Meizu m1 note unboxing and first impressions

The Meizu m1 note has been on sale in China for a few months and in India a few days, here is our unboxing and first impressions of this mid range Mediatek phone.

If you look at the current range of Meizu phones, the m1 note really is the no brainer of the bunch. Sure the Meizu MX4 Pro has a 2K display ,but is that really necessary? Sure the MX4 and MX4 Pro have 20.7 mega-pixel camera, but isn’t a decent 13 mega-pixel still respectable?

The Meizu m1 note costs around $220 through international resellers which is a fraction of the cost of the MX4 and MX4 Pro, the build is good and hardware isn’t tone sniffed at either.

Under the smooth unibody construction of the Meizu m1 note and behind that 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 display is a 64bit octacore MT6752 processor, 2GB RAM and from 16GB internal memory. The m1 note is currently the only Meizu device to have room for dual SIM cards, but (and it is a big but for many) there is no space for a micro SD card!

Most current Meizu news is about the possible fact that Meizu are moving to physical home buttons and getting rid of the much-loved(?) smart bar navigation system in Flyme, but for the m1 note the we have a traditional Meizu set up including a lovely halo “breathing” home button and onscreen navigation.

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In the hand the Meizu m1 note reminds me a lot of the Meizu MX3, and that’s a good thing as I still feel the MX3 was built to standards rather than to meet price points. So while this is a unibody plastic phone, I have to say I prefer the feel of it to Meizu alloy flagships.

The unibody rear means there is a nice smooth finish with no lip, common on the MX4 and Pro due to the removable rear. The only detail that distracts from the overall feel is the SIM tray which does not sit flush with the frame.

You can see the Meizu m1 note unboxing and hands on in the video below.

Meizu m1 note unboxing and first impressions

So far I have only had a quick play around with the Meizu m1 note, but so far so good. The camera is nice, the speed of Flyme OS is good and the build quality is good. What more could you possibly want from a Meizu phone? Are the MX4 and Pro really worth the extra cost?

Thanks to ibywind.com who sent us this m1 note for review and who are also offering GizChina readers a $10 discount of the Meizu m1 note dropping the price to $209. Coupon code: gizm1note.

Disclaimer: We may be compensated by some of the companies whose products we talk about, but our articles and reviews are always our honest opinions. For more details, you can check out our editorial guidelines and learn about how we use affiliate links.

About the author
Andi

balcobomber25
May 26, 2015
Wasn’t a review of this done back in February (linked below)? Or is this a different version? I do love the blue it’s good to have some color in never ending sea of white, gray and black phones.
https://www.gizchina.com/2015/02/11/meizu-m1-note-review/
- - balcobomber25
    May 26, 2015
    Ahh, look forward to seeing how the two compare. :). I have heard such mixed reviews of this phone, some love it some hate it. I think a lot is people who aren’t familiar or don’t like Flyme.
    - Lutkunf
      May 26, 2015
      Most of people like Fylme but it is buggy. I can’t use e-mail and Whatsupp with wi-fi connection. Browser mostly collapses. Battery drains after 10%. You can see this problems in european forums. Meizu does not take an action.
      - balcobomber25
        May 26, 2015
        I have never personally used a Meizu phone but I have used Flyme on a few devices and found it to be a very stable and bug free ROM.
Lutkunf
May 26, 2015
Let me write phone’s last international version rom’s bugs made me crazy.
1) Something wrong with wi-fi connection.
E-mail app can’t connet server
david
May 26, 2015
I have this phone and after one week I’ve put it aside and decided to never ever buy Meizu again. No back button is retarded way to use Android phone. OS is stripped down androis aosp without essential features. Its full of chinese bloatware. After some time my screen started to flicker which was trigger that showed how bad that phone is. Comparing to Xiaomi (which I’m not huge fan of) thiis zero
- balcobomber25
  May 28, 2015
  Why would you buy a phone without researching it first? If you had done the slightest research on Meizu you would have learned Flyme is built similar to iOS in that it doesn’t feature a back button like normal Android.

