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HONOR 7 & Meizu MX5 vs the competition

Chinese OEMs HUAWEI and Meizu have announced new flagships today but how do the HONOR 7 and Meizu MX5 compare to each other and the rest? Let's take a look.
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Published onJune 30, 2015

Huawei-Honor-7 (1)

Today not one but two Chinese manufacturers have announced new devices and both handsets are feature-rich at affordable price tags. HUAWEI’s e-commerce brand Honor has announced the HONOR 7 while Meizu has announced the MX5, but how do these two handsets compare against each other and to the competition?

HONOR 7 vs Meizu MX5

Before comparing these handsets to their rivals, let’s take a look at how they compare to each other. Both handsets adopt all-metal builds and while the HONOR 7 has been influenced by the Ascend Mate 7, the MX5 is Meizu’s first switch to an all-metal design.

Last year’s HUAWEI phablet – the Ascend Mate 7 – certainly had an influence on the HONOR 7

Both handsets offer Full HD displays but the 5.5-inch AMOLED screen on the MX5 is slightly larger than the 5.2-inch IPS display on the HONOR 7, meaning it has a slightly lower display density of 401 pixels per inch (versus 424 ppi). Both handsets run on Android Lollipop, with Meizu adding Flyme 4.5 on top, while HUAWEI added its own Emotion UI v3.1 interface.

[related_videos title=”HUAWEI & Meizu in video:” align=”left” type=”custom” videos=”586544,563890,582092,574507,597827,604157″]Switching to the camera, both handsets use Sony modules; the Meizu MX5 comes equipped with an IMX220 module that offers 20.7MP resolution, laser autofocus and 4K Ultra HD video recording while the HONOR 7 uses an IMX230 module with 20MP resolution, Phase Detection autofocus, optical image stabilisation and, presumably, 4K Ultra HD video recording as well.

Up front the MX5 has a 5MP front camera with Full HD video while the HONOR 7 has an 8MP selfie camera with HUAWEI’s Beauty Level feature built-in. Beneath the rear camera is where HUAWEI have added the fingerprint sensor on the HONOR 7, which is a feature that’s missing from Meizu’s flagship which is the same integration as on the Ascend Mate 7, while the Meizu MX5 has a fingerprint sensor inside the home button.

Under the hood, both handsets have octa-core processors with the Meizu MX5 using the MediaTek Helio X10 Turbo CPU clocked at 2.2GHz and the HONOR 7 using HUAWEI’s own Kirin 935 processor, also clocked at 2.2GHz. There’s also 3GB RAM on both handsets and the biggest difference comes in the storage options; the MX5 is available with either 16GB, 32GB or 64GB internal storage while the HONOR 7 has either 16GB or 64GB storage.

The price of these handsets is where they may go on to challenge the established manufacturers: the MX5 costs roughly $290 for the 16GB model, while the 32GB costs approximately $322 and the 64GB comes in at $387. In comparison, the HONOR 7 is available in three models: the lowest variant comes with 16GB internal storage and single SIM LTE for approx. $322, while the next version up offers the same storage and dual SIM 4G LTE for $354 and the top model offers 64GB storage and dual SIM LTE for $402.

The MX5 replaces Meizu’s previous flagship, the MX4

At these prices, both handsets are significantly cheaper than the competition and while it’s difficult to make in-depth comparisons until these devices arrive for review, let’s take a look at how they compare against the other major flagship handsets on the market.

HONOR 7 & Meizu MX5 vs the competition

Like many Chinese companies, both Huawei and Meizu have attempted to challenge established devices by focusing on offering impressive specs with an even more impressive price tag.

they certainly have feature sets that will appeal to almost all users

Along with rival Chinese OEMs Gionee and Xiaomi, these companies have transformed the mid-range market by offering feature-rich smartphones at a price that belies belief. While they won’t have all the bells and whistles found on handsets that retail for almost double the price, they certainly have feature sets that will appeal to almost all users.

Let’s take a look at how the Meizu MX5 and HONOR 7 specs compare vs the best from Samsung, LG, Sony and HTC.

DetailHONOR 7Meizu MX5Sony Xperia Z3+HTC One M9Galaxy S6LG G4
Detail

HONOR 7

Meizu MX5

Sony Xperia Z3+

HTC One M9

Galaxy S6

LG G4

DetailHONOR 7Meizu MX5Sony Xperia Z3+HTC One M9Galaxy S6LG G4
Hardware:
Detail
Display:
HONOR 7
5.2 inch IPS
Full HD (1080x1920)
Density: 424ppi
Meizu MX5
5.5 inch AMOLED
Full HD (1080x1920)
Density: 401ppi
Sony Xperia Z3+
5.2 inch IPS
Full HD (1080x1920)
Density: 424ppi
HTC One M9
5.0 inch Super LCD3
Full HD (1080x1920)
Density: 441ppi
Galaxy S6
5.1 inch Super AMOLED
Quad HD (1440x2560)
Density: 577ppi
LG G4
5.5 inch IPS
Quad HD (1440x2560)
Density: 538ppi
Detail
Processor:
HONOR 7
Octa-core Kirin 930
4 x 2.2GHz + 4 x 1.5GHz
Meizu MX5
Octa-core Helio X10
8 x 2.2GHz
Sony Xperia Z3+
octa-core Snapdragon 810
4 x 2GHz + 4 x 1.5GHz
HTC One M9
octa-core Snapdragon 810
4 x 2GHz + 4 x 1.5GHz
Galaxy S6
octa-core Exynos 7420
4 x 2.1GHz, 4 x 1.5GHz
LG G4
hexa-core Snapdragon 808
2 x 1.82GHz, 4 x 1.44GHz
Detail
Storage:
HONOR 7
16/64GB

