Is Google finally planning to bring its hardware to India?

Asus India just announced its plans to bring the Google Nexus 7 to India by June 2013, in collaboration with Google. Now we are pretty excited about the Nexus slate coming to India, but we can’t help but wonder if this is going to be a game changing move by Google.

India has seen market trends change in the recent past, and gone are the days when manufacturers could just sit back and watch the consumer gobble up their devices. Apple has been very aggressively pushing the iPhone, increasing its revenue by 400%simply by offering its phone through easy installment options.

We’ve got makers like Micromax and Karbonn chewing through Samsung’s Android market simply by having a significantly lower price point coupled up with pretty decent hardware. With everyone stepping up their game, it’s hard to imagine that Google, the maker of the best Android phones, will just let the opportunity slip.

Now that the Nexus 7 is coming to India, we know that Asus will be pushing it through its own network of distributors, but the question is, will it also be available through the Google Play Store? Google’s just enabled its Books section on the Indian Play Store, so is the hardware section also waiting in the wings?

Well, we think that it would be the right thing to do for Google, seeing as how their devices are extremely well built, run the finest version of Android around (not to mention get updates before anyone else) and are very competitively priced.

If Google was to open up the Hardware section of its Play Store to India, we’re looking at some of the best Android devices coming to a performance conscious, price sensitive market. Such a move would really work in favour of Google, finally giving Apple stiff competition in the Indian market, while pushing manufacturers like Samsung to lower the prices of their devices in order to stay competitive.

Right now, Google hasn’t really been focusing much on India, with none of their Nexus devices having come to India via the official channels. Rumours would sprout every now and then during the Galaxy Nexus days that Samsung might be launching it at a particular time, but eventually didn’t end up doing so in order to protect its own interests in the market. However, if Google was to enter through Asus and LG, the makers of Nexus 7 and Nexus 4 respectively, Google would gain a serious advantage over every other manufacturer with respect to price, performance and features. Obviously, this would be contingent on Google pricing its products at the same rates as in US.

For example, the Nexus 4 16GB variant retails for $350, which roughly comes out to Rs. 20,000. The same price tag would allow the Nexus 4 to gain a huge market share, but if it were to cross over to the near 30K mark as most “high end” phones tend to, then there’s a very good chance that the phone will end up becoming just another face in the crowd.

Of course, at the moment, we can only speculate about Google’s Hardware Play Store coming to India. The signs are there, and the market is ripe for the taking, if Google decides to make the move. What do you think? Will the Nexus 7 mark the ushering in of a new era with respect to Google certified hardware?

Superphone wars: LG Optimus G vs. other flagship smartphones

It has been a bit of a surprise as to why the LG Optimus G has come to India after such a long wait. It was launched globally in Aug-Sept last year, but has been officially announced in India only yesterday. Having said that, the specification sheet is not lagging behind at all, and is more than capable of standing up to the major players in the high-end Android smartphone segment. We have a spec comparison between these phones to see who stands where.

	LG Optimus G E975	LG Google Nexus 4	HTC One X+	HTC Butterfly	HTC One	Sony Xperia Z	Samsung Galaxy SIII
Approx market price	Rs 30990	Not officially in India. Rs 25000 approx from U.S.	Rs 38500	Rs 43000	Not launched in India yet. Expected price - Rs 45000	Not launched in India yet. Expected price - Rs 43000	Rs 29990
SoC	Qualcomm APQ8064 Snapdragon	Qualcomm APQ8064 Snapdragon	NVIDIA Tegra 3 AP37	Qualcomm APQ8064 Snapdragon	Qualcomm APQ8064T (Snapdragon 600 chipset)	Qualcomm APQ8064 Snapdragon	Exynos 4412 Quad
Cores	4	4	4	4	4	4	4
Clock Speed (GHz)	1.5	1.5	1.7	1.5	1.7	1.5	1.4
RAM (GB)	2	2	1	2	2	2	1
Display Size	4.7	4.7	4.7	5	4.7	5	4.8
Display resolution (pixels)	1280 x 768	1280 x 768	1280 x 720	1920 x 1080	1920 x 1080	1920 x 1080	1280 x 720
Display type	IPS Plus LCD	IPS Plus LCD	S-LCD2	S-LCD3	S-LCD3	LCD - Reality Display	Super AMOLED
Pixel density (Ppi)	318	318	312	441	469	443	306
Graphics	Adreno 320	Adreno 320	GeForce 2	Adreno 320	Adreno 320	Adreno 320	Mali-400MP
Internal Storage	32GB	8GB / 16GB	64GB	16GB	32GB / 64GB	16GB	16GB / 32GB / 64GB
Expandable memory?	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Primary Camera	13MP	8MP	8MP	8MP	4MP UltraPixel	13.1MP	8MP
Battery	2100mAh	2100mAh	2100mAh	2020mAh	2300mAh	2330mAh	2100mAh
Platform	Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean)	Android 4.2.1 (Jelly Bean)	Android 4.1.1 (Jelly Bean)	Android 4.1.1 (Jelly Bean)	Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean)	Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean)	Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)

