TECH BREAK: Let’s take the Meizu 16 apart

This past September, we looked at the Meizu 16 Plus from the newly established Meizu line. The Meizu 16 started this, but the Plus proved to be a lot more popular than any other device on the line.

The Meizu 16 feels forgotten though it is a capable enough device. It comes riding on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, backed by an Octacore processor, an Adreno 630 GPU and depending on your budget a choice between 4GB, 6GB and 8GB RAM.

Storage is also variable with a choice between 64GB and 128GB but, sadly, it is not expandable. It has a 6-inch display that has 1080 x 2160 pixels resolution, ample for HD videos and pictures. The real winner here is the camera arrangement.

At the back you have a dual array consisting of 12MP and 20 MP both with auto-focus, HDR and a six LED dual-tone flash. In front is a 20MP camera that also records 1080p video.

As with other phones coming out, this is a dual-SIM LTE phone, has 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WiFi, which is a huge surprise, Bluetooth 5.0 which again is a surprise, and a well-placed under-display fingerprint sensor. If you look at the Plus, it is an obvious upgrade from this phone though it feels like a wasted upgrade - the cameras deliver well, with 4K video support at the back and fullHD at the front. It might not seem much, but that is playing in flagship waters and it does so convincingly.

That aside, the RAM and storage options that directly affect price seem to cover everyone budget-wise.

More flagship features on this phone include Bluetooth 5.0, which handles multiple devices simultaneously. What that means is that you can listen to music on two wireless headsets at the same time, making a couples’ moment more intimate and cable-free.

The support of ‘AC’ WiFi means faster WiFi access, hence faster connectivity. Also impressive in the under-display fingerprint sensor that makes it not just aesthetically pleasing, but very cool.

While the features may feel like gimmicks, the 3010mAh isn’t, and can run a whole day on a single charge, two days if used sparingly.

It is going for Sh41,000.