Meizu launches the premium but affordable smartphone, the M3E

Meizu just took the wraps off its latest low-cost juggernaut, the M3E, which continues the company’s war against the likes of Xiaomi and LeEco in China. The new handset follows in the steps of the affordable m3 note, maintaining the same 5.5”-sized 1080P display and metal build (albeit slimmer), but takes the opportunity to add a gig of RAM, now at 3GB, and double the storage, now at 32GB. These specs don’t sound too shabby, especially for the 1,300 Yuan (or $195) asking price.

See Also: Meizu m3 note review

But wait, there’s more! The premium 2.5D curved glass is accompanied by a fingerprint scanner below the IPS display. Under the M3E’s hood lies a capable octa-core MediaTek Helio P10 chipset (MT6755). The only area that’s a step back is battery life, where the capacity in the thinner M3E drops to 3,100 mAh from the m3 note’s whopping 4,100 mAh. But it at least is said to support mCharge fast charging that can get from 0 to 50% in 30 minutes. As for camera capabilities, the rear bears a Sony IMX258, 13MP sensor with f/2.2 aperture (seemingly unchanged from the m3 note) and the front holds a 5 MP with f/2.0 aperture module for your selfie shooting pleasure.

Don’t expect anything like stock Android on this guy, as Meizu incorporates a custom YunOS with Flyme UI on top to heavily shroud the system. The phone’s exterior will get a generous selection of colors, from silver, gray, champagne gold, glacial blue, or rose gold.

The M3E is orderable right now on Meizu’s website and set to hit the streets on Aug. 14th in China. As per usual, this probably won’t be making its way stateside, and perhaps not even to Europe — at least not by “official” means. What do you think of Meizu’s latest?