Although many websites are reporting that the Micromax Canvas 4 A210 will launch for upwards of 24 thousand Rupees, the truth is far from the rumors. Micromax is all set to officially announce and launch the Canvas 4 at an event being held on 8th of July. The event will showcase the product and will also announce official pricing. According to sources close to iGyaan, the Micromax Canvas 4 A210 will launch at a price under Rs. 20,000/-. While the market price will be Rs. 16,999/- at the beginning.
Micromax has also initiated this phone, with its key feature being a blow to unlock software, and a 5 MP camera in the front ensuring that the users have nothing to complain about lack of basic features. The main camera is a 13 MP autofocus camera and the back panel is glazed just like on Samsung Galaxy phones.
Micromax is also planning to launch the Canvas 4 A210 in White and Black colors, with a graphic texture back panel. The Micromax Canvas 4 A210 is expected to be under 9 mm in thickness, where the 8.9mm standard may come into play. The 5 inch 1280 x 720 p display indicates that the phone will be at-least 144 mm high (5.67 inches ) and 76 mm wide (2.87 inches).
We will get you more details when available, and you can expect iGyaan style videos to follow suit.
The next big thing from Micromax, the Micromax Canvas 4, is now up for pre-order on their official website.
To pre-order the Micromax Canvas 4, you will have to pay an initial amount of Rs. 5,000. When the device is officially released, on July 8, customers will have 7 days to pay the rest of the amount (If the consumer fails to pay the remaining amount by 15 July, the order gets automatically cancelled), which is rumoured to be around the Rs. 15,500 price mark.
The official specifications and other details of the phone, including the price, will be revealed on July 8th. Micromax has also said that consumers will also have the option of cancelling their orders, but only between 8 – 15 July.
The Micromax Canvas 4 will start shipping on July 10, and Micromax is promising to deliver your unit within 7 business days thereafter. You can check out the rest of the terms of pre-booking on Micromax’s website.
While there is no real news on the Micromax Canvas 4 we expect the following specs :
5 inch Full HD 1920 x 1080p Display
The Mediatek 6589 chipset (Quad core)
8 – 16 GB inbuilt storage
2 GB RAM
13 MP camera
2-5 MP front camera
Dual Sim capability
Android 4.2.2
Micromax has also teased a new feature of the Canvas 4 and people suspect that users can blow to unlock the screen and need not have to come in contact with the smartphone.
Micromax is clearly working on the next version of their popular Canvas series and has already started teasing it on TV. A small teaser caught between morning sessions of cricket tells us that another version of the Canvas is headed our way.
While there is no real news on the “Micromax Canvas 4” (expected name) we expect the following specs :
5 inch Full HD 1920 x 1080p Display
The Mediatek 6589 chipset (Quad core)
8 – 16 GB inbuilt storage
2 GB RAM
13 MP camera
2-5 MP front camera
Dual Sim capability
Android 4.2.2
But these seem to be only speculations until we get real word from the Indian mobile giant on what they are working on next. Stay tuned for more, till then see an exclusive picture of what the design of the Canvas 4 may be. The phone will be aggressively priced as the company will expect to do large numbers in terms of sale. Micromax presently moves out over 300,000 units of their canvas series on a monthly basis, a device like this priced around the 15,000 Rupee price mark could easily increase that by 50%.
Update : it is now confirmed that the phone will be called Micromax Canvas 4 and will be available June 28th. See below image from Micromax Canvas 4 Facebook Page
Micromax attempts yet another handset in the Indian Market with the new A111 Canvas Doodle, trying to grab the attention of budget seekers. The Quad Core smartphone is Micromax’s take on making a budget Note series smartphone. But, does the Micromax A111 Canvas Doodle fulfill that promise? lets find out.
Build Quality, Hardware and Design
The Micromax A111 Canvas Doodle isn’t exceptionally well built, but has just the right mix of elements that make it a fairly durable phone. The plastics and the back panel are solid and do not have any rattle in them what so ever. The included flip cover is a poorly made cover and will not last the users a long time, the fact that the white colored faux-leather material is not coated also makes it a dirt and grime magnet. However, it does do its job of protecting the front screen of the Micromax A111 Canvas Doodle, which thankfully takes a different design approach from the previous Canvas series smartphones.
The insides are laced with a thick layer of Qualcomm grease, in other words a Qualcomm MSM8225Q Snapdragon chipset runs the Canvas Doodle. The RAM is kept at a lowly 512 MB, and storage a mere 4 GB. The good thing however, is that the phone when provided with a class 10 microSD card, converts that into the main storage. This truly expands the capability of the device and makes Micromax’s Canvas series highly desirable (at least the new units). The front of the phone has a large 5.3 inch 480 x 854 px display which will not win any points in the resolution department, but is surely a large display.
