Introduction
We have another good one for today – the new and powerful Meizu MX4 Pro takes on the new dual-curved displayed Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. These two devices are absolutely gorgeous and look like the premium devices that they are, and they feel great in your hand as well. This will be another tough decision to pick a winner…with their good looks and flagship specifications…does the MX4 Pro have what it takes to compete with the newest flagship from Samsung.
I know that many of you are dissing the Meizu MX4 Pro as just another ‘Chinese phone,’ but it has more in common with the Galaxy S6 Edge than you may realize. They both have QHD displays – the 5.5-inch (5:3 ratio) on the MX4 Pro is 546 pixels-per-inch (PPI) and the 5.1-inch on the S6 Edge produces 577 PPI due to its smaller size. Both devices use an Exynos octa-core processor, although different models. They both pack 3GB of RAM and they both offer 32GB of internal storage and neither one offers room for expansion. The front-facing cameras (FFC) on both devices are larger than normal at 5MP. The S6 Edge and MX4 Pro have the usual Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (4.0 on the MX4 Pro and 4.1 on the S6 Edge), GPS, NFC capabilities and a micro USB port for charging and data transfer. When it comes to sound, they both have enhanced audio and they both have bottom-mounted speakers. They both incorporate a fingerprint sensor and both have non-removable batteries…talk about a tough decision!
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
Meizu pulled a LG G3 on us and used a full aluminum frame and what looks like an aluminum back with rounded sides – but it is actually a great metallic paint job over plastic. It is a solid and well-built device and because of its small bezels, the 5.5-inch display fits in the body dimensions of a 5-inch device.
The Meizu MX4 Pro sports a 5.5-inch IPS LCD QXGA display with a resolution of 2560 x 1536 pixels (5:3 aspect ratio) and a very generous 546 pixels-per-inch (PPI) – the Galaxy S6 Edge uses the standard 16:9 ratio QHD 5.1-inch display with 577 PPI. The MX4 Pro comes with a Samsung Exynos octa-core processor, but it is only 32-bits – model 5430 – the first one to use 20nm processing technology. The Galaxy S6 Edge uses the newest Exynos 7420 – the newest 64-bit octa-core processor and the first to use 14nm technology. The MX4 Pro packs in 3GB of DDR3 RAM, however, the Galaxy S6 Edge uses the newer DDR4 RAM. The MX4 Pro 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 their website. The Galaxy S6 Edge offers 32GB, 64GB and 128GB models.
The Meizu MX4 Pro has a good camera, and uses a Sony 20.7MP sensor, auto-focus and a dual-tone LED flash for the main shooter and a 5MP FFC for social media selfies and video chatting. The Galaxy S6 Edge has a smaller 16MP shooter with autofocus and LED flash, but adds OIS, a larger f/1.9 aperture and Live HDR. It too uses a 5MP FFC but adds the f/1.9 aperture, Live HDR and a 120-degree wide-angle option for great group selfies. The 3350mAh battery is certainly larger than the 2600mAh in the Galaxy S6 Edge, but either battery will easily get you through a full day.
The MX4 Pro comes in three colors – white, gray and gold – however, only the gray is available at this time. It runs Android 4.4.4 KitKat with Meizu’s Flyme 4.1 user interface. It will cost you $619 for the 32GB model online – and of course, this is off-contract pricing. The MX4 Pro runs on FDD-LTE bands 1, 3 and 7 – 1800/2100/2600MHz so make sure to check with Meizu and your carrier to determine if LTE will be available to your area.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Samsung decided to come out with the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge – partly because the Note Edge was popular and because they wanted to test the market with their dual-curved display. It turns out that even with the added $100 cost the S6 Edge is selling as well as the original S6. It has a solid metal frame with Gorilla Glass 4 over the curved display and covering the back of the device. It is still unmistakably a Samsung Galaxy S series device. It is solid, well-built and premium looking from any angle, as well as comfortable to hold in your hand and has that special ‘WOW’ factor when people look at the device.
