Introduction
Do we have a good one for you today – The Meizu MX4 Pro goes up against the new HTC One M9. The MX4 Pro comes to us with a full metal frame with a plastic back that looks like real metal…almost like the LG G3 with its metallic looking back. The One M9 on the other hand, is metal across the board…a ‘full metal jacket’ if you will. Both devices look premium no matter how you look at them and they both feel great in your hands.
Even though these two devices seem like they would not even pair up with one another, I think you will be surprised by how many things they have in common. Both devices are very similar in size, with the MX4 Pro slightly larger, but then it has a one-half inch larger display. Both use the IPS LCD display technology, although they are different resolutions. Both devices use an octa-core processor, but different brands, and both offer 3GB of RAM and both have a 32GB model, but with different options. The MX4 Pro and the One M9 both use the same Sony 20.7MP sensor for their main camera with autofocus, dual-tone LED flash and no OIS. Even the front-facing cameras (FFC) are close with the MX4 Pro sporting a 5MP and the One M9 using their 4MP UltraPixel lens.
Both devices have the usual dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC, active noise cancelation and a MicroUSB port for charging and data transfer. Both devices also incorporate enhanced sound circuitry with the One M9 using their infamous BoomSound technology. They both have non-removable batteries as well.
Please take a deliberate look at the detailed Specifications Comparison chart below and here you will see just how these two great devices stack up against one another – click on the “View Full Comparison” link at the end of the chart to expand the details. After that, we will look at each individual device in greater detail and point out some of its pros and cons. From all of this information we will try to determine the winner based on specs and execution of design and functions.
Meizu MX4 Pro
The new Meizu MX4 Pro was designed to look as though it is an all full aluminum device – to rather mimic the HTC One M9. It does have an all-metal frame, but what looks like an aluminum back with rounded sides, is actually a great metallic paint job over plastic (ala LG G3), however, it feels solid and well built. Its small bezels make the 5.5-inch display fit in a rather normal sized body…almost as small as the 5-inch display on the One M9.
The MX4 Pro comes with little bit different 5:3 aspect ratio using a 5.5-inch IPS LCD QXGA display with a resolution of 2560 x 1536 pixels and a very generous 546 pixels-per-inch (PPI) – the One M9 has the more standard 16:9 ratio and only 441 PPI. The MX4 Pro comes with a Samsung built 32-bit Exynos 5 Octa-Core 5430 processor – the first one to use 20nm processing technology – versus Qualcomm’s newest 64-bit octa-core found in the One M9. The MX4 Pro packs in 3GB of RAM as does the One M9 and offers a 16GB, 32GB or 64GB models with no means to expand the internal memory…although 32GB is the largest you can order at this time on the OppoMart website. The HTC One M9 offers a 32GB model only, but does offer a microSD card slot to add additional storage.
The Meizu MX4 Pro uses a Sony 20.7MP sensor, auto-focus and a dual-tone LED flash for the main shooter, the same components of the newly revised One M9 camera. It is packing a 5MP front-facing camera (FFC) for social media selfies and video chatting as opposed to the 4MP UltraPixel lens found on the One M9. What continues to be disappointing is the lack of OIS on either device. The 3350mAh battery is quite a bit larger than the 2840mAh in the One M9, but either device should easily give you a full day of use.
The MX4 Pro put their speaker on the bottom of their devices for better sound – as well as including an HD sound circuit and amplifier, so when you plug in a set of headphones or use an external speaker, you will be in for a real treat. Listening strictly from the device, the sound does not hold up to the dual-speaker BoomSound on the One M9, but not many people use their smartphone as a speaker, other than for phone calls. It also sports a fingerprint scanner that the One M9, surprisingly does not have. It comes in three colors – white, gray and gold – however, only the gray is available at this time. It is running Android 4.4.4 KitKat with Meizu’s Flyme 4.1 user interface, but should receive 5.0 Lollipop very soon. It will cost you $619 for the 32GB model on MeizuMart or $429 at OppoMart online – and of course, these are off-contract prices. The MX4 Pro runs in the US on FDD-LTE bands 1, 3 and 7 – 1800/2100/2600MHz.
HTC One M9
There will be no mistaking the new HTC One M9, unless it is with the HTC One M8, or even HTC One M7. The metal was reworked on the sides to add a little grip and this all-aluminum design is still very beautiful, although to some it is getting a bit stale after seeing it for three years in a row. The back of the One M9 looks more like the One M7 than the One M8 due to the camera redesign, but the front is almost identical.
The HTC One M9 sports the same display found on last year’s One M8 – a 5-inch Full HD Super LCD3 display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and 441 PPI…not quite up to the QHD display on the MX4 Pro with 546 PPI. The One M9 pulls away from the MX4 Pro in the processor department with the new 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor with four cores clocked at 1.5GHZ and four cores clocked at 2.0GHz as opposed to the 32-bit Exynos octa-core on the MX4 Pro. It packs 3GB of RAM, as does the MX4 Pro, and provides 32GB of internal storage, although it does have a microSD card for additional storage up to 128GB. It uses a smaller 2840mAh battery than the 3350mAh on the MX4 Pro and both are non-removable. It also supports Quick Charge 2.0 thanks to the Qualcomm processor.
The camera area of the HTC One M9 is completely different from the One M8 – gone is the 4MP UltraPixel main camera along with its Duo Camera. HTC started from scratch and chose a Sony 20.7MP sensor with autofocus and dual-tone LED flash, but still no OIS – a real oversight on HTC’s part. HTC moved the 4MP UltraPixel camera to the front and replaced the 5MP found on the One M8. This should make for some great selfies and video chatting, especially in low-light situations, such as bars, nightclubs, restaurants, ball games, etc.
Fortunately, HTC One M9 retains the great sounding dual front-facing stereo speakers with HTC’s BoomSound. The One M9 shares other attributes as the One M8 – an IR Blaster and stereo FM radio. It comes in Gunmetal Gray, Amber Gold, Silver/Rose Gold and Gold/Pink. It should be available around March 25, running Android 5.0 Lollipop with a leaked price of $649 no-contract for the 32GB model.
…And The Winner Is…
Summary
This was really a tough one to call – some winners are so obvious, that it makes the selection easy, but with the comparison between the Meizu MX4 Pro and the HTC One M9, it was a very difficult choice. Normally, selecting the newer device is the easy choice, but HTC made the mistake of not using the QHD display to go up against the other flagships that are all using them – like the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S Edge, the LG G4, the Nexus 6 and so forth. They also decided not to include a fingerprint scanner that not only adds security, but also allows the user to participate easier in PayPal purchases or at retail establishments and they still refuse to add OIS to the camera. I had no choice, based on specifications, features and value to pick the Meizu MX4 Pro as the winner of this comparison.
Like I said, it was a close contest, but the MX4 Pro has a better display (QHD and 546 PPI vs FHD and 441 PPI), offers a much larger battery (3350mAh vs 2840mAh), offers a fingerprint scanner, and although it is only 32-bit, it offers octa-core processing as well. Its cameras are every bit as good as the One M9, and while it does not have dual front-facing stereo speakers, it will give you great sound from its large bottom speaker. It does not have a microSD card slot for expansion, but you will be able to buy a 64GB model soon. The MX4 Pro should shortly be updated with 5.0 Lollipop and will actually cost you less than the One M9 if you compare off-contract prices. The Meizu MX4 Pro is a lot of camera for the money and the winner in this comparison.