Last month, in May 2025, the global market witnessed the official launch of two new mblu 22 series smartphones from Meizu. The mblu 22 and mblu 22 Pro models were introduced, and we got our hands on the top-end model of this series and have been testing the latest smartphone device over the past two weeks.
This article will be all about the mblu 22 Pro smartphone, and we will be taking you notably through its performance, gaming, display, camera, and battery related aspects and will also be discussing a few of its other key features and who this phone is suitable for.
Why waste time? Let’s get started right away.
Unboxing
Before we dive into the hardware and software specs of the device, let’s first get to know what is offered within the packaging box. The well-packed packaging box directly opens into the smartphone model and below which, enclosed within a separate packaging box, users will be able to find the necessary documentation, a plastic screen protector, as well as a transparent back case. Inside the box, an 18W charging adapter (not brick-like), a USB Type-A to USB Type-C cable, and a sim ejector tool can also be found.
On the packaging box, one will be able to find details regarding the smartphone marked on the front, top, and also on the left and right sides. The variant that we have had for testing is the Deep Sea Blue color variant, and it is the 4GB/128GB storage option (with up to 8GB virtual RAM support).
Features and Specifications
The top features of the smartphone as listed by the brand are the 50MP ultra HD camera system, 48-month claimed smooth experience, Elegant Design, high capacity battery, Titan Shield Architecture, and ultra smooth display. In addition to the 50MP primary shooter, there is a selfie camera of 8MP given at the front. On the performance side, MediaTek’s Helio G81 chip is equipped within the device and is coupled with up to 16GB of dynamic RAM (8GB inbuilt + 8GB virtual) and up to 256GB of storage. The 5000 mAh battery supporting 18W wired fast charging is also a key feature, along with the high strength material build that has allowed the device to qualify different quality tests. Its 6.79″ LCD HD+ display with 120Hz refresh rate and Deep Sea Blue/Snow White/Titan Black color choices are further specs.
Key Specs |
Meizu mblu 22 Pro |
General |
|
| Dimension | 170.8 x 77.5 x 8.5 mm |
| Weight | 212 gm |
Connectivity |
|
| Network | 2G/3G/4G |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (WiFi 5)
Dual-Band Connectivity |
| Bluetooth | Version 5.0 |
| NFC | Yes (Market Dependent) |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0
OTG Support |
Platform |
|
| Processor | MediaTek Helio G81 (12 nm) |
| Primary Clock Speed | 2.0 GHz |
| GPU | ARM Mali-G52 MC2 |
| Operating System | Android 15 |
| Storage Options | 4GB/128GB, 6GB/256GB, and 8GB/256GB
Up to 8GB Added Virtual RAM |
Display |
|
| Display Type | TFT LCD Display |
| Screen Size | 6.79” |
| Screen Resolution | 720 x 1640 Pixels |
| Refresh Rate | 120Hz |
| Brightness Rate | 400 nits (HBM) |
Camera |
|
| Rear Camera | 50MP (Wide, f/1.8) + 2MP (Macro, f/2.4) Dual Camera System |
| Front Camera | 8MP (Wide, f/2.0) |
Sensors |
|
| Fingerprint Scanner | Yes, Side-Mounted Fingerprint Sensor |
| Accelerometer | Yes |
| Proximity Sensor | Yes |
| Compass | – |
| Gyroscope | – |
| Barometer | – |
| Satellite Connectivity | – |
Battery |
|
| Battery Capacity | 5000 mAh (Si/C Li-ion) |
| Charging Features | 18W Wired Fast Charging |
Colors |
|
| Color Choices | Deep Sea Blue, Snow White, and Titan Black |
Design
Speaking about the design, at the rear, Meizu has given a seemingly-large circular Black-colored rear camera module positioned at the top-center portion. Around the camera module, a concentric ring design has also been added throughout the rear panel, along with a gradient coloring. [To note, the Titan Black variant defies this design and offers a matte brushed appearance at the rear.] Also, the device has a glass rear panel and it adds to the overall design of the smartphone.
