Meizu’s Flyme OS (based on Android 7 Nougat) was elegant, minimal, and fast. But it had a controversial quirk: no app drawer . Every app you installed lived on the home screen, iOS-style. In China, this was normal. In the West, users found it claustrophobic and "un-Android."

The results were stunning. The M6 Note produced natural bokeh—not the blurry, edge-detection mess of its rivals. In good light, it traded punches with the iPhone 7 Plus. For portrait mode junkies on a budget, the M6 Note was the undisputed king. So, why isn’t the Meizu M6 Note a household name like the Redmi Note 4?

For a brief window in late 2017, if you wanted the best battery life, a gorgeous metal build, and a flagship-grade camera for under $250, the M6 Note was the answer. It was the phone that proved Meizu could compete with the giants—if only they hadn't spent years fighting Qualcomm in court.