04 March 2013, 07:11 PM IST
I am not a fan of cheap Android smartphones. For long I have argued that most of these devices sacrifice too much in terms of quality and components to keep the cost low. This means the functionality of these devices is so bad that even their low price doesn't justify it.
But, at the same time, I have also been a believer in Android's ability to enable companies to produce smartphones that cost a fraction of iPhone and yet provide an experience that is acceptable for most parts.
It took some time but, finally, we have Android smartphones that can meet the high expectations budget-conscious buyers have from them. The situation is still not that great with below-Rs 10,000-smartphones but now there are some good options if you are willing to spend around Rs 13,000 to Rs 14,000.
So what has changed?
A lot. And the result is devices like Micromax Canvas HD aka A116, Lava Xolo A1000 and iBall Andy 4.5Q. Lava Xolo X900, which debuted at nearly Rs 20,000 but is now selling for less than Rs 15,000, is also a great option.
All of these are fine devices. They offer great value for money, especially Xolo X900, at its current price. But Canvas HD is the game changer.
It is an incredible device. At an incredible price.
Primarily, there have been two developments in the last six months that have made good affordable smartphones a reality now.
One is the pace of growth within smartphone industry. It's basically Moore's Law at work. The core components that power smartphones are getting cheaper and faster. This is something that reflects in the hardware that powers Canvas HD. It sports a screen that has a resolution of 1280x720 pixels. Only very high-end phones had a screen with this resolution in 2012. It is powered by 1GB RAM and MT6589, a quad-core processor made by MediaTek that specializes in producing affordable but very functional silicon chips.
Despite its high-core count, MT6589 doesn't stand a chance against chips that run inside expensive Galaxy Note II or Optimus G but it can easily match the kind of hardware that powered high-end phones costing nearly Rs 30,000 in the early 2012. And that is enough to enable a good smartphone experience.
Another development that has helped companies create good-budget smartphones is Jelly Bean, the version of Android that Google announced last year. With Jelly Bean Google focused a lot in making the user interface of the OS smoother. With this version of the OS, Android runs fast and smooth without much optimization. This has enabled smaller players like Micromax and Lava, which don't have resources to polish Android the way Samsung or HTC can do, to offer decent smartphones.
Canvas HD is the prime example of what companies can create with the available hardware and Jelly Bean. It is fast, offers good web browsing experience, gives a great Gmail, Google Maps and YouTube experience, and can run most of the games available for Android devices. Even camera and screen, two components that are rarely good in budget smartphones, are decent relative to the price of the phone. In fact, given how feature-rich and polished Jelly Bean is, Canvas HD is a more functional device than many Windows Phone or BlackBerry phones that cost much more. It is also a much better deal compared to several more expensive Android phones that run on older versions of Android.
With Jelly Bean on an Android phone, you get access to a fantastic experience for Google services like Gmail and YouTube. Chrome for Android is a very good browser that, in my opinion, trumps all other mobile browsers, including Safari on iPhone, in terms of usability. Google Now, an automated service that gives you information when you are likely to need it, is unmatched and is superior to even iPhone's Siri. Finally, there are hundreds of great apps in Android Play store that outmatch anything Windows Phone or BlackBerry stores offer. Canvas HD gives a user access to all these services and apps.
If Canvas HD is so good, what is the catch… there has to be one?
Yes, there is one.
Canvas HD is essentially a budget smartphone. Its shell is made of plain plastic and not any exotic metal or material. Its GPS is not superfast in latching to satellite connections. Its screen has a slightly slower refresh rate and that shows when you scroll through a list quickly. Its battery is decent but doesn't match almost 20-hours battery life on Galaxy Note II. Its camera can be better and screen can be brighter. I have heard bad things about the aftersales support of Micromax. There is a question mark on the durability of the device. Will it last two years? If its screen conks off, will Micromax repair it without any hassles? Will Micromax update Canvas HD with the improved versions of Android in future?
We will get the answer to these questions only in future when people use the device. For now, I can say that for all practical purposes Canvas HD is a very functional smartphone.
The higher-end Android phones are also evolving and will continue to have their place in the market. They will offer the almost flawless experience. But getting onto the smartphone bandwagon doesn't require shelling out over Rs 30,000 anymore.
With Canvas HD, good smartphone experience has finally arrived for budget-conscious users. And it is only the beginning. Android is an incredible operating system. Its open and flexible nature means that any company can take it and innovate with it. As the competition intensifies, we will see companies pushing the boundaries again and I expect Canvas HD to be bested within three to six months. The Rs 15,000 mark is finally breached. Now, let's see for how long the Rs 10,000 mark lasts.
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