Specs review: Micromax Canvas Knight A350 raises the bar of smartphones under Rs 20k

#Micromax Canvas Knight

Octa-core specs battle

By TECH2COME /  09 Mar 2014

Following the octa-core brigade, Micromax has launched its next flagship dubbed the Canvas Knight A350, for the Indian market. Just like most Micromax devices, it is a budget device with superior features. For Rs 19,999, the spec sheet of the Canvas Knight could put any sub-Rs 20,000 device to shame. Here’s a quick look at its tech specs.

User Interface – Android 4.2.2
While the hardware appears to be brilliant, the Canvas Knight is disappointing when it comes to the OS running on the device.  The Canvas Knight runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, similar to its previous flagship Canvas Turbo. With the nifty specs the phone holds, it appears to be more than capable of running Android 4.4 KitKat. What we don’t understand is what’s stopping Micromax from launching it with 4.3 at the very least, if not KitKat?

One should also expect pre-loaded apps from the company such as M! Security, M! Live, M! Unlock as well as third party vendors like Spuul, Hike, Opera Mini and more. Micromax had also signed a deal with BlackBerry to preload BBM on its Canvas phones. So, you can expect BBM for Android too. One can also expect Micromax’s software gimmickry like ifloat that serves as a quick launcher for calls, messages, browser, settings, etc. from any screen, blow to unlock, popup video, popup browser, and more.  You will also find Truecaller, GetIt, M!Vault pre-installed along with games such as RealSteel WRB, Where’s My Perry and Where’s My Water.

Canvas Knight looks sleek, but too much like the iPhone

Cellular Connectivity – GSM, 3G
The Canvas Knight is a dual SIM smartphone that supports GSM and 3G networks. However, it should be noted that the company has started testing 4G-enabled devices, which are expected to be launched later this year. May be its too early to say, but we could possibly see a 4G variant of the device in the future.

Display – 5-inch SHARP Full HD
Micromax has retained the 5-inch display size seen in the Turbo as well as the full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution, with a pixel count that goes all the way up to 443 ppi. Moreover, it’s the full HD CGS (Continuous Grain Silicon) IPS display built by SHARP, just like its predecessor. This means, we can expect crisp and clear images.

Form-factor– Anodised aluminium body
The official site doesn’t mention the weight or dimensions, but it appears to be pretty slim. In terms of design, it doesn’t follow the Turbo, instead looks like an iPhone. The Canvas Knight gets a brushed metal styling with champagne gold bezels while the rear panel comes with a glass finish. The device is available in three colours – black, white and gold and black and gold.

Wi-Fi
The Canvas Turbo supports Wi-Fi, but so far there has been no mention of the connectivity options. There is no word on dual-band support either or if it supports the ‘ac’ draft either.

Processor – Mediatek Octa-core , 2GB RAM
The Canvas Knight is first smartphone from Micromax to feature an octa-core processor.  It is powered by a MediaTek MT6592T SoC, that clocks in at 2GHz. It also includes an ARM Mali-450 GPU and 2GB of RAM.  The Canvas Knight joins the Gionee Elife E7 Mini, Intex Aqua Octa and the iBerry Auxus Nuclea N2, which also sport octa-core chipsets.

Internal storage – 32GB, no room for expansion
While the Canvas Turbo was available with 16GB onboard storage option, the Knight gets a whopping 32GB built-in storage. It doesn’t offer other online storage support or a memory card slot.  However, 32GB storage could suffice your daily storage needs.

Camera - 16-megapxiel BSI sensor, 8-megapixel front-facing camera
On the camera front, the Knight comes with major improvement. It gets 16-megapxiel sensor on the rear side with support for auto-focus and flash. The rear shooter is paired with OmniVision’s CameraChip sensor and a new generation M8 Largan Lens, allowing 1080p video recording at 30 frames per second. Users can also control the camera with their voice and the OmniVision CameraChip sensors also enable HD burst mode.

The device also gets an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. The company has included its quirky-named “Camerazzi” camera app that adds several features such as 360 Degree Panorama, Cinemagraph and Object Eraser.

Sensors – All the usual suspects
The Canvas Knight won’t disappoint when it comes to sensors. It gets all the usual suspects such as accelerometer, light, gravity, gyroscope, proximity and compass.

GPS
The Canvas Knight comes with support for GPS and A-GPS. Though the official site doesn’t mention, we are hoping it also supports GLONASS.

Battery – Li-Ion 2350 mAh
Coming to the battery, we get a measly 2350 mAh battery. The rated battery life promised is 175 hours of standby time and 7.5 hours of talk time. Given the specifications of the phone, this could be the Achilles heel of the Knight.

The bottom line
The Canvas Knight comes with an incredibly powerful specs sheet. It appears to be one of the best value-for-money Android smartphones under Rs 20,000 with an octa-core processor, 2GB RAM, 16MP rear camera, 8MP front-facing camera and 32GB onboard storage. The only disappointment so far, is the older Android Jelly version that the device runs on and the tiny battery.  While it all sounds good on paper and has the potential to be one of the best budget smartphone by an Indian brand, we will have to wait and see how well the device performs once we get out hands on it.