MAIN SPECIFICATIONS
General characteristics
Type: smartphone Operating system: Android 5.0 Case type: classic Control: touch buttons SIM card type: micro SIM Number of SIM cards: 2 Multi-SIM mode: variable Weight: 169 g Dimensions (WxHxD): 72.7x144.9x9 .7 mmScreen
Screen type: color IPS, 16.78 million colors, touchscreen Type of touchscreen: multitouch, capacitive Diagonal: 5 inch. Image size: 1280x720 Automatic screen rotation: yes Scratch-resistant glass: yes Number of pixels per inch (PPI): 294Calls
Type of melodies: polyphonic, MP3 melodies Vibrating alert: yesMultimedia features
Camera: 8 megapixels, 3264x2448, LED flash Camera features: auto focus Movie recording: yes Max. video resolution: 1280x720 Front camera: yes, 2 million pixels. Video playback: MP4,3GPP,3GP Audio: MP3, AAC, WAV, FM radio Voice recorder: yes Headphone jack: 3.5 mmConnection
Standard: GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G Internet access: WAP, GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA Interfaces: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, USB USB charging: yes Satellite navigation: GPS Protocol support: POP/SMTP, HTML Modem: yesMemory and processor
Processor: MediaTek MT6582M, 1300 MHz Number of processor cores: 4 Video processor: Mali-400 MP2 Built-in memory: 8 GB RAM: 2 GB Memory card support: microSD (TransFlash), up to 32 GB Memory card slot: yes, up to 32 GBMessages
Additional SMS functions: text entry with MMS dictionary: yesNutrition
Battery capacity: 3000 mAh Talk time: 9.3 hours Standby time: 435 hoursOther features
Flight mode: yes Sensors: illumination, proximity Control: voice dialing, voice controlNotebook and organizer
Book search: yes Exchange between SIM-card and internal memory: yes Organizer: alarm clock, calculator, task schedulerAdditional Information
Package contents: smartphone, battery, charger, USB cable, headphonesWe have already written about devices several times. The company not only produces a wide variety of smartphones, routers and modems, but is also one of the ten largest manufacturers of mobile phones in the world.
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Micromax smartphones are represented by two main lines - Bolt and Canvas. Devices released under this brand are distinguished not only by their visual and functional diversity, but also by their availability.
Thanks to the official Micromax store in Russia - MicromaxStore.ru, the Micromax Canvas Power AQ5001 (Juice 2) arrived for testing with a good set of features and a capacious battery. And how successful the model turned out, our detailed tests will show.
The device can be found on sale in one modification: with a 3G module, 2 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage. Micromax smartphones are officially delivered to the Russian market and are accompanied by local support. Only gray body color is shown. The average price for this device at the moment is 7,500 rubles, since it is present in a sufficient number of stores.
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Let's start our study of the Micromax Canvas Power AQ5001 with a brief description of its specifications.
Specifications Micromax Canvas Power AQ5001
| Parameter/ Device | Micromax Canvas Power AQ5001 |
| Operating system | Android 5.0 |
| Housing materials | Plastic |
| Screen | 5.0", IPS, 1280 x 720, 294 ppi |
| CPU | MediaTek MT6582M, 4 cores, 1.3 GHz |
| video processor | Mali-400 MP2 |
| RAM | 2 GB |
| Built-in storage | 8 GB |
| Memory card slot | Yes (up to 32 GB) |
| Interfaces, communication and data transfer | USB 2.0, Wi-Fi (b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, 3G, FM radio |
| SIM slots | 2 pcs. (Micro SIM) |
| cameras | 8.0 megapixel rear with autofocus and flash, 2.0 megapixel front |
| Battery | 3000 mAh |
| Sensors and Sensors | Accelerometer, gyroscope, ambient light, proximity |
| Dimensions | 144.85 x 72.7 x 9.7mm |
| Weight | 169 g |
| Price | 6 500 - 8 500 rubles. |
For most parameters, this model has nothing to note. Everything is quite simple, budgetary, but at the same time well balanced. Pleased with a fresh operating system, support for two SIM-cards and a capacious battery. Too bad there's no LTE, data storage could be bigger too. If all this works fine, then for $ 100 (at the current exchange rate) you can safely close your eyes to the lack of opportunities.
It's time to move from words to deeds. Let's proceed to the external examination of the guest of the laboratory.
Packing and complete set Micromax Canvas Power AQ5001
The smartphone came to the test in a compact white box made of thick cardboard.
On the surface of the package are applied images of the smartphone and its main parameters.
Information about the make, model, and alternative names of a particular device, if any.
Design
Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Used materials, suggested colors, certificates.
| Width Width information refers to the horizontal side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 72.7 mm (millimeters) 7.27 cm (centimeters) 0.24 ft 2.86in |
| Height Height information refers to the vertical side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 144.8 mm (millimeters) 14.48 cm (centimeters) 0.48 ft 5.7in |
| Thickness Information about the thickness of the device in different units of measurement. | 9.7 mm (millimeters) 0.97 cm (centimeters) 0.03 ft 0.38in |
| Weight Information about the weight of the device in different units of measurement. | 170 g (grams) 0.37 lbs 6oz |
| Volume Approximate volume of the device, calculated from dimensions provided by the manufacturer. Refers to devices with the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. | 102.11 cm³ (cubic centimeters) 6.2 in³ (cubic inches) |
| Colors Information about the colors in which this device is offered for sale. | Grey |
| Housing materials The materials used to make the body of the device. | Plastic |
SIM card
The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.