The Optimus G has exactly the same power package as the Google Nexus 4 made by LG, and that could be a bit of consolation for the very limited but very noisy crowd of Nexus fanboys. From this table, you can clearly see that Samsung needs to bring out the Galaxy S4 (or whatever it is called) rather quickly. But at the moment, it does give the SIII a serious price advantage for those who prefer the Samsung phone based on its “tried and tested” label and the much better service setup and accessory ecosystem.

In terms of the sheer numbers, the Galaxy S III seems fairly dated. The Nexus 4, the HTC Butterfly and the upcoming Sony Xperia Z have the same processor, each paired with what seems to be standard now, 2GB of RAM.

The HTC Butterfly and the Sony Xperia Z have a bigger 5-inch display, while the Optimus, the Nexus 4 and the HTC One X+ have the same 4.7-inch display size. Display types are very different though, and that makes a huge difference in the overall quality. At the moment, among the phones that have been launched in India, the HTC Butterfly with the 1080p resolution is by far and away the best display. The Xperia Z seems to be promising, again with the 1080p resolution, and might give the Butterfly some competition. With the 720p displays, it is pretty much an even fight, with personal preferences taking precedence in the ranking – which we will leave to your judgment.

LG has packed in 32GB internal storage on the Optimus G. But there is no card slot for memory expansion. The HTC One X+, incidentally, offers 64GB internal storage, but again, no memory expansion slot. The Nexus 4 falls behind in that regard.

All said and done, it does not take away from the fact that the Optimus G is already late in the market. Which is why we have seen a price correction with 24 hours of it going on sale – Rs 35500 (MRP) as against Rs 30990 (on Flipkart and Saholic) market price at the time of writing this. For a phone that has seen a Rs. 5,000 approx price drop in one day, the future does not seem to be very bright!

Samsung Galaxy S IV coming with two SoC variants, Snapdragon 600 and Exynos 5

Samsung is going to announce the Galaxy S IV on March 14 at an event in New York, but there is a lot trickling out already. We’re hearing that Samsung might be prepping two variants of the next flagship, one with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor and the other with the homegrown Exynos 5 octa.

The variants, reportedly include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 in the US or Exynos 5 Octa for areas where LTE networks are not present and is based on a note to investors from a Teipei based branch of JPMorgan. We’ve already been hearing that Samsung might be readying variants of their next flagship based on processors, but this definitely adds to the previous rumours.

The Exynos 5 Octa is a an 8 core processor from Samsung, running 1.8 GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A15 and 1.2 GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 along with Tricore PoverVR GPU. The Snapdragon 600 on the other hand runs a quad-core Krait 300 CPU clocking at 1.9 GHz along with the Adreno 320 GPU. Qualcomm claims that the new SoC delivers 40% better performance than the existing S4 Pro chips.

If Samsung is going to be dividing the Galaxy S IV based on LTE and non-LTE based countires, it would be interesting to see which variant Samsung would launch in India, where we expect LTE connectivity to be going mainstream quite soon. Would we get the non LTE version with the octa core processor or the quad core version with the Snapdragon 600?

