Available from December 8.
By Dileep Thekkethil
BENGALURU: Micromax launched a new smartphone on Friday named Canvas Express A99 – the company’s first launch of this month.
The new Micromax Canvas Express A99 smartphone is priced at Rs. 6,999 ($113) and will be available exclusively via Flipkart starting from December 8.
Michael Adnani, VP – Retail & Head – Brand Alliances, Flipkart said, “Micromax is one of the most popular home-grown phone brands in India and we are happy to partner with them for the exclusive launch of the Micromax Canvas Xpress on our platform. A number of global brands have seen phenomenal success on Flipkart this year and we are confident of continuing this trend.”
Canvas Express, like all other Android smartphones launched recently, runs of the Android AkitKat 4.4 mobile operating system out-of-the-box with a Dual SIM card support. When scrutinizing the hardware specifications Canvas Express, one cannot find any flamboyant additions from the existing range of Micromax devices in the budget level.
Vineet Taneja, Chief Executive Officer, Micromax said, “At Micromax, we have always believed in opting for smart partnerships building on our innovative products and belief to make technology accessible to all. Our partnership with Flipkart to launch the Canvas Xpress exclusively reinforces our commitment to simplify the process for millions of users who prefer to shop online and get the device with just a few clicks. We look forward to a great consumer response through this platform.”
The smartphone has a 4.5 inch touchscreen display with 480×854 pixels and is powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor coupled with a 1GB RAM. It is an irony that a device with average processor speed and just 1 GB RAM, a minimum for any device running on KitKat OS, is given the name Canvas Express.
Once again there is nothing spectacular coming to the camera department of the new Canvas Express. Micromax has used a 5 MP camera with auto-focus and flash for primary image capturing and a VGA quality 0.3 MP camera in the front, which without argument, is way below the current standards of budget level smartphones. It should be also noted that such a below average front camera is coming from a manufacturer that launched a few selfie centric smartphone a few months ago.
Canvas Express A99 has an 8GB internal storage capacity and this can be expanded up to 32GB using a microSD card. Canvas Express has connectivity features such as Bluetooth, WiFi and 3G. Other than this the device also has a preloaded app like HotKnot and Smart Wake to enable connectivity feature that resembles Near Field Communication (NFC). The device is backed by a 1950 mAH battery that hopefully can last for a whole day.