For some time I have been extolling the virtues of non-Samsung/Apple smart phones in an attempt to get people to think outside the square in terms of unique features and value-for-money.
Recently I was impressed with the economy and versatility of Meizu's m2 and m2 note handsets. Although they weren't the flashest devices available, they weren't trying to be and were priced accordingly.
So what does Meizu have to offer at the top of its range?
The Meizu PRO 5 is as attractive as any high-end phone, straight out of the box.
In fact, even before you open the box, the presentation is very classy, featuring tailor-made packaging for charger, cable, manual etc. The PRO 5 has a metallic feel and look that sets it well above its m2 stable-mates and although it's a maxi-size phone, its precisely engineered rounded edges keep it comfortable to hold and easy to grip.
As usual, being a Meizu device, you'll have to familiarise yourself with the slightly unusual Flyme interface, which is based solely around one central Home button instead of the more familiar 3-button set-up found on other Android phones. Meizu seems to have finessed the latest iteration of Flyme quite a bit, as I found it far more accurate and user-friendly than during my previous experiences, especially when swiping up to access open apps running in the background.
In saying that, taking a couple of minutes to get used to the Flyme O.S. is pretty much the most complicated thing about the PRO 5.
There is next to no pre-installed bloatware and very few unprompted reminder notices. It's basically a 5.7inch blank slate with a high-powered CPU waiting to do your bidding.
This is a massive advantage for those of us prefer to set things up just the way we like them - maybe we have a preferred mail client or perhaps a specific keyboard app that stores our typing preferences in the cloud.
On the other hand, if you like to be told exactly what to do and feel nervous about using anything other than the stock, factory-fitted email, messaging and calendar apps, you may end up feeling a little restricted and underwhelmed.
The email app on the PRO 5 is very bare-bones indeed, with no option for a split-screen landscape display which is unforgivable on a device with such a large screen.
The same applies for the stock messaging app, which again only displays in profile which once more, severely limits the size of your on-screen keyboard.
This is frustrating, because the keyboard itself is one of the best I have used. Normally I install SwiftKey so I can immediately access my preferred colour scheme and prediction settings, but the PRO 5 keyboard let me do all that just as efficiently so I kept it.
Like the stock email and messaging apps, the standard browser is also very no-frills, although this you CAN set to display widthways. I still opted for Chrome in the end. It seemed to work faster and it was already installed anyway.
Mechanically speaking, the PRO 5 functions very well indeed, available in either 3GB or 4GB chipset options. You'll also get twice the storage with the 4GB variant too, although you can use half the dual-sim slot for an SD card if you're not switching between networks.
Either way, you get memory and storage to burn, which means very fast operation and effective multi-tasking.
The 1080P screen is clear and sharp - not the brightest I have used, although you do have the option of adjusting the colour temperature to your individual preference.
The 21MP camera did not blow me away to be honest, but then the last couple of cameras I've used have really redefined how phones can take pictures in low light so when the PRO 5 only did an okay job of birthday candles, it left me a little ho-hum.
The battery life equation was interesting. The charge lasted really well until I started connecting bluetooth devices, then I could only squeeze out about a day's worth before recharging. On the bright side, the fast charger the PRO 5 ships with is genuinely quick, so if you can find a few minutes to top up somewhere along the way, that'll probably get you through easily enough.
Ultimately, I found the PRO 5 looked like a $1200 phone, it worked like a $1200 phone, but it didn't quite have the in-built features we've come to expect from a phone in that price-range.
Which is perfectly fine, because it's not in that price range; it's $300-$400 cheaper. Besides which, most of those other features you can just download from the app store.
If the PRO 5 is Meizu's first real attempt at high-end, I can't wait to see what comes next.
Click here for pricing and more information on the Meizu Pro 5
It's that time of year. Which smart phone will set the standard the rest will have to strive for?
Last year, Samsung was the clear winner with the Glaxy S6 Edge. Not just a better phone, but a better looking phone, featuring its breakthrough curvy screen.
So this year the expectations were high, but where could Samsung go from the high standard they'd already set?...
Wait, isn't that just a picture of the S6 and the S6 Edge? Nope, these are the new ones. Besides, if you were really paying attention, you would have noticed the difference in screen size. Unlike the S6 and the S6 Edge, the s7 Edge is a bit bigger than the S7.