Mobile networks
A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.
Mobile technologies and data rates
Communication between devices in mobile networks is carried out through technologies that provide different data transfer rates.
Operating system
The operating system is the system software that manages and coordinates the operation of the hardware components in the device.
SoC (System on a Chip)
System on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device in one chip.
| SoC (System on a Chip) System on a chip (SoC) integrates various hardware components such as processor, graphics processor, memory, peripherals, interfaces, etc., as well as the software necessary for their operation. | MediaTek MT6582M |
| Technological process Information about the technological process by which the chip is made. The value in nanometers measures half the distance between the elements in the processor. | 28 nm (nanometers) |
| Processor (CPU) The main function of the processor (CPU) of a mobile device is the interpretation and execution of instructions contained in software applications. | ARM Cortex-A7 |
| Processor bit depth The bit depth (bits) of a processor is determined by the size (in bits) of registers, address buses, and data buses. 64-bit processors have higher performance than 32-bit processors, which, in turn, are more productive than 16-bit processors. | 32 bit |
| Instruction Set Architecture Instructions are commands by which the software sets/controls the operation of the processor. Information about the instruction set (ISA) that the processor can execute. | ARMv7 |
| First level cache (L1) Cache memory is used by the processor to reduce access time to more frequently accessed data and instructions. L1 (level 1) cache is small and much faster than both system memory and other cache levels. If the processor does not find the requested data in L1, it continues to look for them in the L2 cache. With some processors, this search is performed simultaneously in L1 and L2. | 32 kB + 32 kB (kilobytes) |
| Second level cache (L2) L2 (level 2) cache is slower than L1, but in return it has a larger capacity, allowing more data to be cached. It, like L1, is much faster than system memory (RAM). If the processor does not find the requested data in L2, it continues to look for it in the L3 cache (if available) or RAM. | 512 kB (kilobytes) 0.5 MB (megabytes) |
| Number of processor cores The processor core executes program instructions. There are processors with one, two or more cores. Having more cores increases performance by allowing many instructions to be executed in parallel. | 4 |
| Processor clock speed The clock speed of a processor describes its speed in terms of cycles per second. It is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). | 1300 MHz (megahertz) |
| Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) The graphics processing unit (GPU) handles calculations for various 2D/3D graphics applications. In mobile devices, it is used most often by games, consumer interface, video applications, etc. | ARM Mali-400 MP2 |
| Number of GPU cores Like the CPU, the GPU is made up of several working parts called cores. They handle the graphical calculations of different applications. | 2 |
| GPU clock speed Speed is the clock speed of the GPU and is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). | 416 MHz (megahertz) |
| The amount of random access memory (RAM) Random access memory (RAM) is used by the operating system and all installed applications. Data stored in RAM is lost when the device is turned off or restarted. | 2 GB (gigabytes) |
| Number of RAM channels Information about the number of RAM channels that are integrated into the SoC. More channels means higher data rates. | single channel |
| RAM frequency The frequency of RAM determines its speed, more specifically, the speed of reading / writing data. | 533 MHz (megahertz) |
Built-in memory
Each mobile device has a built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed amount.
Memory cards
Memory cards are used in mobile devices to increase the storage capacity for storing data.
Screen
The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.
| Type/technology One of the main characteristics of the screen is the technology by which it is made and on which the image quality of information directly depends. | IPS |
| Diagonal For mobile devices, the screen size is expressed in terms of its diagonal length, measured in inches. | 5 in 127 mm (millimeters) 12.7 cm (centimeters) |
| Width Approximate Screen Width | 2.45in 62.26 mm (millimeters) 6.23 cm (centimeters) |
| Height Approximate Screen Height | 4.36in 110.69 mm (millimeters) 11.07 cm (centimeters) |
| Aspect Ratio The ratio of the dimensions of the long side of the screen to its short side | 1.778:1 16:9 |
| Permission Screen resolution indicates the number of pixels vertically and horizontally on the screen. Higher resolution means sharper image detail. | 720 x 1280 pixels |
| Pixel Density Information about the number of pixels per centimeter or inch of the screen. Higher density allows information to be shown on the screen in clearer detail. | 294 ppi (pixels per inch) 115ppm (pixels per centimeter) |
| Color depth Screen color depth reflects the total number of bits used for the color components in a single pixel. Information about the maximum number of colors the screen can display. | 24 bit 16777216 flowers |
| Screen area Approximate percentage of screen space on the front of the device. | 65.68% (percentage) |
| Other characteristics Information about other functions and features of the screen. | capacitive Multitouch Scratch resistance |
| Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
Sensors
Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that are recognized by the mobile device.
rear camera
The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on the back of the device and can be combined with one or more secondary cameras.
| Sensor type Information about the type of camera sensor. Some of the most widely used types of sensors in mobile device cameras are CMOS, BSI, ISOCELL, etc. | CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) |
| Svetlosila | f/2 |
| Flash type The rear (rear) cameras of mobile devices mainly use LED flashes. They can be configured with one, two or more light sources and vary in shape. | LED |
| Image Resolution | 3264 x 2448 pixels 7.99 MP (megapixels) |
| Video resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP (megapixels) |
| 30 fps (frames per second) | |
| Specifications Information about additional software and hardware features of the rear (rear) camera. | autofocus Burst shooting digital zoom Digital Image Stabilization geo tags panoramic shooting HDR shooting Touch focus Face recognition Adjusting the white balance ISO setting Exposure compensation Self-timer Scene Selection Mode |
Front-camera
Smartphones have one or more front cameras of various designs - a pop-up camera, a PTZ camera, a cutout or hole in the display, a camera under the display.
