Meizu releases E3 with Snapdragon 636, 6GB RAM, side fingerprint sensor
On March 21, Meizu held a press conference in Beijing for its E3 release. This phone features multiple attractions: full screen, dual camera and side fingerprint sensor, and will become a very competitive product this year.
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Appearance
The E3 uses a 18:9 full-screen design, similar to the mBlu S6. The back uses a metal body that hides the antenna, making it look more exquisite than the three-phase design.
It has two vertical rear cameras in the upper-left corner, following the trending design this year. The cameras bulge out on the back, which may displease some consumers.
However, the E3 has a fingerprint sensor on the right side of the phone instead of on the back. Therefore, the back design looks minimalist. According to Meizu officials, the rear dual cameras and the body are specially integrated.
The Meizu E3 comes in three color editions, Champagne Gold, Black and Blue.
The hardware configuration is the E3’s largest attraction, featuring the Snapdragon 636 processor, the Sony IMX 362 camera sensor and the high power fast charge.
The technical specifications are as follows:
- Snapdragon 636 processor
5.99-inch 18:9 screen
6GB Memory
64GB/128GB Storage
Rear 12 megapixel and 20 megapixel camera
3360mAh battery with 20W fast charge
Bluetooth 5.0 Type-C interface
The Snapdragon 636 employs the octo-core Kryo 260, giving it a significant increase in performance compared to the Snapdragon 625.
With mobile games such as PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds becoming more and more popular today, the Snapdragon 625 has been unable to meet the needs of many users. The advent of the Snapdragon 636 processor allows for a big performance boost in the mid-end mobile phone market. The E3, which carries this processor, will become a strong competitor against Redmi’s Note 5.
Photography
The E3 is actually part of Meizu’s NoBlue line, a sub-brand focusing on the rising budget smartphone market. In recent years, NoBlue has committed much effort to photography.
The rear main camera has a 12MP Sony IMX362 (1/2.55″, 1.4µm) sensor behind f/1.9 lens with Dual-Pixel autofocus. The secondary rear camera has a 20MP Sony IMX350 (1/2.8″, 1.0µm) sensor. The dual cameras are capable of 2.5 times lossless zoom, which is helpful for taking photos from afar.
The E3 uses ArcSoft algorithms to further optimize background blurring. As shown in the sample photo, the effect is impressive.
Conclusion
The Meizu E3 has multiple highlights including its design, configuration, photography, quick charge and more.
The E3 is positioned as a flagship phone, and the first of the NoBlue line to be positioned as such. This decision may be due to NoBlue’s poor view on Meizu’s flagship, or because it believes that the Snapdragon 636 processor and its cameras are sufficient to be considered flagship. However, “flagship” may also likely be just a marketing term for the E3.
Its performance alone does not suffice the E3 to be a flagship. However, aside from the processor, the E3 is equipped with all the features that flagships should have, such as Bluetooth 5.0, Type-C interface and 20W fast charging. Also, it is competitively priced in the thousand-yuan range.
The 6GB RAM with 64GB storage version is priced at 1,799 yuan ($285), and the 6GB RAM with 128GB storage version is priced at 1,999 yuan ($315). The E3 will be presold on March 26, and sold on March 31. There is also a limited Meizu E3 J-20 edition named after the J-20 fighter jet, which also comes in two variants. The E3 J-20 limited edition with 64GB storage is priced at 1,999 yuan ($315), and the customized collector edition with 128GB is priced at 2,499 yuan ($395). These will be sold on April 9.
