Physical home keys with embedded fingerprint readers were the preferred authentication method by many users before borderless displays became one of the main trends in the smartphones world. On several phones, these Home key were also multi-functional, such as the ones found on Meizu devices at that time. The physical Home keys on Meizu smartphones were among the most innovative as they integrated the mBack technology allowing the users to navigate through the user interface and perform quick actions by using gestures on the key.

With borderless display, there is no space for physical Home keys on the front panel, but Meizu will not ditch the mBack technology. That is what the company‘s CEO Jack Wong has just revealed to Meizu community. It looks like the Meizu 16 will come with a very advanced version of the mBack technology, but it will not be a Home key. In case you do not know, in the latest version of Flyme the company has already implemented the Super mBack technology which consists of in-display gestures. Thanks to this feature, it is possible to navigate through the user interface quickly by using taps, long presses, and swipes. So, given the declarations from Jack Wong, expect something innovative regarding the mBack technology about the upcoming Meizu 16 series.

The new line-up will be officially unveiled in August in at least two variants. One will be equipped with the new upper-midrange SoC Snapdragon 710 by Qualcomm, while the most powerful variant will have the octa-core Snapdragon 845 chipset running at a max frequency of 2.8 GHz. Unlike most of the other important companies, Meizu will not embrace the notched design in favor of an 18:9 display, but the bezels will remain very narrow, probably even narrower than the Samsung Galaxy S9 series. There will also be an in-display fingerprint reader on board.

(via)

The post Meizu’s mBack Is Here To Stay Even In Full Screen Phones, But Not Likely In The Current Form: Jack Wong appeared first on Gizmochina.

Back when the rumors and leaks revealed that the Meizu M6S was not going to feature the company’s popular mBack home button, many were disappointed. The reaction wasn’t surprising because mBack was often considered one of the best ways to navigate the phone and losing such an important feature was never going to go well with the company’s fans. However, little did we know that Meizu had a big surprise for us. Well, they did tease us that they had a surprise, but we weren’t expecting a next generation version of the mBack, which the company is calling the Super mBack. Some even call it the Halo button.

Regardless of its name, the button incorporates all of the features of the mBack button with the help of a small halo circle on the screen. It looks easy to use and in the first demo that we saw, the usage felt pretty simple and natural.

By implementing a pressure sensor below the display, we are able to offer all mBack features in our new Halo button. pic.twitter.com/rGp8OxydAv

— Ard Boudeling (@ArdCB) January 17, 2018

For making this work, Meizu has added a pressure sensor chip below the display along with a linear vibration motor. The tech seems to be from NextInput, a company focused on force sensing solution for touch displays. Considering there’s a vibration motor below the display, the gestures should give good feedback as well, making them feel more natural.

Meizu’s Head of Global Marketing, Ard Boudeling was kind enough to give us all a demo of the Super mBack halo button on twitter.

Here’s a quick demo. pic.twitter.com/RQmdz7rXrT

— Ard Boudeling (@ArdCB) January 17, 2018

And these are gestures.

Our new Halo button implements all mBack features, and more.

– Touch to go back.
– Press to go home.
– Long-press to sleep.
– Swipe left/right to switch apps.
– Swipe up to multitask.

And one last gesture… Can anyone guess?

— Ard Boudeling (@ArdCB) January 17, 2018

Finally, if you don’t like the new Super mBack Halo button, you can always switch back to the default Android navigation buttons.

Once again, it looks like Meizu has done a fine job in making navigation on its smartphones super easy.

What do you think?

The post Here’s How The Meizu Super mBack Halo Button Works (Video) appeared first on Gizmochina.

Just recently, Meizu and Nokia were revealed as having an event coming up next month. What the event is all about still remains in the dark but it looks like details are already streaming in. A new leaked poster seems to have revealed what the event is likely about.

Already, there is news making the rounds that Nokia devices would use the Flyme 6 in the near future but now, the leaked document hints at the inclusion of the mBack design on Nokia phones. the document looks like the front page of a licensing agreement between both companies but no other part of it is visible.

Read More: Leaked Poster Reveals Meizu-Nokia Joint Event Next Month

While we cannot say for sure if this is authentic or not, it is not out of place if such collaborative effort is in the works. For one, Meizu has been a long time admirer of Nokia even to the extent of using Nokia devices on a couple of its launch posters. Back in 2015, Meizu sent out the invite for the M2 along with a Nokia 1110 photo and just last year, they also sent out invites for another launch along with a Nokia E71.  That doesn’t confirm anything though, so we’ll wait to see what the two companies have in store for us.

(via)

The post Nokia To Use Meizu’s Flyme OS & mBack Button On Its Upcoming Phones? appeared first on Gizmochina.