Meizu MX3 vs. Sony Xperia Z1 – Price and Specs Comparison

Meizu is a Chinese electronics manufacturer famous of making high-end devices for a mid-range price. Meizu recently launched its MeizuMart online store, making its current flagship available worldwide. We want to see how it stands up against one of the top smatphones currently available on the market.

Meizu MX3

Before we get into what makes this device great let’s start with the things it lacks. If you’re planning on buying the device, you must know that it has no LTE capability. That means that if you live in the US , the Meizu MX3 will only work with AT&T and T-Mobile, it won’t work on Sprint or Verizon. Another thing you won’t find on the device is the Google Play Store. Running a custom version of Android 4.2 named Flyme OS, the phone is not Google certified. One workaround to solve this problem is to install a custom ROM or download the Google Play Store apk and install it manually.

Now we can focus on the things that make the Meizu MX3 a high-end device. The MX3’s design is simplistic and elegant with a glossy finish. With thin bezels, the 5.1-inch display of the Meizu MX3 really stands out. The screen is a Full HD display offering 1080p resolution and 412ppi pixel density. At its heart, the Meizu MX3 has an Exynos 5 Octa 5410 system chip, making use of a quad-core 1.6 Ghz Cortex-A15 and a quad-core 1.2 Ghz Cortex-A7 processor. It also comes with 2 GB of RAM and 16/32/64/128 GB built in storage. Unfortunately it has no microSD card slot. The camera on the Meizu MX3 is an 8MP BSI image sensor made by Sony.  The Meizu MX3 comes with a Wolfson WM5102 audio chip that should increase audio quality and reduce total harmonic distortion. The company claims that its antenna can boost signal strength by 58% and has less radiation than other devices on the market. Powering the device is a 2400mAh battery that should give you up to 14 hours of talk time, according to the manufacturer. As we mentioned before, the Meizu MX3 runs its custom Flyme OS that offers a minimalistic interface. The OS has no app drawer; instead all your apps appear on the desktop, similar to Apple’s iOS.

Meizu MX3 Specs:

• 5.1-inch Full HD capacitive display, 412ppi
• Android 4.2 / Flyme OS
• Exynos 5 Octa 5410
• Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A15 & quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7 CPU
•  PowerVR SGX544MP3 GPU
• 2GB of RAM
• 16/32/64/128GB storage
• no microSD support
• 8MP main camera with LED flash, 1080p video recording @ 30fps
• 2MP front-facing camera
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Wireless Hotspot, Dual-band, Bluetooth v4.0, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, microUSB v2.0, USB on-the-go
• 2G, 3G
• 2,400mAh non-removable battery

Sony Xperia Z1

The Sony Xperia Z1 needs no introduction; it’s currently one of the most sought after device on the market. The Sony Xperia Z1 was designed to resemble symmetry and balance, or “Omni-Balance” as Sony calls it. Its aluminum shell and the tempered glass front and back really gives it a premium look. It also has waterproof and dustproof IP ratings of IP55 and IP58.

The display on the Sony Xperia Z1 is a 5-inch TFT screen with 1080p resolution and 441ppi. The highlight of the device is its 20.7 megapixel camera, with Sony’s G lens and its BIZON image processing algorithm. The Sony Xperia Z1 runs on Android 4.4.2 KitKat and uses the Snapdragon MSM8974 800 chip with a 2.2 Ghz quad-core Krait processor. It also has 2GB of RAM at its disposal and 16/32 GB storage depending on the variant. The battery on the Sony Xperia Z1 is a 3050mAh cell that should provide you with 15 hours of talk time. Even tough the Z2 is already available in many countries, the Z1 still remains a top tear device. Now that it’s “replacement” has arrived it should get even more affordable over time.

Sony Xperia Z1 Specs:

• 5-inch Full HD TFT capacitive display, 441ppi
• Android 4.4.2
• Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800
• Quad-core 2.2 GHz Krait 400 CPU
• Adreno 330 GPU
• 2GB of RAM
• 16GB storage
• microSD support up to 64GB
• 20.7MP main camera with LED flash, 1080p video recording @ 30fps
• 2MP front-facing camera
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, Wireless Hotspot, Dual-band, DLNA, Bluetooth v4.0, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, microUSB v2.0, USB on-the-go
• 2G, 3G, 4G, LTE
• 3000mAh non-removable battery

The Meizu MX3 is a high-en device, if you can look past it’s disadvantages and can be picked up for $400. The Sony Xperia Z1 costs around $500 on amazon. If you want to save $100 on your next smartphone, the Meizu MX3 can prove a good investment. But it all depends on your needs which one will fit the bill. We wanted to show you that besides the usual setup on the market, there could be other choices if you’re willing to try something new.