| Svetlosila Luminosity (also known as f-stop, aperture, or f-number) is a measure of the aperture size of a lens that determines the amount of light that enters the sensor. The lower the f-number, the larger the aperture and the more light reaches the sensor. Usually, the f-number is indicated, which corresponds to the maximum possible aperture of the aperture. | f/2.4 |
| Image Resolution One of the main characteristics of cameras is resolution. It represents the number of horizontal and vertical pixels in an image. For convenience, smartphone manufacturers often list resolution in megapixels, giving an approximate number of pixels in millions. | 1600 x 1200 pixels 1.92 MP (megapixels) |
| Video resolution Information about the maximum video resolution that the camera can record. | 640 x 480 pixels 0.31 MP (megapixels) |
| Video recording speed (frame rate) Information about the maximum recording rate (frames per second, fps) supported by the camera at maximum resolution. Some of the most basic video recording speeds are 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, 60 fps. | 30 fps (frames per second) |
Audio
Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.
Radio
The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.
Location determination
Information about navigation and location technologies supported by the device.
WiFi
Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication to transfer data over short distances between different devices.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between different types of devices over short distances.
USB
USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to communicate.
Headphone jack
This is an audio connector, which is also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Connecting devices
Information about other important connection technologies supported by the device.
Browser
A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.
Video file formats/codecs
Mobile devices support various video file formats and codecs, which store and encode/decode digital video data, respectively.
Battery
Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge they need to function.
| Capacity The capacity of a battery indicates the maximum charge it can store, measured in milliamp-hours. | 3000 mAh (milliamp-hours) |
| A type The type of battery is determined by its structure and, more specifically, by the chemicals used. There are different types of batteries, with lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer batteries being the most commonly used in mobile devices. | Li-polymer (Li-polymer) |
| Talk time 2G Talk time in 2G is the period of time during which the battery is completely discharged during a continuous conversation in a 2G network. | 9 h (hours) 540 min (minutes) 0.4 days |
| 2G standby time The 2G standby time is the amount of time it takes for the battery to fully discharge when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 2G network. | 435 h (hours) 26100 min (minutes) 18.1 days |
| 3G talk time Talk time in 3G is the period of time during which the battery is completely discharged during a continuous conversation in a 3G network. | 9 h (hours) 540 min (minutes) 0.4 days |
| 3G standby time The 3G standby time is the amount of time it takes for the battery to fully discharge when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 3G network. | 435 h (hours) 26100 min (minutes) 18.1 days |
| Adapter output power Information about the electrical current (measured in amps) and electrical voltage (measured in volts) supplied by the charger (power output). Higher output power ensures faster battery charging. | 5 V (volts) / 1.5 A (amps) |
| Specifications Information about some additional features of the device's battery. | Fixed |
Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)
SAR levels refer to the amount of electromagnetic radiation absorbed by the human body while using a mobile device.
| Head SAR (US) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation that the human body is exposed to when holding a mobile device near the ear. The maximum value used in the US is 1.6 W/kg per gram of human tissue. Mobile devices in the US are controlled by the CTIA and the FCC conducts tests and sets their SAR values. | 0.22 W/kg (watt per kilogram) |
| Body SAR (US) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation that the human body is exposed to when holding a mobile device at hip level. The highest acceptable SAR value in the US is 1.6 W/kg per gram of human tissue. This value is set by the FCC, and the CTIA controls whether mobile devices comply with this standard. | 0.45 W/kg (watt per kilogram) |
Affordable model with long battery life
About two years ago, Micromax products officially began to be sold on the Russian market. Currently, Micromax is one of the leading electronics companies in India, rounding out the top ten players in the global mobile phone market (according to Counterpoint Research). Micromax is ranked #1 in India in smartphone sales with a market share of 22% in Q3 2014 (according to Canalys).
The Micromax product range includes more than 60 models, and these are predominantly low-cost, affordable mobile devices. According to the company's representatives, its international strategy involves the development of products for a wide audience with a special focus on the youth segment. Sales markets are Russia and the countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. At the same time, Micromax smartphones are produced mainly in China.
The smartphone, which will be discussed today, occupies a special place in the company's portfolio. The manufacturer positions Canvas Power as an affordable solution with good performance for its level and good looks. But the most important, key feature of this device, which is emphasized, is a long battery life, which is achieved due to a very large built-in battery. More precisely, it should be achieved ideally, and whether this is the case in reality, we have to figure it out today.
