At the launch of the Meizu MX4, the company promised that the Flyme 4.0 OS would also work on the MX3 and possibly the MX2 based on the circumstances. Now, Meizu has confirmed that the Meizu MX2’s OS would also run the Flyme 4.0.

This morning, according to Flyme’s official Weibo account, the firmware for the Flyme 4.0 for the Meizu MX2 and MX3 will soon undergo closed beta tests, and 500 users can participate in each of the two tests. Take note that, according to Meizu, once their operating systems are upgraded to the Flyme 4.0 OS, the user cannot bring them back to the Flyme 3.0, so those interested in participating should carefully consider. Since Meizu’s engineers are already working on the Flyme 4.0, updates for the Flyme 3.0 should stop by early next week.

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The Meizu MX4 has been one of the biggest hits this season since its launch on September 2 with its higher screen-to-body ratio, new Flyme upgrade, and excellent design. So what improvements have been made from the MX3? Here’s our comparison.

The MX4 looks bigger than the MX3 based on their measurements. The former’s are 144 x 75.2 x 8.99mm while the latter’s are 139.0 x 71.9 x 9.1mm. The MX4 also seems to be thicker than the MX3. The former’s screen makes up 80% of its front cover while the latter’s only makes up 74%.

The Meizu MX4 has kept Meizu’s classic small round circle  home button except it’s bigger. Another difference is that while you can swipe your finger upwards on the MX3’s home button to unlock it, you have to double click the MX4’s screen to  wake it up.

The design of the bottom sides of both phones are almost the same except that instead of using the MX3’s classic “panda” design (black front/white back), the MX4 uses a grey/black design.

The top sides for both phones are almost exactly the same except that the MX4’s antenna is more visible. Its signal is also stronger.

The MX4 sports a new 2mp front-facing camera with wide-angle lens, giving it a wider viewing range. Even though the MX3’s camera is also 2mp, they do not have a wide-angle lens. As a result, the quality of photos taken using the MX4 is much better than the MX3.

The MX4 sports a rear-facing 20.7mp Sony IMX 220 camera with an F/2.2 aperture. It also has dual-LED flash. On the other hand, the MX3 sports an 8mp camera with F/2.0 aperture and single LED flash.

The MX4 (8.9mm thickness) is only .2mm thinner than the MX3 (9.1mm).

You need a tool to open the MX3’s rear case. MX3’s back cover is much more difficult to take off. The batteries are not removable though.

MX4 uses the latest Flyme OS version — the Flyme 4.0 while the MX3 still uses the Flyme 3.8.

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How does the recently-released Meizu MX4 fare against the IUNI U3? Here is a comparison of both phones.

Both phones have detachable rear covers. In the case of the MX4, the switch to take off the rear cover is located at the bottom right side, while the IUNI U3’s is at the Micro USB port which, in addition to opening the rear case, does not affect the phone’s appearance. It basically kills two birds with one stone.

As for a screen comparison, the U3 sports a 5.5-inch Sharp second generation 2K LTPS screen with a 2560 x 1440 resolution (which is covered by a 2.5D curved glass proctector) and 538ppi. The MX4, on the other hand, also sports a 5.5-inch screen but it has a 1920 x 1152 resolution with 418ppi.

The MX4’s operating system is Meizu’s own Flyme OS, specifically, the Android 4.4.2-based Flyme 4.0 beta version. IUNI’s OS is the Android 4.4.4-based IUNI OS. Both have flattened, clean, and simple interfaces. Although both were launch at different times, they appear to be around the same level.

So, readers, which do you prefer?

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So far the Meizu MX4 has been a success with over 4 million phones pre-ordered 72 hours since its launch on September 2.

The first release was the black version. Now, a white version has been released and here are snapshots of it.

Just like the black edition, the white version has round edges and a frame made of airplane magnalium alloy. The narrow frame has a thickness of 2.6mm. There is a difference though. In the white version, the rear case is made of skin-like fiber and the metal frame is covered by a white coating.

As for the specs, the Meizu MX4 has a 5.36-inch screen (1920 x 1152), a 2mp/20.7mp dual-camera, the MT6595 octa-core chipset, 2GB RAM, 16/32/64GB ROM, and 3100mAh battery. Its OS is the Android 4.4.2-based Flyme 4.0.

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Now that Meizu has released the Mx4, how does their flagship phone fare?

Design and Texture:

Again, Meizu has not made any compromises on their new phone’s design and texture. It continues to use the first-gen MX phone’s design but has a bigger screen and has a detachable plastic rear case. The mid-frame is made of magnalium to make it harder.

The MX4’s magnalium mid-frame was cut using a CNC process.

The MX4’s metal mid-frame and sandblast architecture, gives the phone a more comfortable feeling when handling it and stronger friction force. It does go as far as making the phone slippery because of how slim it is. It basically removes the scratchy metallic feeling from the MX3 Silver Edition.

