Micromax A110 Canvas 2
·
Price: $185
·
Specs: Android
v4.0; 5-inch display; 8 MP camera; 1 GHz dual-core processor; 512MB RAM; 4GB
onboard storage, 32GB expandable; Bluetooth, 3GB, Wi-Fi; 2000 mAh battery X
It has happened to us before so it was no
surprise when people started confusing the new Micromax 'phablet' with the
Samsung Galaxy Sill. But we cannot blame them, for like some other five-inchers
in the market, the Micromax A1 10 Canvas 2 too resembles the Samsung flagship
phone and is almost a carbon copy of Samsung's Galaxy Nexus which is not easily
available in the market.
Micromax
A110 Canvas 2
The front of the Canvas II is dominated by
a 5-inch IPS LCD display; below which are three capacitive buttons for back,
home and menu. The textured finish on the rear helps give it a good grip
despite the size. There is also an 8MP camera at the rear.
Micromax has also packed in some serious
processing power into the Canvas 2. The Android IceCream Sandwich phablet runs
on a 1 GHz dual-core processor with 512MB RAM.
The new Android operating system makes it
easy to use. While browsing the web was very easy on the 5-inch display, unlike
other low-cost Androids it was a pleasure watching videos on the big display. We
would have loved some extra RAM in the device though.
Still, the Canvas 2 A1 10 offers a full
package and comes with a bunch of pre-loaded apps like MIBuddy, CricketFever,
HookUp, etc. More apps can also be downloaded from the Micromax MStore and the
Google Play Store.
The other value addition with the device is
the dual SIM card slots, where the second SIM is connected on standby mode. At
its price-point, the 8MP camera, despite its iffy results, is good value for
money. While the images captured in daylight were decent, the low-light shots
had a lot of noise. The 2000 mAh battery gave a day-and-a-half on average,
which isn't bad considering that most smartphones and phablets die within a day
of usage.
The sturdy one
Lenovo K860
·
Price: $ 526
·
Specs: Android
ICS; 5-inch display; 8 MP camera; 8GB internal storage, 1GB RAM; up to
32GBstorage; Bluetooth, 3G, Wi-Fi; 1,4Ghz quad-core processor; 2250 mAh battery
It is raining phablets, but not all of them
come cheap. Lenovo's K689 costs almost double than its Indian rivals, but is
still considerably cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy Note II.
Lenovo
K860
But for the price you get a solid, sturdy
built and a design that does not resemble Samsung Galaxy devices. Hide the
branding above the display, and it does look a bit like a Motorola Android,
which are soon becoming extinct. It has a straight line design that looks
elegant, but not huge. Plus, this is among the few phablets that can be
operated with a single hand. There are silver circular keys for power as well as
volume controls placed on the top and the right panel, respectively. The
textured back had the camera at the top followed by an engraved Lenovo
branding.
The 720 x 1280p display is bright and
vibrant. While watching videos was a delight, we noticed pixilation while
playing some games. There are no capacitive touch keys below the screen.
The K860 packs in a 1,4GHz quad-core
processor and 1GB RAM. This one too runs Android Ice Cream Sandwich and the
overall performance is just about average. From browsing the web to checking
emails to downloading apps and playing games, the K860 did everything smoothly,
without any lag. While it could easily multi-task with up to five apps running
in the background, it did heat up with just 10 minutes of gaming.
Even the sound output wasn't impressive. At
full volume, there was a lot of distortion and we had to lower the volume for
clarity
The 8MP camera did a decent job in
daylight, but we can't think of using it indoors as even with the flash the
results were not impressive. Plus, if often took ages to focus. The Lenovo K860
has a 2250 mAh battery onboard which is good for a day-and-a-half of juice on a
single charge.
Market check
A quick look at other phablets
available in the market
Micromax Canvas HD
Price: $ 277
Android v4.1; 5-inch capacitive touch
display; 1,2GHz quad-core processor; 1GB RAM; 4GB onboard storage, 32GB
expandable; Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G; 5MP camera; 2000 mAh battery
Micromax
Canvas HD
Samsung Galaxy Grand
Price: $397
Android v4.1; 5-inch capacitive touch
display; 1.2GHz dual core processor; 1GB RAM; 8 GB onboard storage, 64GB
expandable; Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G; 8MP camera; 2100 mAh battery
Samsung
Galaxy Grand
Samsung Galaxy Note II
Price: $692
Android v4.1; 5.5-inch capacitive touch
display; 1,6GHz quad core processor; 2GB RAM; 16GB onboard storage, 64GB
expandable; Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G; 8MP camera; 3100 mAh battery
Samsung
Galaxy Note II
Samsung Galaxy Note
Price: $499
Android v2.3; 5.3-inch capacitive touch
display; 1,4GHz dual-core processor; 1GB RAM; 16GB onboard storage, 32GB
expandable; Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G; 8MP camera; 2500 mAh battery.
Samsung
Galaxy Note
Intex Aqua 5.0
Price: $179
Android v4.0; 5-inch capacitive touch
display; 1 GHz dualcore processor; 512GB RAM; 4GB onboard storage, 32GB
expandable; Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G; 5MP camera; 2000 mAh battery.
Intex
Aqua 5.0
Spice MI-500
Price: $230
Android v4.0; 5-inch capacitive touch
display; 1 GHz dual core processor; 512GB RAM; 4GB onboard storage, 32GB
expandable; Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G; 5MP camera; 2400 mAh battery.
Spice
MI-500
HTC Butterfly
Price: $849
Android v4.1; 5-inch capacitive touch display;
1,5GHz quad-core processor; 2GB RAM; 16GB onboard storage, 32GB expandable;
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G; 5MP camera; 2020 mAh battery.
HTC
Butterfly
There are many more coming
With all indicators pointing towards the
growing popularity of phablets, almost all big players at the Consumer
Electronics Show 2013 were also talking about launches in this segment.
Sony Mobile calls its Xperia Z a
smartphone, but the 5-inch scratch resistant display makes it a phablet. When
launched, this will challenge the Samsung Galaxy Note II and other flagships
thanks to its 1.5GHz quad-core processor and 13.IMP camera.
Huawei, meanwhile, has pushed the envelope
further by unveiling a 6.1-inch screen. Its Ascend Mate will also pack in a
1.5GHz quad-core processor, 32GB internal storage, 8MP camera and a 4050mAh
battery. There is already speculation that it will come with a relatively
affordable price tag too.
The ZTE Grand S is a 4G LTE enabled phablet
that will ship in Android Jelly Bean and will be powered by 1.7GHz quad-core
processor. This five-incher too will have a 13MP camera.
More phablet are likely to be announced at
the Mobile World Congress scheduled for late February. Reports suggest Huawei
is likely to announce a Windows Phone 8 handset similar to its 6.1-inch Ascend
Mate, which could be the first phablet on the new operating system.
Even Sony Mobile is rumored to be gearing
up for a new device with a 6.44-inch Full HD display.
Samsung is also expected to come up with a
third variant of its popular Samsung Galaxy Note.
Apple has already increased the display
size of the iPhone from 3.5 to 4.0 inches and people are asking if the iPhone
too will cross the five-inch mark in its next version.
Whatever the devices, rest assured that
2013 will be the year of the phablet.
