Meizu Note 8 smartphone - advantages and disadvantages

Meizu in the fall of 2018, to replace the hit Meizu M6 Note, released the M8 Note, or as it is now called Note 8. Why after 6 right after 8? Apparently the superstitious Chinese decided to quickly skip the nondescript number 7 and go straight to the lucky number 8. This review will tell you about the pros and cons of the new Meizu model.

Appearance

In 2019, even the best manufacturers are trying to make budget models frameless. Not spared this trend and Note 8. The side frames are very narrow. The front bezel looks strict and harmonious. It seems there is nothing special, but the work of designers who know their business is still visible. The ratio between the screen and the frames on all sides is well chosen. The upper and lower frames are very correct.

The back is pretty basic, with a dual camera on the top in the middle and a fingerprint scanner below the camera.

The screen lacks an intrusive and often unsuccessful monobrow. The body is traditionally made of metal. Glass and other fashionable materials were not used in the Note line, for which fans of these inexpensive smartphones will certainly thank the developers. The device is comfortable, not slippery and not easily soiled.

Below are the micro USB connectors, microphone and speaker. There is also a 3.5 mm headphone jack, which is good news.

The fingerprint scanner is traditionally located on the back, and not on the screen, as in the older models, and not on the side edge, as one might expect. After all, Meizu had quite successful phones with a scanner located on the side. The same M6S was very convenient to use. The scanner is fast and accurate. Face unlock is also supported.

With a variety of colors, everything is fine. The smartphone is available in four colors:

• the black;
• red;
• blue;
• purple.

The smartphone looks especially unusual and original in lilac color.

The Note 8 measures 153.6 x 75.5 x 7.9 mm.

Specifications

We list the main technical characteristics of Meizu Note 8

Screen

The smartphone screen is a FULL HD + IPS matrix with a resolution of 2160 by 1080 pixels. Display diagonal - 6 inches, aspect ratio is now fashionable 18: 9. The screen has a density of 403 ppi and is characterized by high definition. The high brightness of 450 nits makes the phone relatively comfortable to use even in the sun. Contrast - 1500: 1. The colors are juicy and bright, the color reproduction is accurate, the tones are warm. The screen has very large viewing angles. It is ideal for games, and for viewing photos and videos, and for Internet browsing.

operating system

The Note 8 is equipped with Android 8.1 and the Flyme 7 interface. Shell design is one thing that you can argue about indefinitely. But Flyme is a pretty simple and intuitive system. The applications are thought out to the smallest detail and are quite convenient to use. There is nothing superfluous in the settings, everything is laid out on the shelves. There is no application menu, all icons are located on desktops.

Everything starts quickly, there are no lags and freezes. High speed of work is achieved thanks to the proprietary system of artificial intelligence One Mind. Flyme developers work with one of the leading manufacturers in the field of deep learning technologies. They helped introduce face unlocking, a memory management mechanism similar to that used in computers, in order to further speed up the launch of applications. There is also a new multi-layered defense mechanism to combat malware on the Android system. All in all, One Mind has gotten a lot smarter and noticeably improves the Note 8's performance.

Face unlock works really fast and almost flawlessly, even in low light conditions.

There are many cool features in the shell. For example, for those who have a lot of icons on their desktops, an alphabetical search for applications on the desktop was invented. In order to find the application, you just need to slide your finger along the edge of the screen, where the letters of the alphabet are highlighted, stop at the desired letter and open.

Performance

The heart of the smartphone is the latest rather nimble Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 processor with Adreno 506 graphics. It is made using 14 nm technology and has a frequency of up to 1.8 GHz. This is just a slightly improved version of the Snapdragon 625 found in the M6 ​​Note. Therefore, there is no big jump in performance. But for active games with medium settings this chip is enough. In addition, it is quite energy efficient.

The smartphone has 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage on board. This is a lot for a budget model. The memory can be expanded using a micro SD card, which can be installed instead of a second SIM card.

Autonomy

For some reason, the battery capacity has decreased slightly compared to the M6 ​​Note. Now it is 3,600 mAh instead of 4,000 mAh. But this did not affect the autonomy. Due to the fact that the power consumption of the new processor has decreased, the battery life has remained at about the same level. It will definitely be enough for the whole day of active use. Fast charging is supported, and the package includes an 18 W device, you do not need to buy it additionally.