Within the camera module, a center circular portion can again be spotted with the marking ‘50MP CAPTURE GREATNESS’. Around it, on the top, right, and left sides, there are camera units given, and at the bottom – the LED flashlight.
The middle frame however is plastic, but this doesn’t really mar the in-hand experience of the device and a solid feel is given to users. Furthermore, using the back case provides a better grip to the device (~ best to use it to prevent accidental drops). At the right side panel, the volume rocker and power button has been placed, and the power button that is accentuated in Red color doubles as a side-mounted fingerprint scanner too. The bottom portion has the card tray, microphone hole, USB Type-C port, and speaker holes. Added speaker holes for the second speaker as well as a 3.5 mm headphone jack have also been given at the top.
Regarding the display, a better viewing area has been offered thanks to the thin bezels and punch-hole centrally-placed selfie camera – but the chin is on the thicker side.
In total, the overall design of the smartphone is good and as indicated – it is ‘elegant’. Moreover, the 8.5 mm thin body weighing just 212 gm prevents the occurrence of hand/wrist aches from longer usage periods.
Performance, User Interface, and Gaming
Now coming to the performance, first thing’s first – this is not a performance-oriented phone but a budget 4G device that guarantees a decent performance. That being said, users can expect Meizu’s mblu 22 Pro to handle daily tasks and perform certain productivity functions.
Looking at the Geekbench and AnTuTu benchmark scores of the device, they are not that impressive. Also, on AnTuTu’s stress test, performance throttling and device heating were experienced, and this can be expected when running heavy tasks. Even though the HTML5 test of AnTuTu suggests that the device will offer decent performance for daily web browsing and lighter web-based tasks, limitations can be seen when loading demanding web contents or tasks.
Interestingly, there is one aspect on the side of performance that will catch the attention of users – a clean, ad-free, bloatware-free user interface. Yes, the device which comes with the Android 15 based Flyme Lite 1.0.2.0G custom skin assures a great user experience on the device, with snappy responses and exciting animations. A few added features can also be found across the system and these include the Camera/Microphone Access Denial, Dark Theme, Color Inversion, Night Light, Extra Dim, Color Correction, Bedtime Mode, Live Caption, Song Search and Music Control Bar, Sensitive Notifications, Flash Notifications, Adaptive Battery, RAM Expansion, Sound Enhancement, Adaptive Brightness, Adaptive Refresh Rate, Digital Wellbeing & Parental Control, and DuraSpeed.
Also, on the gaming side, there aren’t many issues with usual simulation and role-playing games. However, occasionally the device was seen freezing, but would then go on without the need for any troubleshooting. So, its high-end gaming experience is highly doubtful and users are advised not to go to that extent as the longevity and reliability of the device could be affected.
Display, Camera, and Audio
Meizu’s mblu 22 Pro smartphone as mentioned features a 6.79” large display screen, and its users are being offered a quite commendable display quality and brightness with better color depiction. The above-mentioned display-related UI features such as Dark Theme, Color Inversion, Night Light, Extra Dim, and Color Correction further enhances the viewing experience of the users by tailoring it for their particular needs.
Now coming to the camera specs and features, even though we are able to find three camera sensors at the rear, the brand itself is marketing a dual rear camera system for the smartphone – meaning the third camera unit may be an auxiliary lens or it could be a dummy unit. For selfies, an 8MP front-facing camera is on offer. Modes such as Time Lapse, Video, Photo, Portrait, 50M, Night Shot, Panorama, and Professional are supported for the rear camera system, while only Video, Photo, and Portrait modes are given for the selfie cam. Flash Controls, HDR, AI capability, Timer, and Filters are also present within the Camera app.
