Meizu MX5 owners are facing AMOLED display issues

Along with the addition of a fingerprint scanner and a new unibody alloy design, the Meizu MX5 also received an AMOLED display, but owners in China are seriously unhappy with the panel.

The last time we had seen so many customers flock to the forums and complain about a display it was when the OnePlus One launched and customers complained of yellowing. Even after watching their rivals suffer through the complaints, Meizu done’t seem to have done much better with their Meizu MX5.

The MX5 ships with a 5.5-inch AMOLED display from Samsung. AMOLED panels are usually praised for vibrant colours and deep blacks, but customers in China are complaining that the Meizu MX5 screen has a number of issues.

From quality issues that include yellowing of the screen, white marks to visual issues like grainy images, it seems that the MX5 (of the first batch at least) has some serious screen problems.

The official Meizu forums in China are full of complaints about the screens, with some commentors even suggesting that Samsung offloaded a back of defective panels on Meizu for the phone.

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Some fans have also mentioned out the 1080 display of the m1 note actually looks better than the MX5 screen, a crushing insult for the flagship phone.

To give you an idea of the yellow tint to the display the video below shows the flagship Meizu MX5 next to the Ulefone BeTouch 2 in a screen comparison. The BeTouch 2 does seem brighter and offer whiter whites, but we would need hands on time with the phone to be sure for ourselves.

Are their any MX5 owners out there who are unhappy with their Meizu MX5 displays? Or is your display perfectly fine? Let us know in the comments below.

[ Meizu Forums ]

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About the author
Andi

It’s just Super AMOLED display with PenTile as it is.

chris stapledon
July 24, 2015
Not an MX5 user but I see there was a comparison with the Ulefone Be Touch 2. I can report 2 annoying light patches on my Be touch 2 screen. There have been no drops or trauma of any kind. Thinking of sending it back.
- Adam Irvine
  July 24, 2015
  Hmm, different phone but my littler brothers Mlais M7 suddenly got 2 light patches for some reason, and he’s promised me that he hasn’t dropped it or squashed it! It’s been in its official flip case since day one and there’s no signs of any damage to the screen or the back…
  Are we about to see a lot of this type of issue I wonder?
yalok
July 24, 2015
- Or
  July 24, 2015
  The display of the mx5 is calibrated ok apart of the wide gamut but still the natural colors are not too distorted ,See here
  https://hi-tech.mail.ru/review/meizu_mx5_rev.html
  Use google translate because the review is in Russian.
  - yalok
    July 24, 2015
    Ha, Russian is the language I know the best.
    Well, according to review, the colors should be over-saturated, but in this article the video shows the opposite. Maybe it’s really just a batch of devices with defective screens.

