Meizu Pro 6 Plus's specs closely match a certain Samsung phone
We're aware that calling every phablet a Samsung Note7 replacement is getting a bit stale at this point. But Meizu's new flagship device, the Pro 6 Plus, has certain traits that make it seem the Chinese company is really trying to fix the post-Note7 blues.
First, the Meizu Pro 6 Plus has the same AMOLED screen and resolution and the Note7 (5.7-inches and 2,560x1,440 pixels), the same processor (Samsung's octa-core Exynos 8890) and the same amount of storage (64GB, but a 128GB variant is also available) and RAM memory (4GB).
But the Pro 6 Plus's similarities go further: it actually has a reduced megapixel count for the rear camera compared to its predecessor, the Meizu Pro 6 -- 12 instead 21 megapixels. This, again, matches the 12-megapixel camera of the Note7, as does the front 5-megapixel shooter.
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So what's different? Well, no curvy edges. Also, the Meizu Pro 6 Plus doesn't have a stylus, and its battery size is 3,400mAh (compared to the Note7's slightly bigger 3,500mAh).
Other than that, it's quite obvious what Meizu is aiming for here: A (likely) cheaper, solid alternative to a phone that was once proclaimed good but has (literally and metaphorically) vaporized in a cloud of smoke.
Other features on the Meizu worth sitting up for include a USB-C port, a 32-bit audio DAC chip, a headphone jack, a fingerprint sensor and optical image stabilization on the camera.
On the outside, you won't see anything particularly new or original: It's a metal phone with visible but nicely incorporated antenna lines on the back. The phone measures 155.6x757.3x7.3mm and weighs 158 grams.
Under the hood, the international version of the Meizu Pro 6 Plus runs Flyme, the company's heavily customised version of Android. At release, the latest Flyme 6 that comes with the phone is based on Android 6.0.
Domestically, some of its units will instead run on YunOS, an Android fork created by Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba, which invests in Meizu.
Since there are two versions of the phone, it's worth being careful which one you order, if you buy direct from a Chinese website.
The company claims the new Flyme brings more than 400 new features, including better photo capturing, and an improved assistant for locating a lost phone.
The Meizu Pro 6 Plus will be available in Asia and Europe in gold, gray and silver colors. The 64GB model starts from 2999 yuan ($435). The full price list and exact availability have not been announced yet.
UPDATE: Jan. 3, 2017, 5:36 p.m. SGT This article has been updated to clarify that the international version of the phone will run Flyme OS, while some Chinese editions will run another OS, called YunOS.
Stan is a Senior Editor at Mashable, where he has worked since 2007. He's got more battery-powered gadgets and band t-shirts than you. He writes about the next groundbreaking thing. Typically, this is a phone, a coin, or a car. His ultimate goal is to know something about everything.
