Meizu m1 vs Xiaomi Redmi 2

With the launch of the Meizu m1 it was inevitable that we would put together a table comparing the new entry level Meizu to the popular Xiaomi Redmi 2.

Today Meizu released the Meizu m1 and although it is only (currently?) available as a China Mobile TD model (so don’t go importing them yet) and there were some odd specification choices, the little 5-incher looks like a smart phone for anyone on a budget.

Meizu m1 highs and lows

The obvious highlights of the Meizu m1 are the better than expected camera hardware, 5 mega-pixel front, 13 mega-pixel rear, high-ish resolution display, and larger than average battery and support for a micro SD support for up to 128GB cards.

From a design point of view the Meizu m1 is a good-looking phone too, I personally prefer the look and feel of the polycarbonate unibody shell over the metal/plastc chassis of the MX4 and MX4 Pro.

The big upset in specifications though are the current lack of FDD-LTE/WCDMA support and the fact the Meizu m1 has just 1GB RAM. This last point is the big potential problem for Meizu as Xiaomi just recently announced they would release a 2GB RAM version of their Redmi 2.

Will there be a 2GB RAM Meizu m1?

Personally I feel that Meizu went out of their way to beat the Xiaomi Redmi 2 in specifications. Looking at the screen specification alone tells me that Meizu wants the m1 to be seen better than the Redmi 2 in every possible feature. They could have given the m1 a 5-inch 1280 x 720 display, but by bumping up the resolution to 1280 x 768 they beat the Redmi 2 on paper.

It is this mentalaty that has me believe that there could be a 2GB RAM version of the Meizu m1, however it all depends on Xiaomi’s pricing of the 2GB RAM Redmi 2. If Xiaomi announce a price to near the 999 Yuan cost of the Meizu m1 note then a 2GB RAM m1 will be unlikely.

Meizu m1 vs Xiaomi Redmi 2 Specifications

[table id=196 /]

As seen in the above specifications list the Meizu m1 has the upper hand over the Xiaomi Redmi 2 in almost every possible piece of hardware. It has s higher resolution display, larger battery, higher resolution cameras and more powerful processor. The only areas it looses to the the Redmi 2 are in RAM (however a 2GB RAM Redmi 2 will cost more than the 1GB RAM m1) and the lack of dual SIM.

I haven’t held the m1 yet, but I have held the Meizu m1 note which is made using the same UV coated polycarbonate unibody. I also have a Xiaomi Redmi 2, and I have to say from holding those two phones the build of the Meizu is much more impressive. If Meizu have managed to retain the m1 note’s quality on the Meizu m1 it will be a much more ‘premium’ feeling phone.

As it stands both the Meizu m1 and Xiaomi Redmi 2 cost 699 Yuan for their respective 1GB RAM versions, and on paper the Meizu m1 takes my vote at this price (dual sim support isn’t a feature I use). At this price which phone would you take?