Meizu Pro 6 review
Introduction
Meizu's Pro series has always been about the full flagship experience. Big high-res screens, top-notch chipsets and advanced imaging all wrapped in a fancy package with a teasing price tag.
The MX4 Pro was perhaps the pinnacle of the Pro lineup with its 1536p display and high-end camera setup. The Pro 5 got a slight haircut, trading the near-WQXGA screen resolution for an AMOLED panel and a smoother user experience. The Pro 6 chose to pursue 3D Press and boasts the latest 10-core chipset by MediaTek in an attempt to demonstrate some muscle.
Muscle-flexing is probably the right way to go if you're mostly going to compete against big and powerful phablets of all kinds of makes. The Meizu Pro 6 does have the smallest screen of the last three Pro generations but otherwise takes many cues from its Pro 5 sibling, including the design, storage options and camera department. The big news is the Helio X25 chip but we've yet to see how that compares against the Exynos 7420 Octa that powers the Pro 5.
So, we are going to kick off with that - the Meizu Pro 6s is the first mainstream flagship we meet with the latest Helio X25 chipset. The advanced MediaTek engine employs a deca-core processor with a couple of 2.5GHz Cortex-A72 cores, four 2GHz Cortex-A53's and four 1.4GHz Cortex-A53's. There is also a Mali-T880 MP4 GPU and 4GB of RAM. The Pro 6 is also the first popular Android smartphone to give 3D Touch a go after Apple's attempt in iOS 9 didn't quite make a big splash out of it.
Comparing the Meizu Pro 6 to its Pro 5 sibling, the newer generation has a smaller display leading to a higher pixel density but the battery capacity took a hit due to the more compact body. The two camera units are identical, but the quad-core Mali-T880 GPU might raise questions - we're going to pay special attention comparing it to the Meizu Pro 5's previous gen octa-core unit. On the plus side, the Pro 6 offers 3D Press, which the predecessor doesn't and is generally hard to come by in the Android world.
So, is there enough to draw upgraders and lure switchers? We are going to try and find out. But first, let's check the complete feature list.
Key features
- 5.2" 1080p AMOLED display of 423ppi; 3D Press
- Heavily customized Flyme OS 5.6 on top of Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- MediaTek Helio X25: deca-core processor with 2x 2.5GHz Cortex-A72, 4x 2.0GHz Cortex-A53, and 4x 1.4GHz Cortex-A53; Mali-T880MP4 GPU; 4GB of RAM
- 21MP Sony Exmor RS IMX230 camera sensor with two-tone 10-LED ring flash, 2160p video recording @30fps
- 5MP front-facing camera with 1080p@30fps video recording
- 32GB or 64GB of built-in storage
- Cat. 6 LTE (300/50Mbps); Dual SIM; Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; Bluetooth 4.1; NFC; GPS/GLONASS/Beidou; USB Type-C port, USB On-The-Go
- mTouch Home button with a fingerprint scanner
- Active noise cancellation via a dedicated mic
- 2,560mAh battery with 24W mCharge 2.0 (Up to 65% charge in 30min)
Main disadvantages
- Underwhelming GPU
- Smaller screen compared to predecessor
- Sealed battery
- No memory expansion option
The sealed battery is far from unexpected coming from a company whose designs are clearly influenced by Apple's. The cap on memory is a downgrade of sorts compared to the preceding Pro 5. At minimum 32GB and a 64GB version as an alternative, this is something most users can probably live with.
To us, the more interesting question is how much of a powerhouse the Pro 6 is. We'll run the benchmarks in the dedicated chapter and analyze the results. The 3D Press will get due attention as well.
Of course, the Pro 6 isn't going to only target upgraders - we bet Meizu is keen to bring new customers in as well. So, let's see if their latest phablet is really up to the task
Display
The Meizu Pro 6 packs a 5.2" Super AMOLED screen of 1080p resolution, which results in 423ppi. The images are crystal clear and sharp, the viewing angles are excellent, as is the contrast.
The screen of the Pro 6 is half an inch smaller than the Pro 5's, but in its defense it improves the pixel density, helps the handling and, most importantly, brings 3D Press capabilities. We'll explore these in detail in due time.
The pixel arrangement is the usual Diamond PenTile. According to Meizu, the Pro 6 uses a 5.5 generation Samsung AMOLED panel.
