Design and Build Quality

The device looks a lot like many other 5.5-inch phablets including Samsung's Note 5 and the iPhone 6 Plus. At 8.7mm, it is not the thinnest phone around, but at the same time it packs a rather impressive 3100 mAh battery that will easily get you through the day. The device measures 150.9 x 75.2 x 8.7 mm (5.94 x 2.96 x 0.34 in) and weighs 149 g (5.26 oz).

When you look at the box, you can get an idea that Meizu designers really like the Apple look and feel. The box is made from high quality materials and everything fits in place. There is even a branded pin to remove the dual SIM tray, and of course the USB cable and a tiny manual are below the phone. The 1A phone charger with is definitely influenced by Apple design, but we would like to see a 2A charger as it would charge the phone much faster.

Meizu M2 Note looks a lot like its more expensive MX5 brother, just made from plastic. The plastic finish still feels premium enough for the price category and the phone definitely shares a minimalist design. The plastic has a matte finish and it doesn’t attract a fingertip stains which is definitely a plus.

The front is dominated by the 5.5-inch IGZO capacitive touchscreen that supports 16 million colors and has relatively small bezels. The front face camera can record 1080p video and offers acceptable 5-megapixel resolution placed right from the earpiece. The light and proximity sensors are located between the camera and the earpiece. The only other visible button is the home button that reminds us a lot on the one that we saw with the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and some earlier phones.

It is nice to see that the front of the phone doesn’t come with the almost mandatory manufacturer's logo at the front. This is a refreshing change making it more mystique, as it looks a lot like an iPhone 6S Plus to the untrained eye.

At 150.9 x 75.2 x 8.7 mm (5.94 x 2.96 x 0.34 in) the phone is what we would really small. It is roughly the size of many other 5.5 inch phablets around. There are no capacitive buttons and it will take a while to get used to it. The home button acts as a back button when you tap on it. This works really but requires a learning curve. This is something that Meizu users are used to as they use the same tap to go back on many models. Pressing the button takes you to the homescreen.

There are no buttons on the right side of the phone, but the left side is very crowded. It houses the volume rocker placed above the power button. This is quite unusual, as for example Meizu MX5, Galaxy S6, HTC One M9+ or iPhone 6S will all come with a power button and volume rocker on the right side of the phone.

The right side also hosts the nano SIM card slot and the phone offers an option of dual nano SIM cards or one nano SIM and a microSD card for storage. We think this is an excellent idea as it will offer you either dual SIM or one sim and extra storage at little cost.

The top of the phone has a 3.5 millimeter stereo connector.

At the bottom of the phone has a microphone opening, micro USB for data transfer of charging and four small dots to make a sound louder. There is only one speaker placed at the bottom of the phone. The down side is that you kill the volume when you place your fingers over it, just like with many other phones, especially in portrait mode.

The Meizu Note 2 is made from plastic but it still feels quite good in the hand. It is comfortable to hold and use and it feels quite light for the 5.5 inch phone too. There are no build quality issues, no flex, no creaks it all looks and feels much better than you would expect from a 150 euro phone.

The rear of the phone and finish looks and feels good. There is a camera with dual LED flash at the top of the phone and there is rather refined Meizu logo at the bottom. You cannot open the cover and the battery is not user-replaceable.