Key Features of Micromax Canvas Power (Model AQ5001)
| Micromax Canvas Power | meizu m2 | Wileyfox Swift | Nubia Z9 mini | honor 4c | |
| Screen | 5" IPS | 5" IPS | 5" IPS | 5" IPS | 5" IPS |
| Permission | 1280×720, 294 ppi | 1280×720, 294 ppi | 1280×720, 294 ppi | 1920×1080, 441ppi | 1280×720, 294 ppi |
| SoC | MediaTek MT6582m (4x ARM Cortex-A7 @1.3GHz) | MediaTek MT6735 (4x ARM Cortex-A53 @1.3GHz) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 (4x ARM Cortex-A53 @1.2GHz) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 (8 ARM Cortex-A53 cores) @1.5 GHz | HiSilicon Kirin 620 (8 ARM Cortex-A53 cores) @1.2GHz |
| GPU | Mali-400MP | Mali-T720 | Adreno 306 | Adreno 405 | Mali-450MP4 |
| RAM | 2 GB | 2 GB | 2 GB | 2 GB | 2 GB |
| Flash memory | 8 GB | 16 GB | 16 GB | 16 GB | 8 GB |
| Memory card support | microSD | microSD | microSD | microSD | microSD |
| Operating system | Google Android 5.0 | Google Android 5.1 | Google Android 5.1 | Google Android 5.0 | Google Android 4.4 |
| Battery | non-removable, 3000 mAh | non-removable, 2500 mAh | removable, 2500 mAh | non-removable, 2900 mAh | non-removable, 2550 mAh |
| cameras | rear (8 MP; video 1080p), front (2 MP) | rear (13 MP; video 1080p), front (5 MP) | rear (16 MP; video 1080p), front (8 MP) | rear (13 MP; video 1080p), front (5 MP) | |
| Dimensions and weight | 145×73×9.7mm, 171g | 140×69×8.7mm, 131g | 141×71×9.4mm, 135g | 141×70×8.2mm, 148g | 143×72×8.8mm, 162g |
| average price | T-12464291 | T-12748971 | T-13209849 | T-12411658 | T-12423732 |
| Micromax Canvas Power Retail Deals | L-12464291-10 | ||||
- SoC MediaTek MT6582m, 1.3 GHz, 4 cores ARM Cortex-A7
- GPU Mali-400MP
- Operating system Android 5.0
- Touch display IPS 5″, 1280 × 720, 294 ppi
- Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB, internal memory 8 GB
- Micro-SIM support (2 pcs.)
- microSD card support
- GSM communication 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
- Communication 3G HSDPA 900/2100 MHz
- Data transfer HSPA (21/5.76 Mbps)
- Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz), Wi-Fi hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct
- Bluetooth 4.0
- GPS, A-GPS
- USB 2.0, OTG
- Camera 8 MP, f/2.0, autofocus, 1080p video
- Front camera 2 MP, f/2.4, fixed. focus
- Proximity sensors, lighting
- Battery 3000 mAh, non-removable
- Dimensions 145×73×9.7 mm
- Weight 171 g
Contents of delivery
Micromax Canvas Power comes in a very small, flat, non-glossy matte cardboard box. High-quality packaging is done neatly, without pretensions to a premium level, but soundly. The design is calm, without colorful and frivolous, but there are, perhaps, too many different elements that betray the budget level of content. It is also worth noting that the lid covers the entire base to the very end, there is simply nothing to catch on to remove it, you have to shake the box until the tray with all the contents slips out of the lid.
The set of accessories is not rich: the box contains only a standard charger with an output current of 5 V 1.5 A, a Micro-USB connecting cable, a wired headset and a protective film on the screen. The headphones are unpretentious in quality, but the presence of rubber ear cushions of the in-ear type is pleasing, this is quite rare at the budget level.
Appearance and usability
About the appearance of Micromax Canvas Power, we can say that the smartphone has a rather attractive design, especially considering its origin and cost. In terms of positioning, this is a budget hard worker, designed for a long time of autonomous operation, no other outstanding features are expected for this device. For this level, the smartphone looks quite acceptable, the design is neat and modest, but it does not repel, in general, the smartphone looks decent from the outside.
Quite different sensations arise when you take Micromax Canvas Power in your hands. Those who like to save money will turn a blind eye to many of the shortcomings of this device, but in general, the ergonomics of the case can be called unsuccessful. Firstly, the side faces here do not have a bevel from top to bottom (boat), as is usually the case, but vice versa, from bottom to top. Accordingly, when you try to pick up a smartphone from the table, your fingers simply slide off the sides, as if you were trying to grab a pyramid.
Adds inconvenience and a very slippery coating: the surface of the case here is made in the form of metal, although in fact it is, of course, ordinary painted plastic. The surfaces here are really very slippery, and at the same time the device is very heavy, which makes the smartphone even more difficult to hold in your hands.
As far as materials are concerned, the case is made mainly of plastic with a matt metallic finish applied on top. The outer part of the body has a one-piece structure, that is, the plastic casing covers not only the back, but also all the sidewalls. Accordingly, when the casing is removed, all hardware buttons disappear, since they are fixed on the wall of this structure.
The plastic cover has a fairly thick profile, does not flex in the center of the back, but, as is usually the case, creaks under any, even light compression. Only in budget solutions today such a hull structure with a one-piece boat hull is used, while creaking and crunching almost always occur.
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In the front part, the plastic casing adjoins the protective glass, the front panel has a small rim around the glass. The bezel barely noticeably sticks out in the front part, thus protecting the glass itself from contact with the surface if the smartphone is face down. It uses Gorilla Glass 3, but there is an air gap between the layers of the screen, which reduces viewing angles and makes colors visually less saturated.
In the upper part above the screen, in addition to the speaker grille and sensors, there is also an LED event indicator, it shines with a large dot, notifying about the charging status and incoming messages.
At the bottom, under the screen, there is a row of three touch-sensitive buttons for controlling the system and applications. The buttons have a soft, pleasant white backlight. According to user feedback, the buttons do not always work adequately, although in the case of our test instance, there were no particular problems with this.