Expandable: Yes
Meizu MX5
16/32/64GB

Expandable: No
Sony Xperia Z3+
32GB

Expandable: Yes
HTC One M9
32GB

Expandable: Yes
Galaxy S6
32/64/128GB

Expandable: No
LG G4
32GB

Expandable: Yes
Detail
RAM:
HONOR 7
3GB
Meizu MX5
3GB
Sony Xperia Z3+
3GB
HTC One M9
3GB
Galaxy S6
3GB
LG G4
3GB
Detail
Build Type:
HONOR 7
Metal
Meizu MX5
Metal
Sony Xperia Z3+
Glass
HTC One M9
Aluminium Unibody
Galaxy S6
Glass and metal
LG G4
Plastic front with Plastic or Leather rear
Detail
LTE:
HONOR 7
Cat 6 (300Mbps DL, 50Mbps UL)
Meizu MX5
Cat 4 (150Mbps DL, 50Mbps UL)
Sony Xperia Z3+
Cat 6 (300Mbps DL, 50Mbps UL)
HTC One M9
Cat 6 (300Mbps DL, 50Mbps UL)
Galaxy S6
Cat 6 (300Mbps DL, 50Mbps UL)
LG G4
Cat 6 (300Mbps DL, 50Mbps UL)
Detail
Fingerprint Sensor:
HONOR 7
Yes
Meizu MX5
Yes
Sony Xperia Z3+
No
HTC One M9
No
Galaxy S6
Yes
LG G4
No
Detail
SIM card
HONOR 7
Single/Dual SIM
Meizu MX5
Single SIM
Sony Xperia Z3+
Single SIM
HTC One M9
Single SIM
Galaxy S6
Single SIM
LG G4
Single SIM
Detail
Software:
HONOR 7
Android 5.1
Emotion UI v3.1
Meizu MX5
Android 5.0
Flyme OS 4.5
Sony Xperia Z3+
Android 5.0
Sony UI
HTC One M9
Android 5.0
HTC Sense 7
Galaxy S6
Android 5.0.2
TouchWiz UI
LG G4
Android 5.1
LG G UX 4.0
DetailHONOR 7Meizu MX5Sony Xperia Z3+HTC One M9Galaxy S6LG G4
Camera:
Detail
Sensor size:
HONOR 7
20MP
Meizu MX5
20.7MP
Sony Xperia Z3+
20.7MP
HTC One M9
20MP
Galaxy S6
16MP
LG G4
16MP with color spectrum sensor
Detail
Autofocus:
HONOR 7
Phase Detection
Meizu MX5
Laser
Sony Xperia Z3+
Yes
HTC One M9
Yes
Galaxy S6
Yes
LG G4
Laser
Detail
Optical Image Stabilisation:
HONOR 7
Yes
Meizu MX5
No
Sony Xperia Z3+
No
HTC One M9
No
Galaxy S6
Yes
LG G4
Yes
Detail
Video:
HONOR 7
1080p@60fps
Meizu MX5
1080p@60fps
2160p@30fps
Sony Xperia Z3+
1080p@60fps
2160p@30fps
HTC One M9
1080p@60fps
2160p@30fps
Galaxy S6
1080p@60fps
2160p@30fps
LG G4
1080p@60fps
2160p@30fps
Detail
Front camera:
HONOR 7
8MP, video TBC
Meizu MX5
5MP, 1080p@30fps
Sony Xperia Z3+
5.1MP, 1080p@30fps
HTC One M9
4MP Ultrapixel
1080p@30fps
Galaxy S6
5MP, 1440p@30fps
LG G4
8MP, 1080p@30fps
Detail
Flash
HONOR 7
dual-LED (dual tone)
Meizu MX5
dual-LED (dual tone)
Sony Xperia Z3+
LED flash
HTC One M9
dual-LED (dual tone)
Galaxy S6
LED flash
LG G4
LED flash
DetailHONOR 7Meizu MX5Sony Xperia Z3+HTC One M9Galaxy S6LG G4
Battery:
Detail
Capacity:
HONOR 7
3100mAh
Meizu MX5
3150mAh
Sony Xperia Z3+
2930 mAh
HTC One M9
2840 mAh
Galaxy S6
2550mAh
LG G4
3000 mAh
Detail
Fast Charging:
HONOR 7
100% in 1 hour 25 mins
50% in 30 mins
Meizu MX5
mCharge
60% in 40 mins
Sony Xperia Z3+
Quick Charge 2.0
60% in 30 mins
HTC One M9
Quick Charge 2.0
60% in 30 mins
Galaxy S6
Quick Charge 2.0
60% in 30 mins
LG G4
None
Detail
Wireless Charging:
HONOR 7
No
Meizu MX5
No
Sony Xperia Z3+
No
HTC One M9
No
Galaxy S6
Yes, PMA+Qi
LG G4
Optional

There you have it – the specs of the HONOR 7 and Meizu MX5 certainly show that it’s possible to make a handset with the latest flagship specs at a price that’s anything but flagship. Of course the specs list only reveals a small part of the overall experience and we can’t comment on how good these handsets are until they arrive for review but the specs comparison certainly gives us food for thought.

What do you think of the specs of the Meizu MX5 and HONOR 7 vs the competition? Which handset would you buy (if any)? Let us know your views in the comments below!

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