Meizu 15, 15 Plus, and 15 Lite hands-on review

Meizu 15 & Meizu 15 Plus

The Meizu 15 and the Meizu 15 Plus share a unibody back that, according to the company, is a stainless steel aluminium composite material. The phone is unnaturally light and does not feel like metal at all. It has a plastic appearance and collects fingerprints smudges easily. The white color option is a feast for the eyes and is supposed to mimic a ceramic feeling. As much as we'd like to say it is the same as the Xiaomi Mi Mix, there is only a distant resemblance.

Handling feels great due to the size, weight and manufacture, but sadly it is nowhere near the iPhone X, as advertised by Meizu. Fans of bigger devices would love the Meizu 15 Plus, but if you are looking for a more compact phone - the regular 15 is a strong choice.

The AMOLED panel comes with an unusual 5.95" or 5.46" diagonal, but the classic 16:9 ratio makes both phones great for online multimedia. The bezels on the side are practically non-existent, adding to the immersive feeling when watching YouTube videos. The resolution is FullHD on the regular version, but it goes up to QHD on the Meizu 15 Plus. It would be nice if the display had an oleophobic coating like the back, because the display does not allow fingers to slide effortlessly and is even harder to clean from smudges.

There is AOD function, while a notification LED sits hidden in the top bezel. There are effects with the LED camera flash that can also be used for notifications.

Meizu introduced software Super mBack button with the midrange M6s but decided to go with a fingerprint scanner/home button in the new flagship. The sensor is a bit small (Meizu is, in fact, proud how small they've managed to make it) but has a nice groove around it so it's easy to use. It is accurate and works effortlessly. For additional security Meizu is offering the now trendy Face Unlock option.

The Meizu 15 shares the same dual-camera setup with the Meizu 15 Plus, but it only comes with OIS. This makes no difference taking photos, hence the camera samples we're presenting you should show the image quality. Shooting with the secondary camera is not available - there is a 20 MP toggle in the Pro Mode.

Original Image • 20 MP toggle • Original Image • 20 MP toggle

And here's how the tele lens performs.

Original image • 2x lossless zoom • 3x zoom

The HDR is a manual toggle that might irritate some smartphone photography fans. The phone should be capable of automatically enhancing night shots, so at least you get a little bit of Auto HDR, albeit not mentioned by Meizu anywhere.

Coming with a 3,000 mAh battery in White and Black, the Meizu 15 will be sold in two versions - Standard with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage and Deluxe with twice the memory capacity. Prices are respectively $400 and $445 and the phone is expected to arrive in May.

The Meizu 15 Plus will arrive a month later. It shares the storage options but the RAM is 6 GB.

With a battery pack of 3,500 mAh and Matte Black, Matte Gold, Brushed Black, and White color options, the 15 Plus will be available for either $475 or $525.