So, the curtains are off – Canvas 4 has been officially launched today. And the specifications as well as pricing is grossly disappointing.
When they first launched Canvas series phone, I had left no stone unturned to sing their praise. They were offering above average phone for below average price. That was their USP.
With Canvas 4, that USP is gone…
Why am I disappointed? Lets look at the phone specifications and pricing to understand it further.
Canvas 4 Specifications
Canvas 4 is a successor to the popular Micromax A116 Canvas HD which was launched in the Feb of this year. Here are the its specifications.
- Screen Size – 12.7 Cms (5 inch)
- Rear / Front Camera Resolution – 13.0 MP / 5.0 MP
- Processor – 1.2 GHz Quad Core (MT6589)
- RAM – 1 GB
- Battery Capacity – 2000 mAh
- Connectivity Options – 3G/Bluetooth/Wi-Fi/USB
- Weight – 158 gms
- Screen – 5 inch HD IPS Display @16.7 million color depth
- Operating System – Android Jellybean 4.2.1
- Battery Capacity – 2000 mAh
- Storage – 16 GB
- SIM – Dual Sim Support
If you compare Canvas HD A116 and Canvas 4 A120, there is not much of a difference. Both are quad-cores with 1GB RAM and very similar screens. Yet, the price difference between the 2 is nearly 5000 rupees.
Many users were expecting Micromax to launch a much better phone than what they have offered. They were hoping for a better processor (MT6589 Turbo?) and more importantly better RAM and battery.
When Canvas HD A116 was launched in Feb this year, it had the specifications that matched the top of the line phones from other manufacturers and their price was nearly half of other international brands, and that’s what made Micromax quite attractive.
With A120, users have atleast 10 different options that they can go for in similar price range and similar specs. Canvas 4 is priced for Rs. 18000/- very near to Samsung phones with similar specs. I wonder why would anyone go for a Micromax rather than going for Samsung at Rs. 1000 or Rs. 2000 more?
That’s not all – There are other Chinese manufacturers like UMI and Zopo who are now offering better specification phones at pricing that is lesser than Rs. 15000/-.
Probably the only thing I have liked in new Canvas 4 is that it has brushed metal anodized aluminum body that is slim at 8.9mm, and probably looks much better than its predecessors. But, I doubt that one thing will be enough for people to buy Micromax.
Infact, I am sure many people who have pre-booked Canvas 4 would be looking at refunds given that there are much better options currently available for them in the market.
In my opinion, Micromax has moved away from its DNA of offering great products at great pricing. Canvas 4 is honestly an average product with pricing that will put a frown on many faces.
Sorry Micromax, you have to do better than that!
yes all the comments given by peoples are being simple to understood,however a new chinese company xiomi comes with some amazing features with a f9 price,and along with its good look…..but for now it banned for selling its products after a case acted by ericcson……….
The Bad Camera of MMX, however now it is 5MP, 8MP or 13MP its not real as its pixel, the resolution is big & The file size is also 4 to 6MB but the image quality is like vga photo which is looking like that some one edited the vga image by software with a large resolution. The phone is being sold due to its android feature.
The screen is like chinese phone, u can take a samsung or nokia phone & a micromax than see the screen..the mmx look like chinese screen.. The battery is 2000mah but its backup is like a 800mah samsung phone ……& i will write more about it later
You are absolutely right Arun,
Actually I planning to buy Lumia 720, but then I heard of CANVAS 4 and I decided to wait, but the wait always doesn’t worth, Only the metal body and thickness are the things than can really attract consumers, but for me, specifications and price matters much more than the look & feel,
I’ve ordered my Lumia 720,
And, You said it right, Micromax is moving away from its DNA of offering great products at great prices.
yes i was also waiting for launching to canvas 4 but now i so disapointed after looking to this phone feautre… so bad and poor configration in 18000/- so finally i will think about to buy samsung grand which is 19000 with the great great features.