Cameras on the Micromax A111 Canvas Doodle include an 8 MP main shooter and a 2 MP secondary shooter. Both of which are fairly good in their respective capabilities. You will also get video calls over 3G from the front facing camera.
The Micromax A111 Canvas Doodle take a design leap in a new direction, making the phone a lot more squarish and flatter vs the wobbly and curved design of the previous generation of Micromax Canvas phones. The bold new logo on the back, although appreciated by some, is almost like an eyesore on a fairly well finished smart phone, which constantly reminds you that you own a “punch” flavored smart phone.
“Doodle”! Honestly, a year ago if a phone with this name would have appeared in the market, it would have been ridiculed to death. But the market is different today, and we have heard of anything from “dream” to “titanium” to “grand” and even “iris” so nobody really cares if their smart phone is called Doodle. Now, coming to the point, the Micromax A111 Canvas Doodle was named such due to the inclusion of the stylus and the overall appeal of the smartphone as a pen input device. Unfortunately, the Micromax A111 Canvas Doodle comes no where near that, the included stylus is the most horrible stylus you can get for a phone, it is too small to hold, does not extend, and worst of all; does not work properly on the Micromax A111 Canvas Doodle.
Fortunately for Micromax, they do get redeeming points because, the freebies aside, the phone is quite a capable handset. With dual sim and the storage extended the phone manages to run smoothly and will not crash in daily chores. The internet experience is pleasing and the overall usage of the phone will not be a let down.
If you are seriously considering this device for the included stylus and drawing capabilities, investing in a tablet and a Rs. 1000 stylus will get you more than the Jelly Bean Doodle. The Micromax A111 Canvas Doodle is quite capable in other aspects and due to a firly common resolution will support most of the apps from the Google Play store, including high end games, which we tested in the gaming video. See below.
Multimedia, Camera and Gaming
[pullquote_left]The oodles of the Doodle! [/pullquote_left]We have understood, mostly from our readers, that the maximum number of sales happening in these so called “budget phablets” are happening with the youth or the younger crowd. The usage of the phone survives around social media, networking, Multimedia consumption and creation along with leisure activities that include some gaming. The Micromax A111 Canvas Doodle seems to be a good balance in all, while not being premier in either.
Due to the nature of the Android Eco System, the Micromax A111 Canvas Doodle is capable of all forms of social media and networking. You have apps for Facebook, Pinterest, Flipboard (subscribe to iGyaan on Flipboard ) and Instagram, just to name a few. You have all forms of other apps that let you interact between networks and socialize over multiple platforms. The internet experience is good too, the Micromax A111 Canvas Doodle has WiFi and 3G access allowing you to connect to high speed internet (if present) and access all forms of networks. The internet browser is fairly smooth and capable, while many a replacement are available in the Android Google Play store, to improve the online experience.
The Camera on the Micromax A111 Canvas Doodle is an 8 MP autofocus camera capable of capturing good pictures provided light is ample, a little into the darkness and the distortion in the images is clear. See some samples below. The front camera is also quite handy for clicking self portraits for that new Facebook profile picture or even group party shots. Since the Camera app is not custom designed, it will be better if you opt in for a premium app from the Play store.
Sample Images
Gaming on the Canvas Doodle was surprisingly good, it played all forms of games from tennis to NOVA 3 and handled them quite capably. Most high end games will run with reduced graphics, but will play smoothly enough to be able to enjoy the gameplay.
The networks and phone call capability on the Micromax A111 Canvas Doodle is excellent, with little or no network issues, and great connectivity throughout, you will have no complaints with the phone. The dual sim is still standby, so if you are connected on one, the other remains off or out of reach. We also have issue with only one slot being 3G, its high time that companies start adapting the Samsung approach and making phones that let you switch 3G internally vs a sim slot capable of 3G and another for 2G.
The battery is good for one day with average usage, but if you are a heavy user expect to charge it twice.
[tabgroup]
[tab title=”Battery Life with 3G ON” icon=”icon-headphones”]Talk time : 5 Hours Standby : 48 Hours Gaming : 3.5 Hours Online : 6 hours Music 8 hours[/tab]
[tab title=”Battery Life with 3G OFF” icon=”icon-headphones”]Talk time : 6 Hours Standby : 54 Hours Gaming : 3.5 Hours Online : 6 hours (wi-fi) Music 8.5 hours[/tab]
[/tabgroup]
Conclusion
The Micromax A111 Canvas Doodle offers you up with a capability of being a Note-worth competitor, while failing miserably at that, it by itself is quite a satisfying product. A well balanced phone with a new design and decent hardware on the inside. It balances between all the tasks you could expect from a phone while leaving out performance from any. If you are opting in for a well balanced device, the Micromax A111 Canvas Doodle will not disappoint, But, of you are looking for a single important feature, be it pure gaming, Online capabilities or even a great camera, The Micromax Canvas Doodle is not the phone you want to get.