Lutkunf
May 26, 2015
Let me write my problems with this phone. I use …5I rom. Today .6I rom released but tere is no solutions for my problem.
1) Something wrong with wi-fi connection. E-mail app can’t connect server on wi-fi connection but on 3G connection app can connect server very well. And like this issue, on wi-fi connection delay occurs in Whatsupp.
2) Sytem’s browser app which is costomized version of chorome, mostly collaps.
3) Sometimes phone froozen. I don’t know why.
4) No cloud services and personalization centre like in A or U version rom.
5) Android 6 is on the road. There is no update, still 4.4.4.
Last note: When browser collaps and phone froozen, or, delays on e-mail and whatsupp, i hate this phone. I am not solder of Nubia. I write this message for free for potential foolish Meziu customers! F*ck your .6I update, f*ck your phone. I never buy Meizu again.
- alen
  May 26, 2015
  ALL chinese manufacturers don’t care much about their customers. As I mention before, I have Xiaomi Mi3 and Meizu M1 Note, both phones are stuck on KitKat 4.4.4 android M is just around the corner and all chinese flagships from 2013 are still on kitkat and some 2014 phones received lollipop. I’m not sure that I’ll buy Mi5 since Xiaomi showed that I can forget about android upgrade in 2016/2017. think I’ll buy LG G4. it’s a waste of $400+ for chinese flagship phones when you know that as your phone is 1 or 2 years old no new versions of android for you. Although that is OK for sub $200 phones.
  - balcobomber25
    May 26, 2015
    “ALL chinese manufacturers don’t care much about their customers.” So you have personally used every Chinese brand and can say with absolute certainty they don’t care about their customers? Is the latest version of Android the only metric for judging customer care in your view? I have a Mi4 and every single week I get an update with bug fixes. I also love how anytime I have an issue their is an active community with actual developers from Xiaomi who answer questions about the devices. I have used several brands that have amazing customer service and do everything possible to keep their customers happy. To me that is much more important than simply running the latest version of Android, especially when using such a heavily skinned version of Android such as Miui or Flyme.
    - Chico Migraña
      May 26, 2015
      That is true, who need lollipop if almost it’s all on Miui V6 running 4.4.4? Can anyone tell me what’s is so especial with Lollipop?
      - Lutkunf
        May 26, 2015
        I want to use my handset for 3 years. So, i had 64 bit proccessor for future. I need lollipop libraries, 64 bit app execute, new java virtual machine for future usage. That is it. Any questions not stupid?
        
        Lazar Prodanovic
        May 26, 2015
        Two years is optimistic enough. Lollipop libraries are not a problem, ART is coming along nicely, their is a still problem related to new memory allocator (mem leaking) & biggest problem concerning MTK & Lollipop is still stable 3.10 kernel (same goes for most Qualcomm SoC’s).
        Chico Migraña
        May 26, 2015
        3 years! Haha I bet you change your phone for a new one in a year and a half. And don’t worry, in less than a year you will have your so espectacular lollipop for old Xiaomi phones, I think you know Mi4i is running on Lollipop.
        Lutkunf
        May 26, 2015
        As I mentioned before, I want to use this phone for minimum 3 years, if I don’t throw it to wall. Before M1 Note, I used Samsung Galaxy S3 for 3 years. I dropped it into water. So, I had to buy a new one. S3 was good enough for me. In addition, it was better than this shit. At least, there was no browser crashes and Wi-Fi issues with apps. M1 Note deals with fundamental issues. So, f*ck Flyme Os. I feel wasted my 230€ for a Chinese shit.
      - alen
        May 26, 2015
        ART should be faster than dalvik, it should be able to run 64 bit software (now not so important), battery should last longer, material design. Nice goodies I don’t see a reason why should we still using kitkat since lollipop is almost a year old.
        
        balcobomber25
        May 27, 2015
        Most of what you mentioned requires the use of a 64 bit SoC, your Mi3 has a 32 bit.
        alen
        May 27, 2015
        it doesn’t matter if my SD800 (like yours SD801) can’t run 64bit code, it just shows that if I invest $400+ in their flagship phone they will compile and adjust new versions of android for at least 2 years, like Apple, you can upgrade your 3 year old iphone with new OS ,,,
        
        balcobomber25
        May 27, 2015
        So you don’t even know why you want or need the newest Android? First you mentioned you wanted it to run 64 bit apps, which your phone is incapable of. Now you want it because you paid $400+ for it and should be supports for at least 2 years?
        Like Apple you can update your 2 year old Mi3 to the latest version of MIUI which is Xiaomi’s OS. The Mi3 received MIUI V6 this year which means your phone is still being supported by Xiaomi. The Mi3 has continued to get updates since it was launched.
        
