So, today Meizu announced a brand new product line here in Beijing. In China the device is known as the Meizu Blue Note, while the rest of the world it’s the M1 Note. Not a big deal, we’ve seen stuff like that before from other manufacturers. Since I’m in Beijing for their event, I was able to sit down and talk with some of Meizu’s employees today and And ask some questions. The most important one? When will their products come to the US, officially? While the Meizu MX4 is available through both Amazon and MeizuMart right now to buy, it’s not really here because it doesn’t cooperate completely with the networks we have here in the US. I’ve actually been using the Meizu MX4 for a few days before heading out here to Beijing and found out that there’s no T-Mobile 4G LTE support (didn’t have a chance to use it on AT&T). Which is going to be a big con against the phone for those looking to buy it.
I asked Meizu, when we would see the MX4, MX4 Pro, or the M1 Note in the US with complete carrier compatibility, and their answer? Well, they can’t because of Google Mobile Services. GMS, as we call it usually, is the package of apps from Google that are required to be certified on Android devices (and it looks like that’s only in the US and not other countries, as Meizu is available in Europe). So why is GMS an issue? Well Google is blocked here in China. Along with about 1700 other websites ranging from Dropbox, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Wikipedia, and just about any other website you can think of that we use in the US.
Now Meizu didn’t say never. They did say, however, that is their next big step. Which sounds familiar right? As Xiaomi, Huawei and ZTE have been saying that for a few years as well. However, Meizu doesn’t want to be like Huawei and ZTE in the US where they built phones for carriers, instead of pushing their own brand. Which is what ZTE has just recently started doing (And by recently I mean since September with the ZTE ZMax launch). Meizu wants to come into the US with their MX line and their newer M1 Note line they announced today. Not making some random phone for Boost Mobile or T-Mobile prepaid. Which is respectable.
I did also pass along word to them that if they sold the Meizu M1 Note in the US with LTE compatibility for AT&T and T-Mobile (at least), and price it the same as it is in China (around $162 USD) that they would sell a ton. Since most smartphones with that price tag are not as high-end as the M1 Note with it’s quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 5.5-inch 1080p display and 16GB of storage.
So let me ask this question, if Meizu were to bring the M1 Note to the US and place it on all the prepaid carriers (Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, Net10, T-Mobile prepaid, Verizon Prepaid, Cricket, etc.), and price it at $199 USD, would you buy it? What about the MX4 or MX4 Pro for under $500 on all the postpaid carriers (T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon and Sprint)? Let us know in the comments down below.