Another thing is that developers set for these buttons as the main ones not always the most obvious actions, this is really confusing. So, by pressing the left button, for some reason, it is called infrequently, frankly, the used menu for setting wallpapers and widgets. Although it is clear that the user does this much less frequently than accessing the menu of the last opened applications. Here, switching between applications is carried out by a long press on the left button, although in the mind everything should be done the other way around.
There are no surprises on the back side: the round window of the main camera is framed by a metal ring, the module does not protrude beyond the surface of the case, but is not embedded in it, so the glass may well become scratched over time. Next to the camera is a dual LED flash. The flash can be used as a flashlight, you can call this function from the notification curtain.
The grill covering the output of the main speaker is an array of round holes on the back of the smartphone, made right in the plastic cover. The grille is partially covered when the unit is on the table, while the sound is half muted. It remains to be added that the paint quickly becomes covered with small dashes and scratches, so the Micromax Canvas Power case quickly loses its original beauty.
The lid can be easily removed from the frame; there is a special protrusion for hooking with a fingernail. The removable cover does not affect the possibility of removing the battery - it is tightly mounted in its socket.
Card slots are not backed by a battery, cards can be hot-swapped without the need to reboot the smartphone. There are two slots for SIM-cards of the Micro-SIM format and one slot for memory cards of the microSD format, which are equivalent in terms of capabilities. It is quite possible to install Nano-SIM cards in adapters into the connectors, there are no problems with this. A stuck card can always be pushed with a fingernail through the holes provided on the other side of the slot. There are no spring-loaded gripping mechanisms here, all three cards are held by friction, nothing needs to be pressed until it clicks.
The side volume and power keys have a metallic coating, they are smooth and slippery, protrude beyond the surface to a sufficient height, and are easily groped blindly. Their course is long and distinct, there are no problems with this. All keys are conveniently located in logical places under the fingers, working with them is convenient.
For some reason, both connectors are installed not only on the same, upper end, but also very close to each other. With such an arrangement, it is inconvenient to insert the plugs, they can interfere with each other if a variety of third-party accessories are used. The Micro-USB connector unexpectedly turned out to be able to support connecting external devices in USB OTG mode, which looks like a rather pleasant bonus for such a budget device on an outdated hardware platform. Connectors are not covered with covers, no protection against water and dust is provided here. There is no strap attachment on the Micromax Canvas Power case either.
In Russia, Micromax Canvas Power is offered, apparently, only in one color option: it is a metallic silver, the manufacturer does not report anything about other colors for this device.
Screen
Micromax Canvas Power is equipped with an IPS touch matrix, the screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 3. The physical dimensions of the screen are 62 × 110 mm, the diagonal is 5 inches, the resolution is 1280 × 720 pixels, the dot density is 294 ppi.
The frame around the screen is not wide in a modern way: its width on the sides is at least 5 mm, and at the top and bottom - 16 mm each.
It’s good that the budget smartphone was provided with a built-in ambient light sensor, which automatically adjusts the screen brightness based on it. The multi-touch technology here allows you to process only 2 simultaneous touches. When you bring the smartphone to your ear, the screen is locked using the proximity sensor. Users on the forums complain about the operation of the sensor, but our test instance worked out its functions clearly and without errors during testing.
The screen here cannot be unlocked by double tapping on the glass or drawing special gestures. There is no support for working with gloves and wet fingers.
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A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the sections "Monitors" and "Projectors and TV" Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the test sample.
The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are noticeably worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the off screens (on the left is Nexus 7, on the right is Micromax Canvas Power, then they can be distinguished by size):
The screen at Micromax Canvas Power is much lighter. Reflection in the screens is tripled, which implies the presence of an air gap between the surface of the matrix and the outer glass. There is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating on the outer surface of the screen, its efficiency is high, even slightly higher than that of the Nexus 7, so fingerprints are removed much more easily, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of ordinary glass.
With manual brightness control and with a white field displayed in full screen, the maximum brightness value was about 500 cd/m², the minimum was 13 cd/m². The maximum brightness is very high, but given the poor anti-reflective properties, readability on a sunny day outdoors will be poor. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. In the presence of automatic brightness control by light sensor (it is located to the right of the front speaker slot). In automatic mode, when the ambient light conditions change, the brightness of the screen both increases and decreases. This function depends on the position of the brightness slider. If it is 100%, then in complete darkness the automatic brightness adjustment function reduces the brightness to 250 cd / m² (too light), in an office lit by artificial light (about 400 lux) it sets it to 420 cd / m² (too much), in a very bright environment (corresponds to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) increases to 500 cd / m² (the maximum that is needed). Brightness slider at 50% - the values are as follows: 50, 280 and 500 cd / m² (the first two values \u200b\u200bare slightly overestimated), at 0% - in complete darkness, the backlight simply turns off, completely, in the office we got 84 cd / m² (darkish), and in bright light, the same 500 cd / m² were established. We were more satisfied with the values of 17, 230 and 500 cd / m², obtained by setting the brightness slider to the left of half the scale. In general, the automatic brightness adjustment function works adequately and allows the user to somewhat customize their work to individual requirements. At any brightness level, there is no significant backlight modulation, so there is no screen flicker.
This smartphone uses an IPS type matrix. If you wish, you can see the subpixel structure typical for IPS in a micrograph:
For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.
