Meizu Zero is the first phone to drop the charging port

[Greg S]

Cutting corners: Removal of the headphone jack, charging port, SIM tray, and even physical buttons make the Meizu Zero a seriously minimal smartphone design. All of these cuts set the stage for other manufacturers to test the waters of how well a completely port-free phone will be received.

Once Apple dropped the headphone jack from the iPhone 7, plenty of jokes were made about how long it would be before a completely port-free phone was created. The time has finally come where a manufacturer has ditched even the charging port.

Meizu, a relatively small Chinese manufacturer has announced the Zero phone. Aside from the lack of headphone jack and missing charging port, Zero does not even have a SIM tray. Speaker grills are also absent from the phone, using the 5.99-inch QHD OLED panel to output sound. A fingerprint reader is also embedded on the front display.

The Zero is the closest we have ever seen to a phone with a completely clean exterior. Taking cues from the Essential Phone, there are no logos or obvious branding either. The only minor interruptions to the smooth design are the rear 12MP and 20MP cameras. Notice the front facing camera is tucked away neatly at the top without a notch. Additionally, there are two small holes in the phone. One contains a microphone, while the other is a reset button since there is no physical power button. Both are still sealed off to maintain an IP68 rating against dust and water.

Virtual buttons that are pressure sensitive are within the phone edges. This is quite similar to the squeeze feature created by HTC and Google.

Meizu claims to have developed its own 18W fast charging capabilities. For data transfer, a wireless equivalent of USB 3.0 is used. Bluetooth 5.0 is also standard, but certainly not ideal for large file transfers.

The launch of Zero is linked with how quickly Chinese carriers begin to support eSIM, but is intended for launch this year as soon as possible. It is not likely to see global distribution of this model, but it is a concept that could be replicated by larger OEMs.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/78399-meizu-zero-first-phone-drop-charging-port.html

 

[MaXtor]

That'll be fun trying to charge your phone away from home.

 

[Mister_K]

Too soon, too retarded.

 

[VitalyT]

Design that has no holes in it, LOL.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

Wireless charging isn't there yet - not to mention wireless data transfer.

EXAMPLE: I shoot 4K videos on my iPhone XS Max512GB. It takes a relatively long time to download that video to my computer before I can upload it to Youtube in 4K. How long will that same task take on wireless?

Some of my videos exceed 20GB once they are finalized. Some even exceed 60GB.

EXAMPLE: I plug my phone into my Hellcat or my Jeep SRT's 2.4 Amp USB part to charge almost instinctively as soon as I get in the car even if it's beyond 90% charge. . Now - I do like the idea of fast wireless charging because I've damaged God knows how many lightning cables beyond use... but my car didn't come with a wireless charging pad (2019 models offer them).

I am not happy how many cars put the wireless charger out of view. I prefer the Escalade's wireless charger which put the phone in a small alcove on the armrest. If more cars came with that, then OK that's cool - probably better than buying wires in fact.


This is being done to make the device more waterproof and dust proof.

I actually like the sound of that and I appreciate being able to shoot video underwater.

But my problem is that the wire offers a solid charging and data transfer solution that remains unchallenged, especially when you are holding the phone in your hands and using it. The wire allows for that. Wireless charging doesn't.

Now if they are able to make those wireless charging rooms like the concepts where the phone charges from induction coming from the walls - in whatever position it happens to be in - then OH MY GOODNESS...

 

[gusticles41]

We're going backwards, plz stahp.

Removal of features to pave the way for new and INNOVATIVE replacements is great. But that's not what's happening.

 

[psycros]

So while everyone is worried about a clean and efficient future for electricity this company is forcing customers to use a charging standard that wastes 40% of the power. Typical Chinese mentality.

 

[m4a4]

Right, remove even more conveniences for novelty. That's what the consumer wants... /sarcasm

 

[nismo91]

This sucks. having to carry the bulky wireless charger everytime you're travelling. not to mention the hassle of eSIM.

 

[pkroliko1]

So while everyone is worried about a clean and efficient future for electricity this company is forcing customers to use a charging standard that wastes 40% of the power. Typical Chinese mentality.

Except who uses it and wants it? Lazy Westerners who can't be asked to even plug in a phone cable.

 

[gusticles41]

Wireless charging is cool and all, but restrictive. Then you have companies like Google and Apple who cripple the capabilities if you don't buy chargers specifically approved by them. And while some vehicles have neat charging pads built in, most don't.

It isn't a standard yet, which means we aren't ready to pitch the port.

 

[Uncle Al]

Just plain dumb

 

[mailpup]

Except who uses it and wants it? Lazy Westerners who can't be asked to even plug in a phone cable.

Except that it's not for the Western market.

 

[Sausagemeat]

My iPhone could lose its charge port and it would take me some time to notice. That being said, at this point I’d rather keep it. I don’t think we are very far away from portless phones being the norm now though.

 

[cliffordcooley]

Please tell me efficiency loss is less than five percent with wireless charging. Otherwise no thank you.

 

[gusticles41]

Please tell me efficiency loss is less than five percent with wireless charging. Otherwise no thank you.

Trying to find a decent study on this but coming up short. Though I've read 60-70% efficiency is to be expected from Qi charging. Which is pretty awful.