Meizu M1 Note vs Xiaomi Mi 4i: Which Android Smartphone is a Better Buy?

Following Xiaomi's India exclusive smartphone Mi 4i, another Chinese smartphone maker Meizu debuted in India with its budget phablet M1 Note. Though the two smartphones differ in size, they share several identical specifications. Curiously, there is not much difference in their prices. 

Xiaomi launched the Mi 4i for ₹12,999, while Meizu's M1 Note is ₹1,000 cheaper at ₹11,999.

Confused? Don't worry. To make things easy for you, we bring you comparison based on specifications of both the phones. Here you go.

Build Quality

Xiaomi and Meizu have given a unibody design to the Mi 4i and the M1 Note respectively. Measuring 150.7x75.2x8.9mm, the M1 Note is 1.1mm thicker and weighs 15g more than the Mi 4i. But that is because M1 Note features a bigger display than Mi 4i.

Both Mi 4i and M1 Note feature a compact body. While the M1 Note features a curved bezel, the Mi 4i sports a little square-shaped design. We have been using the Mi 4i for the past few weeks and have found the device is quite ergonomic and easy to operate with one hand.

[ Read More- Xiaomi Mi 4i Review] 

Display

The M1 Note boasts of a 5.5-inch, 1080x1920, 403ppi display, while the Mi 4i sports a 5-inch display with similar resolution but higher PPI count (441 PPI). As the PPI count differs according to screen size, you can ignore this parameter.

Processor & RAM

M1 Note is powered by an octa-core MediaTek MT7752m chipset, while the Mi 4i packs a Snapdragon 615 SoC. The SoC featured in M1 Note has also been featured in Lenovo A7000, which is why the device scored much higher in comparison.

Both the device pack 2GB RAM memory. In our test, the Mi 4i achieved 688 single-core and 2401 multi-core in GeekBench and 23151 in Quadrant. A Mobile Geek review of M1 Note shows the M1 Note scored 808 and 3973 in GeekBench and 14988 in Quadrant.

[Read More- Lenovo A7000 Review]

Software

While the Xiaomi Mi 4i runs on Android 5.0.2 Lollipop, the Meizu M1 Note still runs on the dated Android KitKat 4.4.4.

Camera

Both the devices pack similar 13MP rear and 5MP front camera. Interestingly, they feature Samsung made cameras on the rear so they are expected to deliver similar quality pictures too. During our review of the Mi 4i, we found both the cameras were quite impressive, so we expect the M1 Note cameras also won't disappoint users.

Battery & Storage

Both the devices pack 16GB storage and sacrifice the Micro SD card slot. The Mi 4i occupies around 4GB of the storage space, leaving 12GB for the user. We expect M1 Note to offer similar amount of free storage space.

The M1 Note packs a 3140mAh battery, while the Mi 4i is powered by a 3,120mAh battery. Both the devices last for a full day for a full charge.

Our Take

Though both the devices match each other in several departments, it's pretty clear that if you're looking for a bigger device, M1 Note should be your choice and if you're looking for a compact one, Mi 4i is suggested. The M1 Note is actually a better buy than Mi 4i for two other reasons - better performance and lower price.