Conclusion

While Mlais has been around for just a few months, we are starting to like the company’s no-nonsense approach. It’s all about balancing build quality, performance and value. This is true of most small brands, but few of them get it right, especially just six months into their existence.

Although we were truly impressed by the build quality, as was everyone who got a chance to see and feel the device, it doesn’t change the fact that the design is unoriginal, a blatant clone of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. We know a lot of people don’t even bother considering clones for a number of reasons. It’s a pity, because the Mlais is a good device and doesn’t deserve to be associated with dirt cheap knockoffs. Unfortunately, the carbon copy design does it no favours.

On the upside, the Mlais M4 Note is a good device, with decent hardware and top notch build quality. It’s not the fastest thing around, but it doesn’t have to be. The M52 is for performance geeks on a budget, while the M4 is designed for people who place an emphasis on premium build quality, but don’t want to spend a fortune to get it.

At $159 with shipping via GeekBuying (or $152 using coupon LTRTCYDR), the M4 offers good value for money. If you don’t measure the quality of your phone by benchmark scores or pixel density, but rather by build quality and practicality, the M4 makes perfect sense. Big brands don’t offer devices with premium build quality at this price point, and most Chinese brands tend to market value phablets with the best possible spec, clad in plastic.

While the M4 is a Samsung clone, it’s unique in the fact that it offers a premium look and feel on a budget. That’s just not something you see often, so we can recommend it to anyone who would rather hold a stainless steel phone in their hand than a cheap looking plastic phone that scores 10,000 more in Antutu.

Mlais M4 Note Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Stainless steel frame
• Premium look and feel
• Value for money
• Good display with slightly curved glass on top
• User-replaceable battery
• Near stock Android 5.0

Cons:

• Minor software glitches (namely double tap gestures)
• Unoriginal design
• Average battery capacity – a bigger unit would have attracted even more consumers