        Lutkunf
        May 27, 2015
        Let’s talk about m1 note. It has 64bit soc, runs 32bit os. So, why 64bit soc? Explain it. If subject is Android, I am interested in functions rather than ui. If you talk about ui, shut up! IOS is standing there stronger with no competitors. F*ck android based laggy uis! I need 64 bit functions for future. Because, I won’t renew my handset unless it’s hardware is not capable for executing apps. I am not idiot who is wild consumer renews every years .
        
        balcobomber25
        May 28, 2015
        You were talking about your Mi3 which has no 64 bit SoC. As for the M1 it has already been announced that 5.0 will be released in June. Why do you own two Android devices that feature heavily skinned UI’s (MIUI and Flyme) if you hate UI’s so much and love Apple? Either you are an Apple fan boy just looking to troll or you did no research when you bought your phone. If you hate UI’s so much, 5 minutes of research would have told you that the two phones you supposedly have run heavily modified UI’s.
        “I need 64 bit functions for future, because I won’t renew my handset unless it’s hardware is not capable for executing apps”. Luckily for you 99% of apps are still built on 32 bit architecture and that is not expected to change for quite some time. But you need your functions!!!!
        
        Lutkunf
        May 28, 2015
        I have never had xioami handset. You are writing without reading. You are not consistent. I am sorry for your mental issues. I won’t reply anymore.
        Lutkunf
        May 28, 2015
        I have never had xioami handset. You are writing without reading. You are not consistent. I am sorry for your mental issues. I won’t reply anymore.
        
        balcobomber25
        May 28, 2015
        You were talking about your Mi3 which has no 64 bit SoC. As for the M1 it has already been announced that 5.0 will be released in June. Why do you own two Android devices that feature heavily skinned UI’s (MIUI and Flyme) if you hate UI’s so much and love Apple? Either you are an Apple fan boy just looking to troll or you did no research when you bought your phone. If you hate UI’s so much, 5 minutes of research would have told you that the two phones you supposedly have run heavily modified UI’s.
        “I need 64 bit functions for future, because I won’t renew my handset unless it’s hardware is not capable for executing apps”. Luckily for you 99% of apps are still built on 32 bit architecture and that is not expected to change for quite some time. But you need your functions!!!!
        
        balcobomber25
        May 28, 2015
        I got you confused with the other poster the one I was actually talking to, before you replied to me without reason. Your phone is already scheduled for a Lollipop update so not sure what you are complaining about.
        But still most of my comment applies to you, if you hate a heavily skinned UI why are you using a Meizu? If you love iOS so much why are you using Android? You claim to hate Android based UI’s so why are you using a phone that runs Flyme? Seems your the one with the mental issues.
        
        Lutkunf
        May 28, 2015
        I am sure that your brain just deals with your biological-life functions, like animals 🙂 Human brain has very different functions 🙂
        Let me summary issues from beginning. May be your brain works like humans…
        If I buy android based phone, I need it for some reasons, like it is cheap, functions are enough for me. This issue are viable for 64 bit apps, etc. It is my business, not yours. They are my needs. So, i choose a handset for my needs.
        Android phone is good enough for me in price range between 150 and 300$. I don’t want to pay so much for IPhone. But, objectivly I can’t say Android and Andrid UIs better than iOS when Android community is discussing why android laggy than iOS. I am not very interest in Android UIs. I just need bug free OS. For instance, my old Samsung Galxy S3 was good. I used HTC, LG, Sony and Motorola for a while for my business, they were prety good.
        I trusted M1 Note reviews like on this site and gave a change to a Chinese manifacturer. For instance in this review Andy has Chinese version of phone and he says no Google servies, bu you can flash internation rom. This is wrong. If you have Chinese version of rom out of box, you can’t install international rom. Because of bootloader lock.
        So, I and many pople like me have fundamental problems with this phone. I wrote them. I warned potential consumers about issues. That’s it. But you are replying like a dummy! You are talking about isuues without reading, information, usage of problematic international rom etc. Your and Chiness manufacturer’s mentality don’t work out of China. Now, F*ck off!
        
