Flyme 4.5.4.5R Review

Flyme is another customised variant of Android out there. Developed by Meizu, it is similar to Xiaomi's MIUI and Samsung's TouchWiz. In this post, we review Flyme 4.5.4.5R which has been ported to many other devices other than the ones which are manufactured by Meizu themselves.

Video Review

In the first fifteen minutes of the video review, we have covered up all the options which are there in the settings menu. In the remaining time, we have tested out all the apps aboard Flyme 4.5.4.5R, giving you an idea of what each app has to offer and how you can access these app features. Please do remember that you always have the option to leave the video after the first fifteen minutes because all the configurations which are present under the settings menu have been wrapped up under this time threshold.

Theming Engine

Flyme comes with it's own theming engine which allows you customise the looks of your device on the fly.

The only disadvantage we have in here is that most of the text contents which are present inside the Theme Store are in Chinese. So, unless you are familiar with Chinese, you will have a hard time navigating through the themes and finding your favorite ones.

However, all the themes are well illustrated with images as shown above. You can check out the screenshots before you decide whether to download the theme or not. Alongside screenshots, you can also check out the theme rating to get an overall idea of it's popularity and how well has the theme been designed. The theme's build date, version number, publisher and download counts are also shown.

Meizu's Flyme OS themes out the user interface in the form of modules. Modules are nothing but parts if the system which will be themed, for example the lock screen, home screen, system apps etc. Some of the themes theme certain third party applications as well, but this feature is present only in a limited number of themes.

Applying themes is very easy and hassle free as well. You just need to tap on the apply button once and the system will adapt itself to the theme within a couple of seconds. Theming in Flyme is pretty much similar to the one you  have seen in CMTE, Substratum or Layers. Similar to the three theming options mentioned above, Flyme also gives you options to choose which theme modules should be applied. This means that you can use multiple theme modules from different themes to design your phone as per your liking.

The Keyboard

Honestly, I found the keyboard awful. It needs a lot of work on it. The keyboard missed out my tap on many letters most of the times. This just set off the things for me.

Although the keyboard does offer you a set of emojis as well, the bad recognition of taps on the keyboard was definitely a mood turn off for me.

English word recognition is also present. Voice recognition is only affiliated with Baidu. However on flashing the right package of Gapps, Google's voice typing can also be used with the stock keyboard. However, we will definitely recommend you to stick with this keyboard. Better options such as the Google Keyboard, Swift Keyboard are available there out in the Android market for free.

Super Mode

Super Mode is Flyme's battery saving mode which can be enabled when the device's battery dips down below the mark of 20%.

This puts your device in a power saving state. Background checks for apps are limited. Dynamic translucency will somewhat reduce the device's brightness. Screen timeout is reduced from one minute to 15 seconds. Gesture wakeup (if your device supports it) will be disabled and system sound volume would also be reduced.

Wallpapers & Icons

You won't be disappointed in terms of wallpapers as the ROM has an ample number of beautiful wallpapers. Although the ROM does not come in with any live wallpapers, it does give you an option to set one in case you have one.

Wallpapers can be applied separately to both the launcher home screen and lock screen. Do note here that themes have different wallpapers as well and the stock launcher doesn't have an app drawer.

All the icons are put in squares with rounded corners as shown above. Even if it's a custom app icon, then too Flyme will give the app icon a square cut with round corners. Courtesy to their neat designing, they are a treat to look at.

Security Settings

As for security, Flyme offers you an option to lock apps and lock your screen as well, of course! However, the only type of security which is available in here is the pin lock. There is no pattern lock screen. Finger print lock screen will be supported depending upon your device.

Another thing to note here is that you can enter different pin codes for both the lock screen and app locking.

Permissions

Permissions were introduced by Google only when Marshmallow was introduced. However, Flyme went a step ahead this time and introduced permissions control in it's Lollipop 5.1.1 based Flyme 4.5.4.5R.

You can enable or disable permissions as well as view the list of permissions the app requires.

SmartTouch

If used smartly, SmartTouch can be help you use your device just nu using one hand, pretty much like the one handed mode.

SmartTouch places a translucent dot on top of your screen. On the top of this dot, you can single tap, double tap, swipe up, down, left and right. You can customise all these swipe and tap gestures. The default allocations have been shown above. If you configure these settings well, you can truly use your phone just with one hand.

The Calculator

Flyme's calculator does offer you certain unique features as well. Of course, it does offer the basic addition, subtraction, division and multiplication.

Certain advanced functions such as the ability to find exponents, inverses and logarithms are also present. You can also convert currencies, volumes, weights, area and lengths across various units.

The feature which takes the cake here is the floating window mode. Press the bottom right arrows icon will put the calculator in the form of a window. The window is fixed and can't be moved around. But, in case you want to borrow the data from any other app, this floating window mode can come in handy.

Miscellaneous Stuff

Cloud synchronization of your content is available as well. Flyme will regularly sync your contacts, messages, memos and calendar bookings to its servers. Similar syncing is available when you register for a Google account

Options for tinting the status bar as per the primary color of the app you are using are also available. Additionally you can also display network speeds in the status bar as well.

Pocket mode is also present which prevents accidental unlocks when the device is in the pocket.

Krittin Kalra

Krittin Kalra is a 20 year old Android freak. Striving for passions, chasing down his dreams and living a life without regrets is his sole mantra. A bit moody, he also does custom ROM reviews for AndroGuider. Currently pursuing his B.Tech, he aspires to follow his heart.