Meizu M3 Note Owners Thread

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#1577470 21-Jun-2016 00:02

Was quite impressed with the launch PB held on Friday afternoon. My Nexus 5 is two years old this month and since it's been having some technical niggles, I've been shopping for a replacement. But due to a rigorous saving plan we have this year, my options are limited, the M3 pretty fits the bill. As I wasn't fortunate to win one of the 5 M3's that were given away, I availed of the generous voucher they offered and bought one on Saturday afternoon.

First thoughts? I can't say I'm a great fan of Flyme. But 5+ years of Android may be the cause of that. I've overcome much of the concern for the moment by installing the Google Launcher. I'd like to see Marshmallow running on it all the same.

Concerns of call quality mentioned above can be allayed. In the rural blocks of Karaka, where voice on my 2Degrees SIM has always struggled, the M3 was clearer than my N5. No improvement on Data, sad to say, but has never been an option out there. Serves me right for 2Degrees.

Primary issue I have experienced is transfer of data etc. In the past I've successfully used Helium and/or Titanium. The former installs happily, but fails to register with the desktop app. The latter requires the unit to be rooted, but even when I've followed all steps to register phone number etc, trying to access the root privilege as described above, I get a persistent "Error accessing server" and am unable to continue*.

Connecting to a Hyundai Bluetooth speaker today was troublesome today too. The rep said it's straightforward, use the NFC......yeah right...

EDIT: * http://forum.flymeos.com/thread-4879-1-1.html

NikT

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#1577580 21-Jun-2016 10:53

stumw:

Looking forward to getting my hands on a demo one of these tomorrow. Any word on whether it will support Android for Work?

App shows as compatible on the Play Store - don't have an Android for Work account to test with myself, but can't see any reason it shouldn't work (Unless root privileges are enabled).

pristle:

Was quite impressed with the launch PB held on Friday afternoon. My Nexus 5 is two years old this month and since it's been having some technical niggles, I've been shopping for a replacement. But due to a rigorous saving plan we have this year, my options are limited, the M3 pretty fits the bill. As I wasn't fortunate to win one of the 5 M3's that were given away, I availed of the generous voucher they offered and bought one on Saturday afternoon.

First thoughts? I can't say I'm a great fan of Flyme. But 5+ years of Android may be the cause of that. I've overcome much of the concern for the moment by installing the Google Launcher. I'd like to see Marshmallow running on it all the same.

Concerns of call quality mentioned above can be allayed. In the rural blocks of Karaka, where voice on my 2Degrees SIM has always struggled, the M3 was clearer than my N5. No improvement on Data, sad to say, but has never been an option out there. Serves me right for 2Degrees.

Primary issue I have experienced is transfer of data etc. In the past I've successfully used Helium and/or Titanium. The former installs happily, but fails to register with the desktop app. The latter requires the unit to be rooted, but even when I've followed all steps to register phone number etc, trying to access the root privilege as described above, I get a persistent "Error accessing server" and am unable to continue*.

Connecting to a Hyundai Bluetooth speaker today was troublesome today too. The rep said it's straightforward, use the NFC......yeah right...

EDIT: * http://forum.flymeos.com/thread-4879-1-1.html

Glad you enjoyed the event, it was a lot of fun.

I'm quite taken with Flyme myself, especially with a good theme - 'Simple Blue' is my favourite so far. Really shows that there are still advantages to customising Android over sticking with Google's narrow vanilla vision. Of course, Android being Android, you can always customise and tweak to your heart's content.

Looking into the root server error.

Product Manager @ PB Tech

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jonathan18

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#1577596 21-Jun-2016 11:12

Seems a great-value phone, especially given it's available from an NZ supplier with a two year guarantee.

What's the process like for updating this phone? Does Flyme work like MIUI, in that there are regular updates? And, if so, are these easily and/or automatically installable? Also, is there any likelihood this model will get Marshmallow?

I bought my wife the Redmi Note 2, and that's been a complete dog in terms of updating MIUI, so I'm in the "once bitten" category here in regards to Chinese handsets!

Thanks.

Jonathan

NikT

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#1577599 21-Jun-2016 11:18

jonathan18:

Seems a great-value phone, especially given it's available from an NZ supplier with a two year guarantee.

