Smartphone Meizu Note 9 - advantages and disadvantages

In November 2018, Meizu released Note 8, and already on March 6, 2019, the company officially introduced another new product - the mid-budget Note 9. Meizu really tried: we can see not just a slight improvement and refinement compared to Note 8, but a new device with excellent features.

In the article we will analyze the advantages and disadvantages, functionality, performance and features of the new model. Also, the review will orient on the price.

Some information about Meizu

Meizu was founded in 2003 in China. Its founder is Huang Xiuzhang, better known as Jack Wong.At the beginning of its journey, the company was engaged in the manufacture of music players, which were distinguished by their unusual design, high build quality and excellent technical characteristics. Since 2008, Meizu began to produce smartphones, the design of which was similar to Apple's iPhone, but with different technical characteristics.

After Meizu smartphones have proven themselves in the market, Huang Xiuzhang handed over some of the affairs under the control of Bai Yongxiang, and he himself came to grips with creating a branded shell and changing the design. Consumers saw the results of the work done in January 2012, when a new product was introduced - Meizu MX, with a new attractive design and proprietary Flyme firmware, which was based on the Android operating system.

Until 2014, the company produced one flagship smartphone once a year. After receiving investments from Alibaba Group, in 2015, Meizu increased the lineup, releasing budget smartphones, phablets and music flagships.

In addition to smartphones, Meizu also produces various accessories in the form of wireless headphones, smart watches, and more.

Review Meizu Note 9

Table with parameters and main characteristics

Equipment

Meizu Note 9 comes in a compact blue package containing:

• smartphone;
• charging cable (medium cord length);
• charger unit;
• an envelope with a paper clip to open the SIM card slot;
• warranty card;
• user manual.

When ordering a device from Aliexpress, in addition, as a gift from the seller, you can get a protective glass and a transparent case.

Appearance

The first thing that attracts attention is the very thin frames, the lack of bangs and a thin chin. Note 8 is sold in three colors: white, blue and black. The smartphone has a fairly good build quality and a classic look for smartphones. At first glance, it may seem that the body is made of glass, and the side frames are made of aluminum, but this is not so. In fact, both the body and the side faces are made of plastic, the faces have an additional varnish coating.

It is worth noting the excellent ergonomics: despite the large display, the manufacturers managed to make a compact and convenient phone that fits well in the hand without causing discomfort.

Unfortunately, not everything goes as smoothly as we would like.A large number of advantages are covered by an insufficiently high-quality cover, which, when pressed, bends and fastens. But, based on customer reviews, it should be noted that not all models have this drawback. It is also necessary to pay attention to the fact that the glossy plastic surface, not protected by an oleophobic coating, collects fingerprints, streaks and scratches, which will be clearly visible against a dark background. Therefore, in this case, it is better to purchase a model in white.

Location of buttons and connectors

On the front panel, in the middle at the top, there is a front camera in a teardrop-shaped cutout. As noted by many consumers and bloggers, the Note 9 has the smallest and most compact teardrop-shaped camera hole. Also at the top of the screen is a proximity sensor, a speaker and a blue indicator. On the top edge there is an additional microphone for hands-free calls and active noise cancellation. On the right side there is a power button and a volume rocker, on the left side there is a metal tray for SIM cards. The bottom edge accommodates a 3.5mm headphone jack, a spoken microphone, a USB Type-C connector, and a speaker grille.

On the rear panel, slightly curved for convenience, in the upper left part, there is a dual main camera module, under it is an LED flash. The camera is slightly convex, but this will not be visible when using a protective case. A little lower from the flash, in the middle, is the screen unlock in the form of a built-in fingerprint sensor. The recess for the sensor is very small, it is extremely difficult to find it with your fingers, but it is saved by its convenient location - the finger automatically lies in the right place.At the bottom of the panel is the company logo.

Screen unlock

The screen can be unlocked in three ways:

• The power button located on the right side.
• Fingerprint sensor located on the back. The sensor does not have a lightning-fast response, there is a slight delay, but this is not critical.
• Front camera that supports face unlock. The function pleases with its unlocking speed.

Cameras and their features

rear camera

The main camera consists of two lenses:

1. The first CMOS lens is represented by the Samsung S5KGM1 sensor. The module has a resolution of 48 MP, f / 1.7 aperture, sensor size ½. The pixel size is 0.8 micrometers, and the matrix light sensitivity is 50-1600. The maximum photo resolution is 8000 x 6000 pixels.
2. The second lens acts as a depth sensor, blurring the background when shooting portraits. Its resolution is 5 megapixels.

Camera Features and Features:

• LED flash and phase detection autofocus;
• digital stabilization and geotagging;
• face and smile recognition functions;
• panoramic and continuous shooting;
• exposure compensation and touch focus;
• self-timer and HDR shooting;
• portrait, night and scene mode;
• white balance and ISO adjustment;
• exposure compensation and face retouching;
• snapshot with gestures and digital zoom;
• shooting HD (720), Full HD (1080), Ultra HD (4K).

