Meizu MX 4-core review: Twice the power

Display

The Meizu MX 4-core has a 4" screen, which given its 3:2 aspect ratio is noticeably bigger than the 16:10 and 16:9 four-inch competitors. However the new quad-core top droids comes with 4.7" to 4.8" screens, which dwarf the Meizu MX 4-core display.

The ASV LCD unit has 640 x 960 pixel resolution, which is the same as the Retina display of the iPhone 4 and 4S. That may've been impressive last year, but the competition has taken a huge step forward since. 720p is now the norm, so no one is going to be too excited about 288ppi (even though it's really as sharp-looking as it gets).

The screen is good, but you expect much more from a flagship these days

Normally the contrast is decent, but it drops rapidly as you start tilting the screen. Colors are good, but hardly as spectacular as those on the Super AMOLEDs and the best LCDs.Brightness and contrast are slightly better than they were on the original MX, but differences aren't huge.

Here are the brightness and contrast measurements for the display. You can find more about the testing procedures here.

Display test	50% brightness			100% brightness
	Black, cd/m2	White, cd/m2	Contrast ratio	Black, cd/m2	White, cd/m2	Contrast ratio
Meizu MX 4-core	0.18	143	804	0.69	581	846
Meizu MX	0.17	123	740	0.56	396	708
LG Optimus 4X HD	0.34	369	1077	0.68	750	1102
HTC One X	0.15	200	1375	0.39	550	1410
Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III	0	174	∞	0	330	∞
Apple iPhone 4S	0.14	205	1463	0.52	654	1261

The sunlight legibility is nothing to write home about either as seen from our in-studio measurements. It's still slightly better than on the original Meizu MX thanks to the increased brightness.

Contrast ratio

• Nokia 808 PureView
  4.698
• Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III
  3.419
• Samsung Omnia W
  3.301
• Samsung Galaxy S
  3.155
• Nokia N9
  3.069
• Samsung Galaxy Note
  2.970
• HTC One S
  2.901
• Samsung Galaxy S II
  2.832
• Huawei Ascend P1
  2.655
• Nokia Lumia 900
  2.562
• Apple iPhone 4S
  2.269
• HTC One X
  2.158
• Nokia N8
  2.144
• Apple iPhone 4
  2.016
• Sony Ericsson Xperia ray
  1.955
• Sony Xperia U
  1.758
• LG Optimus 4X HD
  1.691
• HTC One V
  1.685
• LG Optimus Vu
  1.680
• Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 I8160
  1.566
• LG Optimus 3D
  1.542
• Nokia Asha 302
  1.537
• Meizu MX 4-core
  1.462
• Nokia Lumia 610
  1.432
• Gigabyte GSmart G1355
  1.361
• HTC Desire C
  1.300
• LG Optimus L7
  1.269
• Meizu MX
  1.221
• Samsung Galaxy Pocket
  1.180
• Samsung Galaxy mini 2
  1.114

We zoomed into the display using our digital microscope so you can get a better idea of how the pixels are arranged, and how big they are. As you can see the pixels are about as big as those on the HTC One X, which suggests about equal perceived sharpness.

The Meizu MX 4-core display pixels compared to those of the HTC One X

Handling

The Meizu MX 4-core is comfortable to hold in the hand - it's not too big, too heavy or too thick. We wish the phone had higher quality finish and more secure grip, but if you can get over that (or are going to use a case/pouch) there are no complaints about the build quality.

Handling the Meizu MX 4-core

While it has its flaws, the hardware of the 4-core should get the attention of serious buyers. Having tried the original Meizu MX, we know the software has its way to impress too. The highly customized FlyMe OS is coming up, followed by the usual round of benchmarks, which should allow the Exynos 4212 Quad to flex some muscle.