Last month, Hell froze over when Meizu announced it would stop making “traditional smartphones.” This announcement was followed by a campaign called All In AI, shocking the industry. Many people took the news at face value, speculating it was the end of Meizu. Obviously, that was not true.
On the day Xiaomi revealed the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, Meizu announced the Meizu 21 Pro event to be held on the 29th. So, what’s up? Well, not much. It’s the flagship device everyone expects from Meizu, but now it comes with AI integrated out of the box*, much like the new Samsung Galaxy S series and then some.
Described as an “open AI terminal,” the new Meizu 21 Pro is powered by Flyme AI, which promises a bunch of AI features that will integrate AI into your lifestyle. The focus here is truly on the user experience, which is refreshing at a time when every other handset maker is focusing on imaging.
The new 21 Pro features a so-called AI smart key that allows you to summon the Aicy assistant (equivalent to Siri and Google Assistant), helping you listen, read, write, and translate.
There is also the AI Gallery, which performs the usual magic of removing unwanted objects, expanding the image by adding backgrounds and generating background images to create breathtaking portraits. It is not known if the AI Gallery will be able to create images from text descriptions.
It also boasts a ChatGPT-like capability with AI-assisted input. This feature automatically generates an article based on your creative requirements. In other words, this device lets you do copywriting, engage in intelligent conversations with the AI, and generate reply suggestions.
Finally, there is the AI Voice, which essentially answers your queries or performs actions based on your commands. For example, when a food delivery service messages you, it will automatically suggest a reply like, “Please leave it at the door.”
To be honest, I am not entirely clear on how it works, but from what I have gathered so far, it feels very much like a ChatGPT-like AI, obviously in Chinese, baked into the device. Another thing for sure is, it will forever change how you use a smartphone.
Beyond AI, the new Meizu 21 Pro Smartphone is everything you expect a flagship device to be and more. It has adopted the tall form factor so fervently used by the Sony Xperia series.
It features a 21:9 2K+ “single-handed flagship” display on a 74 mm super narrow form factor. The term “single-handed flagship” refers to the narrow body that allows for one-handed operations, mostly.
It is powered by the fastest SoC available, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, paired with the fastest memories available today, LPDDR5X RAM, and UFS 4.0 storage.
There is also wide-area ultrasonic fingerprint recognition that allows for effortless, secure unlocking of the device.
The new Meizu 21 Pro also touts a flagship camera system featuring a 1/1.3” 50 MP main camera, dual OIS, and 3x optical zoom. This camera system comprises a 50 MP wide-angle main camera, a 13 MP ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 10 MP telephoto/portrait camera. It is capable of both OIS and EIS and 8K video recording.
Around the front, it has a 32 MP camera with AI beauty feature and HDR.
Other notable features include Meizu Titan Glass 2.0 which boasts a 200% increase in drop resistance, IP68, infrared blaster, NFC, mEngine X-axis linear motor, and a 5,050 mAh high-density long-lasting battery that supports QC4+/USB PD 3.0 PPS protocol, 80W wired supercharging, 50W wireless supercharging, and 10W reverse wireless charging.
And oh, unlike most phones that are either top or bottom-heavy, this phone is intentionally designed to be perfectly balanced. It also, of course, features Flyme Link which seamlessly integrates smartphones, automobiles, and AR eyewear.
The Meizu 21 Pro Smartphone is available for pre-order starting at 4,999 RMB [CH] (about US$695), and comes in four color options. It is offered in three configurations: 12+256GB, 16+512GB, and 16+1TB.
Images: Meizu [CH].
