Micromax recently pulled off a stealthy launch of its new phone, dubbed the A110Q Canvas 2 Plus. Apart from having a long name, there are other interesting features of the handset, such as the quad-core processor. However, the low-resolution on the display does seem like a letdown. Lets take a look at what makes the phone tick.
OS – Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
The A110Q Canvas 2 Plus will run on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean right out of the box. This is a great thing, since that means the handset is essentially just one step behind the latest version of Android. Android 4.2 brings many features, including expandable notifications and Daydream, which is essentially a screensaver. Since this is Jelly Bean after all, Project Butter will help make the phone better with Google Now and a better camera interface, among other things.
Cellular network – Dual-SIM GSM and 3G
The A110Q Canvas 2 Plus will retain the dual-SIM functionality and will support GSM and 3G networks. You should be able to use both SIMs simultaneously as well.
Display – 5-inch IPS
The display is a 5-inch IPS panel, which would give great viewing angles. However, all of that is offset by the fact that the handset runs on a resolution of 854 x 480, which is rather disappointing. The low resolution will be even more obvious because of the giant display, since the handset has a very low pixel density of 195.93 ppi.
Connectivity – Standard fare
Connectivity options on the A110Q Canvas 2 Plus include all the standard fare that one can expect from an Android handset. This includes 3G, 2G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS. Bluetooth will undoubtedly have support for A2DP. As of now, it is unclear whether the GPS will run on A-GPS or GLONASS.
The Micromax A110Q Canvas 2 Plus
SoC– MediaTek MT6589 (quad-core)
The A110Q Canvas 2 Plus features MediaTek’s MT6589 SoC, which contains a quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 CPU and PowerVR Series5XT GPU. While the CPU uses the slightly older architecture from ARM, the SoC is built using the newer 28nm fabrication process, so it should do well in terms of power efficiency. Micromax hasn’t detailed all the multimedia capabilities of the A110Q, but digging a little deeper into the chipset's capabilities, we find support for 1080p video recording. Whether or not Micromax chooses to use this is yet to be seen. Nevertheless, the four cores should easily help in gaming and even the general responsiveness of the UI.
Storage – 4GB on-board with room for expansion
The A110Q is equipped with a paltry 4GB of on-board memory, with 1.4GB taken up by any apps that you might want to download and 1GB usable as mass storage. Luckily, however, there is a microSD slot where you can stick in a 32GB microSD card.
Primary Camera – 8MP sensor with dual-LED flash
The main camera on the back of the handset is a hefty 8 megapixel shooter, like the one found in the A116 Canvas HD; there's no BSI sensor.
Front Camera – 2 megapixels
The 2 megapixel camera on the front is much better than the VGA cameras we’re used to. Video calls and self-portraits should be serviceable.
Sensors – Proximity, gravity and motion
The A110Q is equipped with the standard proximity sensor, which is used to tell when the phone is close to your head during a call so that the display can turn itself off. Other sensors include a gravity sensor and a motion sensor.
Battery – 2000 mAh
The A110Q is equipped with a beefy 2000 mAh battery. While this wouldn’t have been enough because of the quad-core processor, the lower screen resolution ensures that the handset isn’t too power hungry. Micromax quotes a standby time of 280 hours and 6 hours of talktime.
The bottom line
On paper, the A110Q Canvas 2 Plus seems a lot like an older phone from Micromax – the A116 Canvas HD. Both phones even use the same SoC. However, the A110Q has a considerably worse screen. The A110Q Canvas 2 Plus has been launched with a price tag of Rs 12,100, so assuming a street price of Rs 10,000, buying the phone doesn’t seem to be that bad of a deal. It’s also bound to have a decent battery life because of the low-res display.