The colors provided by the Meizu Pro 6 are good, but not perfect, just like it was with the Pro 5. The two displays are tuned slightly differently as the average DeltaE of the Pro 6 is slightly lower at 5.3 (for the primaries, plus black and white), but the max DeltaE is higher at 10.2. What it means is the Pro 6 screen is well calibrated (Avg DeltaE of 5.3, anything below 4 is considered perfectly calibrated), but the white color (DeltaE of 10.2) is way off, which explains the less than perfect score.
The white color came out bluish in all of the display modes, but we were able to get better calibration by moving the color slider midway into the Warm option.
Тhe contrast is as good as an AMOLED screen can offer and the brightness, at 360 nits, is slightly better than the promised 350 nits. The AMOLED units aren't known to be very bright to begin with - the Pro 5 is slightly dimmer (322nits), while the Galaxy S6 display (363nits) is on par with the Pro 6.
A definite positive point is that the minimum level of brightness is only 3 nits, which would make for an extremely comfortable reading experience in pitch dark environments.
You will probably notice the screen is not completely dim at pitch black color. It turns out lots of the AMOLEDs out there can't go completely dark, but we can only guess about the reasons. Some suggest this is to prevent screen burn-in, while others point to backlight leaks - the current passing through the LEDs to sustain the screen refresh rate. Anyway, this shouldn't bother you, but it gives a better explanation of the results below.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | ||
| 0 | 321 | ∞ | |
| 0.01 | 360 | 40000 | |
| 0 | 346 | ∞ | |
| 0.69 | 775 | 1127 | |
| 0.51 | 628 | 1227 | |
| 0.00 | 391 | ∞ | |
| 0.43 | 590 | 1382 | |
| 0.30 | 399 | 1334 | |
| 0.46 | 500 | 1094 | |
| 0.59 | 583 | 986 | |
| 0.00 | 363 | ∞ | |
The sunlight legibility is great and you'll have no problem seeing what's happening on the screen even under bright sunlight.
Sunlight contrast ratio
Battery life
The Pro 6 has 500mAh less battery capacity compared to the Pro 5 - for a total of 2,550 mAh. But unlike the energy-efficient Exynos chipset, we didn't quite know what to expect of the new Helio X25 chip.
We ran our battery test and it outed mixed-bag results. The smartphone does average across all of our tests, including the single-SIM and dual-SIM standby.
The rating of 57 hours isn't bad at all - it means you can use the Pro 6 for two full days and then some if you are to make an hour of 3G talks, web browsing and video playback each day. Putting a second SIM card drops the rating down to 54 hours. Such usage pattern is of course entirely artificial, but we've established it so our battery results are comparable across devices.
Obviously the new MediaTek Helio X25 is far from an energy efficient hardware, just like the rest of the MT chipsets we've met so far. Naturally, we've tested the phone on Performance Power Mode. You can save a few more hours on the Balanced Plan, if you like. We surely miss the Exynos chip on the new generation.
This is how long a single battery charge will last you if you use the Meizu Pro 6 for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. Such usage pattern is of course entirely artificial, but we've established it so our battery results are comparable across devices.
The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritties. You can also check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
Connectivity
The Meizu Pro 6 supports LTE Cat.6 connectivity and you can tap into an LTE network on either SIM, but the other will default to a GSM network. The LTE bands our review unit supports include 1(2100), 3(1800), 7(2600), 38(2600), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500). Dual SIM telephony is also supported, but the slot isn't hybrid and you can't put a microSD card inside.
The rest of the wireless connectivity features include dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac support and Wi-Fi Direct. There is also support for Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, and GPS and GLONASS. Wireless screen mirroring is available via the Miracast protocol.
The Pro 6 supports USB Type-C and fast charging. If you have a proper USB OTG adapter, you can attach peripherals and thumb drives. You should be able to charge other devices, but you'd need to get a special adapter as Meizu hasn't included one in the package.
Telephony
At its core, the phonebook on the Meizu Pro 6 is a list of all contacts but you can view only a specific group or filter where contracts come from - phone contacts, email account or a Meizu account.
The dialer features smart dialing, which is nice. Otherwise it doesn't differ from any other in functionality. Both the dialer and phonebook tabs does not support 3D Press.
Phonebook • The dialer • Smart dial
The Meizu Pro 6 has all reception bars full and held onto signal great even in tighter spots. Call quality is very good. A dedicated mic for active noise cancellation makes sure the other party hears you loud and clear.
The phone supports dual-SIM with dual-standby. The second SIM supports GSM networks only, while the primary works on 3G and LTE. Managing the SIM cards is very easy as is initiating calls and sending texts.
