If you were hoping to get your hands on the Meizu Zero “holeless” smartphone, the chances are rather slim. The Chinese manufacturer has confirmed that the concept device was a marketing stunt and that there are no plans to bring the device to mass market.
Meizu’s founder and CEO, Jack Wong recently shared details on the company’s forum, stating that the device was a “development project from the R&D department” that was never intended for a major release. The confession came after the Indiegogo campaign for the Meizu Zero failed to meet its $100,000 goal, leaving fans were curious about plans to move forward. Only 29 backers donated less than $46,000 toward the device; however, since Meizu did not hit its target, no one lost any money.
The manufacturer showcased an unfinished prototype of the Meizu Zero at MWC 2019, where reviewers including Roland Quandt and Mashable’s Ray Wong discussed the improbability of the device. Quandt noted that the prototype did actually have some holes — while hard to see, they would likely be necessary to allow sound through for a phone function.
Meizu projected the idea of a device with display embedded speakers, eSIM to enable mobile connectivity, an in-display fingerprint sensor, wireless charging, and various squeeze and haptic feedback technology to take the place of physical buttons. For $1299, Meizu promised a completely IP68 waterproof phone, but many scoffed at the idea of the device running last year’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chip. Now it makes sense why the company didn’t market the current Snapdragon 855 chip.
The Chinese manufacturer now joins a host of companies who have used Indiegogo to showcase fake products as a marketing ploy. Many fans have expressed their disappointment that the Meizu Zero project isn’t real, but more so that the company’s CEO was so nonchalant in his confession.
It will be interesting to see if this stunt tarnishes Meizu’s reputation, considering it does make real smartphones that release to market.
