Meizu. The Chinese handset maker has revealed a new affordable flagship 5G device, the Meizu 17 Series in China. The company has previously stuck to its guns for not having notches, no hole punch camera and whatnot, and instead, opt for a super narrow forehead to accommodate the camera.
With the 17 Series, however, things have changed. It is now rocking a hole punch camera, but thankfully, it has yet adopted the arch nemesis of drop phone: curved display. There are two devices in the 17 series, the standard model and a Pro model. Plus, there is a so-called Xiaofang Kiln Art Collector’s Edition which is essentially the special edition Pro model. More of that in a bit.
The 17 Series ticks all the flagship check boxes. You know. Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, UFS 3.1 storage, LPDDR5 memory, 64 MP quad-camera system, wired/wireless fast charging and 90 Hz refreshed rate display. But for a wallet-friendly starting price of 3,699 yuan (equivalent to US$523).
However, that is a 1,400 yuan, or nearly US$200, price bump from the last flagship. It is understandable that every new handsets will see an inflation, but having 5G has certainly bumped that up quite significantly.
If that’s not a shocker, the aforementioned Xiaofang Kiln Art Collector’s Edition will sure knock regular Meizu fans off their chair.
That “collector’s edition” commands a hefty 9,999 yuan (roughly US$1,410). For 5,300 yuan more than the Meizu 17 Pro that starts at 4,299 yuan (about US$607).
For that price, you will get a special mix color loosely translated to “heavenly green” calcined ceramic back, a color which apparently developed a thousand year ago and hard to replicate, plus calcined ceramic Chinese teacup handcrafted by famed ceramic master Cai Xiaofang. The collector’s edition will come with a classy, luxe packaging that is lined with a classy, luxurious silky interior.
All said and done, I can’t help but to think that Meizu maybe the testing water with phone with current flagship price norm would move the phone. Anywho… I am just throwing it out there. Keep going for a table of summary of the key specifications of the Meizu 17 and Meizu 17 Pro smartphones.
Meizu 17 Pro | Meizu 17 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.6-inch FHD+ (2,340 x 1,080 pixels, 390 ppi) 90 Hz custom Samsung AMOLED display 180 Hz touch sampling rate 19.5:9 aspect ratio 2.2 mm ultra-narrow bezel | 6.6-inch FHD+ (2,340 x 1,080 pixels, 390 ppi) 90 Hz custom Samsung AMOLED display 180 Hz touch sampling rate 19.5:9 aspect ratio 2.2 mm ultra-narrow bezel |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 X55 5G Modem Octacore processor, max. clock speed 2.84 GHz Hexagon 698 DSP Artificial Intelligence Engine (AIE) Spectra 480 ISP | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 X55 5G Modem Octacore processor, max. clock speed 2.84 GHz Hexagon 698 DSP Artificial Intelligence Engine (AIE) Spectra 480 ISP |
| Memory | RAM: 8 GB/12 GB LPDDR5 ROM: 128 GB/256 GB UFS 3.1 | RAM: 8 GB LPDDR4X ROM: 128 GB/256 GB UFS 3.1 |