Micromax has just launched its brand new offering called the Micromax A88 Canvas Music, the phone apart from being a Android powered phone will come bundled with JBL headsets.
Specifications include a single dual core 1 GHz processor, 4.5 inch display, 1800 mAh battery and a 5 MP camera with LED flash, the Micromax A88 Canvas music will also have a 0.3 MP front facing camera.
We went hands on with the Micromax A88 Canvas Music, and the device seems well made, and the interface seems fairly smooth. Considering all the specs are average, the biggest value proposition are the JBL headphones. With comfy foam ear cups the headphones give good amounts of bass and sound wonderfully accurate.
The previous editions of Micromax Phones have included generic Headphones, but this time around with the inclusion of the JBL headphones and Android Ecosystem, Micromax might have hit the nail on the right board.
Micromax A88 Canvas Music Hands On
The Micromax A88 Canvas Music goes on sale today with an MRP of Rs. 8499/-. Stay tuned for more details and read the Press release below.
[toggle title=”Press Release”]New Delhi, May 15th, 2013: Strengthening its Canvas series, Micromax, India’s leading handset manufacturer, today launched Canvas Music A88. The new device marks Micromax’s association with the leading headphones brand JBL offering users a free JBL Tempo headset with the Canvas Music A88. The phone was showcased at the Micromax MTV Video Music Awards in Mumbai last month.
Micromax A88 Canvas Music coupled with JBL Tempo headset promises superior sound entertainment on the go. Packed with an 1800 mAh battery, the phone ensures a strong battery life supporting a talk time of 5 hours. With a 4.5” full touch screen display; the phone sports a 5.0 MP rear camera with Flash and a 0.3MP front camera with an expandable storage capacity of up to 32GB.
Speaking about the new launch, Mr. Ajay Sharma Country Head Smartphone Division, Micromax said “At Micromax, we are continuously channelizing our energies to innovate finest devices that are relevant to our customers. Micromax A88 Canvas Music coupled with JBL headset and unlimited songs download via MLive! Application serves as a perfect offering to the youth echoing our vision of providing a fulfilling entertainment experience to all the music and multimedia lovers. Through our latest device, we aim to further build the Canvas success story to unprecedented heights.”
The latest offering by Micromax is a perfect amalgamation of functionality, style & entertainment. The device is not only well designed but is ideal for anyone who appreciates the high-quality & clear sound.
Commenting on the launch, Mr. Shubhodip Pal, CMO, Micromax said, “One of the key focus areas for Micromax is to build a strong connect with the consumers by bringing alive brand experiences through our innovative product line up. The launch of Micromax A88 Canvas Music reflects the same. We have created an entire music ecosystem by powering the Smartphone with a JBL headset and also giving the end consumers an access to download unlimited music via MLive! Thus, resonating the Indian youth pulse and passion, mirroring their preference for music.”
With a MOP of Rs.8499/-, the Micromax A88 Canvas Music will be available across all leading retail outlets in India from 16th May, 2013. You could purchase the device from www.micromaxinfo.com[/toggle]
We just checked our inbox and a tipster just sent us a few pictures of the upcoming Micromax A111 Canvas Doodle. This is Micromax’s revision to the A110 Canvas2 and will feature interesting specs to boot. A 5.2 inch multitouch capacitive screen, along with a Quadcore Mediatek 1.2 GHz processor.
The Micromax A111 Canvas Doodle will also have 4 GB of inbuilt storage and 512 MB of RAM (seems like a misprint) according to images. The Main camera is an 8 MP autofocus camera and the secondary camera is a 2.1 MP snapper, Both should be capable of HD Video.
The main display is a 5.3 inch Hypersensitive display which is expected to be at least 1280 x 720p in terms of resolution.
If the images are carefully examined this looks like Micromax’s take on the Galaxy S4 with the UI quite identical to that seen on Samsung’s new flagship. The MRP. of the product has been set at Rs. 16,999 but should be available for under Rs. 15,000 when it is launched.
