Micromax Canvas A1 (Android One) Review

Few days back Google announced its new Android One project in India which is aimed at the entry level or budget segment in emerging markets. Under Android One Google will be controlling the software and also the minimum specifications required for the devices. Three major OEMs from India, Micromax, Karbonn and Spice Mobiles announced their first Android One phones.

Related Reading: Android One- What to Expect?

Micromax Canvas A1 is the first Android One device from the company and has a 4.5inch FWVGA display and is powered by a 1.3Ghz Quad Core processor with 1GB RAM and 4GB internal storage. There is also 5MP rear and 2MP front cameras. The device runs on Android 4.4.4 KitKat out of the box. We tested the device and here is the review of the phone with respect to design, build, display, software, performance, camera and the battery life.

Related Reading: Micromax Canvas A1 Unboxing and First Impressions

Design, Build and Display:

The first time you see Micromax Canvas A1 from the front, you get a feeling it is just like any other budget smartphone with an uninspiring looks. There is nothing new to offer form the device. But having said that the device is slimmer than a lot of other devices in the price point (like Moto E or ASUS Zenfone 4 A450CG). But things change when you rotate the device, the back panel has a circular metallic disk around the camera and the flash reminding us of Lumia 1020. This finish is the only thing stands out of the otherwise boring and dull design.

The front panel has a 4.5 inch LCD display, front camera and the usual set of sensors. The volume and power buttons are located on the right side. While the 3.5mm audio jack is at the top, micro USB slot occupies the bottom section. The rear panel has a matte finish and has curved edges all around.

The 4.5-inch display on the Canvas A1 has a resolution of 854×480 pixels (FWVGA). While the screen is sharp, the viewing angles are not very impressive and so in the sunlight legibility. If you view the screen from an angle, legibility is not great. Although the colors look pretty decent, we have better displays in this price point from Redmi 1S and Moto E.

Software and Performance:

One of the most important aspect of Micromax Canvas A1 is the software as it runs the latest stock Android 4.4.4 KitKat. So just like Google’s Nexus devices, these will get latest OTA updates. Google is promising updates for two years, which means this device will get the Android L update much before some of the flagship devices. Not often these budget or entry level phones get updates, but things are changing with Android One.

So if you like stock Android, this will also please you as Micromax has not done any customizations on the device.

Powering the device is the 1.3Ghz Mediatek Quad core processor coupled with 1GB of RAM. The phone does have good performance and it is responsive without any lags in normal usage. Multitasking was also fine, but the gaming experience was not the best although it might be able to play most of the games. The graphic quality was not the best together with a low resolution display.

The device comes with 4GB internal storage which can be expanded to 32GB via Micro SD card. Similar to other Android KitKat device, the main issue is that you cannot install apps on the SD card and with limited internal storage you will quickly run out of space. The default storage space offered is around 2.27GB in the first boot.

The call quality on the device is pretty decent and we didn’t have any issues with dropped calls or signal strength. The speaker quality is just average and there are other devices with better audio output. The phone comes with dual SIM card support and has dedicated section to manage the SIM cards.

Camera:

The device sports a 5MP auto focus camera with LED flash and also a front facing 2MP camera. Since the OS is core Android, OEMs haven’t customized the camera UI as well. It comes with Google Camera which is shipped with core Android. While the interface is pretty decent for an entry level phone, it does lack advanced features and control over ISO. The camera offers options like HDR, Photo Sphere, Panorama, Lens Blur, self timer, etc.

The camera on the device is pretty decent for an entry level phone and is capable of shooting some good photos in daylight. The colors were pretty good, but the sharpness was missing. Low light photography is not a strength of this camera as the noise level were high. It can shoot decent photos with flash. You need to have a SD card inserted before you can click photos as this is a restriction set by the OS.

The rear camera can record videos in 1080P while the front camera is capable of 720P. The videos recorded by this device is strictly average and similar to other devices in this price point. Also there is an issue with focusing and tend to take a lot of time.

Here are some of the camera samples taken using the camera.

Daylight Photos:

Low Light Photos:

Battery Life:

The device comes with a 1700 mAh battery and the performance is pretty average. While you can get a day of battery life with average usage with few calls, messaging, browsing on 3G and a bit of music, the battery life goes down if you start playing games. We feel Moto E or the Redmi 1S has better battery life than the Canvas A1.

Since the specs are laid down by Google, all the three Android one devices have same battery capacity.

Verdict:

Should I be buying it? Micromax Canvas A1 is priced around Rs 6400 and offers decent performance with core Android, but there are flaws as well and does not match up with the competition in many aspects. The display on the device is not the best and so is the camera. We recommend this device if and only if you want the latest Android experience. If not, there are better choices in the form of Redmi 1S (review), Moto E (review) or even ASUS Zenfone 4 A450CG (review).