realjjj
July 24, 2015
With AMOLED the resolution is faked. A pixel instead of having 3 subpixels,has only 2. They take the green subpixel and split it into 2 smaller ones and they don’t give you a RggB subpixel (2 small green ones) like one would expect, no they decided to fake the pixels and each pixel is either RG or BG. The actual resolution of this screen should be 768p .Besides that the subpixels are smaller than on LCD so more of the display is just black , non-active area.
That’s why AMOLED looks grainy, it’s really just half the advertised pixels, it’s not so much an issue with the technology , it’s about display makers and device makers conning the users , flat out faking the resolution.
So ofc the quality is poor since it’s like having a 5.5 inch 768p display. If this was advertised as 768p,you would get exactly what you expect and nobody would complain.The sad part is that everybody does it – Samsung, Google(Nexus 6), Apple with the Watch and so on.
Worse, they are ruining 4k TVs like this too with RGBW where they add a white subpixel but a pixel is not RGBW and instead they fake a pixel out of just 2 subpixels.
- trapchan
  July 24, 2015
  Someone please tell me, what year it is, is it 2012?
- balcobomber25
  July 24, 2015
  I have had multiple AMOLED’s and never had a single one look grainy. Every AMOLED I have used has look excellent, especially the black levels.
- Gigi Grace
  July 24, 2015
Adam Irvine
July 24, 2015
Balco anywhere? If so, have you received yours yet and if you have, are you disappointed with your screen quality???
- balcobomber25
  July 25, 2015
  I have spent the last few hours trying everything possible to replicate the complaints. My display looks excellent under all circumstances except for occasionally the whites look off but i find that on most AMOLEds.
Yash Garg
July 24, 2015
Can confirm that the display isn’t as white as it should be (warm tint; misses the ‘right’ balance between warm and cold), but I’d attribute that to the way it is calibrated. Having said that, I would say that the Elife S7 has a better display out of the two.
- balcobomber25
  July 24, 2015
  How you like the S7 so far? Gionee is one of my favorite brands and the S7 is the next phone I plan on buying.
  - July 24, 2015
    It’s a brilliant phone in itself, but the software needs a lot of polishing. Also I’ve managed to drop the phone from 3-4 feet a few times, and there’s no real blemish on the body yet. That, and the build otherwise, make the S7 the best built phone I’ve ever used. By the way the review should be up next week, it keeps being delayed for some reason or the other.
    - balcobomber25
      July 24, 2015
      Gionee has always had the best quality in my opinion, their phones can continuously take a beating with little signs of abuse. Amigo always seems to be a work in progress but I have seen improvements in it over the years so hopefully Gionee can get it working good.
      - July 24, 2015
        Well, I’ll say this at the risk of spoiling the review: the software system running on the S7 is shit. It’s what I’d call a very confused ROM; it seems as though the developers weren’t given clear directions as to what exactly the ROM was expected to do. Neither does it look like the most eye-catching ROM, nor does it have the most thought-out features. Hanging in the middle. Which is a shame because hardware wise (and this includes the camera) the S7 is a gem.
        
        balcobomber25
        July 25, 2015
        So it’s typical Amigo lol. I’ll probably wait till Blu releases it in the US as the next Vivo phone. To me its the best looking phone available. Especially the dark blue one.
        amirexpressir
        July 29, 2015
        suggestion
        how about review it and also flash the best custom rom you can dound and see if it had solved things or can be used alternatively…given a day or two, will be suffice to test a new rom

July 24, 2015
It’s just Super AMOLED display with PenTile as it is.
chris stapledon
July 24, 2015
Not an MX5 user but I see there was a comparison with the Ulefone Be Touch 2. I can report 2 annoying light patches on my Be touch 2 screen. There have been no drops or trauma of any kind. Thinking of sending it back.
- Adam Irvine
  July 24, 2015
  Hmm, different phone but my littler brothers Mlais M7 suddenly got 2 light patches for some reason, and he’s promised me that he hasn’t dropped it or squashed it! It’s been in its official flip case since day one and there’s no signs of any damage to the screen or the back…
  Are we about to see a lot of this type of issue I wonder?
yalok
July 24, 2015
- Or
  July 24, 2015
  The display of the mx5 is calibrated ok apart of the wide gamut but still the natural colors are not too distorted ,See here
  https://hi-tech.mail.ru/review/meizu_mx5_rev.html
  Use google translate because the review is in Russian.
- yalok
  July 24, 2015
  Ha, Russian is the language I know the best.
  Well, according to review, the colors should be over-saturated, but in this article the video shows the opposite. Maybe it’s really just a batch of devices with defective screens.