At just under 10mm the phone is fairly slim and according to rumors should feature a hypersensitive display capable of stylus input, hence the name “Doodle”. As per the packaging Evernote and Skitch are also preloaded on the smartphone for out of the box functionality
Previously leaked images have shown the Dual Sim slots, keeping in tradition of the Canvas series, the Canvas Doodle will also have dual sim capabilities, with possibly dual Active Sim cards.
Micromax has enjoyed a huge amount of success with their Canvas Series and this device by the looks of it will add to that success. Stay tuned for more updates!
Micromax has recently taken the budget smart phone market with their Canvas Series in India. The Micromax A115 Canvas 3D is another addition to the lineup. Cheaper than the Canvas 2 at launch, the Canvas 3D adds a 3D Stereoscopic Display into the mix. Lets see how it fares out in our full review.
Display in 2D mode
Build Quality and Design
The Canvas series of phones including the Canvas 2 and Canvas HD are nicely built phones from Micromax. The Micromax A115 Canvas 3D takes it one step ahead. The back of the device is now coated with a soft touch material that makes the phone seem more robust and easy to handle. While the whole chassis is made of plastic it is able to withstand a couple of drops and high intensity jerks.
In terms of design the Micromax A115 Canvas 3D will be easily spotted from a distance, the unique build and design will also set it apart for those who want slightly premium looking phones. The ID of the phone resembles more HTC devices vs their previous obsession with Samsung Design. The phone does not appear to be the strongest phone at this time or even price, however it is well-built , looks and feels good in the hand.
The insides are laden with the previous-gen Mediatek 6577 chipset, which in terms of performance lacks behind, in comparison to many of the other devices available at a slightly higher price. Inbuilt storage remains at 4 GB, but the minute you insert a micro SD card the internal storage combines with the card enabling up to 34GB of capacity (32GB card + 2GB onboard). The RAM on the Canvas 3D is lower than required at 512 MB and you will see the grunt of it during gaming and application usage.
The Micromax A115 Canvas 3D’s name comes from the 5 inch 480 x 800 px Glasses-Free Stereoscopic 3D display, which turns on in certain applications including the 3D YouTube videos, certain apps from the 3D HUB and Picture preview. The camera is a 5 MP camera that combines two individually clicked images to make a 3D image, unlike other 3D phones which have dual sensors.
The power source is a 2000 mAh battery pack and is capable enough, read the battery section below.
3D Mode
Micromax A115 Canvas 3D and its Use
[pullquote_left]Economies of Scale vs Economies of Fail[/pullquote_left] So, a 3D display in a budget phone, what does that mean? Essentially, there are only two ways a technology becomes cheaper. One; if a tech has reached its saturation point, and enough development and numbers produced to make the process work for it, to make it cheaper (Economies of Scale). Two; if the technology was not successful to begin with and the stocks and design frameworks liquidate (Economies of Fail?). Well, Glasses Free 3D on mobile phone may as well be a part of the latter, while many companies including LG and HTC tried to make Glasses Free 3D phones. They were just not appreciated by the world, and eventually that technology thrown out. Nintendo used the Glasses Free 3D on their portable gaming console and that just did wonderfully well. The fact remains that the 3D technology is still at far from becoming mainstream, simply because it just does not look that good.
So thanks to the effect of expensive phones with this technology not being successful, the technology became cheaper, cheap enough to get fitted inside an under Rs. 10,000 phone for users to enjoy 3D content. Unfortunately there is no ALL time 3D switch , or any form of 2D to 3D conversion engine.
The content on 3D is also decent enough and enjoyed once in a while, and not all the time. So at the end it only plays to the fact that you have 3D in your phone, but you will not use it a lot.
Camera and Multimedia
The camera on the Micromax A115 Canvas 3D is a Fixed Focus 5 MP camera, that has a software ability to capture 3D images. Unlike standard 3D cameras which have two lenses, the Lens on the Micromax Canvas 3D utilizes time shift and user movement to capture a 3D image. The images are half decent and truly may not pass off as 3D images, unless the user is professionally focusing on the angle and the distance of the shot from the first click. Video shot is also poor quality, and is not shot in 3D mode. You do not have auto focus or tap to focus what so ever, the phone does recalibrate white balance and ISO for every picture taken.
Multimedia performance is good, you can enjoy 3D content on the Micromax Canvas 3D without the need of glasses. The viewing angles improve once in 2D mode, but are not great in 3D mode. The Micromax A115 Canvas 3D also has good sounding audio from the main speaker as well as through headphones.
Basic UI navigation within the interface was fast and fluid, we did face a bit of lag and it seemed that the phone held back when it came to performance. While the Canvas 2 did really well for Micromax, the Canvas 3D has the same performance only reduced by the 3D display’s punch of the graphics card.