The announcement of the actual phone is still some time away, so currently, we recommend taking this talk of multiple variants only with a pinch of salt. Once Samsung is done with its big unveil in New York, we will know for sure what exactly the Korean Giant has in store for its consumers. Till then, we wait with bated breath.

LG Optimus G officially launched: a better deal than Samsung Galaxy S III?

To no one's surprise, LG has officially launched the Optimus G in India at a price of Rs. 34,500. However, the phone is already available online for Rs. 30,990. This price and the hardware that powers the Optimus G makes it clear that LG is targeting the Samsung Galaxy S III. And, you know what? We may actually be in for a tough fight between these two competing devices.

The Optimus G was first launched in South Korea back in September of last year and was expected to hit global markets in November. However, LG delayed the launch and it's only now that the Optimus G has been launched in India and Europe. The reason why LG delayed the launch of the phone is unknown but it does feel strange, especially in the context of the Nexus 4. The Optimus G and the Nexus 4 don't just share similar specs, including the same processor, but also the manufacturer. Given the fact that the Nexus 4 has been on the must-have list of many of us here for some time, LG could have catered to that demand by launching the Optimus G on time. We have to wonder if Google pressured LG to delay the launch of the Optimus smartphone to avoid cannibalizing Nexus 4 sales, or if LG did it voluntarily for the same reason.

But let's not drift off into wanton speculation. Let's look at why we think the Optimus G will actually prove to be fierce competition for the popular Samsung Galaxy S III.

Models	LG Optimus G	Samsung Galaxy S III
Display Size (inches)	4.7	4.8
Display Resolution (in pixels)	1280x768	1280x720
Processor	Quad-core 1.5GHz	Quad-core 1.4GHz
RAM	2GB	1GB
Internal Storage	32GB	16GB
microSD Support	No	Yes (up to 64GB)
Dimensions (lxbxh)	131.9 x 68.9 x 8.5 mm	136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm
Weight (in grams)	145	133
Camera (MP)	13	8
OS	Android 4.1.2	Android 4.1.2
GPU	Adreno 320	Mali-400MP
Battery (in mAh)	2100	2100
Price (MOP)	Rs. 30,990	Rs. 29,500

If you look at the table above, you'll see that while there are certain similarities between the LG Optimus G and the Samsung Galaxy S III, there are very clear differences too. The LG Optimus G has better hardware powering it with the Snapdragon S4 Pro platform which outperforms the Exynos 4412 that runs the Galaxy S III. Graphically too, the Adreno 320 inside the Optimus is capable of better gaming performance than the Mali-400MP. The Optimus G also offers 32GB of internal storage while the Galaxy S III has to make do with 16GB. However, the Samsung does let you use microSD cards up to 64GB while the LG doesn't support external memory.

In terms of aesthetics, the look and feel of one phone compared to the other is highly subjective but the Galaxy S III is lighter than the Optimus G by about 10 grams while both share almost the same dimensions. A couple of factors that do weigh in favour of the Galaxy S III are its ecosystem and software update cycles. Samsung has a pre-existing and well fleshed-out ecosystem ecosystem in place that includes exclusive software features and accessories that complement the device. The same can't be said for LG. Samsung has also been quite clear about its Android update release schedule for its devices. On the other hand LG is notorious for not releasing Android updates on time for its smartphones as can be seen by the fact that the Optimus 4X HD, launched last year, has yet to be updated to Jelly Bean.

As you can see, both the LG Optimus G and the Samsung Galaxy S III have their own share of pros and cons. Which of the two would you prefer? 

UMI X2 quad-core 1080p phone to launch in India for Rs. 14,000

UMI Mobile is launching the X2 in India for Rs. 14,000. The Android 4.1 Jelly Bean device is aimed at taking on the recently launchedMicromax Canvas HD. The device will be launched between 15th and 20th of March 2013.

IN terms of specifications under the hood, the UMI X2 has the MediaTek MTK6589 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM and 32GB ROM. The device also supports expandable storage via a microSD card up to 32GB.

