Here comes Android One: Micromax Canvas A1 arrives to challenge Motorola and Xiaomi (REVIEW)

India’s budget smartphone market is now being blessed with Google’s new Android One program that was first detailed last month. Google has already partnered with three local phone-makers – Micromax, Karbonn, and Spice – to introduce Android One devices at prices starting from INR6,399 (US$105). All three unveiled a device each and made them available through leading ecommerce sites in India.

The Android One program makes two important promises – low-cost smartphones and faster updates. If Google manages to follow through on both, then the US$100 budget smartphone market will flourish by offering more viable options to the booming number of smartphone consumers in India.

Micromax introduced the Canvas A1 in India on September 15 to strengthen its spot on the smartphone market (on the same day that the Karbonn Sparkle V Red and Spice Dream Uno Mi-498 were also launched). According to IDC figures, Samsung leads the Indian market with 36 percent market share, and Micromax is in second spot with 16 percent; Karbonn is third.

The Canvas A1 is available at Amazon and is expected to hit physical stores soon. For now, Amazon bundles a free 8GB microSD with the phone.

We got our hands on the smartphone about a week ago. Let’s take a quick look at how the Canvas A1 stands against its rival smartphones available at the same price:

Hardware – up to the task of Android One

The promise of affordable smartphones is a good enough cause for Indians to celebrate. Google’s Android engineers worked closely with mobile chipset makers to arrive at a standard – a sort of minimum requirement for specifications – to ensure that all the Android One hardware is up to the task. That has helped ensure a smooth software performance – so long as you don’t push the phone too hard. It is therefore able to offer a Nexus-esque experience but at a much lower cost. Of course, at US$100, you still cannot expect a flagship phone-like performance.

The Canvas A1 is one of Micromax’s best designed smartphones. Though it may not have a premium look or glossy exterior, it still stands out. The slightly protruding camera module, with a brushed metal finish, makes the phone feel more polished. The circular earpiece grill at the top and no capacitive menu buttons reflects Google’s Nexus design language. The removable back cover has a rubberized matte finish for a decent grip and hugs firmly to the body.

Weighing 136g, it is still lighter than the 158g Xiaomi Redmi 1s and several other rivals at a similar price. Power and volume control buttons aligned on the right echoes the standard design followed by many phone-makers. With rounded edges and curved sides, it has an ergonomic design and doesn’t feel too thick.

Inside the chassis, the quad-core MediaTek MT6592 clocked at 1.7Ghz is coupled with 1GB RAM. There’s only 2.2GB of dedicated storage for apps, but one can easily beef it up with a microSD card. The dual-SIM support is integrated for a 3G network-enabled SIM and 2G network-enabled SIM.

Screen and sound

Software – a very Google experience

Camera

Performance and battery life

Micromax Canvas A1 vs other budget smartphones

Conclusion