        balcobomber25
        May 28, 2015
        “I’m not interested in Android UI’s, yet I buy a phone with an Android UI when there are plenty of phones that ship with near stock Android” There I fixed it for you. You hate Chinese Manufacturers yet your on a website that is dedicated to Chinese manufacturers. Either your a troll or you have way to much time on your hands.
        
        Lutkunf
        May 28, 2015
        I think you don’t understand what you read :)) I repeat it again, I am not interested in uis. I am interested in hardware and functions for my needs and budget. I trusted reviews, then bough this phone. That was my foolishness.
        If after a week, a new version of m1 note will release and after 6 six mouths a site makes review of an old phone, I understand that, this is a paid review for clearance of old phone stocks. Like Chinese manufacturer out of ethics (like MLais said 3100mah battery for 2500mah), this site is giving wrong information about rom as a mentioned before. F*ck this review 🙂 F*uck yourself in China in Chinese. I have time and I will write my experiences for international consumers. Call me what ever you want 🙂
        
        balcobomber25
        May 29, 2015
        “For instance in this review Andy has Chinese version of phone and he says no Google servies, bu you can flash internation rom.”
        Here is specifically what Andi said in his original review:
        “This is a good reminder for any of you planning to import the m1 note, don’t do it yet, wait for the China Unicom or official international launch.”
        That was in the first few paragraphs of the review. There was not a single mention about Google services in the original review. There was also no mention of flashing the international ROM. Don’t know where you think you saw that but it’s not in the M1 Note Review from this site. I even checked the previews, hand’s on and forum posts about the M1 and didn’t find a single reference to Andi saying that. Unless you know of a different review Andi did please point it out otherwise looks like your just making stuff up again. Looks like you are talking about issues without reading.
        
        Lutkunf
        May 30, 2015
        Dear dummy 🙂
        For Andy’s wrong review, just watch video in this page. Then, stops sucking Andy’s d*ck. Mine is better :)) As you mentioned before i am the best boy here :)))
        balcobomber25
        May 30, 2015
        You have some intense homoerotic fantasies, trying to tell us something? You said “review” this is an unboxing and hands on those are two completely different things. Problem is you don’t know how to read. But you said you bought the phone based on his review which supposedly gave you the wrong information. The video in this article was just uploaded a few days ago. Looks like your caught in another lie yet again. What he does say is to manually flash the international rom or download an installer for Google Play. As for the locked Bootloader 5 minutes searching on Google will tell you how to unlock it. Take 5 minutes away from your gay fantasies and browse XDA and you could have avoided looking like a complete moron on here.
        
        Lutkunf
        May 30, 2015
        Oh, sory. After I read your posts, I tough that you were a sucker bitch. Oh no, don’t suck mine :))
        Dear dummy sucker, I wrote “I trusted reviews. “Like” Andy’s. It is a video review, isn’t it? He gives wrong information, doesn’t he? He is marketing Chinese phones out of ethics, like ordinary Chinese companies. You can’t understand that. So, I am not surprised.
        That’s enough. You have never had a Meizu handset, but speaking about it. It is not your business. Just shut up, don’t suck anymore. If you are member of Flyme os developer, debug bugs I reported before else shut the f*ck up! I don’t want to f*ck your ass everyday.
        
