chiness mobile looks like an ipad

The Good The Meizu MX4 has a beautiful design and interface, and an unusual 5:3 display. It also has 4G LTE support for most regions.

The Bad The bug-ridden operating system leaves much to be desired, and its poor camera performance and battery life are disappointing.

The Bottom Line The Meizu MX4 may have the looks to stand toe-to-toe with the flagships -- as long as you like its squarish shape -- but its buggy software and poor performance mean you should steer clear for now.

Unlike more established Chinese brands such as Xiaomi orOnePlus, you've probably never heard of Meizu. The Beijing-based company has been building smartphones for a while now, and the MX4 is the company's fourth device -- and quite a stand-out it it too, with a unique 5.4-inch display with a 5:3 aspect ratio, much squarer than most phones.

Inside, however, the story is more troubling. Battery life and camera quality are disappointing and operating system is riddled with bugs. Also, while the MX4 comes with 4G LTE connectivity, it isn't compatible with networks in the US. It should, however, be compatible with high-speed networks of both EE and Three in the UK and Optus in Australia.

Available at online retailers such as Gearbest in the US, the MX4 costs $449 for the 16GB model and $489 for the 32GB version. It's available via Amazon in the UK for £300 for 16GB or £304 for 32GB (why would you buy the 16GB one?). Australians will have to import the phone, with the US prices converting to AU$510 and AU$555, respectively. At this point, however, there are too many niggling problems to recommend it at that price.