The Meizu Pro 6 scored a Very Good mark at our loudspeaker test. The speaker sound quality is very good for a single-speaker setup with deep sound.
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing | Overall score | |
| 65.8 | 65.1 | 64.6 | Below Average | |
| 67.7 | 66.6 | 68.7 | Average | |
| 69.5 | 69.3/td> | 71.1 | Good | |
| 66.9 | 67.2 | 74.0 | Good | |
| 68.7 | 66.2 | 73.2 | Good | |
| 74.7 | 77.8 | 72.1 | Very Good | |
| 64.0 | 71.5 | 89.1 | Very Good | |
| 75.7 | 73.5 | 79.5 | Excellent | |
| 76.9 | 73.6 | 82.7 | Excellent |
Messaging
The messaging department is quite straightforward: there are no folders here, just New message, Search and Settings buttons. Above is a list of all your messages organized into threads.
Messenger • A message • Email app • Browsing emails • Menus
Meizu has tweaked the generic email client. It supports multiple Exchange, POP or IMAP inboxes and you have access to the original folders that are created online, side by side with the standard local ones such as inbox, drafts and sent items.
The gallery
The Flyme gallery has two viewing modes - photo and gallery. The photo stacks images into months while the gallery puts them into folders. You can add or remove folders from the gallery and also search through it. 3D Press preview for pictures is available.
Gallery • 3D Press • Albums • Viewing an image • Editing an image
There's also a built-in editor that offers filters and all the basic controls for contrast, brightness and you can even add blur or vignette. You cannot use different editors from the stock gallery and would need to install a third-party gallery (like Google's Photos) to have different editors.
Music player
The music player can only find tracks located in the Music folder. You can browse your collection the traditional way or you can select to have it filtered by folders.
In the first case tracks are sorted into several playlists like All songs, Recently added, Folders and you have the option to create custom playlists. When viewing All songs you can choose between three types of sorting in a tabbed layout: song name, artist and album.
Streaming homepage • Music player • Browsing albums • Now playing • Equalizers
You can access the equalizer from the advanced menu. It features several presets, which you can edit manually - but you need to insert the headphones first.
Great video player
The Meizu Pro 6 comes with a dedicated Video app, but it expects videos to be placed in the video folder. You can use the file browser or gallery to get videos to play from elsewhere - it offers thumbnails and everything so we ended up using it more often than the Video app itself.
There's a pop-out option that allows you to view the video as an overlay to the OS.
Video player
The Meizu Pro 6 played everything we threw at it - Xvid, DivX, MP4, MOV, WMV and it supports the AC3 audio codec, too. Subtitles are supported, but it recognizes only Latin and Chinese characters.
Solid audio output
The Meizu Pro 6 delivered excellent output when used with an active external amplifier, getting top marks for clarity and garnishing them with above average volume levels.
Degradation caused by headphones is minimal too with a moderate hike in stereo crosstalk being the only notable change. Volume remained higher than the majority of competitors putting the Pro 6 in a great position here.
And now here go the results so you can do your comparison.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| Meizu Pro 6 | +0.07, -0.09 | -93.5 | 93.4 | 0.0012 | 0.066 | -92.3 |
| Meizu Pro 6 (headphones) | +0.07, -0.08 | -93.4 | 93.3 | 0.0010 | 0.021 | -60.7 |
| LG G5 | +0.01, -0.04 | -92.6 | 92.6 | 0.0051 | 0.0096 | -93.3 |
| LG G5 (headphones) | +0.05, -0.01 | -92.2 | 92.3 | 0.0029 | 0.037 | -50.7 |
| Xiaomi Mi 5 | +0.01, -0.03 | -95.3 | 95.1 | 0.0034 | 0.0065 | -95.1 |
| Xiaomi Mi 5 (headphones) | +0.01, -0.03 | -95.2 | 95.1 | 0.0027 | 0.013 | -71.5 |
| Samsung Galaxy S7 | +0.01, -0.04 | -92.5 | 92.6 | 0.0027 | 0.0078 | -92.7 |
| Samsung Galaxy S7 (headphones) | +0.05, -0.05 | -91.9 | 92.1 | 0.0044 | 0.063 | -73.4 |
| +0.01, -0.04 | -95.5 | 89.5 | 0.0033 | 0.012 | -94.8 | |
| +0.22, -0.24 | -95.1 | 89.5 | 0.0057 | 0.212 | -59.8 | |
| +0.03, -0.04 | -93.5 | 93.5 | 0.0016 | 0.0075 | -73.2 | |
| +0.10, -0.06 | -93.8 | 93.9 | 0.0030 | 0.101 | -68.2 | |
| +0.01, -0.03 | -91.3 | 91.2 | 0.0036 | 0.012 | -91.6 | |
| +0.59, -0.03 | -92.0 | 91.9 | 0.011 | 0.316 | -63.9 |
21MP camera with a dual-tone 10-LED flash
The Meizu Pro 6 utilizes the same Sony IMX 230 sensor with 21MP resolution we saw on the Pro 5. It is capable of 5312x3984px snaps in 4:3 aspect. The auto focus uses a hybrid system, incorporating phase detect auto focus in addition to the regular contrast detect system. The camera also features a laser-assisted auto-focus, which should help the sensor take snapshots in the dark.
