Chinese smartphone manufacturer Meizu has announced an event for January 28 through its official Weibo social network account, and it’s being advertised using the tagline “Connected.” It’s not giving much away, but there are a few possibilities about what new device the company will show. Here’s a rundown of all the news and rumors we’ve heard so far.
Updated on 01-23-2015 by Andy Boxall: Added in a leaked image of the M1 Mini, plus rumors of a choice of operating systems.
Smaller, cheaper version of the M1 Note
Several sources say Meizu will launch the sister device to the M1 Note, which debuted just before Christmas, called the M1 Mini. The M1 Note has a large 5.5-inch screen, a 13-megapixel camera, MediaTek’s oct-core processor, and a budget price tag. It’s believed to be the first in a series of reasonably priced phones from Meizu, designed to capture some of the market flocking to rival Xiaomi’s Redmi series. It was launched a few days after the massive 5.5-inch MX4 Pro, which has a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution, a metal body shell, and Samsung’s octa-core Exynos processor inside.
The M1 Mini may have a 5-inch screen, and still be powered by a 64-bit MediaTek chip. However, the price could be down to around $115 to $130, which is more than $100 less than the M1 Note, and similar to Xiaomi’s Redmi 2.
Shortly before the launch event, an image supposedly showing the M1 Mini leaked on the Weibo social network. The picture shows two Mini-style phones alongside the larger M1 Note, one of which looks to run standard Android, a feature unlikely to make it through to production.
When Meizu began promoting its pre-Christmas M1 Note event, there were rumors of both a 5.5-inch low cost phone (which turned out to be the M1 Note), plus a smaller 4.6-inch version, which may end up being the M1 Mini. However, reports now say the 4.6-inch screen has been replaced by a 5-inch display. If Meizu follows a similar strategy to the M1 Note for the M1 Mini, expect a sleekly styled phone in multiple iPhone 5C-like colors.
A choice of operating system?
While the M1 Mini is the most likely candidate for launch, we’re still waiting for more news on the first official Ubuntu Mobile smartphone, which Meizu is apparently still producing. Several screenshots leaked and published by MeizuNews.com seem to suggest the M1 Mini may come with the option of various operating systems, including the missing-in-action Ubuntu Mobile. This shouldn’t be taken as proof though, and Meizu may simply have been using the M1 Mini as a test device.
We’ll bring you all the Meizu news on January 28.
Article originally published on 01-19-2015
