Camera and Internal Storage
Like most other phones in this price bracket, Micromax has provided an 8 MP Auto focus rear camera with LED flash. You cannot record full HD 1080p videos and will have to remain content with 720p HD video recording. To instill more confidence in its camera hardware, Micromax has highlighted the use of Sony sensor in its rear camera. At the front, a 2 MP fixed focus camera is present which will suffice for basic video calling and selfies. Internal storage is standard 8 GB and can be further extended by another 32 GB using MicroSD card slot. Out of 8 GB 5.46 GB will be available at user end.
Processor and Battery
MT6582 dominated budget quad core phones in 2014 and is a capable chipset. In 2015 however, the world will transition to 64 bit computing with much awaited MediaTek chipsets MT6732 and MT6752. We will also see several devices with Snapdragon 410. For Canvas Hue, Micromax is sticking to last year’s star quad core Cortex A7 based SoC clocked at 1.3 GHz and backed by 1 GB RAM. It is still a tried and tested SoC (2 GB RAM would have been better), but if you are mesmerized with the latest and greatest, 64 bit SoC will be more future proof at this point of time. Battery capacity is 3000 mAh, which will last for 9.5 hours of talk time and 280 hours of standby time. Most manufacturers are finally sticking to beefier batteries in this price range, which is always a good thing. Micromax has also included a super saving mode, which will restrict your phone functionality to making and receiving calls and text messages. Micromax claims the phone can last 1 month on single charge under this mode.
Display and Other Features
The display used is 5 inches in sizes with sharp 720p HD resolution, amounting to 294 pixels per inches. It is also well protected by Gorilla Glass 3 on top. This is not the first time Micromax has opted for a Super AMOLED display. Micromax Canvas 4 Plus used a similar display panel which was good enough for those who love AMOLED displays. In Super AMOLED displays, each pixel is powered separately and there is no backlight as in IPS LCD displays. This leads to magnificent blacks (pixels are off to represent black),excellent contrast ratio and oversaturated colors. It is a good setup to watch videos. The downside is that whites are not that great and are often plagued by a blue tint when observed from slight angles. For now, Canvas Hue is running Android 4.4 KitKat, but Micromax will upgrade this to Android 5.0 Lollipop later. Other features include 3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and FM radio.
Comparison
Micromax Canvas Hue will compete against phones like Moto G 2nd Gen, Yureka, Lenovo A600, Yureka and Redmi Note in India.
Key Specs
What we Like
Beefier Battery5 Inch HD display
What we Don’t Like
Only 1 GB RAM
Conclusion
Micromax Canvas Hue isn’t meant to compete with online brands like Yureka and Redmi Note, which are also quite difficult to purchase. This dual SIM handset will be available on brick and mortar stores and the price is expected to be slashed after a few weeks. The phone is meant for those who prefer Vibrant AMOLED displays over IPS LCD panels, and if that ranks high in your priority list, you can purchase Canvas Hue for 10,999 INR starting from 16th January.