In the case of the Micromax A115 Canvas 3D, almost all games are downloadable and installable thanks to the storage on memory card option. But, even though the phone can download, install and run almost all games, only basic games will work perfectly on this phone. The Canvas 3D does not have the capability of performing in games like NOVA 3 and Modern Combat 4, simply because of the lack of power under the hood. See out Gaming Video below.
The UI remains mostly vanilla, with only the addition of basic things like quick toggles in the notification panel, and custom apps and icons. Every other UI element looks and performs vanilla with the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean OS, which comes as stock on the Micromax A115 Canvas 3D.
Phone call quality remained good throughout, with little or no dropped calls keeping the network strength in the high range. While the microphone and earpiece are great to use the Speakerphone is not as loud as some would expect.
Switching b/w Sim cards maybe still a problem, since both SIM slots don’t support 3G outright, only one fixed slot will run 3G at a time, creating issues in low or no network areas for that sim. You will get stuck on 2G or no data network on both sim cards.
Battery life
The Micromax A115 Canvas 3D has varied battery life as we demonstrate below, in normal usage the phone lasted a good 5-6 hours on talk time, add any online access etc., the battery life for talk time drops to just 3 hours.
[tabgroup]
[tab title=”Battery Life with 3G ON” icon=”icon-headphones”]Talk time : 5 Hours Standby : 48 Hours Gaming : 2-3 Online : 5 hours Music 7 hours[/tab]
[tab title=”Battery Life with 3G OFF” icon=”icon-headphones”]Talk time : 6 Hours Standby : 54 Hours Gaming : 3 Online : 5 hours Music 7 hours[/tab]
[/tabgroup]
Conclusion
While The Micromax Canvas 3D brings to the market which no other company is offering in the price bracket, one truly needs to understand the give and take for it. Does one really need the 3D feature? why not. If you are getting the same performance like other products in the price bracket and yet you get additional features, why would you refuse. For the sake of the argument, the A115 is as good as the A110 but with 3D powers.
If you want performance and gaming capabilities, you should seriously reconsider your price bracket, No, you cannot get a Samsung Galaxy S4 replacement in Rs. 10,000 not yet anyway.
More than anything the Micromax A115 Canvas 3D gives you yet another option in this wide array of phones in the market. If you were considering the A110 the A115 is another option to consider. In Our opinion Micromax has held back on their hardware capabilities and should have used the newer Mediatek Chipset instead of the outdated underpowered MTK 6577.
We dig deep into the box of this new device the Micromax A115 Canvas 3D, and see what sets it apart from the rest of the crowd.
Box Contents
Micromax A115 Canvas 3D Box Contents
Plagued by similar box contents, the Micromax A115 Canvas 3D’s box also contains the usual set of things:
Wall Brick with USB Port
USB to Micro USB Cable
Documentation
Handsfree Kit
Micromax A115 Canvas 3D Unit
Front Facing 0.3 MP Cam
Initial Impressions of the Micromax A115 Canvas 3D
The new 3D capable Canvas is the same body Identity of the A110 or A116, with the exact same form factor and feel, except it’s a lot more comfortable in the hands.
The display is pretty good for the resolution, the 480 x 800 px laden Stereoscopic front of the Canvas 3D actually puts it in a good place. The Phone also has the ability to natively adjust the screen depending on the content you have on there.
3D Mode
The build of the Canvas 3d actually seems a little more robust if we compare it with the predecessor, the soft touch back does a lot to add to the overall feel of the phone, we honestly were hoping for a more wide array of colors. (bright blue perhaps). The phone is a cluncky and feel a bit heavier, but we are told that is due to the 3D hardware, which is significantly heavier.
The Micromax A115 Canvas 3D has a 5 Megapixel camera, which has the capability of converting images and video into 3D and then saving then natively on the device to be viewed later.
The Ui and interface elements seem really snappy, and with minimal customizations and very little bloatware the phone zipped through initial tests of usage.
While we devour the 3D elements of the new Micromax A115 Canvas 3D, Let us know below, what your impressions are of the device, and what you would like for us to check in this phone for the upcoming videos.
Seen Samsung’s new Zero Campaign? Looks like the folks over at Micromax have seen it too, and have come up with their unique way of tackling the information. We just saw Micromax’s website and stumbled upon this image it states with a big sign : “CAN OWN NOW”
More than a million people have already bought the incredibly loaded Micromax Canvas Range of smartphones, without EMI, 0% interest or other schemes, Because our phones come at prices that don’t need any!” reads the banner.
