Introduction
Do we have a good one for you today – the HTC 10 goes up against the new Meizu Pro 6. Both devices are built of metal and glass, although the HTC 10 has a more chiseled look, whereas the Meizu Pro 6 has more rounded edges – a very iLook. Both devices feel solid in their build and look like a premium flagship. Can the new Meizu Pro 6 stand up to the new HTC 10, which was redesigned with a new look? Does the price of the Pro 6 make it too hard to pass up enough though it may lack some specifications of the HTC 10? Let’s look at some of the similarities between these two devices before we look at each one individually.
These two devices do have quite a few things in common. Because their displays are identical in size – both coming in at 5.2-inches – their physical size is also very close to the HTC 10 weighing in at 161 grams and the Pro 6 weighing in at 160 grams. The displays use different technology, the resolutions differ – the HTC 10 uses QHD, and the Pro 6 uses FHD. They both have 4GB of RAM and both offer a 32GB model, although the HTC 10 offers expansion, whereas the Pro 6 offers no expansion but a 64GB model. They both use a 5MP sensor for their front-facing camera (FFC) for selfies and video chatting, although the HTC 10 has many more features. The HTC 10 and the Pro 6 each has a fingerprint sensor for verification and authorization. The usual suspects are there – WiFi, Bluetooth (v4.2 in the HTC 10 and v4.1 in the Pro 6), GPS, NFC, and a microUSB Type-C port for charging and data transfer. Both offer a non-removable battery with a rapid charge option, and both offer Hi-Res sound through the earphones.
Please take a careful 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 device in greater depth 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.
Specifications
HTC 10
HTC made its mark early in the Android scene many years ago but rather than keeping up with its innovative ways or promoting its product, Samsung stepped in and took over the Android market. HTC has been trying to recapture its magic, but instead of pulling a rabbit out of its hat, it has been all miscues. The HTC 10 is the flagship device they should have been building all along – an all-metal body, a QHD display, the best processor currently on the market, a great camera area, BoomSound, and 4GB of DDR4 RAM with expandable memory. HTC is hoping they can regain some of their former customers and gain new ones to help boost their bottom line.
It took them long enough, but HTC finally listened to the criticism moved up to a QHD display. The HTC 10 sports a 5.2-inch Super LCD5 QHD display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and 565 PPI. HTC did not hold back and put in the best processor currently available – the Qualcomm 64-bit Snapdragon 820 quad-core with dual cores clocked at 1.6 GHz and dual cores clocked at 2.15 GHz. Qualcomm matched this with their Adreno 530 GPU to handle the most demanding graphics. The HTC 10 packs 4GB of DDR4 RAM and 32GB of internal memory that is expandable to 2TB via a microSD card.
HTC has experimented with their cameras for years and the HTC 10 finally has all of the right pieces. The UltraPixels idea is good – look at the Samsung Galaxy S7 series – but rather than trying to pawn off only 4MP, HTC is now using a respectable 12MP sensor for their primary camera, allowing it to capture more light and image. They added laser autofocus, a dual-tone LED flash, a large aperture of f/1.8 and finally OIS. HTC chose a 5MP FFC, but added the large f/1.8 aperture, wide-angle lens, OIS, and included a screen flash to ensure great selfies and video chatting even in low-light. The HTC 10 uses a 3000mAh non-removable battery and comes with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 – which will give you up to a 50-percent charge in only 30 minutes.
HTC made a few design changes in the HTC 10. Rather than putting the fingerprint sensor on the back, HTC placed the sensor down front, where the second speaker once resided. This change forced them to put the woofer on the bottom end of the device, and the high-end sounds now originate from the earpiece, so HTC renamed the popular BoomSound to BoomSound Hi-Fi. The HTC 10 measures 145.9 x 71.9 x 9mm and weighs in at 161 grams. It comes in Carbon Grey, Topaz Gold, and Glacier Silver and it will cost you about $650 for 32GB of memory.
Meizu Pro 6
The Meizu Pro 6 is an all-metal smartphone designed with that iLook – it even has the same antenna lines. This look is not a criticism, just an observation. It is a beautiful looking smartphone with a nice feel to it – what you expect from a flagship design. However, does it have the specifications to beat out the HTC 10 in this comparison? The Meizu Pro 6 is competitively priced, but what features are you giving up to save those dollars?
The Meizu Pro 6 sports a 5.2-inch Super AMOLED display, but drops it to an FHD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, but still a respectable 423 PPI. The display uses their mPress, or 3D Touch display, reminiscent of the iPhone’s. The Pro 6 uses an unusual MediaTek MT6797T Helio X25 deca-core processor with a dual-core Cortex-A72 clocked at 2.5GHz, a quad-core A-53 clocked at 2GHz, and a quad-core A53 clocked at 1.4GHz. The Pro 6 uses the Mali-T880 MP4 GPU to handle the graphics. It packs 4GB of DDR3 RAM and either 32GB or 64GB of internal memory with no possible expansion.
The camera uses the same Sony 21MP sensor that was in the Pro 6’s predecessor with an aperture of f/2.2, phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and a 10x dual tone ‘Ring flash’ that puts out quite a bit of evenly dispersed light. A 5MP FFC has a f/2.0 aperture for taking selfies and video chatting. The photos from the Pro 6 are very respectable – certainly it is no DLSR camera, but what mobile camera is? It packs a 2560mAh non-removable battery with rapid charging Meizu calls mCharge – you get a 26-percent charge in 10 minutes and 100-percent charge in 60 minutes.
The Meizu Pro 6, as does the HTC, has a special sound circuit for great listening and the reversible Type-C plug. It measures 147.7 x 70.8 x 7.3mm and weighs in at 160 grams. It is running Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Meizu’s Flyme 5.6 UI on top. It comes in Gray, Gold, or Silver and will cost about $390 for a 32GB model and $435 for a 64GB model.
…And The Winner Is…
Summary
Okay, I had to pick the HTC 10 as the formal winner of this competition – it clearly has the better specs and features and the sculpted outside has a unique look of the two devices. The HTC 10 has a QHD display, better processor, the ability to expand memory to 2TB, a better camera area, better sound through the speakers, and a larger battery.
The Meizu Pro 6 is an excellent smartphone at a great price – however, like many Chinese smartphones, it is not readily available in the US and works on limited bands. If you can put up with its restrictions and Flyme OS, then you should save the money and pick up the Pro 6. However, the HTC 10 covers all of the bases and works on all of the US Carriers – it is the winner in this specification battle.
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