Oh god, this is getting confusing already.
Like both the S6 and S6 Edge, the S7 still sports a 5.1" display. The S7 Edge's screen measures 5.5 inches. Just to muddy the waters even further, Samsung's Galaxy S6 Edge Plus (Perhaps the longest name of a phone ever) had a 5.7" screen.
What this all means is the only straight swap is the S7 for the S6. Why is the S7 Edge bigger? I can only speculate. Firstly, while the curvy screen looks totally sexy, I do feel like it leaves you with less usable surface on your homepage and I actually find it more difficult to control full-screen apps like games and video playback when some of your on-screen controls disappear around the corner. That's the practical theory. The other rumour floating around is the possible release of an XL Edge model at the end of the year; maybe even a full 6 inches to match Huawei's Mate 8.
But the real question is, apart from screen size, what's the difference between this year and 2015?
Well the good news is, Samsung have swallowed their pride and put back the 2 great features they took off us last year; we've got our SD slot back and they've made the phones waterproof again.
This means two major points of difference between the S7's and any iPhone.
Let's look at the storage issue first. While many of us have made the first tentative steps towards moving our photo, video and music libraries into the Cloud, accessing that via your phone (especially in New Zealand) still comes at a stiff price. (yes, I'm talking the actual price of data) That means the more storage you can plug into your phone, the less reliant you are on a decent 3g/4g connection to show someone your holiday snaps or play them your new favourite song.
The other reason you may decide the 32GB on-board storage doesn't quite cut it is Samsung's innovations in 3D virtual reality. Use any of their recent devices in concert with a set of Gear VR goggles and you'll soon discover 3D games and movies take up more than their fair share of storage. Introduce a 128GB SD card into the equation and memory space becomes a non-issue.
Both the S7 and the S7 Edge carry an IP68 water and dust resistance rating. (This is even better than the reasonably indestructible S5) What's more, unlike the Galaxy S5, there's no longer any pesky rubber plug to keep the charging port watertight. That also means no annoying reminder message to put that plug back in to keep the phone sealed, every time you disconnect your charger. Great work, Samsung. You've taken a fantastic feature and made it better than before.
Of course, both these handsets charge wirelessly, this is something Samsung has committed to for a while. Even better, the S7 and S7 Edge charge even faster than last year's models - and they were pretty darn quick. The battery life has also been extended and I'm now at the point where I've seen so many phones with great batteries it's not really worth mentioning unless they under perform.
This is all terrific news for Samsung fans and compelling reasons to consider an upgrade - and I haven't even begun on the features the new phones have we didn't ask for because we didn't know we needed them.
The camera for example. I think I can figure out what Video Collage and Slow Motion modes do. But what's Virtual Shot for? And I'm not sure I even dare to try Hyperlapse.
Not to worry, none of these things are compulsory. All you need to know is both camera's are better than ever. The auto-focus works faster than ever due to something Samsung has labelled "dual pixel" technology, and the phones take excellent pictures in all kinds of weird lighting conditions without having to use "Hyperlapse" mode at all.
The Galaxy S7 Edge brings us a new range of shortcuts that appear just along it's... edge. You can quickly access favourite contacts, apps, news and sports stories. You can even set up various notifications to appear subtly along the edge when the screen is locked with a sneaky finger swipe. A lot of this stuff seems designed specifically so you can still use your phone during meetings without anyone noticing. Pretty tricky. Pretty awesome.
The S7 and S7 Edge are also liquid cooled, just like high-end gaming PC's.
I couldn't tell.
The S7 and S7 Edge have new zoopy-doopy CPU's which work way faster than those sluggish 3GB chips from last year. (Yes, I'm being sarcastic about the sluggishness. They were awesome)
Trouble is, I didn't really notice that either.
I guess I would have noticed if things had got hotter and slower though, and that is certainly not the case.
So don't be fooled. While the S7's certainly bear a striking physical resemblance to their 2015 predecessors, there are plenty of solid reasons to trade up - even if some of those reasons (SD slot and water/dust resistance) were the same reasons you didn't take the plunge last year.
The best phones in the world are now just a little bit better.
And they're still the best.
Click here for more information on the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge
We expect technology to improve.
