The longer the wait, the sweeter the reward—Meizu delays the 22 to improve camera performance

Or so it says… Regardless, it’s nice to see a smartphone manufacturer take their time in developing their smartphones, especially the flagship ones, rather than churning them out and fixing bugs after the release.

Meizu’s Comeback at MWC

During this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC), we saw Meizu make a return to form when they teased their newest flagship, the Meizu 22. This was after persistent rumors that the company (now owned by Geely) would be leaving the smartphone sector and focusing on AI and their newly developed Flyme Auto OS instead.

A group shot of four Meizu 22 smartphones in different colors: black, light purple, light green, and white. The phones are shown from the back, highlighting their triple-camera setup, and from the front, showing the punch-hole display. — Meizu 22 Series via, Alibaba Reads

The company has been awfully silent these past few years, in the Philippines that is. I remember the company from the days when Chinese manufacturers were still trying to break through the Philippine market; they offered good hardware that rivaled those that retailed for double their price, just like how Xiaomi gained a foothold.

A promotional poster for the Meizu 22 AI phone. A large red "22" is featured behind an outline of the phone, with smaller red squares filling the numbers. The text indicates a launch in August and highlights the 1.2mm narrow bezels. — The company’s August launch poster for the 22 via, Gizmochina

Why the Delay?

Anyway… After the initial MWC appearance, there was radio silence from the company until this month when they confirmed the launch of the 22. But it looks like we’re waiting just a bit longer after the company just postponed the launch.

A vertical poster for the Meizu 22 smartphone, with a large red "22" behind an image of the phone's camera interface. The text announces a delay, apologizing for a third time and promising a release in mid-September. — The company announcing the delay of the 22 until September via, Gizmochina

Meizu 22 vs. HUAWEI Pura 80 Ultra?

The company is really taking their time and honing their comeback piece, ika nga nila “go big or go home!” The delay seems to stem from the photography capability of the smartphone. There’s really nothing wrong with the hardware; they just want to take into consideration the feedback they’ve gathered from their prototypes.

It’ll be interesting to see what the company cooks up with the 22. Will it rival that of the current King of Mobile Photography, the HUAWEI Pura 80 Ultra? Only time will tell.

What we know so far…

For now, the only information we’ve got is that the 22 will feature a 6.3-inch display, powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite, and will be powered by a 5500 mAh battery with support for 80W fast charging.

Despite the delay, the company has already been taking orders for the 22 with a special promo of just 1 Yuan (8 Pesos when converted). Ngl, that’s a hell of a way to drum up support… I mean, even I wouldn’t turn down an 8 Peso phone, even if it’s just a pre-order.