| Camera | REAR CAMERA: Main Camera - Sensor: Sony IMX686 Megapixels: 64 Pixel Size: 0.8 µm Lens Quantity: 6P Aperture: ƒ1.8 Telephoto Camera - Sensor: OV 08A10 Megapixels: 8 Pixel Size: 1.0 µm Lens Quantity: 5P Aperture: ƒ2.4 Ultra Wide/Macro Camera - Sensor: Sony IMX616 Megapixels: 32 Pixel Size: 0.8 µm Lens Quantity: 6P Aperture: ƒ2.2 Field of View: 129 ° Macro: 3.0 cm Time of Flight (ToF) - Sensor: Samsung 33D Megapixels: 300,000 pixels Pixel Size: 7 µm Lens Quantity: 4P Aperture: ƒ1.4 PDAF, 6 LED ring flash, Super night view, Portrait mode, Scene recognition, Smart HDR Video: 4K video at 60 fps ultra clear video 480 fps slow motion video Super wide-angle video FRONT CAMERA: Sensor: U/K Megapixels: 20 Pixel Size: 0.8 µm Lens Quantity: 5P Aperture: <ƒ2.2 AI beauty, Portrait mode, Backlight selfie HDR, Backlight mode, Front super night view, Front screen fill light, Face recognition unlock | REAR CAMERA: Main Camera - Sensor: Sony IMX686 Megapixels: 64 Pixel Size: 0.8 µm Lens Quantity: 6P Aperture: ƒ1.8 Secondary Camera - Sensor: Sony IMX362 Megapixels: 12 Pixel Size: 1.4 µm Lens Quantity: 6P Aperture: ƒ1.9 Ultra Wide Angle Camera - Sensor: Samsung 4H7 Megapixels: 8 Pixel Size: 1.12 µm Lens Quantity: 5P Aperture: ƒ2.2 Field of View: 118° Macro Camera - Sensor: Samsung 5E9 Megapixels: 5 Pixel Size: 1.12 µm Lens Quantity: 4P Aperture: ƒ1.9 Closest distance: 2.5 cm PDAF, 6 LED ring flash, Super night view, Portrait mode, Scene recognition, Smart HDR Video: 4K video at 60 fps ultra clear video 480 fps slow motion video Super wide-angle video FRONT CAMERA: Sensor: U/K Megapixels: 20 Pixel Size: 0.8 µm Lens Quantity: 5P Aperture: <ƒ2.2 AI beauty, Portrait mode, Backlight selfie HDR, Backlight mode, Front super night view, Front screen fill light, Face recognition unlock |
| Battery | 4,500 mAh (typical) Supports QC 3.0/PE 2.0 27 W Wireless Charging | 4,500 mAh (typical) Supports QC 3.0/PE 2.0 No Wireless Charging |
| Network | GSM：B2/B3/B8 WCDMA：B1/B2/B5/B8 TD-LTE：B34/B38/B39/B40/B41 FDD-LTE：B1/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8 NR：N41/N78/N79 Supports 4x4 MIMO mobile data network | GSM：B2/B3/B8 WCDMA：B1/B2/B5/B8 TD-LTE：B34/B38/B39/B40/B41 FDD-LTE：B1/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8 NR：N41/N78/N79 Supports 4x4 MIMO mobile data network |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax, dual-band (2.4G/5G), 2x2 MU-MIMO Bluetooth 5.1 USB Type-C interface | Wi-Fi 6: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax, dual-band (2.4G/5G), 2x2 MU-MIMO Bluetooth 5.1 USB Type-C interface |
| Location | GPS (dual band), GLONASS, Beidou | GPS (dual band), GLONASS, Beidou |
| Sensors | NFC In-display Fingerprint Sensor Electronic Compass Gyroscope Ambient Light Sensor Proximity Sensor Gravity Sensor Pressure Sensor Lateral Linear Motor | NFC In-display Fingerprint Sensor Electronic Compass Gyroscope Ambient Light Sensor Proximity Sensor Gravity Sensor Lateral Linear Motor |
| Audio | Super linear stereo speaker | Super linear stereo speaker |
| Dimensions | 160 x 77.2 x 8.5 mm, 219g | 160 x 77.2 x 8.5 mm, 199g |
| Colors | Black, White, Sky Green (or Heavenly Green) | Forest Green, 17 Level of Gray, Dreamy Unicorn |
Oh, wait. There’s also a special edition Meizu 17. It is called the limited edition “Aircraft Carrier” model that sells for 4,299 yuan and in one configuration (8 GB + 256 GB).
The phone is a homage to the first made in China aircraft carrier and it was released in collaboration with China Shipbuilding Cultural Technology (CSSC) and features a back cover with the ‘blueprint’ of the aircraft carrier ‘Shandong’, which also happens to bear the number ’17’, along with a stylized number 17.
The phone will come with a companion case featuring a graphic of the front view of the carrier also with a stylized number 17. The stylized ’17’ is actually mimics carrier’s flight deck. In addition to the case, there are also specially branded accessories, plus four unique metal badges to commemorate the warship.
Images: Meizu [CH].
