Meizu MX4 review: Alternadroid

Retail package

True to its heritage, the Meizu MX4 comes in an elaborate retail box. There is an A/C adapter (2A), USB cable and perhaps headphones (there's a dedicated compartment but it was empty in our case), and the device itself, in a separate book-like folder.

Retail box and contents

Meizu MX4 360-degree spin

At 144 x 75.2 x 8.9mm, the Meizu MX4 isn't the most compact of smartphones but you have to keep in mind it features a 5.36" display. The 147g are more than adequate, giving the MX4 a solid feel, yet without excessive weight.

Design and build quality

The Meizu MX4 looks almost exactly like its predecessor but there are different materials employed this time around. The front is completely covered with Gorilla Glass 3 and features a single cutout for the earpiece.

The 5.36" display is part of the design itself - there are almost no bezels on each side of the screen and the top and bottom spaces are pretty minimal as well. The single control on the front, aside from the display is the Home button. It's very powerful despite it's minimalist design - it's a small capacitive circle that lights up when the screen is on.

The Meizu MX4

This time around, the back panel doesn't enclose around the sides - the actual rear cover is still removable. Instead of a glossy plastic Meizu has gone for a matte finish and the frame around the entire phone is now metal, giving the whole package a more premium feel. The MX4 comes in white, gold or grey.

Sloping edges

The back panel blends in with the frame nicely and you'll hardly suspect it to be plastic just by looking at it. Still we would've liked to see a complete metal unibody, which would've been quite similar to the HTC One (M8).

The sloping frame of the Meizu MX4 makes the body look thinner. Meizu didn't invent this design combining flat on the front, curved towards the back but have nailed it for their latest smartphone. And it's a design language we haven't seen too much of late, so it doesn't feel tired or cliché.

The Meizu MX4 in hand

Everything about the Meizu MX4 is simple and elegant. It just looks neat.

Controls and handling

The front of the Meizu MX4 features the 5.36" display and the single capacitive home button. You can lock the device by holding the button and you can unlock it by swiping on the screen. A swipe down will bring down the notification area. A swipe up will unlock the device. A swipe to the right will bring up the settings menu and a swipe to the left will unlock you into the camera. You can always double tap the screen to light up the lockscreen.

Above the display there's a small earpiece cutout and the 2MP front-facing camera to the right of it.

The front controls

The sides are almost bare of any controls. The volume rocker on the left of the Meizu MX4 is pretty much it.

The sides

The loudspeaker grille is on the bottom. In the center lies the microUSB 2.0 port, the main microphone and the small slit in the back panel that allows you to pry it open.

The top has another microphone for noise cancellation, the seldom-used power button and the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Top and bottom

Undoing the back cover reveals the microSIM card slot and the non-removable battery. Otherwise the back features only the 20.7MP camera lens and the dual-tone LED flash. Both LEDs fire simultaneously and appear quite powerful.

The back

Handling the Meizu MX4 is comfortable. Thanks to its sloping back the smartphone fits comfortably in the palm and the sharp, chamfered edges are easy to hold onto. Meizu has done a good job with the weight distribution - the MX4 doesn't feel heavy and actually feels quite compact for its screen size.

The Meizu MX4 held in one hand