Micromax Canvas HD offers premium features like a large, high resolution screen & quad core chip

NEW DELHI: Smartphones with quad core processors are usually only reserved for a few with deep pockets. Micromax is changing that with the Canvas HD (A116) Android smartphone. At half the price of the nearest quad core competitor, the Canvas HD offers premium features like a large, high resolution screen & quad core chip.

Specifications include a 1.2Ghz Mediatek quad core processor, 1GB RAM, PowerVR GPU, 4GB internal storage (expandable) and dual full-size SIM slots. Needless to say, the Canvas HD is an excellent performer. Full HD videos, heavy games like Shadowgun and Dead Trigger will run buttersmooth.

Thanks to the zippy user interface, overall navigation of the phone feels faster than even the mighty Samsung Galaxy SIII.

The bright 5-inch display has a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels — higher than most phablets. The colours are vibrant too, making it a joy to use for videos, games as well as various other apps. In terms of build quality, the phone is well built but the glossy surface is a major issue. Not only does it attract a lot of fingerprints but also makes it very slippery.

The 8MP rear camera is good but not exceptional — zoom in at 100% and you will see noise. The phone does full HD video but quality is average (mainly because it uses the highly compressed 3GP format). Even though the loudspeaker output is good, sound from the headphones was very low even at maximum volume.

Battery life was a pleasant surprise — it easily lasted over a full day with heavy usage. At the moment, the canvas HD is simply the best Android smartphone you can buy for less than Rs15,000.