battery, and believe it or not, they even borrow the ultra-high-end 12MP Sony IMX386 rear-facing camera sensor from the far costlier Pro 6 Plus.

The stellar bang for buck yuan of the Meizu m3x is consolidated by a 5MP selfie shooter with f/2.0 aperture, USB Type-C port, blazing fast mTouch fingerprint scanner, 4G LTE connectivity, and 7.4mm wasp waist. Too bad this thing is also based on Marshmallow out the box.

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Meizu Pro 6 Plus goes after Galaxy S7 with Exynos 8890 SoC, 5.7-inch Quad HD display

If you can’t beat them, join them. Just as rumoredseveral months back, Meizu wraps up its 2016 flagship smartphone lineup with a refreshed, oversized Pro 6 powered by the same processor used on the uber-successful Samsung Galaxy S7 and ill-fated Note 7.

Before you cry copycat, it’s worth pointing out that Meizu and Samsung have partnered a number of times in recent years, and the chaebol’s Exynos 8890 SoC is also adopted inside the Pro 6 Plus with its maker’s express approval.

That said, the Meizu Pro 6 Plus hardly feels like an original product, even featuring both a fingerprint sensor and built-in heart rate monitor, not to mention “3D Press” technology, aka 3D Touch or Force Touch.

Coated in gray, silver or champagne gold, the new 5.7-incher looks extremely similar to the 5.2-inch Pro 6 on the outside, bumping up the screen resolution however to 2,560 x 1,440 pixels, and adding Always-on tricks to the equation.

Robust and slim, at 7.3mm, the Meizu Pro 6 Plus flaunts a respectably large 3400mAh battery, which it apparently can charge up to the 60 percent mark in just half an hour. The 12MP rear-facing camera borrows Sony’s IMX386 CMOS sensor from the 5.5-inch MX6, though Samsung’s “upgraded ISP and Optical Image Stabilization” should now make it Meizu’s best ever snapper.

On the software side of things, the 5.7-incher runs the all-new Flyme OS 6 platform with “One Mind”, Meizu’s “very own Artificial Intelligence engine”, but unfortunately, only Android Marshmallow roots. Other features include 4GB RAM, 64 and 128GB internal storage options, Hi-Fi audio, global LTE support, and USB Type-C, with domestic pricing set at $435 (CNY 3,000) and up.

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Marketing director denies Xiaomi Mi MIX Nano in deleted Weibo post

We’re still floating on the remnant vapors of the Xiaomi Mi MIX, a China-exclusive concept device that pushed the limits of what a smartphone screen can fill — bezels be damned. In fact, there’s hope that Christmas Eve might bring us something a little more bold from Meizu.

What would’ve been quite amazing indeed is if more of these phones came out. And what if they were smaller? Rumors started floating up about the Mi MIX Nano just a short time ago.

Well, Xiaomi marketing director Zang Zhiyuan decided to throw those whispers down in a post on Chinese social media, flat out saying there’s “no Xiaomi MIX Nano.” Zang also tossed a sick burn against a competing though unnamed brand that’s taking advantage of the hype around the Mi MIX to potentially launch a competing, just-as-unnamed product (here’s to you, we think, Meizu).

The post has since been deleted off of Weibo. And that leaves us wondering if there is such a thing as a Mi MIX Nano after all. Time will tell and that means waiting out the calendar ’til the end of December.

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Meizu X event chalked up for November 30

Who knows what Meizu will wrap the year up with? It started this month with a device launch and it is going to end the month with another one.

But in the meantime, there’s just a little more coalescence on what is said to be the Meizu X. Invitations have gone out for an event in China on November 30.

We haven’t been able to spot any records with the TENAA regulatory agency in China on the phone, the rear of which seems to be made of a single piece metal shell — note the lack of antenna lines. Just above the front-and-center Meizu branding is a camera ringed by several LEDs, a flash method we’ve seen the company take to.

Other bits of speculation tell us that the Meizu X will receive the MediaTek Helio X30, the latest tri-cluster, deca-core SoC featuring four new Cortex-A73 cores and a quad-core PowerVR 7XT GPU. A Meizu m5 note may also appear at the event with the updated Helio P20 chip.

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“Something unexpected” from Meizu on Christmas Eve could be a Mi MIX competitor

All screen, no chin. The Xiaomi Mi MIX got us closer to the bezelless dream than ever before. But hey, maybe we can just be there. Wouldn’t that be a nice Christmas gift?