The screen has good viewing angles without significant color shift even with large deviations of the view from the perpendicular to the screen and without inverting (except for the very darkest when deviating along one diagonal) shades. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the Micromax Canvas Power and Nexus 7 screens, while the brightness of the screens is initially set to about 200 cd / m², and the color balance on the camera is forcibly switched to 6500 K. A white field is perpendicular to the screens:
Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture:
On the Micromax Canvas Power screen, the color saturation is moderately high, but the color balance is clearly shifted to the blue area and the picture is slightly darkened. Now at an angle of about 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:
It can be seen that the colors did not change very much on both screens, but on the Micromax Canvas Power, the contrast decreased to a greater extent due to the strong black highlighting and the greater decrease in brightness, and signs of inverted shades also began to appear. And the white box:
The brightness at an angle of the screens has decreased (at least 5 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but the Micromax Canvas Power screen is still darker. The black field, when deviated diagonally, is highlighted strongly and acquires a purple or brownish tint. The photos below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is the same!):
And from another angle:
When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is good, although not ideal:
Contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is good - about 780:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 19 ms (12 ms on + 7 ms off). The transition between grayscale 25% and 75% (according to the numerical value of the color) and back in total takes 30 ms. The gamma curve constructed from 32 points with an equal interval according to the numerical value of the shade of gray did not reveal a blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.29, which is slightly higher than the standard value of 2.20, and therefore the image is slightly darkened. In this case, the real gamma curve deviates little from the power dependence:
We did not find the presence of dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness in accordance with the nature of the displayed image, which is very good.
Color gamut close to sRGB:
The spectra show that the matrix filters moderately mix the components to each other:
As a result, the colors have a natural saturation and hue. The balance of shades on the gray scale is medium. The color temperature is significantly higher than the standard 6500 K, but the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is less than 10 units, which is considered an acceptable indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, the color temperature and ΔE change little from shade to shade - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since the color balance does not matter much there, and the measurement error of color characteristics at low brightness is large.)
To summarize: the screen has a very high maximum brightness, but has poor anti-glare properties, so it is unlikely that the device can be comfortably used outdoors on a sunny summer day. But the outer glass can be replaced for inexpensive. For conditions of complete darkness, you can set a comfortable level of brightness. It is permissible to use the mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works more or less adequately. The main thing is not to be scared if the screen suddenly goes out - bring it to the light and move the brightness slider a little to the right. The advantages of the screen include an excellent oleophobic coating, no flickering of the screen, a color gamut close to sRGB and a good - in visual assessment - color balance. We attribute the low stability of black to the deviation of the gaze from the perpendicular to the plane of the screen as a significant drawback. In general, taking into account the importance of characteristics for this particular class of devices, the screen quality can be considered not very high.
Sound
The Micromax Canvas Power packaging says that the smartphone has hardware support in the form of the Cirrus Logic Wolfson WM8918 audio chip. This is far from news, the manufacturer has already equipped its inexpensive smartphones with this solution. Another thing is that even the presence of a separate audio chip of a well-known brand does not in itself guarantee high-quality sound. Smartphone Wolfson WM8918 actually sounds as modest as other low-budget solutions sound, nothing special can be found in its sound. The sound is dim, muffled, the frequency spectrum is narrow, there are no low frequencies, and the loudspeaker volume is clearly not enough. When high-quality headphones are connected, the situation does not change much: the sound is the same muffled, uninteresting, the volume is not always enough.
To play music, a standard player is used with a minimum number of settings in the form of an equalizer with preset values. As sound improvements, the user is prompted to put two checkmarks in front of the settings for improving speaker volume and improving sound for headphones.
The device is able to record telephone conversations from the line, for this it is enough to press the corresponding button in the interface of the telephone application right during the call. There is an FM radio in the smartphone, it is possible to record programs from the air.
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The main camera received an 8-megapixel sensor and an f / 2.0 lens. There is a dual fairly bright flash. Autofocus here, according to subjective feelings, is quite slow, often making mistakes. There is a face detection function, electronic stabilization and noise reduction system are provided for video shooting.
The shooting control menu is very simple, familiar to us from other Chinese smartphones on SoC MediaTek. Shooting is carried out in automatic mode, but it is possible to manually set ISO, change exposure, sharpness, contrast. It is impossible to transfer control of camera settings to third-party applications using the Camera2 API, and there is no possibility of recording to RAW either.
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The camera can shoot video at a maximum resolution of 1080p, it does it surprisingly not so bad, the image is bright and not loose, the shooting is smooth, although the colors are distorted. At the same time, the sound is also recorded quite well, the noise reduction system as a whole copes with the wind, the “barrel” effect is not observed. In general, for a budget smartphone, everything is quite good.
- Clip #1 (54 MB, 1920× [email protected] fps)
- Clip #2 (43 MB, 1920× [email protected] fps)
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Even under good conditions, the camera sometimes makes mistakes with the white balance. |
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The right side of the frame is spoiled by a large blur zone. |
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Again, a large area of blur on the right catches the eye, although in the left part of the frame, even in the background, the sharpness is not so bad. |
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The camera does a good job with close-ups and close-ups. |
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Contrasting details work well for the camera, but in the shadows it does not cope at all. |
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If desired, the camera can even shoot a macro. |
It is difficult to call a good camera, because only part of the frame is really good, and even then not always. Most likely, this is a marriage of a specific type, but we cannot exclude its mass character. Except for the huge blur zones, the camera is quite consistent with its price segment, although you can find better cameras in it. You shouldn't put high hopes on such a camera, but in extreme cases it will help with photographic fixation of large objects.