Front-camera

The camera has a resolution of 20 megapixels and f / 2.0 aperture. There is support for Full HD (1080) and HD (720). The maximum photo resolution is 5180 x 3880 pixels, there is a screen flash.

In good light, the quality of the photos is excellent: moderate color saturation, good clarity and high detail.In order to use the offered 48 megapixels, you must manually select the necessary settings. But as consumers assure, this does not make sense, since automatic shooting with the help of artificial intelligence does a great job at the standard 12MP resolution. The big disadvantage is the lack of electronic stabilization, which significantly affects the quality of video and photos.

In low light, you can select the night mode, which adds sharpness, contrast and enhances detail. But users may find the auto shooting mode to be the best, as nighttime is over-sharpened, giving the effect of a fake shot.

The installed Google camera in Meizu Note 9 will not give the expected excellent results, the photos are desaturated, “lifeless”.

Display

Meizu Note 9 is equipped with a liquid crystal display with IPS technology. The screen resolution is 1080 by 2244 pixels, the aspect ratio is 18.7:9, the pixel density per inch is 403, and the size is 6.2 inches. The screen occupies 84.7% of the usable area, which is equal to 96.4 cm2. Corning Gorilla Glass acts as protection against scratches and chips, and an oleophobic coating saves from fingerprints. It is noteworthy that manufacturers rarely use oleophobic coating in mid-range smartphones.

The screen has excellent viewing angles without distortion, good color reproduction. Note 9 is perfect for watching videos, as well as for games with high-quality graphics. The brightness of the backlight is 350-400 cd / m2 - this is enough for normal lighting, but in the sun the display is too dark.

CPU

The smartphone is powered by a powerful Qualcomm SDM675 Snapdragon 675 octa-core processor with 11 nanometer process technology and a frequency of 2000 MHz.The chipset is powered by two Kryo 460 cores at 2GHz and six Kryo 460 cores at 1.7GHz, enough performance to play demanding games and quickly run any application. The Adreno 612 chipset is responsible for the graphics, which supports Vulkan, Open CL and the OpenGL ES 3.2 API.

It is worth paying attention to the Game Mode 3.0 software and Hyper Gaming technology, which optimize and smooth the gaming experience.

Interface

The Note 9 has Android 9.0 Pie operating system, which is complemented by Meizu's proprietary shell - Flyme 7.2. Among the various useful functions of this firmware, we highlight the main ones:

• Fast data recovery system. Saving occurs in case of program failure, screen breakage or other emergencies;
• Optimization of work and cleaning of unnecessary files;
• Built-in anti-virus engine that works on the basis of artificial intelligence;
• Use of artificial intelligence in all possible services;
• Increasing the speed of application launch using a dedicated channel;
• Quick start and response;
• High performance and low energy consumption;
• Changing the brightness of the screen depending on the environment;
• Mode for protecting eyesight and hearing;
• Music engine for better sound;
• Search for the desired application by alphabetical index;
• Beautiful design and animations.

Memory

Meizu Note 9 can be purchased in two versions:

1. 4 GB RAM + 64 GB built-in.
2. 6 GB RAM + 128 GB internal.

The frequency of memory type LPDDR4X and eMMC 5.1 is 1866 MHz. There are 2 channels.

How much does Meizu Note 9 cost?

The base 4GB/64GB variant costs up to $208, while the 6GB/128GB variant will go up to $238.

autonomy

Responsible for battery life is a non-removable lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 4000 mAh. The battery provides sufficient operating time without recharging, namely:

• 6-7 days standby;
• 3-4 days in a moderate, normal mode;
• 30 hours of talk time;
• 8-9 hours with constant use;
• 10 hours of video viewing;
• 5.5 hours of gameplay.

You can restore the charge using fast charging at 18 watts. A full 100% charge will be restored in 2 hours, 72% in 1 hour, and 37% in half an hour.

Sound

For its average cost, the smartphone reproduces very good sound. But, for example, when playing music with bass through the multimedia speaker, you can sometimes hear some distortion. As for listening to music through headphones, the quality is also good. And if you want, you can adjust the settings in the equalizer, and make the sound even better.

But when shooting video, the sound quality is poor.

Advantages and disadvantages of a smartphone

• reliable, productive and smart processor;
• thin frames, lack of "bangs", a small "chin";
• miniature, neat waterdrop notch for the camera;
• good build quality;
• convenient and compact;
• nice appearance;
• face unlock function
• good enough quality of photos and videos;
• large, high-quality display with an oleophobic coating and protective glass;
• proprietary shell with many useful programs;
• moderate cost;
• good autonomy;
• fast charging support.

• lack of NFC;
• the back cover is not made of high-quality plastic, the cover bends and fastens;
• lack of optical stabilization.

Conclusion

Meizu Note 9 disappoints with the lack of NFC and optical stabilization functions, but at the same time it pleases with high performance, good quality of photos, video and sound, long battery life, reasonable price, as well as many useful features, compactness and convenience.