realjjj
July 24, 2015
With AMOLED the resolution is faked. A pixel instead of having 3 subpixels,has only 2. They take the green subpixel and split it into 2 smaller ones and they don’t give you a RggB subpixel (2 small green ones) like one would expect, no they decided to fake the pixels and each pixel is either RG or BG. The actual resolution of this screen should be 768p .Besides that the subpixels are smaller than on LCD so more of the display is just black , non-active area.
That’s why AMOLED looks grainy, it’s really just half the advertised pixels, it’s not so much an issue with the technology , it’s about display makers and device makers conning the users , flat out faking the resolution.
So ofc the quality is poor since it’s like having a 5.5 inch 768p display. If this was advertised as 768p,you would get exactly what you expect and nobody would complain.The sad part is that everybody does it – Samsung, Google(Nexus 6), Apple with the Watch and so on.
Worse, they are ruining 4k TVs like this too with RGBW where they add a white subpixel but a pixel is not RGBW and instead they fake a pixel out of just 2 subpixels.
- trapchan
  July 24, 2015
  Someone please tell me, what year it is, is it 2012?
- balcobomber25
  July 24, 2015
  I have had multiple AMOLED’s and never had a single one look grainy. Every AMOLED I have used has look excellent, especially the black levels.
Linus
July 24, 2015
- kik
  July 25, 2015

balcobomber25
July 24, 2015
I received mine a few days ago, only had one day with it so far (was away for business). The whites don’t look quite right as Yash pointed out but overall I have no issues with the display. Mine looks excellent even compared to my wife’s S6 with 2k Display. In fact this is one of the best AMOLED’s I have used on a phone.
I am wondering if this is limited to a certain batch of units because I have talked to a few people who all have this phone and we all agree the display looks excellent for the most part. Every review I have seen says the same.
- The Special Juan
  July 24, 2015
  Good to know the screen looks good. I went against my better judgement and ordered the 32 GB version from fastcardtech. They had confirmed that they had the 32 gb in stock, and seem to have already sent it with DHL tracking number. Hope it is genuine!

Adam Irvine
July 24, 2015
Balco anywhere? If so, have you received yours yet and if you have, are you disappointed with your screen quality???
- balcobomber25
  July 25, 2015
  I have spent the last few hours trying everything possible to replicate the complaints. My display looks excellent under all circumstances except for occasionally the whites look off but i find that on most AMOLEds.
Yash Garg
July 24, 2015
Can confirm that the display isn’t as white as it should be (warm tint; misses the ‘right’ balance between warm and cold), but I’d attribute that to the way it is calibrated. Having said that, I would say that the Elife S7 has a better display out of the two.
- balcobomber25
  July 24, 2015
  How you like the S7 so far? Gionee is one of my favorite brands and the S7 is the next phone I plan on buying.
- Yash Garg
  July 24, 2015
  It’s a brilliant phone in itself, but the software needs a lot of polishing. Also I’ve managed to drop the phone from 3-4 feet a few times, and there’s no real blemish on the body yet. That, and the build otherwise, make the S7 the best built phone I’ve ever used. By the way the review should be up next week, it keeps being delayed for some reason or the other.
- balcobomber25
  July 24, 2015
  Gionee has always had the best quality in my opinion, their phones can continuously take a beating with little signs of abuse. Amigo always seems to be a work in progress but I have seen improvements in it over the years so hopefully Gionee can get it working good.
- Yash Garg
  July 24, 2015
  Well, I’ll say this at the risk of spoiling the review: the software system running on the S7 is shit. It’s what I’d call a very confused ROM; it seems as though the developers weren’t given clear directions as to what exactly the ROM was expected to do. Neither does it look like the most eye-catching ROM, nor does it have the most thought-out features. Hanging in the middle. Which is a shame because hardware wise (and this includes the camera) the S7 is a gem.
- balcobomber25
  July 25, 2015
  So it’s typical Amigo lol. I’ll probably wait till Blu releases it in the US as the next Vivo phone. To me its the best looking phone available. Especially the dark blue one.
- amirexpressir
  July 29, 2015
  suggestion
  how about review it and also flash the best custom rom you can dound and see if it had solved things or can be used alternatively…given a day or two, will be suffice to test a new rom

andrey azeus
July 24, 2015
- Gigi Grace
  July 24, 2015
  The guy in the video modified the color temperature to cold, but the display turn greenish.
  - balcobomber25
    July 25, 2015
    I tested this out today and couldn’t replicate it. Maybe his was just defective. My MX5 looks excellent.