Micromax has previously taken stabs at Samsung when they ridiculed the Y series in the WHY Y ads.
Looks like Micromax is enjoying the success of their Canvas portfolio and don’t mind edging the competition with a little word play.
Earlier today Micromax had announced that they sold over 1 Million Canvas devices.
The Canvas series has proved to be a trendsetter in Indian smartphone segment. The demand for these devices has been on an upward curve from the time of their launch. These are our flagship models and the overwhelming consumer response has made us confident that we are headed towards the right direction. When we launched the Canvas HD, for the first time our online sales partners had witnessed a digital queue in cyberspace to such an extent for any product, to the traditional cue one normally sees. It was great to witness consumers wait until 12:00am for their chance to book the Canvas HD on Valentine’s Day selling 9000 units in less than 24 hours.” said Mr. Shubhodip Pal, CMO, Micromax
Following in the footsteps of the A35 Bolt, launched in February, Micromax has expanded the series with the Micromax Bolt A51, which is now available online. It is priced at Rs 4,599/-.
The Micromax Bolt A51 is powered by an 832MHz Broadcom processor and comes with a 3.5-inch HVGA display. The smartphone runs on dated Android 2.3.7 (Gingerbread). There is a 1500 mAh battery, which as per the company, gives 4.5 hours of talktime and standby time of 140 hours. At the back there is a 2-megapixel camera and 0.3-megapixel front camera. It is a dual-SIM smartphone that comes with 256MB of RAM and 512MB of ROM with microSD card slot to accommodate up to 32GB cards. Connectivity options include 3G, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.
The Micromax Bolt A51 comes with pre-loaded applications such as MiStore and MiBuddy.
With its low-price tag and pretty descent features, Bolt A51 poses a stiff challenge to Nokia’s Asha series and Samsung’s Rex series affordable smartphones. It will also be competing with the likes of Samsung Galaxy Music Duos, Spice Mi-352 and Intex Aqua Trendy in this price-segment.
Micromax’s new Android phone, the Micromax Ninja A91, has appeared on online retailer Saholic at a price of 8,499 with a shipping delivery within 3 business days.
This is the first launch by homegrown smartphone maker Micromax after its Canvas HD sales hit a roadblock since its launch.
However, the Canvas HD is back in stock and is now being shipped hassle free after the latest flagship from the company stopped selling due to lack of availability.
The Micromax Ninja A91 comes with 4.5-inch TFT LCD display with 480×854 pixel resolution. The device and is powered by a MediaTek MT6577 1GHz dual-core processor alongside 512MB RAM and 4GB internal storage expandable up to 32GB via microSD card. The phone comes with a 5-megapixel rear camera and a VGA front camera.
Connectivity options on the Micromax Ninja A91 include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3G and Micro-USB. Micromax Ninja A91 is a dual-SIM dual-GSM standby phone that comes with a 1,800mAH battery and runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
Meanwhile, Micromax has not released the date of the official launch of the Ninja A91
All is not good for Micromax however, as it has also been in the news recently as it was sued by global telecom giant Ericsson for Rs. 100 crore over patent infringement. The company is reportedly in talks with Ericsson over the issue and hopes to negotiate a FRAND license for the patents at the earliest.
The market is a blaze with possibly the two best dual sim smartphones of this quarter, The Micromax A116 Canvas HD and the Samsung Galaxy Grand I9080. The question that everyones asking is what is really the difference between the two.
Brand Names
Apart from being manufactured totally differently, the two phones come from two different type of manufacturers. Micromax up until recently was known as a “Budget/cheap” phone maker for India, whereas Samsung has enjoyed the market name and snob value of a luxury phone brand.
Canvas HD A116
SOC
The Micromax A116 is built on a Mediatek SOC, a relevantly newer company formed in 1997, that also builds components for “Budget and Chinese” devices. The company has made some breakthroughs in technology in the past two years and shares a considerable chunk of the marketshare.
The Galaxy Grand is built on a 1.2 GHz processor which remains unknown as of now. Several indicators point to the use of a Broadcom BCM28155 SoC. It comprises a pair of ARM Cortex-A9 cores and Broadcom’s own VideoCore-IV graphics engine for 2D and 3D acceleration. Whether this performs any better than the Mediatek processor is currently unknown.
Sim Cards
Both the phones have Dual Sim, The Galaxy Grand has a slight advantage here, because it has smart autoforward, so it allows a busy Sim Card’s calls to be sent to the other phone, keeping both sims active at once. Although the chip inside the A116 is capable of similar features, the Canvas HD currently is only single sim active.
