Meizu M2 Note review – MediaTek 64 bit octa core powered smartphone

The Meizu M2 Note is a 64 bit octa core powered smartphone running Flyme 4.5l based on Android 5.1 with 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage. This is a dual SIM handset that sports a 5.5 inch screen with FHD resolution. M2 Note was launched in China for 799 RMB (16GB version) ~ approx Rs. 8200.

M2 Note Unboxing
Inside the box you will find the M2 Note, data cable, travel charger and user manual / warranty card. Earphone is not included.

Design and Display
The Meizu M2 Note is a better version as compared with its predecessor the M1 Note. The imperfections on the M1 Note were worked upon and incorporated on the M2 Note. When compared you will find the M2 Note is more curvier and easy to handle.

M2 Note weight with battery is 148 grams and dimensions are 75.09 x 150.76 x 8.23 (mm).

Body is made of good quality plastic, built quality and finishing is very good. The handset is available in 4 different color options. Back panel has got a glossy finish but it is a bit slippery, so be extra careful when using the handset.

The key highlight is the single navigation button on the front face bottom. This is a physically button as well as a capacitive button. Press the button all the way down to go to the home screen and tap it lightly to use it as a back button. If you want to switch to other app running in the background or want to close such apps you will need to swipe from bottom (next to the dedicated button) to top.

Power button and volume rocker are placed on the left side. SIM tray is on the right side. Audio jack on the top and micro USB port plus speaker vents are at the bottom. There are dual Mics for noise cancellation.

There is a dual SIM slot – it’s hybrid slot, you can either use 2 nano SIM or single nano SIM and a micro SD card. Micro SD card of up to 128GB is supported.

The M2 Note sports a 5.5 inch screen (IGZO Sharp technology) with 1920 x 1080 pixels (Full HD) resolution. It’s Tempered Glass scratch resistant to some extent. Color reproduction and viewing angles are great. Touch is smooth and responsive.

M2 Note comes loaded with accelerometer, light, proximity, gyro and magnetic sensors. There is LED notification.

Memory, Storage and OS
The Meizu M2 Note comes packed with 2GB RAM (DDR3 @800 MHz) and 16GB storage. Of the 16GB internal storage you will get about 11GB free space and of the 2GB RAM the free RAM is 349MB free. But as per benchmark apps there is about 638MB available RAM. But don’t worry about the free RAM the overall performance is very smooth and lag free.

Apps by default are getting installed on the internal storage but you can move some apps on the external storage if required. OTG is supported.

This handset is running Flyme 4.5l out of the box – based on Android 5.1 (64 bit). The OS is heavily customized, very smooth and easy to use.

Performance
The M2 Note is using the MediaTek MT6753 64 bit cortex A53 octa core processor clocked at 1.3GHz coupled with Mali T720 GPU (@450MHz). Performance is lag free and handset does not heat up much. Maximum temperature I encountered was 41 degrees.

M1 note is 1.7GHz powered with T760 GPU clocked at 700MHz, hence game play will be better on it.

There are 3 power mode options – power saving, balance and performance mode. By default it is set to balance mode and better use this mode for optimal performance and battery backup.

Benchmark

App	Balance Mode	Performance Mode
Quadrant	10502	14290
Antutu (64 bit)	25387	30831
Nenamark 2	48.2 fps
Multi Touch	10 point

Gaming
I installed Asphalt 8, this game got installed on the internal storage. Game was playable in high visual quality mode but not very smooth. In medium visual quality mode the game play was much better. I played this game is balance power mode (check video review).

Camera
M2 Note comes with a 13MP AF camera on the rear with dual tone LED flash and a fixed focus 5MP font camera. Both front and rear camera can shoot full HD videos.

The camera supports various modes – auto, manual, panorama, beauty, slow-motion and light field. Slow motion videos are being recorded in 640 x 480 pixels (not so good). Camera quality is above average, though in low light conditions the quality is not so great – camera produces quality images in good lighting condition. Focusing is fast (in lighted environment) and you can easily focus close objects. Check the sample images and videos at the end of this review.

M2 can play FHD videos, I even tried 4K videos – it failed. Native video calling using front camera is not supported.

Others
Sound I felt was a little lower than when compared with other handset, but acceptable. I am using Airtel 4G in Mumbai and it worked though the 4G network kept fluctuation (happens on other handsets too – network issue in my area). But yes 4G in India does work. 4G/3G/2G works on both the SIM slot.

No other issues found – Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth worked well. Got the first GPS lock within seconds.

The M2 Note also supports CDMA SIM’s but I am not using it and cannot confirm it it works.

Battery
The M2 Note houses a 3100 mAh non-removable battery that gives a decent backup time. For my usage I am easily getting over 1 day of backup with 4G/3G active for almost 18 hours.

Performance	Time	Battery drop %	Battery Max Temp
Benchmark	16 Minutes	5%	39 degree
Gaming (Balance mode)	21 Minutes	9%	41 degree
FHD movie play with full brightness + Wi-Fi on	35 minutes	11%	37 degree
Wall Charge (on standby)	2 hours 5 minutes	7% to 100% (charge)	36 degree

With moderate to heavy usage you can expect about 3 to 5 hours of battery backup.

Verdict
The M2 note is definitely better than the M1 Note. M1 Note is already available in India and it will take few months before the M2 Note is made available. Build quality is very good, handset is powerful, does not heat up much, camera quality is above average and battery backup is decent enough.

Meizu M2 Note price in China comes to approx Rs. 8200. Not sure what the company will price this in India as M1 Note is already selling for Rs. 11,999.

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