        Lutkunf
        May 27, 2015
        Let’s talk about m1 note. It has 64bit soc, runs 32bit os. So, why 64bit soc? Explain it. If subject is Android, I am interested in functions rather than ui. If you talk about ui, shut up! IOS is standing there stronger with no competitors. F*ck android based laggy uis! I need 64 bit functions for future. Because, I won’t renew my handset unless it’s hardware is not capable for executing apps. I am not idiot who is wild consumer renews every years .
        
        alen
        May 28, 2015
        I look like I need to clarify few thing for you. You sad “you mentioned you wanted it to run 64 bit apps” where did you read this ? I sad “it should be able to run 64 bit software (NOW NOT SO IMPORTANT)”. Upgrading from 4.4.4 to 5.x requires more effort than patching few cosmetic changes and that is the reason why Xiaomi do not upgrade Mi3 MIUI on 5.0 or 5.1 (BTW MIUIv5 was better mod then MIUIv6 in my opinion). Friends with LG G2 after upgrade to lollipop have increased SOT for over half an hour, so this is why I want lollipop on Mi3 (LG G2 is 32bit SoC too) Since you are unable to say something like “yes, Xiaomi should be better then LG,Samsung,Motorola,Sony and upgrade MIUI with new versions of Android” Probably Xiaomi is paying you or your are 13y Xiaomi fanboy. Xiaomi should upgrade MIUI to 5.1 android and yes I think Xiaomi is currently the best chinese brand. Could it be better? Yes it could.
        
        balcobomber25
        May 28, 2015
        I wish Xiaomi was paying me and I am actually a 31 year old Xiaomi fanboy you were close on the age just had it backward. I actually don’t expect Xiaomi to be better than any of those companies because all of them have been around a lot longer and are much bigger overall than Xiaomi. Your friend is very lucky because most people on forums are saying the G’s battery time has taken a nose dive since upgrading. But even if he is getting better battery time you realize that has zero effect on what will happen to your Mi3? They are two completely different models running different UI’s. In theory 5.0 improves battery life, in real life however that hasn’t been the case. Even on Google’s own Nexus devices there have been problems with battery draining after upgrading.
        
        balcobomber25
        May 27, 2015
        So you don’t even know why you want or need the newest Android? First you mentioned you wanted it to run 64 bit apps, which your phone is incapable of. Now you want it because you paid $400+ for it and should be supports for at least 2 years?
        Like Apple you can update your 2 year old Mi3 to the latest version of MIUI which is Xiaomi’s OS. The Mi3 received MIUI V6 this year which means your phone is still being supported by Xiaomi. The Mi3 has continued to get updates since it was launched.
        alen
        May 27, 2015
        it doesn’t matter if my SD800 (like yours SD801) can’t run 64bit code, it just shows that if I invest $400+ in their flagship phone they will compile and adjust new versions of android for at least 2 years, like Apple, you can upgrade your 3 year old iphone with new OS ,,,
    - alen
      May 26, 2015
      I have Xiaomi Mi3 and updates are every friday. Most of the time it is updates that I don’t want/care one that I care are missing. I bought my Mi3 almost 2 years ago and if you compare it to LG G2 (another 2013 phone), Samsung GS4, Sony xperia Z they have lollipop few months ago. Xiaomi don’t respect their customer like LG, samsung, sony, motorola. I had Zopo 810H, and jiayu G4S before without software updates (unless you go to needrom and sideload tweaked ROM) and since these are cheap phones I didn’t care, but If you gonna spend $400+ or even $500+ on a new phone I expect newer versions of android supported by manufacturer.
- Terence
  May 26, 2015
  I think your M1 Note are spoilt, i’m on Flyme OS 4.2.0.5U and there’s no problem with wifi, whatsapp or chrome. My phone doesn’t freeze either and in fact i quite like flyme after using it for a while.
  - Lutkunf
    May 27, 2015
    Just take a look our forum (http://meizufans.eu/forum/category-meizu-m1-note). Most of our phones spoilt? And also, as a mentioned before, I use INTERNATIONAL rom, not unicom. How do you know international rom has no bugs? And also, try to change your language with Turkish, restart your phone. See your rom’s base bug!
    My best previous expreience is base experience expectation for future. So, Flyme Os dropped out for me! I don’t know your previous experiences but I am sure that mine is better than yours. I am not soldier of this brands but, just use Apple, HTC, Samsung or LG handsets, you can see the differences. After Meizu, i can pay more for quality without complaint. That is end!
    - balcobomber25
      May 28, 2015
      “my experience is better than yours” Do you want a cookie? Congrats you are the soldier of phone experience. You are someone who claims to hate modified Android UI’s full of bloatware and then you mention how much you love Samsung. Samsung is the king of bloatware. You are all over the place trying to look like the cool kid and failing miserably every time. You think by mentioning the biggest brand names it makes you look like a phone legend.
      - Lutkunf
        May 28, 2015
        Yes, I am a cool kid, miserable every time and I want a cookie :))
        Now, tell me in which my post did I write “I hate modified Android uis”? I never said that. In addition, I have never wrote about MIUI or other uis, even Flyme os for mx4 and mx4 pro. I just wrote M1 Note’s buggy Flyme Os with base. You don’t have to reply my post without base and brain. Here is not your wall to shit:))
        
