Phablet faceoff: Samsung Galaxy Grand vs. Micromax A116 Canvas HD
January has seen the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos and the Micromax A116 Canvas HD. We take a quick look and compare the specifications of both the devices.
Samsung, the pioneer of the phablets, and Micromax one of the leading brands in budget smartphones, have added two 5-inch phablets in their portfolio.
Even though there is a Rs. 5,000 difference in the two devices we thought we’d take a quick look at the power under the hood of these phablets.
On paper both the Samsung Galaxy Grand I9082 and Micromax A116 Canvas HD seem impressive. We have had some hands on time with both the phones and we have to say, they perform well.
Let us take a look at the specifications of both the phones side by side.
| Name | Micromax A116 Canvas HD | Samsung Galaxy Grand |
| Display size | 5-inch | 5-inch |
| Display type | IPS | WVGA |
| Display resolution | 1280×720 | 480×800 |
| Processor type | MediaTek MT 6589 | Broadcom |
| Processor cores | quad-core | dual-core |
| Processor clock speed | 1.2GHz | 1.2GHz |
| RAM | 1GB | 1GB |
| Built-in storage | 4GB | 8GB |
| Expandable storage | 32GB via microSD card | 64GB via microSD card |
| Dual–SIM support | Yes | Yes |
| Rear camera | 8MP | 8MP |
| Front facing camera | 0.3MP | 2MP |
| Battery | 2100mAh | 2100mAh |
| OS | Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean | Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean |
| Skin | Light skin (Unknown) | TouchWiz |
| Preloaded apps | M!Store, M!Buddy, M!SMS, M!Zone and Hook Up. | S Voice, Smart Stay (the display won’t go to sleep if it knows that you are reading), All share, Chat On and my service |
| Price | Under Rs. 15,000 (exact price not known) | Rs. 21,500 |
The display on both the phones is 5-inches but the Micromax A116 Canvas HD has an IPS panel which gives it really good viewing angles. Read our First Impressions: Micromax A116 Canvas HD
The Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos has a WVGA display and during the launch event the display looked good, but we have seen better. The resolution is where the A116 takes the cake. It has a 1280×720 pixel display whereas the Grand sticks to the 480×800 pixel resolution, which is a bit of a downer. Read First Impressions: Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos
The processor is where we would really like to put these devices through their paces. The A116 has a MediaTek MT 6589 quad-core 1.2GHz processor where as the Grand has a dual-core 1.2GHz processor. The Grand is rumoured to run on the Broadcom SoC, the same one that is powering the recently launched Samsung Galaxy S II Plus. Both the companies have large claims for what their devices can do and we would really like to put their claim to the test. The RAM and battery along with the rear camera of both is the same.
The Galaxy Grand Duos comes with TouchWiz, which is one of the better skins for Android available in the market. The Micromax A116 too has a skin but it quite minimalistic and similar to what we have come to know from the Micromax Canvas 2 A110.
This is just a first look at the specifications of the device. Looking at the specifications and the price, it seems that the A116 is a better proposition but that’s a judgment we are reserving for the final review. Stay tuned as we will not only bring you a review of both the devices but a benchmark comparison as well when the devices hit store shelves in the first week of February.
Also read,
Micromax A116 Canvas HD vs. Galaxy Note II: Half the price, double the value?
First Impressions: Micromax A116 Canvas HD
First Impressions: Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos