NEW DELHI: Canvas HD was a game changer in Indian smartphone market. It brought a quad-core processor and a decent 720p screen at a price point below Rs 15,000. Given this background, we expected Canvas 4 to be another breakthrough smartphones. We expected it to have a more powerful processor, better design and a 1080p screen while staying within Rs 20,000 mark.
But Micromax has other ideas. Instead of chasing specifications, with Canvas 4 the company has tried to create a smartphone focused on experience.
Canvas 4 is an evolution of Canvas HD. Specifications are more or less same, except the camera that seems to have been given significant attention. But Micromax has worked on the features and design to make Canvas 4 a better deal than its predecessor.
This shows once you pick up the phone. The shell of Canvas 4 has been made of glossy plastic but the finishing is much better compared to Canvas HD. Micromax says that Canvas 4 has aluminum body. Not entirely correct. The device only has aluminum frame around the screen. But this frame does add to the sturdiness of the phone as well as gives it better looks compared to most of its competitors.
Canvas 4 is also slimmer and more compact compared to Canvas HD despite packing in a 5-inch screen.
In our brief use, we found the device to have good performance. It is powered by Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). Though Micromax has used custom icons, under the hood the device runs mostly stock Android user interface. While using the device, we didn't encounter any lag. We ran Antutu, a popular Android benchmark, on the device. It scored a respectable 13,559 points. Devices like Galaxy S4 and HTC One score over 20,000 points in this benchmark. But given its price, Canvas 4's score looks decent.
The quality of the screen used on Canvas 4 seems to be slightly better than the one found in Canvas HD. Even though resolution is same, the screen on the new Canvas shows slightly better and punchier colours.
The 13MP camera looks significantly better than the one in Canvas HD. While we need to spend more time with the device before we can talk its camera performance in detail, some of the photos that we clicked with it show that it is a decent shooter. The images, which were shot in low-light conditions, had good colours and sharp focus. But they lacked details and sharpness that better cameras can manage. In good light, however, we expect the camera in Canvas 4 to fare better and produce good images.
Canvas 4 is packed with some unique, at least for a Micromax phone, software features. For example, the device can pause a video playback if you look away from it. This is similar to 'Smart Stay' found on Samsung phones. Similarly, it has a feature called 'Blow to Unlock'. Some of these features sound gimmicky but some can be useful. We will have to spend more time with the device to find out if these features can help Canvas 4 take on the competition or not.
Similarly, battery life also remains unknown. We will do a thorough review of Canvas 4 in the coming days and find out how well it compares to other device in the market. Stay tuned for our full review.
Specs
Display: 5-inch capacitive touchscreen (1280x720p resolution) Operating system: Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) Processor: 1.2GHz MediaTek 6589 quad-core CPU, PowerVR SGX 544 graphics chip RAM: 1GB Storage: 16GB internal storage with support for up to 32GB microSD card Camera: 13MP camera, 5MP front-facing camera Connectivity: 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS Battery: 2,000mAh
MRP: Rs 17,999
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| Micromax Canvas 4 at Rs 17999 |
But Micromax has other ideas. Instead of chasing specifications, with Canvas 4 the company has tried to create a smartphone focused on experience.
Canvas 4 is an evolution of Canvas HD. Specifications are more or less same, except the camera that seems to have been given significant attention. But Micromax has worked on the features and design to make Canvas 4 a better deal than its predecessor.
This shows once you pick up the phone. The shell of Canvas 4 has been made of glossy plastic but the finishing is much better compared to Canvas HD. Micromax says that Canvas 4 has aluminum body. Not entirely correct. The device only has aluminum frame around the screen. But this frame does add to the sturdiness of the phone as well as gives it better looks compared to most of its competitors.
Canvas 4 is also slimmer and more compact compared to Canvas HD despite packing in a 5-inch screen.
In our brief use, we found the device to have good performance. It is powered by Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). Though Micromax has used custom icons, under the hood the device runs mostly stock Android user interface. While using the device, we didn't encounter any lag. We ran Antutu, a popular Android benchmark, on the device. It scored a respectable 13,559 points. Devices like Galaxy S4 and HTC One score over 20,000 points in this benchmark. But given its price, Canvas 4's score looks decent.
The quality of the screen used on Canvas 4 seems to be slightly better than the one found in Canvas HD. Even though resolution is same, the screen on the new Canvas shows slightly better and punchier colours.
The 13MP camera looks significantly better than the one in Canvas HD. While we need to spend more time with the device before we can talk its camera performance in detail, some of the photos that we clicked with it show that it is a decent shooter. The images, which were shot in low-light conditions, had good colours and sharp focus. But they lacked details and sharpness that better cameras can manage. In good light, however, we expect the camera in Canvas 4 to fare better and produce good images.
Canvas 4 is packed with some unique, at least for a Micromax phone, software features. For example, the device can pause a video playback if you look away from it. This is similar to 'Smart Stay' found on Samsung phones. Similarly, it has a feature called 'Blow to Unlock'. Some of these features sound gimmicky but some can be useful. We will have to spend more time with the device to find out if these features can help Canvas 4 take on the competition or not.
Similarly, battery life also remains unknown. We will do a thorough review of Canvas 4 in the coming days and find out how well it compares to other device in the market. Stay tuned for our full review.
Specs
Display: 5-inch capacitive touchscreen (1280x720p resolution) Operating system: Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) Processor: 1.2GHz MediaTek 6589 quad-core CPU, PowerVR SGX 544 graphics chip RAM: 1GB Storage: 16GB internal storage with support for up to 32GB microSD card Camera: 13MP camera, 5MP front-facing camera Connectivity: 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS Battery: 2,000mAh
MRP: Rs 17,999
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