Introduction
Do we have a good one for you today – the Sony Xperia XZ takes on the Meizu MX6. Both the Xperia XZ and the Meizu MX6 have a full metal back, and both devices offer a solid build. The Chinese company, Meizu, is known for providing excellent value for their devices, while Sony is known to charge a high fee for their devices. Which one of these devices gives us the best bang for our buck? Let’s look at just what these two devices have in common, if anything, and then we will take a closer look at each one in hopes that we can determine a winner of this comparison.
The Sony Xperia XZ and Meizu MX6 do share a few things in common. We can start with the physical size, which is very close, although the Xperia XZ weighs 6 grams more. This comparison starts with a display size of 5.2-inches for the XZ and 5.5-inches for the MX6. While the screens are close to the same size, they also both use the IPS LCD technology, and they are both use the Full HD resolution. Both devices use different processors, different amounts of RAM, and each offers a 32GB variant of internal storage with only the Xperia XZ providing memory expansion. The camera areas are different for the both the primary shooter and the front-facing camera (FFC.) Both have non-removable batteries with rapid charge capabilities. The MX6 includes a fingerprint sensor to unlock the device, but only the Xperia XZ can authorize mobile payments. They have most of the usual suspects – WiFi, Bluetooth (v4.2 in the Xperia XZ and v4.1 in the MX6), GPS, and a Type-C reversible port for charging and data transfer. Only the Xperia XZ comes with an NFC chip.
Please take a thoughtful 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
Sony Xperia XZ
Sony’s latest Xperia XZ does have a model designed for the US, and one would think it could handle all the major carriers and have a fingerprint sensor to unlock the phone and authorize mobile payments – but you would be wrong on both accounts. By flashing the UK firmware to the US Xperia XZ, you can use the fingerprint sensor, but that is something you should not have to do on a flagship phone sold in the US, for the US. The Xperia XZ uses an all-metal backing, but nobody will mistake the Xperia XZ as anything but a Sony smartphone as it retains the familiar Sony rectangle shape with its large top and bottom bezels. Let’s see how it stands up to the new Meizu MX6.
The Sony Xperia XZ sports their usual IPS FHD display of 5.2-inch with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels with a respectable 424 pixels-per-inch (PPI.) Sony did select the top 64-bit Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor with dual cores clocked at 1.6GHz and dual cores clocked at 2.15GHz. Teamed up with the Adreno 530 GPU, it should handle any graphics you can throw its way. It packs only 3GB of DDR4 RAM, and you can have your choice of 32GB or 64GB of expandable internal memory.
Sony has always taken great pride in their cameras and lenses, and this tradition continues in the Xperia XZ’s camera area. The Xperia XZ sports a new 23MP Sony lens for its primary camera with an aperture of f/2.0, 24mm, phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and laser autofocus, and LED flash. For its FFC it uses a huge 13MP sensor with a f/2.0, 22mm, and HDR capabilities allowing you to take great selfies or a video chat. The Xperia XZ uses a smaller 2900mAh non-removable battery with Quick Charge 3.0 to give you a rapid charge when needed.
The Xperia XZ comes with its Hi-Res audio and that great sound through the earphones or the dual front-facing stereo speakers on the XZ. It also comes with IP68 certification for dust and water resistance – something not found on the Meizu MX6. The Xperia bands do not allow it to operate on all major US carriers (only AT&T or T-Mobile) and offering no fingerprint sensor for unlocking the device or for authorizing mobile payments. It measures 146 x 72 x 8.1MM and weighs in at 161 grams. It comes in Mineral Black, Platinum, Forest Blue, or Deep Pink. It will cost you a sizable $699 for this Sony flagship.
Meizu MX6
Meizu takes great pride in building a solid device for a reasonable price. They have a nice look and feel to them, and they try to copy the ‘iPhone 7 look.’ The Meizu MX6 has a glass front, wrapped in a metal frame, metal back, and even the antenna lines are at the top, and bottom of the device, just like the iPhone 7. It is funny how many criticize Meizu for copying the iPhone when in reality the MX6 came out before the iPhone 7. Does this $350 Meizu MX6 have what it takes to compete against the $700 Sony Xperia XZ?
The Meizu MX6 sports a slightly larger 5.5-inch IPS LCD display with an FHD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and 403 PPI. Meizu turned to the MediaTek MT6797 Helio X20 deca-core processor, with two cores clocked at 2.3GHz, a quad-core clocked at 1.9GHz, and a quad-core clocked at 1.4GHz. It uses a Mali-T880 MP4 GPU for graphics and packs 4GB of DDR4 RAM and 32GB of non-expandable memory. After using an excellent processor and GPU, it is a shame that there are no other memory options available as 32GB is about the minimum you would ever want.
For its primary camera, the MX6 uses a 12MP sensor along with an f/2.0 aperture, phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and a dual-tone LED flash. Our review showed it to take overall great photos. It uses a 5MP FFC with the same f/2.0 aperture for social media selfies and video chatting. A decent sized non-removable 3060mAh battery with rapid charge capabilities supplies the power.
As good as the Meizu MX6 is, there are a few things you need to remember. This device is not built for the US market but will run on 3G on either AT&T or T-Mobile. The MX6 comes running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow out of the box with Meizu’s Flyme UI on top. The MX6 measures 153.6 x 75.2 x 7.3mm and weighs in at 155 grams. While there is a fingerprint sensor to unlock the phone, there is no NFC, so you will not be able to use the MX6 for mobile payments of any sort. Available colors are Gray, Silver, Champagne Gold, and Rose Gold, and it will cost you about $350.
…And The Winner Is…
The Final Word
This is a tough decision – the Xperia XZ costs about twice as much, yet you get no fingerprint sensor, and still have a smaller FHD display. But on the other hand, the MX6 has no NFC chip and is not really designed for the US except for 3G.
I am going to have to give the nod to the Sony Xperia XZ. It has the IP68 dust and water certification, while it does not have a fingerprint sensor, it does have an NFC chip for making mobile payments. It has expandable memory and dual front-facing stereo speakers.
After all of this, you have to ask yourself if those features are worth double the price? If you are happy with AT&T or T-Mobile, do not mind using 3G, and you do not want to make mobile payments, then save yourself a bundle and buy the Meizu MX6. However, the Xperia XZ is easier to live with in the US…except for the purchase price.
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