The UMI X2 also houses a 5-inch full HD 1920x1080 pixel resolution display with Gorilla Glass 2. The rear of the smartphone has a 13MP camera where as the front has a 3MP camera for video calling. The device also has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0. It also houses a 2500mAh battery along with dual-SIM capabilities.

The hardware of the UMI X2 is the same as the Micromax Canvas HD with some differences. The Canvas HD has a 720p display where as the X2 has a 1080p display giving it a higher 441ppi where as the Canvas HD has 294ppi. One of the biggest drawbacks of the Canvas HD is that the display of the smartphone lacks Gorilla Glass. The X2 has it. The Canvas HD has 1GB of RAM where as the X2 takes that up to 2GB.

Micromax has made a name for itself in the budget world as a reliable brand. Many don’t know UMI as a company and hence the device may be received with some skepticism. On paper the hardware of the X2 seems impressive and we can't wait to put the device through its paces and compare its performance with that of the Canvas HD.

Asus to launch Nexus 7 in India within first half of 2013: Report

Ever since Samsung left the Indian consumer high and dry by not launching the Galaxy Nexus in the market, many of us wondered if this would turn into a tradition for all future Nexus devices. Google and Asus have now announced they will be launching the Nexus 7tablet in the Indian market by June 2013.

While Asus has been launching a slew of products into the India market, they have held off on the Nexus 7 up until now because the slate is a collaborative effort of both Google and Asus, so a mutually satisfactory approach might have taken some time to formulate. As Peter Chang, Regional Head – South Asia and Country Manager, System Business Group, Asus India put it, “It is a new product for both Google as well as Asus, so we need to have full co-operation for that. Our product will be Nexus 7 for the Indian market and it will be launched within first half of this year,” when speaking to The Hindu at the MeMO Pad ME172V launch event.

The Google Nexus 7 launched last year amidst a lot of excitement for having some incredibly powerful hardware for the price tag it came with. A quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 1.3GHz processor coupled with 1GB of RAM powers the tablet and its 7-inch IPS 1280x800 pixel panel. These specs make it one of the most sought out 7-inch tablets in the market.

Currently, the Nexus 7 can be had from online retailers or physical stores who get their shipment imported for about Rs. 19,990 (Asus had even launched the first-gen Nexus 7 officially via Croma, before pulling it off shelves shortly after), but we’re told that when the Nexus 7 officially launches, it will do so at a lower price point. As the entire lineup is expected, the Nexus 7 should be offered in the updated storage capacities of 16GB and 32GB, with the 32GB version hopefully also coming with the option of 3G connectivity. All of a sudden, June seems like years away!

Adobe Photoshop Touch Now Available For iOS And Android Smartphones

Adobe has this week launched a new version of its Adobe Photoshop Touch application which has been designed to specifically for smartphone devices.

To date, owners of Apple’s smartphones have had to be content with Photoshop Express, since the company’s Touch product had been limited to tablets, but now that’s all changed. Adobe Photoshop Touch is available right away for devices running iOS 6.0 and up, or Android 4.0 and up. There’s one notable caveat, support for the iPhone only stretches back to the iPhone 4S, though the fifth-generation iPod touch is covered.

Adobe is offering Photoshop Touch for the iPhone for $4.99. It includes the same features found in the iPad version of the app, including layers, selection tools, adjustments, and filters. The app also comes bundled with access to Adobe Creative Cloud and 2GB of free storage. The Android variant is also priced at $4.99.

Adobe Photoshop Touch’s features are virtually identical features as Touch for tablets, yet shrunken down to pant pocket size. It can edit images as large as 12MP with layers.

There’s also a phone optimized version of Scribble Select that allows for precise selections and cropping even with a finger.

The Camera Fill feature lets users blend layers in real time using their camera as well as add textures.

MWC 2013: Samsung officially shuts down bada, reveals Tizen reference device

We've known since last year's rumours, that Samsung will be shutting down development of the bada OS, and instead focus on its open-source Linux-based OS Tizen which it is building in collaboration with Intel. That announcement is now official, and the Korean giant aims to allocate resources from bada to Tizen, whilst helping developers with the transition. The bada OS was Samsung's self-developed smartphone OS that initially gained traction, but ultimately failed to grab a market share when compared to Android-powered devices in the same price range.