What's the process like for updating this phone? Does Flyme work like MIUI, in that there are regular updates? And, if so, are these easily and/or automatically installable? Also, is there any likelihood this model will get Marshmallow?

I bought my wife the Redmi Note 2, and that's been a complete dog in terms of updating MIUI, so I'm in the "once bitten" category here in regards to Chinese handsets!

Thanks.

Jonathan

Waiting on confirmation from Meizu that updates will be pushed OTA to the global variants of M3 Note, but they're always available to download manually from flymeos.com and meizufans.eu. Process for updating is just to download the zip file and hit install, boom done. They have a beta programme as well, I'm currently testing 5.1.3.2G.

Meizu have said that they intend to update all 2016 models before the year's end, and that they're evaluating jumping straight to N because Flyme 5 already has battery saving options and app permission management comparable to Marshmallow's.

Marshmallow would be nice, since the flagship Pro 6 ships with it. Presumably whatever platform update they choose will come with Flyme 6 in ~September.

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pristle

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#1577615 21-Jun-2016 12:09

My new joy is trying to get onto the Meizu forums. I get challenged for 'User ID' when registering or trying to login, heaven alone knows what that could be. I've tried my common nickname, my phone number (with or without country code) and the Userxxxx that was displayed on my Flyme profile on the handset, all with no joy. When I elect to 'register', it tells me the nickname already exists.

Little niggles.

Charged it up on Sunday evening....sitting on 56%.....

In the meantime I'm under pressure to reinvent/refurb my N5. I had promised it to my wife. She's been plagued by the lack of performance in her bloated Galaxy Core LTE. So I've bought a new red shell (not sold in NZ), new battery and new internal flex cables....now each morning it's a case of "when's my phone going to be ready?" Since tonight is quiz night, it may only be tomorrow night.....

semigeek

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#1577972 21-Jun-2016 21:45

rgoulter:

Have had the phone for a couple of days now and im impressed. the build quality and look and feel of the phone is just like an apple 6S. It runs nice and smooth and didnt come with a lot of bloatware or rubbish apps so theres not much apps to have to figure out which is how i actually prefer it i.e. just install the apps you want and use.

Havent really had much time to have a good look at the phone but im happy so far because the value for money for this phone is amazing. Just the extended battery life, 5.5 inch screen and the look and feel of the phone is enough to justify the $300.

I took some photos and the quailty itself is ok just the colours are a little washed out but the couple of photos i took were indoors at night with the lights on so im not convinced its a poor camera experience just yet.

Anyone else get one and have feedback?

Any chance we can see some outdoor daylight photos taken by you? Also, there is no OIS in the camera, correct?

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pristle

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#1578275 22-Jun-2016 12:30

NikT:

I'm quite taken with Flyme myself, especially with a good theme - 'Simple Blue' is my favourite so far. Really shows that there are still advantages to customising Android over sticking with Google's narrow vanilla vision. Of course, Android being Android, you can always customise and tweak to your heart's content.

Looking into the root server error.

I must say I do like the ease of skinning when it comes to the themes. It's fairly seamless. The neat one is the iPlus UI. It had my iAnything loving daughter fooled when I told her I'd bought a new phone and passed it to her. "Is this the new 7?....but I thought it wasn't launched yet", then the penny dropped.

In frustration in getting the 'root' issue sorted, I have opted for KingRoot and hey Presto! I've been able to reinstate all my apps and data using Helium.

I also note the omission of M3 Note in the lineup here: http://www.flymeos.com/firmware.html

pristle

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#1578761 23-Jun-2016 01:57

semigeek:

rgoulter:

Have had the phone for a couple of days now and im impressed. the build quality and look and feel of the phone is just like an apple 6S. It runs nice and smooth and didnt come with a lot of bloatware or rubbish apps so theres not much apps to have to figure out which is how i actually prefer it i.e. just install the apps you want and use.

Havent really had much time to have a good look at the phone but im happy so far because the value for money for this phone is amazing. Just the extended battery life, 5.5 inch screen and the look and feel of the phone is enough to justify the $300.

I took some photos and the quailty itself is ok just the colours are a little washed out but the couple of photos i took were indoors at night with the lights on so im not convinced its a poor camera experience just yet.