The MX4’s large area using a metallic mid-frame can keep the phone more intact. That way, when it falls, it will not add a lot of pressure on the screen.

The MX4 sports a 5.36-inch 1920 x 1152 display screen. It still has a 15:9 screen aspect ratio and 79% screen ratio. It is surrounded by a 2.6mm frame. This, along with the phone’s rear case, makes it easier for users to use the MX4 single-handedly. These upgrades not only put an end to the complaints regarding the MX4’s resolution but also solve the power-consumption problems faced by 2K screens.

The MX4’s slimmer curved plastic rear case goes well with the metal mid-frame. Furthermore, users can just insert a card in the slot underneath the phone.

The MX4 sports a 20.7mp Sony IMX220 camera with 5P lens. The lens provides the camera with a blue coating. The camera is surrounded by a more tightly held Fresnel lens which smoothens the phone’s rear surface.

Overall, Meizu has pulled all the stops to ensure that the MX4’s design is more compact. The metal mid-frame and screen rubber-suspension technology decreases any accidental damage done to the screen.

Benchmark test

The MX4 uses MTK’s new octa-core 4G chip, the MT6595. Its biggest feature is that it uses ARM technology (Big.Little), and is composed by four Cortex-A17 cores and four Cortex-A7 cores. The Cortex-A17 cores have a frequency of 2.2GHz. All eight cores are turned on at the same time.

The MT6595 uses Imagination Technologies’ PowerVR Series6 GPU which provides the phone with excellent graphics and many multimedia functions. This chip also has a LTE modem that supports 5 modes and over 30 frequencies. It is compatible with FDD/TD-LTE networks in China.

The MX4 is the first phone to use this chip and has scored 49943 in the Antutu benchmark test.

Operating System

       The MX4’s operating system is the Flyme 4.0 which was also introduced at the launch. This OS follows a flattened design but some improvements were made with the tabs which are more connected to each other than in the Flyme 3.0. The Flyme 4.0 comes with many tabs as well as App notification tabs, and tabs for third-party apps.

Top: MX3’s UI; Bottom: MX4’s UI

Regarding the camera app, there is a “smart bar” at the bottom. As the photo shows, the tabs for the video camera and photo camera are bigger and the positions for the photo app and the camera app were changed. Many other changes were made in the menu.

Top: MX3’s camera interface; Bottom: MX4’s camera interface

The tabs at the scroll-down menu are rounder and bigger including the tab that shows the time.

Top: MX3’s scroll-down menu; Bottom: MX4’s scroll down menu

The Flyme 4.0 is based on the Android 4.4. From the screenshots above, we can see that the colors of the smart bar at the bottom and the task bar at the top were changed to clean up the entire user interface and more integrated. The size of the navigation bar on the left is also bigger now making easier for users to select it.

Overall, the Flyme 4.0 follows a similar design to the Flyme 3.0. Some basic improvements were made and its UI is more flexible now.

Camera

The MX4 is said to sport the best camera out of the entire MX series to date. What’s so great about it? The camera has 20.7mp and has a 1/2.3-inch image sensor. As a result, the area covered by the sensor has increased to 90% and a single pixel covers 1.2um x 1.2um leading to great photo quality. The MX4 also uses a .3sc TDK Closeloop focus motor which can greatly increase the speed of the camera’s focus.

The MX4 uses a stand-alone ISP that supports 4×1.5Gbps and can handle 10mp. As a result, the camera can take up to 25 photos per second as well as take 4K videos at 30 frames per second. This phone also comes with a dual-LED flash which can add brightness when taking photos at darker places.

These photos which were taken using the MX4 and were posted on Meizu’s official website show that the quality of photos taken with the MX4’s camera has greatly improved. Each photo has up to 8Mb, and when enlarged, still look just as good. In addition, as you can see from the photos taken at night, they are very clear. The colors are brighter and more transparent.

In conclusion, the Meizu MX4 is a great device that is smoother and easier to use. This phone will be Meizu’s main artillery when facing the 4G wave and the harsh competition. With its 1799 RMB price (292.62 USD), great design, and the Flyme 4.0 OS, the MX4 will be a force to be reckoned with. Companies can take it as an example of how dreams can come true.

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At today’s launch of the MX4, Meizu’s newest flagship phone was introduced and explained in detail by Bai Yongxiang who said that the MX4 is already in 800 Meizu stores all over China. The MX4 supports China Mobile and China Unicom 4G networks. According to Mr. Bai, the MX4’s internet speed is 7x faster than the MX3 while its Wi-Fi speed is 3x faster.

The MX4’s processor is the MT6595 chipset and the phone has scored 4612 in the Antutu Benchmark test. Its battery has 3100mAh .

