Meizu has quietly jumped back into smartwatches after roughly five years away, and the first shot is a very familiar one: the Meizu Watch M1, a budget smartwatch with a big AMOLED screen, Bluetooth calling, and the kind of fitness tracking spec sheet that tries hard to sound expensive. The new Meizu Watch M1 launches in China at 299 yuan (~$45), which puts it squarely in the ”good enough, please stop asking for flagship money” category.
The timing makes sense. Cheap smartwatches keep getting better, and Meizu is leaning on display size and battery life rather than chasing premium materials or a wild software ecosystem. That is usually the right call at this price, especially when rivals have trained buyers to expect a long feature list even from devices that cost less than a dinner out.
2.01-inch AMOLED screen with 1,000 nits
The Watch M1 uses a square dial with a curved display design and a metal-look frame. Its 2.01-inch AMOLED panel has a resolution of 410 x 502 pixels and peaks at 1,000 nits, which should help outdoors when a dim screen turns every notification into a guessing game.
Meizu also adds 2.5D glass and full-touch operation. In other words, this is built to look more polished than the usual bargain-bin wearable, even if the materials story stays firmly on the practical side.
Bluetooth calling and 100-plus sports modes
On the connectivity side, the Watch M1 supports Bluetooth calling and Bluetooth music playback, plus dual Bluetooth connectivity. It is powered by dedicated hardware that includes a VC30F-SG heart rate sensor and an SC7A20H motion sensor.
- More than 100 sports modes
- Heart rate, sleep and calorie tracking
- Sedentary reminders and hydration reminders
- Women’s health tracking
That feature set is broad, but not unusual. The smartwatch market has spent years turning ”fitness tracker” into a very crowded label, so the real question is whether Meizu’s software feels quick and usable rather than merely generous on paper.
Battery life, durability and China-only availability
The Watch M1 carries an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, a 300mAh battery and magnetic charging. Meizu claims around three to five days of typical use, with standby time stretching to 15 days, and a full charge takes about two hours.
It is already on sale in China with a black perforated silicone strap and a silver watch body with a red crown accent. For now, Meizu has not announced any plans for India or other global markets, which is the standard annoying move for a comeback product: launch locally, tease everywhere else, and make everyone wait.
Meizu’s smartwatch comeback strategy
Meizu is clearly aiming at volume, not prestige. If the Watch M1 gets traction, expect the company to keep pushing the same formula: a bigger display, basic smart features, and pricing that undercuts anything wearing a more fashionable badge. The unanswered question is whether that is enough to win back attention in a smartwatch segment that never stops churning out another ”affordable” contender.