There is no clearer illustration of this than the evolution of the mobile phone. With each new release, we expect more advances in connectivity, display size and clarity, camera functionality, battery life, storage capacity and sheer computing power.
We expect a few surprise features along the way... maybe it's water-proof. Maybe it charges wirelessly. Maybe this time it won't bend when you put it in your pocket.
We expect each new phone to work faster than the one before.
But I never expected this...
The Huawei Mate 8 is one of those phones that makes you do a double take... when you first see it in the box, when you first hold it in your hand and ultimately when you fire it up and make it actually do something. (So that's at least 3 double takes)
It is so incredibly fast.
I don't just mean, "Oh yeah, I guess that seems to work a bit better than the last one."
I mean, "Wait... did that app just install in about a second? That can't be right."
But it is right. So right. The Mate 8's Kirin 950 CPU, combined with a healthy 3GB of ram is not just incrementally faster, the speed of operation is absolutely, significantly noticeable. This of course means more reliability, no glitches, no crashes and the ability to do many things at once, effortlessly.
But unadulterated speed is not the only breakthrough Huawei has achieved with the Mate 8. Let's talk battery life. There's a massive 4000mAh battery in this thing which, to coin a phrase, just keeps going and going and going. But don't think that just because the battery is big it takes a big amount of time to charge, quite the contrary. The Mate 8 ships with a fast charger that can get you from 0-100 in just a couple of hours. Unfortunately, Huawei still hasn't jumped on my wireless charging bandwagon, so the Mate 8 may only be nearly perfect.
Remember, this is a full 6-inch display we're dealing with here, amazingly sharp and bright too, but the extra battery capacity copes with these demands with plenty in reserve. If you're currently carrying a combination of chargers, cables and extra power banks around with you just to get you through the day, this phone can solve those issues in one fell swoop.
The screen is remarkably vivid and between it's size, definition and the processing power behind it all, I was really impressed when viewing 3D content with a pair of VR goggles. The image was smooth and clear, with none of the "chicken wire" effect I've experienced from other handsets' displays.
Although the screen is about as big as you'd ever want to get on a handset, the phone does not feel at all clumsy or difficult to hold. This is probably due to its extreme slimness, combined with the subtle curve to the metallic back casing. It's classy to look at and there's a lot of attention to detail, for example; even though there's only a mono speaker, there are two grills at the base to keep everything looking symmetrical.
Many of the Mate's best features have been borrowed from Huawei's version of the latest Nexus. The most obvious of these is the fingerprint sensor positioned on the back for your forefinger, rather than under the Home key on the front like most other phones. This is a much better scenario ergonomically speaking, because you're finger naturally sits there, as opposed to the somewhat dodgy balancing act required to position your thumb at the bottom of your phone if you're holding it with one hand.
For those of you not familiar with Huawei's stock interface, EMUI, there's really no need to worry. It sits somewhere between the Google launcher and iOS and it's pretty simple to pick up. But the real breakthrough on the Mate 8 OS is finally, FINALLY the home screen can flip into landscape mode. Seriously, what other way would you want to hold a device with a 6" screen? The Mate 8 also offers a few new gestures to navigate around, like sliding your knuckle across the phone to enable split-screen mode. I'm not sure this is a massive time-saver, but it's fun to do.
The main camera is a whopping 16MP and captures the same super-bright images owners of previous Huawei phones will be used to. The front facing (selfie) camera takes 8MP images. Insane. Who wants to see themselves in that high a definition? Anyway, it's there if you want it.
You will be pestered by suggestions to optimise your battery life by closing down background apps, but I consider this more helpful than annoying, especially when you can tell the phone not to ask you again. Amazingly, the alarm still works when you turn the phone off. This is important to note if you've left it in a house of sleeping wives and children and gone to work at 3:30am. The consequences of an unexpected alarm going off at that time are... serious.
It's very difficult to find fault with this phone. It is unquestionably the fastest I have ever used and it has the longest battery life of any modern smart phone I've encountered.
The Mate 8 is like a high performance sports car, the question is, will consumers want to pay a premium price for a handset that isn't a Samsung or an iPhone?
Perhaps this time they will. After all, nobody ever bragged about driving a cut-price sports car.
Click here for more information about the Huawei Mate 8.