The MX4’s camera has 20.7mp and can record 4K videos at 30fps. When taking quick photos, it can take 25 shots per second.

Now, for the phone’s design. The MX4’s frame is made of magnalium which was cut using a CNC process. This phone’s texture is better than baby skin. It has a detachable rear case. Its height is 8.9mm and is available in grey, blue, and gold.

The MX4’s screen is 5.4 inches and is surrounded by a frame with a thickness of 2.6mm giving it an 80% screen ratio. The screen has 1920 x 1152 resolution and ppi 418. The materials used to make the screen increase the glasses’ strength and helps prevent leakage and getting wet. Its OS is the Android 4.4.4-based Flyme 4.0.

The MX4’s selling price is 1799 RMB (292.63 USD).  Those interested can buy them at Oppo Mart for 299.00 USD

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Zhang Heng, the senior tech manager of Meizu was doing a Q&A on Weibo regarding the announcement conference earlier today. He disclosed a lot of information regarding MX4. He also said himself that he’s gonna resign due to all those misunderstandings caused by his failure to deliver the authentic information regarding the announcement.

Below is a list of all the information we got from Zhang Heng:

1. Only MX4 (the standard edition) will be released on September 2nd, along with Flyme 4.0.
2. Both China Mobile edition and China Unicom edition will be available, but there won’t be a Telecom edition this time. We also won’t see it coming in the nearest future.
3. J.Wong won’t be there.
4. No mini edition available for MX4, but there will be a pro edition. Also there will be a slightly difference in the appearances of the two. Pro edition won’t be available this year due to the slowness of its R&D. There won’t be any news related to Ubuntu.
5. There will be two announcement conferences this year.
6. Flyme 4.0 will be available for MX2 and MX3, the 4th quarter of this year, but not the first generation.
7. No tablet plan so far.

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Meizu has recently announced that they will hold a launch event on September 2. Among the devices that will be launched is the much-anticipated Meizu MX4. Not only that, Meizu has also decided to release the MX4 online first.

The Flyme 4.0 will also be launched that day. Besides the standard version, Meizu will also launch the MX4 Mini and Pro. They might continue to release more products that use processors from MTK. The MX4 standard edition uses the MT6595 octa-core chipset and sports a 20.7mp camera (Sony IMX147 component) The MX4 Pro will, of course, have greater specs.

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This morning, a snapshot of what appears to be the venue for the launch of the Meizu MX4 was leaked online. It looks like the launch will be held at the IBOBI Center in Shenzhou, not at the Beijing National Aquatics Center in Beijijng. The launch is slated to take place on September 3 although there has not been any confirmation on the venue. This photo is not really that credible considering the fact that it is still too early for them to announce the venue.

Furthermore, some information has been revealed on the MX4’s screen panel. Although, right now, we cannot confirm its veracity, it certainly has more credibility. Based on the photo, it looks like the Meizu MX4 will continue to use the MX3’s design but with a narrower frame (about 1.1mm).

Finally, the MX4 will continue to use a round-shaped Home button but this time, it can scan and recognize fingerprints. There will not be any big changes on the front side but Meizu will use a completely new design for the back. It is rumored that it will sport a 5.4-inch 2K screen and an 8mp/20.7mp camera, and will run on the Samsung Exynos octa-core chipset. It is also said to have 3GB RAM and the Flyme 4.0 as its OS.

The post What’s been reported about the Meizu MX4 so far appeared first on Gizmochina.

Mark your calendars! Some insiders have reported that Meizu will hold a launch even on September 2 in Beijing where they will formally launch the MX4 as well as other products. They also released the MX3 at the same date last year.

Regarding the Meizu MX4’s specifications, right now, most people think that this device will sport a 5.4-inch 2K screen, an 8mp front-facing camera, and a 20.7mp rear-facing camera. Many also believe that it will use the Samsung Exynos octa-core chipset, have 3GB ROM, and that its operating system is the Flyme 4.0.

Furthermore, it looks like Meizu may release a low-end version with a lower screen resolution and RAM. Its other specs are expected to remain the same.

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Word came that Mx4’s launch event was expected in Sept. this year. From previously disclosed information, MX4 has a 5.4″ screen in the ratio of 15:9, whose resolution reaches 2K. Though metal frames will be continuously used, great changes will happen to its rear cases and full design.

Earlier, J.Wong announced that MX4 would be integrated with finger-print identifying function, which remains a mystery when it comes to specific realization.

Will you expect Flyme 4.0 OS Meizu is working on? Net users once revealed that this new system performed excellently.

As for configurations, J.Wong once indicated that MX4 would carry Exynos 5430 octa-core processor and 3 GB RAM. Besides, MX4 might be the first smart phone powered with Sony 2000-mega-pixel cameras.

How much will it be? Probably 1,999RMB($340), deferred from Meizu rapidly cutting MX3’s prices to compete with MI3.

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