In real-life scenarios, mostly the camera has a tendency to over expose the images. Also, the colors are a little popped and slightly far from natural. Day time shots offer better clarity and details, while shots at night and during low light conditions may not be the best – but can be considered as decent or good. At a particular instance, when switching between camera modes, the camera app all of a sudden crashed too and it took some time to get back to normal. The absence of EIS and OIS are easily identifiable from the video samples given below, and extra care and strain will have to be taken to keep the video output steady. Walking and shooting? No, the output is really bad.
The audio experience on the device is quite good, and this could be useful for several users. Its dual speakers are loud, and a 300% Audio Booster Mode is also supported to deliver both louder and deeper audio output for a better multimedia experience. The earpiece and mic also works really well with good quality on both, ensuring a good calling experience.
Battery Life and Charging
As pointed out, the Meizu mblu 22 Pro packs a decently large 5000 mAh battery within it and this is more than enough to get its users throughout the day. But, users may experience a battery drain when doing heavy tasks or while gaming on the device. Also, there is an 18W wired fast charging feature supported on the device, and for charging from 0% to 100%, about 2 hours is needed.
Pricing and Availability
The storage options available for the mblu 22 Pro smartphone of Meizu, apart from the 4GB/128GB version that we have with us, are the higher 6GB/256GB and 8GB/256GB storage versions. These three are priced respectively at USD 99, USD 119, and USD 129. [Just to add, during the launch of the device, the brand made certain early bird offers available to its users and fans, dropping the pricing of these storage options to USD 79, USD 99, and USD 109 respectively.]
Final Verdict
So for the final verdict, is the Meizu mblu 22 Pro a good smartphone device or not – Yes, it truly is a great affordable option now currently available in the market and as mentioned by Binbin Gu – Executive Director of Meizu’s Global Business, it has been designed for value-driven consumers ensuring a proper balance between affordability and performance.
Looking at the pros first, the unique design which has been marketed as ‘Elegant Design’ really lives up to the user expectation and the Deep Sea Blue color variant that we have been testing kind of gives users a similar premium vibe as that of the Vivo X200 series Blue color variant. The system UI is the next key highlight and a clean user experience is not always offered on such a budget and affordable device – Meizu really deserves praise for this. The display experience and speaker output are also good, as well as the battery and charging features. The multifarious camera modes are also a great addition, and these can meet different user needs.
About the cons, while the UI experience is great, in our testing, at certain intervals, there were crashes experienced through different parts of the UI and the first one noticed was the Clock widget issue on the Home Screen. As given in the image below, the Clock widget would crash and become non-operational, and to fix this, we were deleting the widget and adding it again – just to see it again crash after some time. In certain cases, just tapping the Clock widget had fixed it, but not always.
Also, the Flash did not work at a given point of time and it was only fixed when the device was restarted again. Just like pointed above, users may not be able to quickly switch between camera modes as the app would either crash or the camera thereafter won’t focus properly. The device was also seen skipping animations, and just opening the next screen or menu by popping it on the display. This smartphone is not at all ready for heavy tasks, and it is sure – users will find screen freezes. During our testing, the screen freeze was only present for a quick second, but the real test is after a few months and we’ll have to find out whether or not the claimed 48-month smooth experience is truly there. As indicated in the performance tests, the device will heat in real-life use too, but not at extreme levels and it was far lower than in the test outputs. [Also, this is a 4G device with no 5G network connectivity support.]
Most of the above issues, just like on other affordable and budget smartphones, can be fixed or eradicated to some extent by enabling RAM expansion (turned on by default). The device also provides users with the option to set the required virtual RAM space (3GB/4GB/6GB/8GB). However, it has to be kept in mind that inbuilt RAM and virtual RAM are not the same, and the quick read-write cycles on the internal storage may affect it with time. [Do check out our article regarding this matter to know more.]
Considering all these pros and cons together, we would recommend this phone to light users only – like students, normal users, and senior citizens. Youths can also prefer it, but keep in mind their needs before making the purchase. For heavy users like gamers and professionals, the device won’t properly suffice their needs and is not recommended.