Displays
Displays are an interesting comparison for these devices, while the Canvas HD boasts a whopping 1280 x720 pixel laden 5 inch IPS display the Galaxy Grand only comes with a 480 x800 px LCD display. Numbers aside the display on the Grand was pretty impressive and does not feel pixellated as the numbers on the sheet would suggest. We also found that the colors were more vivid on the Galaxy Grand’s display as opposed to the Micromax Canvas HD.
Galaxy Grand i9080
Canvas HD A116
Cameras
Both Carry 8 MP camera’s which will only be tested while we are reviewing the devices, but if Samsung is using their own sensor in the camera, the Grand could have a slight advantage over the A116. The front camera on the Galaxy Grand is also superior to the 0.3 MP basic front camera on the Canvas HD A116.
Operating System
Samsung puts in a lot of effort into making a custom UI for their devices, along with several apps and tweaks. So Samsung definitely gets the upper hand here. With features like pop up play, direct call, multi window and most importantly an inbuilt task manager the Galaxy Grand gets the much needed upper hand here. Of course TouchWiz UI has several other features and good looking icons that most are aware of.
Micromax clearly looses here, the software is basic Android jelly bean, with a bit of customizations done by the Micromax Software Research team in conjunction with the manufacturers. The UI can become laggy and does not have the easy tweaks as seen in TouchWiz . However Micromax’s UI offers several customizations and file access that is restricted in Samsung devices. You can almost install any app and replace the UI, But you will not get the fit and finish of a manufacturer made custom UI. Maybe in the coming years with the success of the Canvas series Micromax can build their own UI (or buy one : MiUi would fit the name too)
Build Quality and Looks
More or less built with plastic, both devices have identical looks. The Micromax Canvas HD A116 seems a lot more refined to look at in comparison to the Canvas 2, and feels a lot more sturdier than the already sturdy past model. The Galaxy Grand is set to resemble the Note 2 when it arrives in the market, with a glossy bezel and identical looks and matching colors with flip cases. A user could easily pass off as using a company flagship for half the price. Build to that the identical user interface and similar features including perks like multi window puts the Galaxy Grand a step ahead in the Looks department.
Samsung India is banking on identical looks to be a key sales factor in India, especially because Grand owner can get the feel of a Note 2 for almost Half the price.
Price
In India its all about the price, and Samsung will loose here, miserably. The Galaxy Grand is priced at Rs. 21500 at street level selling price. Whereas the Micromax Canvas HD A116 has a MRP. of 14999 and is expected to sell under Rs. 13000. This puts a gap of 10000 Rupees or almost US$ 200 between the two. An amount which in some cases could comprise of a monthly salary of working individuals.
Conclusion
While we honestly cannot tell if one performs better than the other until we have our dirty claws in the dish and can review both these phones side by side. We do have one news that is set to make matters difficult for everyone, Karbonn and Lava are all set to announce quad core phones, so Stay Tuned.
With really no reason as to why the company numbered this device A116 the Canvas HD was announced today at a press conference in New Delhi. The Device is a add on the the popular A series for Micromax and is also a lead on to the highly popular A110 Canvas 2. The Phone is priced at an MRP of 14,999., But we expect the device to be available for around the Rs. 12,000 price mark in India.
The Micromax A116 Canvas HD is powered by a Mediatek MT6589 chipset that has a quad core 1.2 GHz processor and PowerVR SGX5 GPU, the device is laden with 1 GB of RAM and 4 GB of storage. The front has a nice and vivid 16.7 Million color 5 inch IPS display with a resolution of 1280 x720 hence the Canvas HD moniker.
The Micromax A116 Canvas HD is almost identical in design to the the A110 but seems a bit sleeker and more defined along the edges. The camera was non functional on the prototype unit that we handled, but the company says is better than the one on the A110. The Canvas HD also has an improved light perfonce in the front camera and an enhanced speaker if Micromax is to be believed. On the Benchmark front we found that the device was quite capable and was able to deliver a knocking performance (video soon).
Internet browsing was surprisingly smooth, and the web page was snappily laid out on the poor internet connection that we had. The phone is also backed by Mediatek’s promise of a highly efficient battery life and low heat generation. Which should ensure a good overall user experience for Micromax A116 Canvas HD owners.
Canvas HD A116
Watch our hands on Video below and stay tuned for Benchmarks. We will also come out with an unboxing and Review in the coming week.
BLU Products, announced the new VIVO 4.65 HD, as a big brother to the VIVO 4.3 which launched earlier this year. Improvements on the VIVO 4.65 HD, include an increased screen size to 4.65″, as opposed to 4.3″ from the previous model, as well as improved display resolution with an HD Super AMOLED display, and increase to 1GB of RAM.