Now, the Korean electronics and home appliance giant has shown off a reference design running the Tizen OS on an Intel chipset at MWC 2013. The OS can be considered as an alternative for those that don’t want to be a part of the Android or iOS ecosystem, and Samsung’s insurance policy in case Google’s hold on Android becomes draconic, or in other words, the company's way of putting its eggs in more than one basket. Tizen is an open-source Linux based OS that is fully compatible with HTML5.

The first devices running the Tizen OS are expected to hit store shelves as early as July 2013. Apart from Samsung and Intel, who are at the forefront of the development of the OS, NTT Docomo has committed itself as a carrier for the device in Japan.

Even though Samsung has joined hands with Intel to bring the Tizen OS into the market, Android and Windows Phone 8-powered device will still remain in the forefront of Samsung’s smartphone strategy.

Tizen phones will also run apps designed for the bada platform making the importing of apps easier for the new OS. A lot of people who have got some hands on time with the Tizen OS say that it is far from the final version but and that apart from Samsung, and have also reported that handset manufacturers such as Fujitsu and Huawei, will also manufacture devices running the new OS.

Judging by the Tizen reference hardware (which boasted of a 720p HD display, burst mode camera), the Tizen OS seems to be aimed at mid-range to high-end smartphones, unlike Firefox OS, which will probably target a  variety of price points from enty-level to mid-range. The OS apparently designed to be able to run HTML5 apps as well. Similarities to Android and iOS are unmistakable in the interface (seen above), something that can be expected. The other major Linux-based OS due to make a splash in the mobile phone market is Canonical's Ubuntu Mobile OS, however, the first phones running Ubuntu are expected tolaunch only by 2014, though a Q4 2013 launch is also possible.

What do you think? Do smartphone operating systems such as Tizen and the Firefox mobile OS have the potential to take on the big guns?

Asus MeMO Pad ME172V budget Jelly Bean tablet launched at Rs. 9,999

Asus has entered the Indian budget tablet war with the launch of the MeMO Pad ME172V. The 7-inch Android 4.1 Jelly Bean tablet from Asus is priced at Rs. 9,999.

The Asus MeMO Pad ME172V tablet has a 7-inch LED backlit LCD display with a 1024x600 pixel resolution. The tablet is 11.2mm thin and weighs in at 370 grams. It is powered by a 1GHz processor and Mali 400 GPU on the VIA WM8950 chipset, coupled with 1GB of RAM. The front of the device has a 1MP camera with 720p HD video capabilities. It has 8/16GB built-in storage expandable up to 32GB via a microSD card. The tablet doesn’t have the ability to house a SIM card slot but it does support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. It also sports a 4270mAh battery.

In terms of its looks and appearance, the Asus MeMO Pad ME172V is very similar to the Google Nexus 7, which is also made by Asus. In India, the Asus MeMO Pad ME172V is targeted to directly take on the Acer Iconia B1. Acer was the first major international brand in India to bring a budget device with the launch of the Iconia B1.

The Acer Iconia B1 has a 7-inch TFT display with 1024x600 pixel resolution. It houses a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 512MB RAM, 8/16GB storage expandable up to 32GB via a microSD card, VGA video call camera, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It runs on Android 4.1.2 and sports a 2170mAh battery. You can read our review of the B1 here.

If you are in the market to pick up a tablet for Rs. 10,000, you can also take a look at the iberry Auxus CoreX2 3G tablet. The Auxus CoreX2 3G has a 7-inch HD IPS display with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels giving it a pixel density of 216ppi. A dual-core 1.6GHz Cortex A9 processor, 1GB of RAM and the Mali 400 GPU power it. The device supports a 3G SIM card not only for data but for voice calls as well. The rear of the device houses a 2MP camera and the front has a 0.3MP camera for video calls. Straight out of the box, the Auxus CoreX2 3G runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. You can read our review of the device here.