Telephone part and communications
The smartphone works as standard in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks, but does not support fourth-generation LTE networks. That is, the maximum limit for this device is: up to 21 Mbps download and upload speeds up to 5.76 Mbps (HSPA). Despite the fact that the SIM-card slots under the cover are labeled unequally (GSM and GSM/WCDMA), they work in exactly the same way, and do not require physical rearrangement of the cards. In practice, with SIM-cards of Beeline and MTS operators in the Moscow region, the smartphone was confidently registered and worked in 3G networks. The quality of signal reception does not cause any complaints, the device confidently maintains communication indoors and does not lose the signal in areas of poor reception.
The remaining network capabilities of the smartphone are also modest: only one Wi-Fi band (2.4 GHz) is supported, there is no NFC, there is support for Bluetooth 4.0, you can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels. At the same time, the device unexpectedly supports connecting external devices to the USB port in OTG mode, although this is not so important if there is a separate dedicated slot for memory cards. In practice, our 128GB Transcend Premium microSDXC UHS-1 test card was recognized by the device with confidence.
The operation of the navigation module does not cause any particular complaints, the speed of satellite detection during a cold start is about a minute, although only GPS / A-GPS is supported here, there is no support for the Glonass system. Unfortunately, among the sensors there is no smartphone and a magnetic field sensor, on the basis of which the electronic compass of navigation mapping programs usually functions.
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The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing a phone number, a search is also carried out immediately by the first letters in contacts. Swype support is also available.
The smartphone supports two SIM-cards. Traditionally, for an Android interface without additional shells, settings related to the operation of SIM cards are inconveniently scattered over several sections, alternative interfaces in this matter often provide much greater ease of management. That is, in the section on SIM cards, you can seem to set up all the work, and still not understand why the “network failure” occurs, and then find that you still need to go to the “Data traffic” section, and there you can additionally turn on the transmission again data, since there is a separate button there, which is disabled by default. Any of the cards can be initially assigned as the main one for voice communication, SMS and data transmission. If voice communication is not tied to a specific card, then a context menu will pop up with each call. This is not very convenient, it would be better to have both buttons labeled SIM1 and SIM2 in front of your eyes at once to choose from.
To change the assignments of card slots, you do not need to swap places - this can be done directly from the phone menu. Working with two SIM-cards is organized according to the usual Dual SIM Dual Standby standard, when both cards can be in active standby mode, but cannot work at the same time - there is only one radio module.
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OS and software
As a system, the device uses the Google Android software platform version 5.0 without any additional shells, and it supports over-the-air (OTA) updates. The interface here fully complies with the definition of “bare Android”, that is, you cannot display the battery level on the top panel, there is no way to quickly close all applications at once in the menu of the last opened programs, etc., etc. View of the notification shade, menu applications, the shape of icons, the presence of interactive pop-up tiles - everything is fully consistent with the proprietary concept of Material Design. The smartphone manufacturer did not make any additional changes here. Support for gestures, the ability to reduce the working area of the screen or shift virtual keyboards, inscribe signs, wake up by tapping on the glass - there is nothing like that here at all.
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Performance
The Micromax Canvas Power hardware platform is based on a 32-bit quad-core single-chip system (SoC) MediaTek MT6582m with outdated and weak ARM Cortex-A7 processor cores with an operating frequency of up to 1.3 GHz. The modest video accelerator Mali-400MP is responsible for graphics processing. The amount of RAM is 2 GB. Own memory for the needs of the user in the device is allocated only less than 4.5 GB. At the same time, the connection of microSD memory cards is supported. Connecting external devices and flash drives to the Micro-USB port in USB OTG mode is also supported.
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According to the test results, the platform showed results that were expectedly modest, below average (around 20K in AnTuTu), even when compared with other modern entry-level platforms. In terms of performance, the SoC MT6582m is even slightly weaker than the popular modern entry-level Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 platform. As a result, in terms of hardware platform performance, the Micromax Canvas Power smartphone is more of an entry-level than an average. Such performance is not always enough: even the Android system interface sometimes slows down and sticks when scrolling, not to mention playing high-definition videos and demanding games. Micromax Canvas Power is more of an organizer than a multimedia solution.
Testing in the latest versions of AnTuTu and GeekBench 3 comprehensive benchmarks:
For convenience, we have summarized all the results obtained by us when testing a smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks in tables. Several other devices from different segments are usually added to the table, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry numbers). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison, it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.
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Testing the graphics subsystem in 3DMark gaming tests,GFXBenchmark, and Bonsai Benchmark:
When testing in 3DMark for the highest performing smartphones, it is now possible to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (due to which the speed can rise above 60 fps).
| Micromax Canvas Power (MediaTek MT6582m) |
meizu m2 (MediaTek MT6735) |
Wileyfox Swift (Qualcomm Snapdragon 410) |
Nubia Z9 mini (Qualcomm Snapdragon 615) |
honor 4c (Hisilicon Kirin 620) |
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| 3DMark Ice Storm Extreme (more is better) |
1882 | 3086 | 2632 | 5382 | 3838 |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited (more is better) |
2845 | 4973 | 4374 | 7625 | 5383 |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Onscreen) | 7 fps | 14 fps | — | 14 fps | 13 fps |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Offscreen) | 4 fps | 8.5 fps | — | 15 fps | 8 fps |
| Bonsai Benchmark | 1356 (19 fps) | 2953 (42 fps) | 1655 (24 fps) | 1639 (23 fps) | 2322 (33 fps) |
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Browser cross-platform tests:
As for benchmarks for assessing the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowances for the fact that the results in them depend significantly on the browser in which they are launched, so that the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this possibility is available when testing not always. In the case of Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.
thermal images
Below is a thermal image of the back surface (the lighter, the higher the temperature), obtained after 10 minutes of running a battery test in the GFXBenchmark program:
It can be seen that the heating is more localized in the upper part of the device, which apparently corresponds to the location of the SoC chip. Below you can see the contours of the battery, which heats up a little during intensive discharge. According to the heat chamber, the maximum heating was only 36 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees), which is very little.