Meizu offers what it calls Super high ISO that would allow the phone to shoot at up to 1600 ISO in low light conditions. There's also a dual-tone ring flash with 10 LEDs, which should produce more natural flash photos. While it looks very beautiful and looks promising on paper, in reality the tiny 10 LEDs produce as much light as the dual-LED flash on the iPhone 6s or the Huawei P9 (if not less). SO if you had high hopes for the flash, you'd be disappointed.
The camera interface by default launches into Auto mode where the camera determines the shooting parameters. You have the option to turn on HDR (but no automatic HDR), gridlines for the viewfinder and a level gauge so that your pics are perfectly leveled compared to the horizon. There's also an option to enable a timer of either 3, 5 or 10 seconds.
These are Auto, Manual (where you can set the shutter speed up to 20s, ISO, exposure compensation and even the focus - from macro to infinity), Beauty (which can make eyes bigger, faces slimmer, skin smoother and whiter), Panorama, Light field (which is Meizu's refocus app allowing you to put the focus in any part of the image or have it entirely in focus), Slowmotion, GIF, Macro and Video.
Camera interface • Modes • Settings • Manual mode • Manual mode
The samples have excellent dynamic range and very good detail. Contrast, white balance and colors are also well handled. The only problem is the Pro 5 camera was doing a bit better both in terms of detail and noise handling.
Given that the two have identical hardware chances are that the Pro 6 will be brought on par with its predecessor via a firmaware update, but it's a bit disappointing having to go through that at all. In isolation however, the Pro 6 is a very capable shooter.
While there is no Auto HDR mode, the great dynamic range more than made up for it and we resorted to the HDR option rarely.
Meizu Pro 6 21MP camera samples
The HDR mode is meant to get an even wider exposure of a scene - bringing back detail in both the highlights and the shadows. The Meizu Pro 6 it does a very good job of bringing back detail in tricky scenes, but if there is enough light, it will turn out a rather unrealistic looking overexposed picture. The camera sensor seems to have a great native dynamic range, so we'd suggest turning the HDR on only if you are unsatisfied by the auto mode.
HDR off • HDR on • HDR off • HDR on
Panoramas aren't too impressive on the Meizu Pro 6. There is plenty of resolution (as in number of pixels), but not enough resolved detail to go with that. At least colors and exposure are nicely handled.
A panoramic sample
So, we've tried the Meizu Pro 6 flash and it didn't turn out as impressive as it sounds. The produced light is pretty much as any other dual-tone dual-LED flash (such as the iPhone SE), because the LEDs used on the Pro 6 are much smaller.
We've also played with faces - but instead of getting the skin color right, most of the samples turned out of focus. The one that were OK didn't shine with any tone corrections any other smartphone couldn't offer.
While the 10-ring LED flash sounds great on paper - its best function is to look pretty. It doesn't offer more light than the competition and hence there is no real advantage.
Meizu Pro 6 flash on • Apple iPhone SE flash on
Finally, you can check out a 5MP image taken with the front-facing camera of the device. It offers a great deal of detail for a selfie camera, the colors are great as is the contrast.
We've uploaded full resolution (21MP) photos to our photo quality comparison database to compare against other high-resolution smartphones. You can see the Pro 6 images are softer and noisier than the Pro 5's (bottom left) and Moto X Force (bottom right). The low-light test puts the Pro 6 behind those two. Oddly, the Pro 6 didn't want to shoot at ISO 100 even in brightest of the rooms, it always chose ISO 300. Setting manually to ISO 100 did the trick, but the results were absolutely the same as on ISO 300.
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