14 DAY TRIAL // The latest Xiaomi announcement might have caught you with your guard off. Known for its super affordable handsets with decent specifications, the Chinese device maker surprised everyone when it announced the Mi Note and Mi Note Pro, which turned out to be the company’s most expensive phones to date.
But don’t be alarmed, China stills holds great opportunities when it comes to affordable handsets aimed for the masses.
Meizu Blue Charm is as cheap as it gets
The latest just launched today and comes from up-and-rising manufacturer Meizu. The new Meizu Blue Charm is actually the company’s most affordable handset so far.
It will sell for approximately $112 / €98, despite bringing forth decent specifications. The device boasts a 5-inch 720p display and has a quad-core MediaTek MT6732 chip clocked at 1.5GHz nestled under the hood.
For a budget phone like this, the Meizu Blue Charm takes advantage of a potent 13MP main camera and runs the company’s Flyme 4 skin on top of Android 4.4 KitKat. It would have been cool to have Android 5.0 Lollipop onboard, but it’s not the case here.
The Meizu Blue Charm relies on a 2,610 mAh battery, which is sensible enough.
The handset is scheduled to go on sale on February 5, but only Chinese customers will be able to pick it up, for the time being.
Another aspect that might prompt users to pick up the Meizu Blue Charm is its obvious iPhone 5c resemblance. Copying Apple product design has become a trend in China, so it isn't a surprise Meizu has chosen to do the same.
Meizu's portfolio includes high-end devices too
Not long ago, Meizu also pushed out the M1 Note (or Blue Charm Note) which arrives with a 5.5-inch 1080p display and a powerful octa-core MT6752chip on the inside, plus a 13MP camera. The device was aimed at the younger audience and sells for a slightly higher $160 / €141.
Meizu also offers the premium MX4 and MX4 Pro. Actually, the latter was named best Android smartphone in 2014 by AnTuTu. But the handset is not very affordable, selling for $400 / €352 a pop.
