Review: Maze Alpha smartphone – a budget Xiaomi lookalike with some useful features
Although it doesn’t match up to premium smartphones, the Alpha’s almost bezel-free design, long battery life, crisp screen resolution and low price make it a good choice for those on a tight budget
You know times in the smartphone industry are changing when Xiaomi, once widely accused by Western media of ripping off Apple’s hardware and software, is seeing its pioneering bezel-less Mi Mix being copied by other Chinese companies.
This year has seen the release of many blatant Mi Mix clones (some, such as Doogee, didn’t even bother hiding the fact, naming its device the Mix as well). The most impressive of these is the Alpha, manufactured by new Shenzhen company Maze.
Design and hardware
The Maze Alpha, just like the Xiaomi Mi Mix, is a boxy device with virtually no bezels around three sides of the display, giving the illusion that the screen stretches from edge to edge.
Little things betray the Alpha’s budget roots, though, such as the bottom bezel being significantly larger than the Mi Mix’s, and a plastic frame that doesn’t feel as nice in the hand as the Mi Mix’s ceramic body.