balcobomber25
July 24, 2015
I received mine a few days ago, only had one day with it so far (was away for business). The whites don’t look quite right as Yash pointed out but overall I have no issues with the display. Mine looks excellent even compared to my wife’s S6 with 2k Display. In fact this is one of the best AMOLED’s I have used on a phone.
I am wondering if this is limited to a certain batch of units because I have talked to a few people who all have this phone and we all agree the display looks excellent for the most part. Every review I have seen says the same.
- The Special Juan
  July 24, 2015
  Good to know the screen looks good. I went against my better judgement and ordered the 32 GB version from fastcardtech. They had confirmed that they had the 32 gb in stock, and seem to have already sent it with DHL tracking number. Hope it is genuine!

andrey azeus
July 24, 2015
- kik
  July 25, 2015
  The guy in the video modified the color temperature to cold, but the display turn greenish.
- balcobomber25
  July 25, 2015
  I tested this out today and couldn’t replicate it. Maybe his was just defective. My MX5 looks excellent.
Sere83
July 26, 2015
This seems to me like a storm in a tea cup. Have you seen the Google nexus 6 display? One of the yellowest displays iv’e ever seen, just horrendous, yet you don’t see people complaining about it, was the same with my Nexus 5, extremely yellow.
- balcobomber25
  July 28, 2015
  I think a lot of is people who have never used AMOLED displays before. Most of them do tend to have a warm tint to them.
- balcobomber25
  July 28, 2015
  I think a lot of is people who have never used AMOLED displays before. Most of them do tend to have a warm tint to them.
Sere83
July 26, 2015
This seems to me like a storm in a tea cup. Have you seen the Google nexus 6 display? One of the yellowest displays iv’e ever seen, just horrendous, yet you don’t see people complaining about it, was the same with my Nexus 5, extremely yellow.
- balcobomber25
  July 28, 2015
  I think a lot of is people who have never used AMOLED displays before. Most of them do tend to have a warm tint to them.
Tsais
July 27, 2015
Unloading a bunch of bad Amoled displays on a competitor would fit very much into the general picture of Samsung’s tactics.
Poor Meizu. Like you can’t open a Restaurant in New York without the mafia smashing it up if you somehow annoyed them.
- balcobomber25
  July 28, 2015
  Sasmung and Meizu are two of the oldest partners in the Chinese phone industry. Samsung would not purposely pass off broken or poor parts to Meizu. They are one of their best customers.
  - Tsais
    July 29, 2015
    I hear what you’re saying, but how far does a friendship go among dinosaurs fighting for the same prey?
    I’ve no clue what actually happened, just saying Samsung tends to fight dirty, when it comes to competitors. Certainly, Meizu only recently became a competitor to be taken seriously by Samsung and anyone else making Handsets.
    - balcobomber25
      July 29, 2015
      Millions of dollars in profits from supplies is worth more to Samsung than stealing a few extra sales from Meizu.
- balcobomber25
  July 28, 2015
  Sasmung and Meizu are two of the oldest partners in the Chinese phone industry. Samsung would not purposely pass off broken or poor parts to Meizu. They are one of their best customers.
Tsais
July 27, 2015
Unloading a bunch of bad Amoled displays on a competitor would fit very much into the general picture of Samsung’s tactics.
Poor Meizu. Like you can’t open a Restaurant in New York without the mafia smashing it up if you somehow annoyed them.
- balcobomber25
  July 28, 2015
  Sasmung and Meizu are two of the oldest partners in the Chinese phone industry. Samsung would not purposely pass off broken or poor parts to Meizu. They are one of their best customers.
- Tsais
  July 29, 2015
  I hear what you’re saying, but how far does a friendship go among dinosaurs fighting for the same prey?
  I’ve no clue what actually happened, just saying Samsung tends to fight dirty, when it comes to competitors. Certainly, Meizu only recently became a competitor to be taken seriously by Samsung and anyone else making Handsets.
- balcobomber25
  July 29, 2015
  Millions of dollars in profits from supplies is worth more to Samsung than stealing a few extra sales from Meizu.

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