The phone is slated to begin shipping in January, and is priced at $300 in the US and will soon follow through to parts of Asia.
[quote]”We are thrilled as we continue to add to the successful series of VIVO smartphone devices using Super AMOLED Technology displays, resulting in remarkably bright and vivid color reproduction, with the best viewing experience available on a mobile phone today,” said Samuel-Ohev-Zion, CEO of BLU Products. “BLU is determined to continue to bring the best technology and specs available on mobile devices, with several incredible product launches coming in the first half of 2013.”[/quote]
The Vivo 4.65 HD features a MediaTek MT6577 Cortex A9 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. The rear camera is 8-megapixels and offers HD video recordering. The handset features 3G and HSPA conenctivity, as well as dual SIM support; the handset is unlocked. There’s no Jelly Bean here, unfortunately, with the device running Ice Cream Sandwich.
Interestingly, we expect the next device in the Micromax A90 line up to have similar specs, as that was the case when the A90 was launched. Its specs were notoriously similar to the VIVO 4.3.
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BLU Products, one of the fastest growing mobile phone manufacturers in the world, announced the new VIVO 4.65 HD, as a big brother to the already popular and bestselling VIVO 4.3 which launched earlier this year. Improvements on the VIVO 4.65 HD, include an increased screen size to 4.65″, as opposed to 4.3″ from the previous model, as well as improved display resolution with an HD Super AMOLED display, and increase to 1GB of RAM.
“We are thrilled as we continue to add to the successful series of VIVO smartphone devices using Super AMOLED Technology displays, resulting in remarkably bright and vivid color reproduction, with the best viewing experience available on a mobile phone today,” said Samuel-Ohev-Zion, CEO of BLU Products. “BLU is determined to continue to bring the best technology and specs available on mobile devices, with several incredible product launches coming in the first half of 2013.”
The VIVO 4.65 HD, continues with its predecessor’s design language, which features no physical hardware buttons on the front to ensure a seamless elegant design, and is run by a MediaTek MT6577 dual core 1.2 GHz Cortex™-A9 CPU with 3G/HSPA connectivity, running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Operating System. Additionally, the VIVO 4.65 HD is designed to deliver high-end multimedia capability, with an 8MP autofocus camera, and HD video recording and playback. The highlights of the phone include the rich viewing experience of the brilliant HD Super AMOLED 4.65″ Display, along with true dual SIM capability allowing both SIMs to be active and receive calls simultaneously.
The unlocked VIVO 4.65 HD will begin shipping to major US Retailers in January of 2013, with an MSRP of $299.99 and will soon follow through Latin America, and parts of Asia.
With several Indian companies running in haste to deliver smartphones, tablets and now phablets into the market. Most have left out essential ingredients to delivering a smart – experience. Some have shoddy screens others have dwindling hardware and most have little RAM.
[pullquote_right]Have companies like Micromax and Karbonn truly understood the Indian market?[/pullquote_right]Looks like that is about to change, really soon. Have companies like Micromax and Karbonn truly understood the Indian market? Where Micromax broke the barrier with their A100 and A110 Canvas phones along side their Super Amoled based A90 and A90s . Karbonn had several A Series phones to offer to this mashup of Smartphone goodness.
Agreed that these phone truly penetrated the market and gave the user the New Android experience and “somewhat of an upgrade” when it came to hardware capability. However, these devices truly lacked panache, and if the 2012 line of Nexus devices has shown us anything, that price will not equal quality in all cases.
[pullquote_left] Heavily invested in the overall quality and user experience[/pullquote_left]In our recent meeting with one of the Indian Manufacturers, we learnt that the Indian Companies have heavily invested in the overall quality and user experience that users will get from their 2013 lineup of smartphones. With Micromax working on quad core variants of their Canvas and Pixel series, Karbonn has heavily invested in quad core Phablets.
These devices promise, Quad Core Mediatek Processors, bumped up graphics and minimum 1 GB of RAM, Micromax Plans to make 8GB standard the In-Built storage with expandability via a 64GB capable slot. Where as Karbonn is talking about storage size options in their quad core Phablets. Some designers are also hinting at close ties with NVidia, so don’t be surprised if you soon see budget NVidia Tegra 3 based smartphones and Tablets running Google’s flagship OS and running against their own Nexus Series.
However this circle does not stop there, the gap between flagship technologies and cheaper alternatives is soon deteriorating, and we dont see that date far when A flagship Smartphone will see an identical low budget replacement less than weeks from its launch.