Cameras

The previous M6 Note had decent cameras. Let's consider whether we managed to stay at a high level in this regard, as the new model takes pictures.

Main camera

The rear camera is equipped with two 12MP and 5MP Sony modules. Both modules have an f / 1.9 aperture. There is a dual LED flash. The phase focusing of the camera is very fast. During the day, the pictures are clear, bright, with good detail. But in modern smartphones, the quality of the camera is in the way it takes pictures at night. Thanks to good high-aperture optics, even in low light conditions, good pictures are obtained. Autofocus works well, sharpness is high. The blurring of the background in portrait mode is well implemented.

Selfie camera

The front camera is equipped with an 8 megapixel module, f / 2 aperture. Of course, like all Chinese people, there is a face enhancement function that can improve your appearance beyond recognition. Otherwise, the camera is good, selfies are clear and bright.

Examples of photos:

Wireless interfaces

The Note 8 supports all of our LTE frequencies, dual band Wi Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, GLONASS, Dual SIM. There is no radio and NFC module, and this is a minus.

Sound

When talking, the interlocutor is heard well. The smartphone has one speaker that sounds loud and clear enough. The sound from the headphones is quite decent.

Price

The average smartphone price is around $ 190. Where is it profitable to buy a phone? The model has just been released and is currently only available in China.

Comparison with other popular models

Let's compare the Note 8 and other popular models with similar prices. All of these new products have received good reviews, and this is no coincidence. Let's analyze how to choose the right device, which model is better to buy in what cases.

Comparison with Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro

The Redmi Note 6 Pro is another late 2018 model and a direct competitor to the Note 8 from Meizu. Unlike Meizu, the Xioami has a trendy bang that not everyone likes. Redmi has a slightly larger screen of 6.26 inches versus 6, a slightly more powerful processor. The Xiaomi phone has a dual camera not only the main, but also the front camera. This helps blur the background in selfies. Redmi has a variety of configurations - 3, 4 or 6 GB of RAM and 32 or 64 GB of storage. This is also a plus. The rest of the models are similar.

Which firm's model is better? Redmi will suit those who like the unibody design, like the iPhone, and lovers of selfies. If, on the contrary, the bangs are annoying, and you are indifferent to selfies, then Meizu will be a good choice, especially in the same configuration it is a little cheaper. You also need to consider that these manufacturers have distinctive and popular casings. Therefore, those who are accustomed to using Flyme will certainly choose the Meizu phone, and the MIUI fans will choose the Redmi.

Comparison with Honor 8X

The Honor 8X is the fall 2018 model from Huawei. It features a stylish frameless design. The 8X has a relatively small monobrow and a sparkling glass body. The display is larger than that of Meizu - 6.5 inches versus 6, the processor is more powerful. Cameras are also great considering that the models are inexpensive. The Honor 8X also has a wide variety of body colors. Autonomy is about the same.

The prices of competitors in the 4/64 GB configuration are about the same. There are options with a large amount of memory 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of permanent.

What are the selection criteria here? The difference here is primarily in design. If you want a bright, modern smartphone with a huge screen, then the Honor 8X is a great choice. If you need a practical, non-marking device without weak points, then you need to stop at Meizu Note 8.

Comparison to Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1

The Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 has been on the list of quality budget devices for a long time. The functionality and characteristics of the compared models are very similar. The same amount of memory, almost the same screen, good cameras with the same megapixels. Both models have a metal case.

Asus has a slightly more powerful processor, a larger 5000 mAh battery versus 3600 mAh and NFC support.

If the characteristics are close, much will depend on the price, which greatly affects the popularity of the models. The price can be correctly compared when the new Note 8 reaches our market.

Conclusion: advantages and disadvantages of Meizu Note 8

• practical all-metal body;
• variety of colors;
• large high-quality screen;
• 4 GB of RAM;
• good camera with Sony modules;
• good autonomy;
• fast charging included;
• additional memory expansion slot.

• no NFC;
• no USB Type-C.

We can state that Meizu has got a fairly productive, reliable smartphone with a good screen, battery and cameras, almost without flaws. The Note 8 has every chance of becoming a hit, just like its predecessor, the M6 ​​Note.