Why LG's webOS acquisition may be great (or awful)

The big news this week has been the acquisition of webOS by LG from HP for an undisclosed amount. You will remember that HP itself acquired Palm and its webOS software in 2010 for $1.8 billion but was unable to use the OS to turn a profit. While HP acquired webOS to make a move into mobile devices, culminating in the ill-fatedTouchPad tablet (and a few smartphones), LG intends to use the OS on its Smart TVs (although the Korean company has said that it could also use the OS to power some of its other smart devices). At first glance, that decision does seem strange, after all in spite of the fact that webOS never managed to create much mainstream buzz, it is still adored by its fan base for its potential as a smartphone and tablet OS.

So, if it doesn't intend to use the OS for its smartphones, why did LG buy webOS?

Saying that LG phones won't run webOS (at least in the foreseeable future) isn't a risky assumption. LG has already put all its eggs in the Android basket (alright, maybe some eggs also in the Windows Phone basket) and while LG phones aren't exactly setting the world alight, they aren't doing too shabbily either. It would be too big a risk for LG to make a webOS smartphone now, especially in a year when the company has come out publicly and said that it intends to double the number of smartphones it sold last year.

One of the biggest advantages of webOS is that not only is it a full-fledged operating system, but it's also heavily aligned towards the cloud and is open-source (based on Linux). This, in turn, gives two strategic advantages to LG: by deploying an OS that relies on the cloud on its smart TVs, LG TVs won't require overly powerful hardware which could mean that the TVs will be cheaper to build and can be sold at a lower price than the competition. Being open and cloud-reliant also means that LG televisions can adhere to common Web standards that already have developers' attention. Plus, adopting common standards is an extremely lucrative proposition for a smart TV, as it will result in more apps and quicker development cycles.

There is however one other reason that LG has said drove its acquisition of webOS and it has nothing to do directly with the OS itself. While speaking to Digital Trends, John I. Taylor, Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications at LG Electronics said that the company was impressed by the people working on webOS and wanted them to develop and improve the software for its smart TVs.

However, like in the case of almost everything almost everywhere, it won't be a smooth ride for LG. WebOS has never actually been deployed widely in anything other than smartphones and tablets and especially not TVs which means that LG will have to ensure that the webOS interface (designed for touch) works with a remote. Also, while webOS may be loved by a passionate community, it's still a small community that will have problems scaling up, if LG wants to focus on high volumes for its smart TVs. Relying on web standards may be the solution to this problem, but that also means that LG will have to take the risk of having very little that's unique about its smart TVs.

It will be interesting to watch how LG integrates webOS into televisions, and also to see if webOS can actually emerge as a powerful OS for devices other than mobiles and tablets.

Sources: Ars Technica, Digital Trends

Micromax A116 Canvas HD Review

Specs and Features

Manufacturer: Micromax

 

Type: Dual Sim, Smartphone

 

OS: Android, Jelly Bean 4.1

 

Price Category: Rs. 10,000-15,000

 

Announced: Jan 2013

 

Released: Feb 2013

 

Price: 13999

 

Hype: 5/5

 

Chipset: Mediatek MT6589

 

Processor: 1.2 Quad Core

 

GPU: PowerVR SGX544

 

Battery: 2000 mAh

 

Primary Camera: 8 MP + 1080p Full HD Video

 

Secondary Camera: 2.1 MP

 

Weight: 156 g (5.50 oz)

 

Dimensions: 144 x 74 x 10.7 mm (5.67 x 2.91 x 0.42 in)

 

Main Display: 720 x 1280 pixels, 5.0 inches (~294 ppi pixel density), IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, Hard Glass

 

In-Built Storage: 4 GB (1.77 GB user available)

 

RAM: 1 GB RAM

 

SAR Value: 0.47 W/kg (head) 0.41 W/kg (body)

 

We Like ! :

Hardware Specifications, 720p Display, Full HD Video, Price

 

What we Don't Like !:

In-Stability, Non Refined UI

 

The Bottom Line

If you can get over the minor flaws the Micromax A116 Canvas HD is the phone you might have been searching for

Micromax has been the leader of the budget smartphone market in India, and there is a real reason for that. The company is truly the first one to bring a series of features to the end user, before anyone else can. The Micromax Canvas HD or the A116, is one such device from the company, with a quad core chipset and a 720p display, Micromax has really stretched the limits of budget smartphones, no wonder everyone is interested. But, does all the hype around the product really tie up to the end experience? We unravel the mystery of this budget “Jesus Phone” and see where all the magic lies.

