I was cleaning my gadget shelf yesterday, buried under review units, and stumbled upon the Meizu 22 again. You know that feeling when you rediscover an old phone and think, “Damn, this was good“? That hit me hard. Especially considering the price tag attached to this thing now.
Look, Meizu isn’t exactly a household name here like Xiaomi or Samsung. They dipped their toes in, made some waves with the design nerds, then kinda… vanished from mainstream view. But finding this Meizu 22, the 8GB RAM / 256GB storage variant specifically, made me plug it in and give it another whirl. And honestly? It’s a bit of a shocker how much phone you get for the cash, especially if you snag it around the ₹23-25k mark these days.
That Screen Though
First thing you notice? The display. It’s a proper 6.55-inch AMOLED panel. Vibrant colours, deep blacks – the good stuff. And yeah, it’s got that sweet 120Hz refresh rate. Scrolling through Twitter or Instagram feels buttery smooth, no jankiness. Brightness is decent outdoors, not class-leading, but usable under the Delhi sun. For the price? Absolute winner. No cheap LCD nonsense here.
Performance Punch: Daily Driver Material?
Under the hood, it’s packing a MediaTek Dimensity 9000. Yeah, that flagship-level chip from a couple of years back. Paired with 8 gigs of RAM and 256GB storage? This thing flies for daily stuff. Opening apps, switching between 20 Chrome tabs, even some decently heavy gaming – it handles it without breaking a serious sweat. Not gonna lie, I expected some lag or thermal throttling, but it stayed surprisingly cool and responsive. If you’re not chasing the absolute latest benchmark king, this combo is seriously overkill for WhatsApp, YouTube, and casual gaming. A genuine performance bargain.
Camera: Solid, Not Spectacular
Meizu cameras have always had a certain… character. The 22’s setup isn’t going to blow the Pixel or iPhone out of the water, but it’s surprisingly competent. The main 50MP sensor captures decent detail in good light. Colours lean a tad warm for my taste sometimes, but it’s natural, not that oversaturated nonsense some brands push. Low light? It’s okay. Gets noisy, needs steady hands, but Night Mode does an acceptable job. The ultrawide is usable, nothing more. Selfie cam is fine for video calls. Don’t expect flagship magic, but for Instagram snaps and family photos? It gets the job done without embarrassment. Better than many phones in this bracket, honestly.
The Trade-offs? Battery & That Meizu Quirk
Battery life is… adequate. The 4700mAh cell isn’t huge, and the thirsty Dimensity chip + 120Hz screen combo means you’re charging by evening if you’re a heavy user. It’s a full day for moderate use, but just barely. Carry the charger. And speaking of charging, it’s 65W fast. Super quick top-ups, which help offset the average endurance.
The other quirk? Flyme OS. Meizu’s Android skin. It’s clean, minimal, and pretty smooth. But it’s different. Some menus take getting used to, and the update situation? Well, let’s just say if you’re someone who needs the absolute latest Android version the day it drops, look elsewhere. Security patches? Hopefully. Major OS upgrades? Unlikely. It’s stuck on Android 12 or 13, depending on when you got it. That’s the biggest caveat.
The Real Kick in the Pants? The Price
Here’s the mic drop. Finding this 8/256GB Meizu 22 hovering around ₹23,000-₹25,000? That’s an insane value. Seriously. The screen, the performance, the storage – you’d struggle to find this combo elsewhere near this price. Sure, newer phones have slightly better cameras or bigger batteries, but raw power and display quality? This punches way above its weight class financially.
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Final Gut Check
The Meizu 22 is a fascinating relic. It feels premium, performs like a champ, and has a screen that shames many current mid-rangers. But Flyme’s quirks and the uncertain update future are real considerations. If you’re hunting for max performance and storage on a tight budget, don’t mind a clean-but-different OS, and can live with “good enough” cameras and battery? This phone is a hidden gem, a total steal if you find it at that sub-25k price. I genuinely forgot how good it was. Just manage those software expectations.
Hi, I’m Ricky, the founder of OKSociety.in. I’m a tech enthusiast with a deep passion for smartphones, mobile technology, and everything that makes our digital lives smarter. I started OKSociety to share honest reviews, the latest phone updates, and practical buying guides to help people make better choices in this fast-paced tech world.