The Galaxy S6 Edge has a 5.1-inch Quad HD display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and 577 PPI compared to the QHD display and 546 PPI on the MX4 Pro. Samsung chose to do away with their use of a Qualcomm processor this time around and instead decided to go with their own 64-bit Exynos 7420 octa-core 14nm processor. It has four cores clocked at 1.5GHz and four cores clocked at 2.1GHz. The 32-bit Exynos 20nm octa-core 5430 processor in the MX4 Pro is a great processor, but the new 14nm in the S6 Edge means smaller, faster, less heat and less battery drain. The Galaxy S6 Edge packs 3GB of DDR4 RAM, compared to 3GB of DDR3 RAM used in the MX4 Pro. It also uses Samsung’s new and faster UFS 2.0 flash memory offering 32GB/64GB/128GB models with no room for expansion – a first for Samsung’s Galaxy S series.
This is the best set of cameras that Samsung has ever put in a smartphone – the main camera uses a 16MP Sony sensor, autofocus, LED Flash, a large f/1.9 aperture, Live HDR and OIS. The larger aperture and Live HDR will help with low-light shooting and OIS will help make every shot better. They also increased the speed, so it now takes less than a second to open and be ready to shoot. The FFC increased from a meager 2MP to 5MP and then they added a wide-angle lens option, f/1.9 aperture and Live HDR for excellent low-light group selfies and video chatting. The 2600mAh battery is much smaller than the 3350mAh in the MX4 Pro, however, it should easily get you through the entire day. This new Samsung non-removable battery can charge up to 4 hours of usage in only 10 minutes and they added built-in wireless charging (Qi and PMA) for the first time.
The Galaxy S6 Edge has a PayPal certified fingerprint sensor, is Samsung Pay ready, and includes an IR Blaster, heart rate monitor and oxygen saturation sensor. It comes in White Pearl, Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum and Green Emerald – an exclusive Galaxy S6 Edge color. It will be running Android 5.0.2 Lollipop with a new, lighter version of TouchWiz we have ever seen and is available worldwide. Pricing on the 32GB on a two-year contract is about $300 and off-contract you are looking at about $700…$100 more than the Meizu MX4 Pro.
…And The Winner Is…
Summary
This was another very close race, but with only $100 difference in an off-contract price, I had to pick the newer technology and amazing looks of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge as the winner of this comparison. I also tend to lean toward a device that can access LTE on all major US networks.
Like I noted in my comparison to the Galaxy S6: both devices share many similar specifications, but the key word there would be ‘similar’…for instance, they both have an Exynos octa-core processor, but the MX4 Pro’s is a 32-bit 20nm model versus the newer 64-bit 14nm model in the Galaxy S6 Edge. That means that the Galaxy S6 Edge – besides running the 64-bit Lollipop operating system more efficiently – is faster, smaller, runs cooler and is less of a drain on your battery. They both pack 3GB of RAM, but the MX4 Pro uses the older DDR3 type and the Galaxy S6 Edge uses their newest DDR4 RAM, which is much faster. Even the internal Flash Memory on the Galaxy S6 Edge is Samsung’s newest UFS 2.0, which again is much faster. So taking that all into account, the S6 Edge is technologically more advanced and up-to-date for those of us that cannot buy a new device every year.
The Galaxy S6 Edge is more advanced in the camera area as well, even though the MX4 Pro has a larger (20.7MP versus 16MP) sensor – they both have autofocus and LED flash, but the S6 Edge also adds, OIS, a larger f/1.9 aperture and Live HDR on the main shooter and on the FCC, Samsung adds a 120-degree wide-angle option, the f/1.9 aperture and Live HDR for great low-light selfies or group shots.
The Galaxy S6 Edge is $100 more than the MX4 Pro off-contract, but for that you are getting a better process, better memory, better camera and Android’s newest Lollipop 5.0…not to mention, you can purchase one on a two-year contract for only $300 – $300 less than the MX4 Pro. The Meizu MX4 Pro is a great device, but not quite up to the Galaxy S6 Edge.
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