Build Quality and Design

Micromax A116 Canvas HD is no marvel of design, but it is one genius design. You take the best elements form the top smartphones (S3 and One X) and fuse them together to make the Budget Smartphone of the year. Predominantly identical to the One X in design the Micromax A116 Canvas HD holds its own in the design sector.

The new clean glossy back panel has a stronger and sturdier build, and looks pleasing to the eye. The glass in front houses an HD display, that makes the phone look a lot more than it is worth. The design is a little bulky and may cause worries in a small hand, that being said however, It is not over the top and is easily manageable. 

 

Hardware

Micromax has really taken the leap with this one, stuffing the best possible hardware numbers into the Micromax A116 Canvas HD. Starting with the 720p HD IPS LCD, a Quad Core processor, 1 GB of RAM and a bigger 2000 mAh battery. You also have an 8 MP camera which has Full HD shooting capabilities and a a Front camera which is 2.1 MP.

However these are all numbers, and numbers honestly don’t mean anything in the real world. Mediatek is the real juice behind Micromax’s Smartphone lineup and the latest Mediatek MT 6589 is what powers the Micromax A116 Canvas HD. In a real world scenario the quad-core chipset to the quad core found in bigger brands is like comparing a 2 Liter TATA Engine to a 2 Liter Engine from Audi / BMW (or something similar to get the idea). There is no denying that the Chipset is a really capable one and features a lot of grunt under the hood, but serious compatibility issues arise with untamed hardware. The specs really put Micromax in the Spot and major companies have started to take notice of the Brand and feel the need to combat the marketshare that is currently owned by Micromax.

 

Display

The 720p display on the Micromax Canvas HD is a starting benchmark for the company and many others to follow. Although many of the so called “Indian Manufacturers” have launched competition products, no one has done what Micromax has with the A116 Canvas HD and launched a 720p equipped device. A truly gorgeous display that livens the usage of the device tenfold, and the sheer experience is enough to want us to recommend this phone over any other in the same price bracket.

The colors are vivid, black levels are extremely deep and the phone has impressive viewing angles. Apart from that the touch screen is fast and extremely responsive and coated with some pseudo “Gorilla Glass” called Layer Protect, that is an alternative to the real Gorilla Glass. The Micromax A116 Canvas HD display also manages to hold its strength outdoors and impressively in a brightly lit environment. Owners will love watching movies and playing games on the device simply because of the experience that they will get from a 720p crisp display on the Micromax A116 Canvas HD.

 

 

Camera

Up until last years companies were not really focusing on the quality of the cameras in their devices. The new range of Smartphones come from companies that have understood the need for good photography and video capability on their devices. The Micromax A116 Canvas HD shoots impressively clean and vivid 1080p HD video that is for the most part of it Lag Free and accurate.

The Camera autofocuses surprisingly well, and it seems that the optics on the smartphone are undersold, images are crisp and almost always in focus. The focus field is vast, and close up shots make available a good amount of Bookeh or Background Blur making the subjects of the images stand out. The camera experience on the Micromax A116 Canvas HD has not only been improved from the previous version, but has been overhauled, and is truly amazing. 

 

Performance and Gaming

Many companies will regret the launch of the Micromax A116 Canvas HD, because, the availability of this smartphone will make others rethink their options. Not only does the Canvas HD perform well in day to day actions and usage, it breaks the bank when it comes to multitasking and high level usage. Running scripts, low level under-processing and high level programs run smoothly well on the phone. Many viewers have asked us whether the Micromax A116 Canvas HD is capable of document processing or not, and to them we answer, it is more than equipped an capable to handle all sorts of word and number processing, do calculations and even run load testing softwares which were incompatible on the Micromax A110 Canvas 2.

The Micromax A116 Canvas HD comes out of the box with Jelly Bean Android 4.1 and the mix of Software and hardware truly make the user experience great. We do however wish that Micromax would get into UI and build something like Touchwiz or Sense, which would truly improve the Brand Image. 

