Meizu 15 review

Introduction

Fifteen is a respectable number, especially, if it's an anniversary. Even more so for a relatively small manufacturer such as Meizu. And what's a better way of celebrating the 15th anniversary than coming up with a new model with a 15 in its name? Sure, they've skipped a few numbers along the way, but the occasion calls for it. And, with a Meizu 16 already rumored, it seems they will be building on that number.

The "Pro" moniker from the previous years is now gone. Not that we're complaining - it's simpler this way. There's even less to complain about when it comes to the Meizu 15 device trio as well. With the current lineup extending from the upper-budget segment all the way up to flagship territory, a lot of ground has been covered, and they've achieved it in a very traditional Meizu fashion.

Unlike most of its fellow Chinese OEMs, Meizu has always had an alternative approach to things. Being even slightly different than the next "slab" handset on the overcrowded smartphone scene is a lot too. And sitting smack in the middle of the company's current lineup, the regular Meizu 15 perfectly encompasses the particular signature of the family.

Meizu 15 specs

• Body: Stainless steel aluminum composite frame with coating
• Display: 5.46-inch AMOLED, 1080x1920px
• OS: Android 7.1.2 Nougat with Flyme OS 7 on top
• Chipset: Qualcomm SDM660 Snapdragon 660, (4x2.2 GHz Kryo 260 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 260 octa-core CPU, Adreno 512 GPU, 4GB RAM
• Storage: 64/128GB
• Rear Camera: Dual: 12 MP (f/1.8, 1.55 µm) + 20 MP, phase detection autofocus, quad-LED dual-tone ring flash
• Front Camera: 20MP
• Connectivity: Dual SIM, Dual 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 4.2, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac/b/g/n, A-GPS/GLONASS
• Battery: 3,000mAh non-removable, mCharge 24W
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (front-mounted)

Pretty much every company out there will have you believe it values customer feedback, but Meizu has the design to back that claim up. The Meizu 15 doesn't follow the trends of the day. The company is sticking to the 16:9 aspect display avoiding any notches or other cutouts in the process. It also worked extra hard to ensure a front mounted home button/fingerprint reader remains a long-standing staple in the control layout. All of this and more stems from existing Meizu user wishes and preferences - a pretty sound product strategy, if you ask us.

Meizu 15 in official photos

People seem to like traditional designs, so why not give them exactly that, while still marrying classic smartphone features with useful modern advances, like razor-thin side bezels.

Another long-standing Meizu tradition that isn't going away is shopping for parts at Samsung. With the punchy Super AMOLED panel (and even the chipset, in the case of the Meizu 15 Plus) courtesy of the Korean titan, it's quite natural to liken a Meizu to Samsung flagship from a year or two ago.

Meizu 15 in the hand

All that being said, the Meizu 15 has a lot going for it on paper. The only real question then is just how well the fan-driven recipe works in practice. Join us on the following pages, as we attempt to find out.