Video playback
To test the "omnivorous" when playing video (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern versions using processor cores alone. Also, do not expect everything from a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a table.
According to the test results, the subject was not equipped with all the necessary decoders that are necessary for the full playback of most of the most common multimedia files on the network. To successfully play them, you will have to resort to the help of a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, it also needs to change the settings and manually install additional custom codecs, because now this player does not officially support the AC3 audio format.
| Format | container, video, sound | MX Video Player | Regular video player |
| DVDRip | AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3 | plays normally | plays normally |
| Web-DL SD | AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3 | plays normally | plays normally |
| Web-DL HD | MKV, H.264 1280x720 3000Kbps, AC3 | Video plays fine, no sound¹ | |
| BDRip 720p | MKV, H.264 1280x720 4000Kbps, AC3 | Video plays fine, no sound¹ | Video plays fine, no sound¹ |
| BDRip 1080p | MKV, H.264 1920x1080 8000Kbps, AC3 | Video plays fine, no sound¹ | Video plays fine, no sound¹ |
¹ Audio in MX Video Player only played after installing an alternative custom audio codec; The regular player does not have such a setting.
Video output features tested Alexey Kudryavtsev.
We did not find an MHL interface, as well as Mobility DisplayPort, in this smartphone, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Methodology for testing video signal playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices) Red marks indicate possible problems associated with playback of the corresponding files.
According to the frame output criterion, the quality of video files playback on the screen of the smartphone itself is poor, since the smartphone is not capable of outputting even simple test files without frame drops. When playing video files with a resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels (720p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, one to one in pixels, that is, in its original resolution. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235 - all gradations of shades are displayed in the shadows and in the highlights.
Battery Life
Micromax Canvas Power comes with a 3000 mAh non-removable battery. The problem with this device is that it runs on an old MediaTek solution, and last year's platforms, unlike the latest solutions of the MT 67xx series, were famous for their irrepressible power consumption. So, even despite the small screen with a modest resolution and a weak SoC, the smartphone showed in all standard tests a good, but far from record-breaking, battery life. By the way, this is also confirmed by numerous user reviews: the device works at average loads for no more than a day and a half, in order to achieve more time, you need to think about disabling synchronization, network modules, turning off the device at night, etc. Surely with such a battery, modern more economical SoCs would perform much better. The developers themselves promise up to 9 hours of talk time and up to 435 hours of standby time.
Testing, as usual, was carried out at the maximum level of power consumption without using proprietary power-saving functions and modes, although there are such in the device.
| Battery capacity | Reading mode | Video mode | 3D game mode | |
| Micromax Power | 3000 mAh | 15:15 | 9:30 a.m. | 4h 30m |
| meizu m2 | 2500 mAh | 2:30 p.m. | 9:30 a.m. | 4 a.m. |
| Wileyfox Swift | 2500 mAh | 12h 20m | 9 a.m. | 4h 30m |
| Xiaomi Redmi 2 | 2200 mAh | 14h 20m | 10:00 a.m. | 4h 40m |
| Lenovo A6000 | 2300 mAh | 15:00 | 9 a.m. | 4h 50m |
| Alcatel OT Idol 3 (4.7) | 2000 mAh | 15:00 | 6 a.m. | 4h 10m |
| LG Magna | 2540 mAh | 13h 30m | 10:00 a.m. | 4 a.m. |
| honor 4c | 2550 mAh | 12:00 p.m. | 8h 40m | 4h 20m |
| Nubia Z9 mini | 2900 mAh | 18:00 | 10:00 a.m. | 3h 30m |
Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd / m²) lasted less than 15.5 hours until the battery was completely discharged, and with continuous viewing of video in high quality (720p) with the same level of brightness through the home Wi-Fi network, the device withstood 9.5 hours. In 3D gaming mode, the smartphone worked for 4.5 hours.
The battery of the smartphone takes a long time to charge, the time to fully charge the battery is about 3.5 hours. Naturally, there is no support for fast charging here. The smartphone is charged from the complete charger with a current of 5.21 V 0.97 A, exactly the same amount it takes when charging from a third-party charger.
Outcome
At the moment, Micromax Canvas Power can be bought for an amount of 8 thousand rubles, and the official price of a smartphone in the micromaxstore branded online store is 9 thousand rubles. The price has already dropped a little: at the start of sales of the device, it was set at 10 thousand rubles. For this money, the user will receive a medium-sized smartphone with a nice design and a set of features that meet the requirements of the year before last. It is strange to see such parameters in a mobile device at the turn of 2016, but the manufacturer expects to win the hearts of users not with specifications, but with an affordable price. The smartphone does not shine with anything, does not stand out in any of the parameters, but there are no outright failures either, everything is at an average level, including autonomy. Micromax Canvas Power is a smartphone closer to the entry level, an inexpensive functional mobile assistant that does not pretend to be a multimedia center.