The Micromax A116 Canvas HD is also fully equipped to run extremely graphic and processor intensive games, the Hardware on the device is quite capable, But it seems that Micromax underestimated the users requirements and loaded the wonderful phone with only 1.7 GB of free usable storage, which truly limits the usage of the device when it comes to mighty games. NOVA 3, ASPHALT 7 and MC4 don’t install due to storage limitations(we are looking to work out a fix). A huge under sight from the company when it comes to gaming. Hopefully Micromax can stuff the next generation of their phones with at least 8GB of flash storage available to the user, even if they have to charge us Rs. 500 (US $ 10 ) extra. Check out our gaming video below.

 

Phone Calls and Connectivity

The Micromax A116 Canvas HD has Dual Sim Standby, even though the Mediatek chipset in the device supports Dual Sim Active. The company was unsure of the usage capabilities, so has left it to research and release this feature on a future smartphone. 

The Phone has GSM 900 / 1800 bands on 2G and HSDPA 2100 on 3G, which should work in most countries. The Micromax A116 Canvas HD works with all carriers in India, and will work with some internationally, including T-Mobile in the US and UK and Optus and Vodafone in Australia and it also works with Bell in Canada to name a few. 

The phone networks are consistent and of good strength, no issues with connectivity to data and voice services. Overall network performance is impressive and voice handling good thanks to decent microphones and speakers in the Canvas A116 . The Audio did seem to be slightly distorted at times, but only when the network bars were low.

The A-GPS on the Micromax A116 Canvas HD works well and will triangulate you on a map, unlike previous generation units that had a ton of issues with the same. 

 

Battery Life

The Battery on the Canvas HD is slightly larger than the Canvas 2 but somehow lasts much longer than the previous generation. The Micromax A116 Canvas HD will go through with a day of normal usage with ease, even with both sim card in there. A lot of people have complained about poor battery life, which we did face initially when we were truly exploiting the phone. But a week in to the review and we calmed down with how much we used the phone, so we were truly able to understand the battery life of the Canvas HD.

The Micromax A116 Canvas HD will deliver about 6 hours of talk time, 8-10 hours of music, 2-3 hours of video playback and a good 5-8 hours of internet browsing depending on how you access- 3G or WiFi.

Please take into notice that these are separate times and usage will decrease with a mix of things, in an average day we calculated 3.25 hours of Talktime, one hour of internet including access to Facebook, twitter, etc. along with about 30 minutes of Gaming and an hour of Video and Music combined. In this type of usage we were typically left with about 18-20% battery life at the end of the day.

 

Conclusion

The Micromax A116 Canvas HD has been the highlight of the 1st Quarter of 2013 and there is good reason for that, the phone brings a lot more to the table for the price its worth. Simply put:

Cost of Phone < Value of Phone Today!

We are genuinely appreciative of a company like Micromax has been able to achieve with the Micromax A116 Canvas HD. A Great Android smartphone with Good Hardware at an excellent price. All that being said the Micromax A116 Canvas HD still is a long time away from the refinement and stability that many other companies offer. The phone also lacks internal storage to fully exploit the hardware, and many users complain of crashes and boot-loader issues with the Canvas HD. The Micromax A116 Canvas HD according to us is the best bet under the Rs. 15,000 price bracket as of today, with a good mix of hardware and software and impressive looks and build quality. 

There are tradeoffs, the brand name is still synonymous and associated with the “cheap” image (although it is changing fast), and there is lack of refinement in the UI and experience when compared to a Touchwiz, Sense UI or even Sony Timescape.  If you can get over these minor flaws the Micromax A116 Canvas HD is the phone you might have been searching for. 

Read more: Micromax A116 Canvas HD Review, Specs, Price, Details, Video - iGyaan http://igyaan.in/Mobile_Phones-detail/micromax-a116-canvas-hd-review/#ixzz2M5mOwgS1 - See more at: http://igyaan.in/Mobile_Phones-detail/micromax-a116-canvas-hd-review/#sthash.hvxjV9lM.dpuf