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Phone Comparisons: Nexus 6 vs Meizu MX4

Phone Comparisons: Nexus 6 vs Meizu MX4

By Cory McNutt
November 06, 2014

Introduction

We have a good one for you today – the new Google Nexus 6 (made by Motorola) versus the high-end Meizu MX4 from China…land of high-specs with mid-specs pricing.  The devices are more different than they are alike when it comes to specs and size.  Both devices are well built with metal frames and curved sides on the MX4 and a curved back on the Nexus 6, making them comfortable to hold in your hand, however, the Nexus 6 is definitely a two handed smartphone.  Neither device has room for internal expansion.  Both devices have about the same size battery…oh, and they both make phone calls.

Please look over the detailed specification sheet below and you can see just how the Nexus 6 and Meizu MX4 compare to one another.  After that, we will look at each device individually and point out their pros and cons to help us determine a winner of this comparison.

Specifications

Nexus 6

The new Google Nexus 6 smartphone, made by Motorola, is one big and expensive device when compared to what we have come to expect from Nexus devices.  Putting that aside, it is a real flagship and can proudly stand with the Motorola Droid Turbo and Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge as the most advanced Android devices we have at this point in time.  The Nexus 6 is also a metal framed device with a premium look to it – not the utilitarian look of the Nexus 4 or 5 – its curved back fits great into one’s hand…but it is definitely a two-handed operational device.

We will start with the most stunning thing you see when you first look at it – the 6-inch Quad HD AMOLED display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 with 493 pixels-per-inch.  It is big and stunning to look at and dwarfs the Meizu MX4’s 5.4-inch display with a FHD display and 418 PPI.  The Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 quad-core clocked at 2.7GHz really over matches the MediaTek chipset found in the MX4.  The Nexus 6 also has 3GB of RAM versus the 2GB found in the MX4.  The base 32GB of internal memory in the Nexus 6 is as low as one should use in a device with no means of expansion – the Meizu MX4 has a 16GB model and they both have a 64GB option.

The camera is a real step up for the Nexus line – 13MP sensor, auto-focus, a dual-LED flash ring that encompasses the lens and for good measure, they threw in Optical Image Stabilization (OIS).  The Meizu MX4 has a 20.7MP sensor, but no OIS – both devices should take great pictures.  The Nexus 6 has the ‘usual’ 2MP front-facing camera (FFC) which is far outranked by the 5MP on the MX4…but for selfies and the occasional video chat, I am not sure if 5MP is overkill or not.  The batteries are fairly close, but the nod has to go to the Nexus 6 with a 3220mAh battery versus the 3100mAh on the MX4.

Both devices have the usual – Wi-Fi (Dual Band), NFC capability, Bluetooth (4.1 on the Nexus 6 and 4.0 on the Meizu MX4), and a microUSB 2.0 port for charging and data transfer.  In addition, it has dual, front-facing stereo speakers, a water resistant nano-coating, wireless charging and the Motorola Turbo Charger.  It also sports Android 5.0 Lollipop and is available on all major U.S. networks and in the Google Play Store.  It will set you back $650 for the 32GB model off-contract versus about $500 for the Meizu MX4’s 64GB model…but the Nexus 6 can also be had for only $199 on a two-year contract.

Meizu MX4

The Meizu MX4 is one beautiful device and was reviewed and highly recommended by Android Headlines.  The MX4 has a solid and premium build and feel to the device – the wrap around back on the device really makes it comfortable in your hands and all glass front with the metal band holding it together combine the elements into one great looking smartphone from this China company.

The Meizu MX4 has a beautiful 5.36-inch IPS LCD FHD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1152 (because of its 5:3 ratio) pixels with 418 PPI – but not quite up to the bolder and finer QHD found on the Nexus 6.  Meizu uses a MediaTek octa-core processor, with its fastest quad clocked at 2.2GHz – probably the best processor that MediaTek has made to date, but still not quite up to the Qualcomm processor found in the Nexus 6.  The MX4 has 2GB of RAM compared to the 3GB found in the Nexus 6 and you have your choice of 16GB or 64GB of internal storage and no room for expansion.

The camera is stolen straight from the excellent Sony Xperia series – 20.7MP with auto-focus and a dual-LED Flash – unfortunately no OIS here, but the Meizu MX4 took excellent pictures in our review.  The 5MP FFC is also a nice bonus and larger than the 2MP found on the Nexus 6.  The MX4 also has a large 3100mAh battery…not as large as the 3220mAh found in the Nexus 6, but a great size for these specs and will definitely give you a full-day’s usage on a charge.

As far as additional features go, it does have a bottom-mounted speaker – much better than a rear placement, but not as good as the dual front speakers on the Nexus 6.  It runs 4.4.4 KitKat with Meizu’s FlymeOS 4.0 over top and it steals a little from others, but is distinctively its own.  One of real problems with the Meizu is that it will not work on any of our LTE bands in the U.S., but it will pick up 3G from T-Mobile and AT&T, although we should be seeing a U.S. LTE version soon.  The MX4 will run you about $450 off-contract for the 16GB model and about $500 for the 64GB model.

…And the Winner Is…

Summary

The Meizu MX4 is a great device – nice looking, well-built, high quality and reasonably priced – but when you compare these two device’s specifications side-by-side, the Nexus 6 just wins out over the MX4, and it is hard to pick a 3G device over a LTE device living in the U.S..  The only specification that the Meizu MX4 beats out the Nexus 6 is in the camera area (both cameras) and possibly the pricing, although the off-contract price is not really too different when you take into account the internal storage…and if you purchase the Nexus 6 on a two-year contract, it is only $199.  The other consideration is size – if you need a smaller device, you cannot go wrong with the MX4.

The Nexus 6 has it all – QHD, better processor, more RAM, more base internal storage, great camera with OIS, larger battery, extra features and Android 5.0 Lollipop and LTE, make it the winner.  Please hook up with us on our Google+ Page and let us know which one these two devices you think is the winner…as always, we would love to hear from you.