        balcobomber25
        May 29, 2015
        Your all over the place on this one. You’re so focused on trying to insult me your forgetting what you typed in different responses. Here is a sample of what you have said so far:
        “I hate modified Android uis”? I never said that. In addition, I have never wrote about MIUI or other uis, even Flyme os”
        “F*ck android based laggy uis!”
        “If subject is Android, I am interested in functions rather than ui.”
        “But, objectivly I can’t say Android and Andrid UIs better than iOS when Android community is discussing why android laggy than iOS. I am not very interest in Android UIs.”
        ” I repeat it again, I am not interested in uis”
        Tell us again how you never mentioned your disdain for UI’s. Might want to read through all your own posts before insulting others. Now you just made yourself look like foolish.
- dax
  May 27, 2015
  Meizu Note is scheduled for update to lollipop in June as was published long time ago.
  I actually quite like my Note and after 2 weeks of use i began to like flyme too.
  If you have problems with a phone doesn’t necessarily mean that every Note is faulty or Meizu and ALL chinese phones are crap.
  Sometimes we get a lemon from Apple or Copysung also.
  For the price and quality received i consider to be a good deal.

roni24
May 26, 2015
5.5′ screen and there is no place for sd card,is this a joke, because i am not laughing

Iggy
May 27, 2015
Hello to all of you!
I have recently bought this device and i would like to say that i’m happy with it but not excited.
Everything looks nice, especially, the built quality, something that i believe its the first thing for someone to consider when buying something. Its fast, responsive and good looking too, (i have the green one). Something that i didn’t like though (and its a huge drawback for me) is that when i connect my earphones an electrical ”noise” generated and its REALLY annoying, because its not possible to listen any music or to watch a video using my earphones.
So everything its good BUT something is missing.

Iggy
May 27, 2015
Hello to all of you!
I have recently bought this device and i would like to say that i’m happy with it but not excited.
Everything looks nice, especially, the built quality, something that i believe its the first thing for someone to consider when buying something. Its fast, responsive and good looking too, (i have the green one). Something that i didn’t like though (and its a huge drawback for me) is that when i connect my earphones an electrical ”noise” generated and its REALLY annoying, because its not possible to listen any music or to watch a video using my earphones.
So everything its good BUT something is missing.
Tremaine Underwood
May 29, 2015
I bought one of these recently, unfortunately I have a serious issue with it. The 1st SIM slot(4g enabled one) doesn’t recognise any sim I try in it. At first it was working intermittently, but now it has stopped altogether. It seems as if this problem has effected more people then just me. I did a search and found 4 other people with the same issue.I don’t really want to send it back, because it will be months before I get a replacement. The worst problem is, I really really like this phone :-). The screen is awesome, the sound chip inside it, with one of the HD modes enabled, is the best sound chip I have heard. Then there is the camera which I have really had a lot of fun with. I really like the slow motion video mode. Plus the phone can pretty much handle any game you throw at it. I just don’t know what to do about the SIM issue. I am thinking about opening it myself and voiding the warranty. Hopefully its simple a lose connection

Roger
May 30, 2015
ibywind have the specs wrong, they incorrectly list WCDMA 850MHz support.
Emma Swift
June 1, 2015

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Meizu m1 note unboxing and first impressions

Andi

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