Well, notorious Weibo tech blogger KJuma may have hit some gold… or it could be a fake-out to ruin a whole holiday season.

meizu-mi-mix-1

Take a good long look at these renders, purporting to show off a device from Xiaomi competitor Meizu and tell us if you can feel anything going on? No perceptible buttons or ports, — because any dent, hill or hole is just plain unsexy on a “best looks” render — just screen. An edgy bezel, but screen, nonetheless. And then there’s that date: December 24.

meizu-mi-mix-2

So, what now? The wait. If there’s further development on this front, we’ll pass it along to you. But we bet that if this is all we hear about this device, you probably won’t be getting anything on Christmas Eve. In other words, all sham, no wow.

meizu-mi-mix-3

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Meizu Pro 6s discreetly breaks cover with 3D Press display, big battery, relatively low price

Worst release timing ever? Pretty much, as Meizu took the wraps off its latest flagship Android phone for China in almost perfect sync with the higher-profile Munich announcement of domestic rival Huawei’s Mate 9 and Mate 9 Porsche Design.

But this is no iPhone 7 Plus “killer”, not even in the world’s largest smartphone market, where it’ll probably be sold exclusively, changing very little about last spring’s Pro 6. That’s obviously why it’s called Meizu Pro 6s rather than Pro 7, borrowing heavily from both its predecessor and the slightly bigger MX6.

No Exynos 8890 SoC upgrade here either, we’re afraid, and no screen size or resolution bump beyond 5.2 inches and 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. The underwhelming 2,560 mAh battery inside the original Pro 6 is one of only two things revised for the S spin-off, gaining 500 mAh capacity, while the other important alteration may actually sound like a downgrade at first.

Yes, there’s just a 12MP camera on the back of the Meizu Pro 6s, “down” from 21 megapixels, but this time, you’re dealing with a super-high-end Sony IMX386 sensor, f2.0 aperture, and 4-axis optical image stabilization.

Amazingly, the “new” budget-conscious 5.2-inch hero device retains a wasp 7.3mm waist, as well as 3D Touch-similar 3D Press display sensitivity tricks, deca-core Helio X25 processing power, 4GB RAM, fingerprint support, and 64GB internal storage, all priced at 2,700 Yuan ($399). Who needs novelty and constant major upgrades with such a sweet bang for buck factor?

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Qualcomm-Meizu legal spat continues in US, Germany, France

17 complaints to China’s National Development & Reform Commission weren’t enough.On Friday, Qualcomm made further claims against manufacturer Meizu in France, Germany and the US about its infringing on the chipmaker’s intellectual property. Meizu, which has used Qualcomm silicon and technology in the past, has said that terms of negotiation for licenses have been unfair and onerous.The San Diego-based Qualcomm lodged a complaint with the International Trade ...

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Meizu M3 Max dreams bigger with 6-inch Full HD display, 4100 mAh battery

They say bigger is better, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be (much) pricier too. The M3 Max is obviously the largest, arguably the greatest, and narrowly the costliest member of Meizu’s extensive mid-range M3 family, also including standard, Note, S and

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Real-life Meizu M3 Max photos preview some tough Xiaomi Mi Max competition

Today’s crowded global smartphone landscape continues to see many great rivalries unfold, the most captivating of which opposes Apple and Samsung. But a host of smaller OEMs, the vast majority based in China, are having their own interesting battles for fame, often prompting them to copy one another so as not to risk getting left behind.Case in point, Xiaomi recently went big (literally) with the relatively affordable 6.44-inch Mi Max, while Meizu apparently intends to follow suit exactly one week ...

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Meizu sends September 5 event invites containing live Nokia E71 units (wait, what?)

Can a discontinued 8 year-old little Symbian phone with a passé physical QWERTY keyboard technically be still considered a bribe? Probably not, since it would take a miracle for its 369 MHz ARM11 processor (remember those?) and 128MB RAM (yes, really) to even handle a basic Google search nowadays.In fact, outside of a mobile tech museum of sorts, you have to wonder where could one be able to procure a half-working Nokia E71 copy this day and age? Well, Meizu somehow got a hold of a few, and is shipping them out to folks lucky enough to attend the Android OEM’s next big device ...

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Meizu Mix is a fitness tracker within an analog watch

Smartwatches continue to pick up steam across continents and populations, but sometimes, you just need a break from it all. Something more analog, something more simple. Martian has a few watches going for them while Chronos is almost ready to ship out their first anywatch add-ons.Meizu joins ...

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Meizu event could prop up Exynos PRO 6 on September 3 (or 13?)

It was a short while ago that we saw Meizu launch its PRO 6 smartphone with a tri-cluster MediaTek processor, 10 LEDs for a flash ring and some dainty antennas.It was an even shorter while ago that we started talking about another PRO 6 (and the PRO 7). Would it sport an Exynos 8890 chipset this ...

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Exynos 8890-powered Meizu Pro 6 derivation still possible, according to benchmark

Technically, Meizu execs never ruled out a future flagship smartphone model with a Samsung-made Exynos 8890 processor inside. It merely looks like the Pro 7 will first and foremost go the beaten MediaTek path, favoring universal domestic cellular support over raw power.But why are we talking about a successor for a device unveiled just a few months back? Even by China’s blazing fast progress and upgrade standards, it’d be crazy early to see Pro 6’s sequel launched this year, though a spin-off of sorts is an entirely different story.AnTuTu appears to be tipping off such a product ...

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