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There are few smartphones currently available that have a screen as sharp as the one found on the Meizu MX4 Pro. With a 2560 x 1536 resolution the 5.5-inch QHD display boasts a whopping pixel density of 546ppi.
On paper, the panel on the MX4 Pro should be sharper than QHD displays found on other high-end smartphones such as the LG G3 (538ppi) and the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (515ppi). However in every day use, the increase in resolution isn't glaringly obvious.
Nevertheless, thanks to super thin bezels and a vibrant QHD display, with an extensive brightness range and decent viewing angles, the MX4 Pro still produces one of the best visual experiences on a smartphone to date.
Below the MX4 Pro's crisp display sits the physical home key, which houses Meizu's 'mTouch' fingerprint scanner. Unlike the rather finicky swipe gesture required to unlock the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Note 4 via your fingerprint, simply pressing and holding the MX4 Pro's home button allows you to access the device.
Overall I found the digit reader to be reliable. Although for ease of use, I recommend scanning more than one finger.
As well as being able to unlock the phone via the scanner, Meizu has integrated mTouch into its Flyme security settings allowing you to lock individual or multiple apps with your fingerprint.
mTouch can also be used to purchase apps and themes for the MX4 Pro. At present this is only available for Chinese users, but it doesn't prevent you from downloading free items.
Flyme 4 is Meizu's custom user interface which runs on top of the Meizu MX4 Pro's Android 4.4.4 OS. Much like the hardware design language of the MX4 Pro, Flyme 4 is simple and minimal. Apps are front and centre on the homescreen, with Flyme ditching the app drawer all together.
There are a significant number of useful additions to the software, which make navigating around the OS on the large MX4 Pro that little bit easier. As part of the clean look, the persistent navbar has been replaced with contextual softkeys that change according to app requirements.
The recent apps panel has been relocated to the bottom of the screen, in order to switch between and close apps without having to reach halfway up the display. Rather than stretching to the very top of the MX4 Pro's 5.5-inch screen, swiping downwards on any part of the homescreen gives you access to the notification bar.
Other gestures such as double-tap to wake and long pressing the home key to sleep also reduce the number of times you need to use the awkwardly positioned power button.
Meizu has a rich audio heritage and the MX4 Pro delivers impressive sound quality through both the speaker and 3.5mm headphone jack.
The 'Hi-Fi sound' settings in Flyme 4 are especially useful, allowing you to get the best out of whatever headphones you are using.
Meizu's passive filter and high resolution amplifier seem to be the real deal, providing a loud, detailed and enjoyable sound experience that is so often missing from smartphones.
