Meizu CEO Jack Wong spills more M9 details: Android 2.2 and retina-busting 960 x 640 screen

It's hard to call Meizu a straight-up KIRFmeister at this point, but the company certainly does like to flirt with copyright disaster. The M8 started off as an iPhone clone, but we've been hoping its successor, the M9, will be a bit more original. Meizu's Jack Wong has been dropping hints about the thing since January, and now he's tossing out a few more nuggets, like a Retina-matching 960 x 640 display -- making us wonder if this isn't just going to be an iPhone 4 wanna-be after all. Jack indicates the phone will run a heavily customized version of Android 2.2 (shown above) and is now pledging a proper release by the end of this year, with demo units making the rounds in October. Please forgive our cynicism, but we'll be using something non-permanent to mark that onto our calendar.

Update: It's 960 x 640, not 480.

[captnlove Posted Aug 17th 2010 2:27PM]

@MrT Do you pity the foo who don't care 'bout no screen resolution?

[KLegSY Posted Aug 17th 2010 1:13PM]

one day it will be the iPhone that is copying the Meizu !

[pspitts Posted Aug 17th 2010 1:18PM]

I could careless what res their screen gets. If it ain't Apple,then screw it !!

[Tullsy Posted Aug 17th 2010 1:24PM]

@pspitts What kind of logic is that? Oh, right, you want the one with the higher GeeBees.

And you call us Drones.

[Tullsy Posted Aug 17th 2010 1:23PM]

Speaking of Kirfing... Buy it, "kirf" the OS and install stock Android. Instantly epic phone.

[cataclysm Posted Aug 17th 2010 1:28PM]

wow, this custom interface actually looks awesome!

[brokenlizard56 Posted Aug 17th 2010 1:46PM]

Looks alot better than samsung's touchwiz skin

[Tech Dude Posted Aug 17th 2010 1:51PM]

HTC Sabor anyone?

[monkeycrackers Posted Aug 17th 2010 2:00PM]

Whether or not it will count as a "retina display" would depend not only on resolution but screen size.
If this were on say a Dell Streak 5" screen, the PPI would only be 231 vs iPhone 4's 326.

[N900 Posted Aug 17th 2010 2:12PM]

@monkeycrackers The screen size on the M9 is 3.54". Should have some relative PPI in comparison to the iPhone.

[HektikLyfe Posted Aug 17th 2010 2:13PM]

Maybe you could use the Sharpie Liquid Pencil?

[superaj Posted Aug 17th 2010 2:20PM]

That UI looks sexy. I want it on my EVO. gimmie.

[rossmcg Posted Aug 17th 2010 2:22PM]

One KIRF to rule them all.

[itsymbal Posted Aug 17th 2010 2:27PM]

Maybe you can use a Sharpie liquid pencil to write it on your calendar.

[iZach Posted Aug 17th 2010 2:34PM]

Everyone tries to copy or compete with the iPhone. That says it all.

[jaffreywali Posted Aug 17th 2010 2:51PM]

Is this even a real product?

[ushneb Posted Aug 17th 2010 3:14PM]

You should have linked "something non-permanent" to the Sharpie post that came right after this one. lol

[shinrasboy Posted Aug 17th 2010 3:20PM]

This bias is really old, really fast. It's called moving forward. Apple wasn't the only one that was going to have a high-res screen. If not this company than another. I prefer Android for no other reason than what I use it for. I'd like to see higher-res screens on Android phones.

[bleep Posted Aug 17th 2010 4:07PM]

engadget is such a KIRF of gizmodo.

[JojoMojo Posted Aug 17th 2010 4:48PM]

You Android Hemorrhoids have some sand up your butt. Does everybody need to buy a Toyota? There are some Nissan buyers as well. They each think that their car is better. I think everybody has the right to love and speak effusively about the car that they own. What I don't like is Toyota owners telling Nissan owners ... you are fools and morons. In conclusion.... it is ok to love your Android... just don't be a condescending a$$hole to iPhone owners. Love ... not hate.

....Waiting for cerebral comments like ... "Mac/iPhone users are idiots"......

[postulio Posted Aug 17th 2010 5:09PM]

hope this gets a stateside release.

[hfm Posted Aug 17th 2010 5:34PM]

" will run a heavily customized version of Android 2.2 "

I stopped reading at that point..

[gamerneek Posted Aug 17th 2010 6:06PM]

Wow, these guys took the idea of "iPhone running android" even more seriously than samsung did!

[BigKing Posted Aug 17th 2010 6:13PM]

@angelusp The Meizu M8 has a resolution of 720x480 and was released in February 2010. Yes, the time that Apple fans were screaming that high resolutions on telephones were unnecessary. 480x320 was more than enough!

[kadajawi Posted Aug 17th 2010 6:33PM]

Hm. Meizu. I think their biggest problem is how ambitious they are. I mean, the M8 was supposed to be the highest resolution phone on the market, but by the time it arrived it was still at the very top, but the competition was slowly arriving there too. And they ran into huge problems developing their own "Sense" for Windows Mobile/CE.

They are really a bit like Top Gear (when they build something). Ambitious, but rubbish. Why can't they just create a stock Android phone? And add a few apps like a music player that beats the crap out of the competition (which really isn't that difficult). Put in a Snapdragon, put in a high resolution display, make a nice casing (and Meizu can indeed feel pretty high quality), build in a high quality DAC compared to the ones that the competition puts on their phones, release it for a good price undercutting the competition. And people would (probably) like it, if it also looks decent.

[rovknuller Posted Aug 17th 2010 7:19PM]

OT: Nyone got a link to that wallpaper or something similar?
LOVE IT!

[Texasyoungin Posted Aug 17th 2010 7:54PM]

@rovknuller

I think I saw the exact same wallpaper in a app awhile back which I think it was called Retina Wallpaper in apples app store but not sure if android or any other marketplace got the same app or not

[SExpress Posted Aug 17th 2010 7:55PM]

Jack Wong is so full of sh!t.

This is the clown that tried to tell everyone that the iPhone was a copy of a design his company produced - but strangely hadn't shown to anyone until after the iPhone launched.

As noted in the commentary - his commitments to dates has been legendary for it's complete lack of delivery - the best he can usually do is a quick rendering of a virtual product with the Apple logo photoshopped out...

Clown!

[Shredfest Posted Aug 17th 2010 10:38PM]

"Please forgive our cynicism, but we'll be using something non-permanent to mark that onto our calendar."

Like the Sharpie liquid pencil?

[kenny goo Posted Aug 17th 2010 10:43PM]

So for all the other smartphones out there with 5:3 and 16:9 displays (rather than 3:2) this mean we're gonna start seeing 960x540 resolutions now? I'm all for that. Getting closer and closer to WXGA! Lol.

[andrewcweaver Posted Aug 17th 2010 10:52PM]

Hey, you guys can use the Sharpie liquid ;)

[o7o Posted Aug 18th 2010 7:20AM]

I though Android 2.2 only supported resolutions up to 854*480 pixels!

[policeman0077 Posted Aug 18th 2010 7:48AM]

I JUST WANT IT COULD RELEASE ON TIME