Better u will wait n look out for other budgeted phones bro…….Grand is also a failure…better w8 n look out MMX alternatives like XOLO. Rest your wish :) but m too disappointed with MMX C4….hit refund just few hours back :)
Really nice and acceptable report or article, thumbs up… and as usual expected comments too …MMX hit their legs on the axe and make many of their fan upset by launching C4 with such a price tag without giving highly expected feature (1080P screen, 2GB RAM and 3000-4000 MAH battery. It wud be best buy if comes under 15K. Else hope n pray MMX learn from this mistake n will launch CANVAS 5 soon with expected feature n in genuine affordable price. MMX must remember it gain the name n fame by providing exceptional features with AFFORDABLE PRICES. :) …After cancelling my MMX C4 booking m w8ing for XOLO Play thats coming with 4.7 inch, Nvidia Tegra 3, 1.5 GH quad core processor :)
Hi Arun,
Nice review,the specs seem similar to Intex aqua i5( planning to buy),pl share your views on comparison with Intex aqua,Umi X2 & Canvas4 .
Thanks
I disagree with one point where you say ” Samsung phones with similar specs are available for 1K-2K more.” which is not true. But anyway the CANVAS 4 is totally disappointing. The moment it was unveiled I went ti a local dealer and bought the Canvas HD. Most of the ppl who prebooked are gonna taking refund. With Canvas 4 MMX has surely axed his own legs. So I am hoping that they will learn from this mistake and gonna release Canvas 5 very soon with some impeccable features.
Ajay – Yes, you are right…the specs are not the same from Samsung.. but the point is…a dual core from samsung is equal to a mediatek 6589 based on cortex 7… So, the specs might now be exactly the same, but the speed and output of Samsung phones in that price range is similar to canvas 4. That is what I wanted to convey :) Hope you agree…
MMX – not up to their mark! What we expected, and look at what they offered?
We expected full HD, 2GB ram, if not 2GHz – at least 1.5 GHz processor, 4000mA battery …..
At 18K they are offering the advanced features of pin the screen, half screens, blow to unlock, … how often (only) these features would be used by paying the hefty price of 18K???
Without a blink or second thought, I cancelled my booking and asked for a refund!
Thanks MMX, for keeping an option of cancellation. MMX kept this cancellation facility, probably because they themselves knew that the rumors were not going to be true, we were the fools expecting the unexpected from you.
Really there was no need for MMX to make this BIG hype about a new model which was slightly modified with some “specs”, not improved with “FEATURES”.
As per a famous saying, henceforth, I will even check the temperature of buttermilk before consuming it as I got my tongue burnt due to milk!!!!
@Jayant completely second your opinion. I have spoken to atleast 20 people since yesterday and not one of them is happy. As I have mentioned in the article, it is sad to see Micromax loosing their USP.
They should exploited the goodwill they have created by by offering some fantastic phones earlier.. unfortunately, Canvas 4 is not only going to be a dud, but will ruin a lot of good that they created earlier because now the perception will change…
Nam bade aur darsan chote.
Suraj – For me the most important aspect for an ANdroid phone is the CPU / RAM / screen.. on these most important counts MMX canvas 4 fails.
I have bought UMI X2, which is 1.2 quadcore, 2GB ram, 323 GB storage, 2600 mAH battery, 1920X1080 screen resolution, gorilla glass 2 for Rs. 14000. Yes, that is the price… I have done quick review if you want to see it – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cadQUKKYY8A
Another aspect of Canvas 4 is that they have always come up with products that will “blow” your mind from pricing perspective… Canvas 4 is not in the same league… Infact, check out their Facebook page and you will see that people have already started asking refunds for their phones…
There is no doubt, Canvas 4 should have been much more than what it has offered…
There were rumors that Canvas 4 going to feature 8 core processor…but it is just like every other.However, I saw canvas 3D recently which my frnd got. It looks quite good. Any reviews about it?
Firstly the Difference of 5k between a116 and a210 will be reduced in coming week / months i guess
a210 is superior to a116 in following ways
Front camera is 13 MP
Secondary camera is 5 MP
Gorilla Glass
Aluminum Body
16 GB internal storage
True HD IPS display
Better camera (burst mode)
video pinning
blow to unlock
Smart Pause etc
In months time i guess a210 should be selling at 16k which is still far better what is offered by samsung or other MNCs
Let me comment on your list pointwise:
* 13 MP – to be honest dosent really matter. Most photos are for FB and Instagram where 8 MP is sufficient.
* Secondary camera – Whats the point of 5 MP? Except for shady live cam’s on shady websites, I dont really see any use for this
* Gorilla Glass – yes, a welcome addition
* Rest is honestly just software stuff that is hardly used.
And on the processor side, the dual core’s of Samsung and such manufacturers actually beat these quad cores. The software levels are much more refined.
And brand names are much more preferred than Micromax, no matter how far they might have come.
All in all very very disappointing!