Anyone else get one and have feedback?

Any chance we can see some outdoor daylight photos taken by you? Also, there is no OIS in the camera, correct?

Sad to say the camera isn't great. It's a little reminiscent of my old Huawei G300. I then compared it with my wife's old Samsung SM-G386F. Pics below:

Samsung @ 5M/pixel

M3 Note @ 13M/pixel

rgoulter

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#1579411 24-Jun-2016 09:56

Still liking the phone but one observation is... it takes a while to charge the battery.

Using a 2.1 Amp charger it feels like it charges slow like only 15-20% per hour. I will need to do some more tests - i'll take a before and after time coded screen shot once the battery runs down.

Its not really an issue as the phone last all day for me i only charge it overnight.

Anyone else noticing how long it takes to charge the battery?

jonb

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#1579421 24-Jun-2016 10:07

Nice review of it on the NZ Tech Podcast yesterday.

NikT

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#1579585 24-Jun-2016 14:56

rgoulter:

Still liking the phone but one observation is... it takes a while to charge the battery.

Using a 2.1 Amp charger it feels like it charges slow like only 15-20% per hour. I will need to do some more tests - i'll take a before and after time coded screen shot once the battery runs down.

Its not really an issue as the phone last all day for me i only charge it overnight.

Anyone else noticing how long it takes to charge the battery?

I use Samsung's Adaptive Fast Chargers for most of my micro USB devices, juices the M3 Note up pretty quickly. :)

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1eStar

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#1579639 24-Jun-2016 15:47

If you are having trouble with charging speed, it will be either the charger you are using or the cable causing it to be slow. Your cable either needs shorter or fatter wires, or the output voltage on the data pins of your charger is incompatible with your phone.

jevvv

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#1579694 24-Jun-2016 17:19

I've often found that a new, shorter cable can make a good difference

<- don't ask me where I am - I haven't a clue: its a tech thing ;)
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And don't take me too seriously.

rgoulter

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#1579743 24-Jun-2016 18:49

1eStar: If you are having trouble with charging speed, it will be either the charger you are using or the cable causing it to be slow. Your cable either needs shorter or fatter wires, or the output voltage on the data pins of your charger is incompatible with your phone.

This is with the charger that came with it - i'll continue to monitor and try with differnet chargers

freitasm

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#1579822 24-Jun-2016 20:49

I received one yesterday. I have been using a Huawei P9 since launch and also have a HTC 10 - which I haven't used much as I didn't see many differences from the previous ones I had (all the HTC One from M7 to 10).

Happy to see the M3 Note is slightly larger than the P9 - the screen benefits of that. Also like the hardware button, instead of the soft buttons of the HTC models which use screen space. It took me only a few minutes of use to adapt to the "tap to return, push to home" use case but it's good and consistent. The fingerprint scanner is fast and I haven't tested yet but this is the first time I have a dual SIM handset.

In terms of apps I like to confirm what Nik said before. It's the basic functionality (Calendar, Email, Calculator, Clock, Gallery, Music Player, Video Player, File Explorer, Security, Google Play Store, Google Maps) and that's it. If you want anything else the Play Store is there for you. This is great as you can make it the way you like.

I did find a minor problem with synchronising contacts with an Office 365 account but that was solved by using Google Exchange Services instead of the native Exchange account type. I have referred this to Nik.

Other than this, it feels fast when moving from app to app, the fingerprint scanner responds quickly and all the gestures options are more than you can find in higher priced handsets.

The security app interesting as in it is similar to Windows Defender: you have the basics covered, including Cleaner, Power, File Management and Antivirus.

Android Device Manager works out of the box as well.

Almost forgot: unlike other Android devices, I couldn't login into my Google account, even after a couple of reboots. I thought "There must be something missing"... So I inserted the SIM card and it allowed me to login to Google services. I guess Google requires a SIM to identify country or similar before you can register the device. I haven't seen this on other devices but those were usually country variants.

I like the gun metal feel and the design is quite appealing.

Haven't test photos yet as I haven't taken it out with me today but will do during the weekend. Will also create a Flyme account during the weekend - interesting about the root optionm this is really cool stuff.

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