Meizu might not be the first name that springs to mind when thinking about your next smartphone – but then Oppo, OnePlus, Huawei and Xiaomi, used to be the in same position not so long back. The future for Chinese made smartphones is looking strong and the Meizu Pro 6 makes for a very compelling spec sheet.

The Meizu Pro 6 has a deca-core processor (yes, 10 cores!), 21-megapixel rear camera complete with a ring flash, 4GB of RAM, a minimum of 32GB of storage, and it costs a lot less than this impressive list would suggest.

The phone shares a similar metallic design with last year’s Meizu Pro 5, with the most obvious difference being the Pro 6’s reduced size — 5.2- versus 5.7-inches. Also, there’s slightly curvier antenna lines at the top and bottom of the back.

Some of the other specs, including the full HD screen, 21-megapixel rear camera and the 5-megapixel selfie cam, 32/64GB of memory, have remained the same.

But then it’s what the Meizu Pro 6 has new that could separate this model from all the other smartphones out there.

Beauty is Power. The all-new Meizu PRO 6. pic.twitter.com/s7D5jpdo0Y

— MEIZU (@MEIZU) April 13, 2016

Let’s start with that deca-core MediaTek Helio X25 processor. Having that under the hood makes the Pro 6 the first 10-core processor smartphone available, according to Meizu.

This might be great for showing off down at the pub whilst pointing out that the new flagships from HTC, Huawei, Samsung, et al all have octa-core processors but I would really like to see how the 10-core beast performs in the real world.

There’s also that ring flash fitted to the rear.

This unit is positioned below the rear camera instead of around it. Instead it surrounds the laser auto-focus-assisting sensor.

Again, this is something that I’d like to test before saying whether or not it increases photo quality but it’s definitely a novelty approach.

Finally, there’s the 3D Press screen, Meizu’s take on Apple’s 3D Touch technology. We’ve seen it on several other Chinese phones (the Huawei P9 Plus has it) – is it very useful? We shall see.

The Pro 6 is also packing an ultra-fast fingerprint sensor, a USB Type-C port and the Cirrus Logic CS43L36 audio chip, which Meizu claims should provide a great audio experience.

The phone comes with the latest version of Meizu’s Flyme OS which has had its issues in the past so this is something else that would need to be tested before any recommendations.

Meizu Pro 6 price and availability

The confirmed Meizu Pro 6 price for China for the 32GB model is CNY 2,500 and that equates to around $385, £270, €340, or Rs.25,700.

The 64GB Meizu Pro 6 price is CNY 2,800, around $430, £300, €380, or Rs. 28,800.

Those itching to get their hands on it will see it release from April 23rd.