Meizu Pro 6Chinese smartphone brand Meizu has launched a range of devices in South Africa.
The company, which started out selling MP3 players, has been manufacturing smartphones for the past ten years and has captivated other markets all over the world with its low-cost, high-spec phones.
SA national marketing director Francois van Louw says it has become one of the fastest growing smartphone brands in the world, especially among emerging markets.
He says the company hopes to secure a top-selling spot in South Africa's competitive smartphone market by delivering high quality products and services at reasonable prices.
Two Meizu devices are now available here: the Meizu M3 Note and Meizu Pro 6. Another three smartphones at different price points are expected to be launched in the second quarter of 2017.
The M3 Note retails for R3 299 and is aimed qt the mid-market. It features dual-SIM capabilities, has expandable memory and a large battery. The Pro 6 is priced at R7 999 and is aimed at the premium market. It has a Type C connection with fast charging, an aluminium body and a 21MP main camera.
Unlike most Android devices, the Meizu phones only have one button at the bottom of the device.
Custom operating system
Van Louw says what makes Meizu smartphones unique is its Flyme operating system that is layered over Android. The OS has some unique features, including the Flyme Toolbox which comes with a flashlight toggle that supports three modes of brightness, a feature only recently introduced to Apple's iOS.
Flyme also has its own security centre, cleaner, accelerator and data monitor. The built-in apps do things that would require third-party apps on other Android phones, such as allowing users to block spam calls, scan and clear junk and unwanted files, display the amount of RAM in use, and set data limit usage.