M6 Note: another dual-camera Note launched this week

Samsung isn’t the only company launching a Note device this week, as Meizu revealed the M6 Note budget phablet as well, ostensibly taking on the Redmi Note 4 (review).

It makes for a rather important launch for the Chinese firm, as it’s the company’s first Snapdragon-toting handset, after years of relying on Samsung and MediaTek for chips.

So how does it fare against Xiaomi‘s best then?

For starters, both devices pack a power-efficient yet mid-range Snapdragon 625 processor and 5.5-inch full HD screen. Meizu’s phone offers 3GB or 4GB of RAM and 16GB/32GB/64GB of expandable storage. The Redmi Note 4 offers 2GB/3GB/4GB RAM options and 32 or 64GB of expandable storage.

Meizu has also been hyping up the cameras, offering a 16MP front-facing camera and a 12MP+5MP dual camera combo. In fact, the company claims that the 12MP shooter (IMX362) has a f/1.9 aperture and 1.4 micron pixels for better night-time performance, posting a comparison between it and the Huawei P10 (take it with a pinch of salt of course).

Let’s compare the camera quality of the Meizu M6 Note with the @HuaweiMobile P10! pic.twitter.com/aVO9PLeLAz

— MEIZU (@MEIZU) August 23, 2017

Otherwise, both phones pack similarly large batteries (4100mAh for Xiaomi versus 4000mAh for the M6 Note) and a fingerprint scanner (rear scanner for Xiaomi and front-mounted for Meizu).

The handset starts at RMB1099 (R2181 as an unwise straight conversion). By comparison, the 2GB/16GB Redmi Note 4 started at RMB899 (R1783), while the 3GB/64GB variant had a launch price of RMB1199 (R2380).

A representative for Meizu South Africa told Gearburn that they were “still deciding” whether to bring the phone to the country.