Micromax Canvas Express 2 First Impressions: With a price tag of Rs. 5,999, octa-core SoC and 13MP camera, Micromax is embracing the flash sale game.
It’s surprising how the same company can launch two devices that are polar opposites of each other. In its last launch, the Micromax Canvas Sliver 5, the company took a lot of criticism over its pricing. The budget Canvas Express 2 is on the other end of the spectrum though, and it is good to say the least. The device is priced at Rs. 5,999 and while we’re not yet confirmed about its performance, it has the specs covered. We’ve had the phone for a few hours now, so we are ready to give you a detailed first impressions of the Micromax Canvas Express 2, don’t worry, the review will be out within the week.
The Micromax Canvas Express 2 has a matte-finish plastic back.
Taking the phone out of the box, your first thought about the Micromax Canvas Express 2 is that this phone belongs in a higher price segment. With matte finish plastic on the back, and a metallic sheen to the plastic side trimmings, the phone looks quite premium. In fact, it looks way more premium than the Xiaomi Redmi 2, Lenovo A6000 and of course, the Moto E. Considering that it costs less than or same as all of these devices, it makes for a really good value proposition.
The metal-finish on the sides gives it a very premium look.
Unlike the Canvas Spark though, Micromax isn’t just going for the looks here. The phone has a 13MP rear camera and the 1.4 GHz MediaTek MT6592M octa-core SoC running on it. While the camera is still not the best in the segment, the performance seems good enough for a budget smartphone. We have seen no lags yet, and while does the phone does seem to be heating up a bit, it isn’t quite at alarming levels, even when playing high end games. If you’re looking for benchmark numbers, the phone clocks 28,411 on AnTuTu, which is above all the competitors mentioned above. On Geekbench 3, the phone scores 365 on single core performance and 2027 on multi-core performance. It has 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage, which can be expanded to 32GB using micro-SD card.
The speaker grill isn't the same as laser etching on metal, but very premium for a sub-7k smartphone.
If the specs game does indeed exist in India, Micromax has it covered. Do you care about having a 13MP camera on your phone? If you do, then this one’s got one. The Xiaomi Redmi 2’s 8MP camera gives you better quality, but reading a spec sheet, you wouldn’t know that. There is also a 2MP camera on the front, which like the rear camera, isn’t the best, but does what it’s meant to.
The 13MP camera on the back further adds to the looks.
Like the camera, the 5 inch HD display on the device isn't the best, but much better than the Android One phones that you get in this range or the Moto E. There's a definite darkening around the edges, which puts it behind the likes of the Redmi 2. The display also feels better than the Lenovo A6000. All this though, seems to be taking a toll on the 2500 mAh battery. The phone has falled from 55% to 31% battery in a few hours of usage, and we really didn't put it through much. The MediaTek MT6592M though isn't best known for its battery life either. We can't yet be sure whether it'll last you a day, but let's hope for the best.
The phone is also slightly curved on the back, which allows for a good grip.
More importantly though, there’s a more than decent value proposition here. The Micromax Canvas Express 2 doesn’t at all look like a phone that costs just below 6000 bucks. The performance seems to be good enough on first impressions, while the cameras cover the spec-side well. The only way Micromax could have made this seem like a better value device was if it could add 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage, but seeing as no one has done that yet, you can’t blame Micromax for it. In fact, 1GB RAM seems to be working fine for this phone.
The Canvas Express 2 currently runs Android 4.4.2, but should have Lollipop soon.
The company dropped the ball with the pricing of the Canvas Sliver 5, but here it gets that crucial aspect right. It may not be the out and out value for money device that you often get today, but it’s up there. The Micromax Canvas Express 2 is a combination of pure specs to price value and real value, which puts it in a not-so-bad spot.
Micromax Canvas Xpress 2 on Flipkart at Rs. 5,999
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Prasid Banerjee
Trying to explain technology to my parents. Failing miserably. View Full Profile
