Canvas 4 hand on vs. S4 and xolo play t1000

Micromax Canvas 4 at launch event

Canvas 4 is an evolution of Canvas HD. Specifications are more or less same, except the camera that seems to have been given significant attention. But Micromax has worked on the features and design to make Canvas 4 a better deal than its predecessor.

This shows once you pick up the phone. The shell of Canvas 4 has been made of glossy plastic but the finishing is much better compared to Canvas HD. Micromax says that Canvas 4 has aluminum body. Not entirely correct. The device only has aluminum frame around the screen. But this frame does add to the sturdiness of the phone as well as gives it better looks compared to most of its competitors.

Canvas 4 is also slimmer and more compact compared to Canvas HD despite packing in a 5-inch screen.

In our brief use, we found the device to have good performance. It is powered by Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). Though Micromax has used custom icons, under the hood the device runs mostly stock Android user interface. While using the device, we didn't encounter any lag. We ran Antutu, a popular Android benchmark, on the device. It scored a respectable 13,559 points. Devices like Galaxy S4 and HTC One score over 20,000 points in this benchmark. But given its price, Canvas 4's score looks decent.

The quality of the screen used on Canvas 4 seems to be slightly better than the one found in Canvas HD. Even though resolution is same, the screen on the new Canvas shows slightly better and punchier colours.

The 13MP camera looks significantly better than the one in Canvas HD. While we need to spend more time with the device before we can talk its camera performance in detail, some of the photos that we clicked with it show that it is a decent shooter. The images, which were shot in low-light conditions, had good colours and sharp focus. But they lacked details and sharpness that better cameras can manage. In good light, however, we expect the camera in Canvas 4 to fare better and produce good images.

Canvas 4 is packed with some unique, at least for a Micromax phone, software features. For example, the device can pause a video playback if you look away from it. This is similar to 'Smart Pause' found on Samsung phones. Similarly, it has a feature called 'Blow to Unlock'. Some of these features sound gimmicky but some can be useful. We will have to spend more time with the device to find out if these features can help Canvas 4 take on the competition or not. 

Micromax Canvas 4 key specifications

• 5.0-inch HD (720x1280) display
• 1.2GHz quad-core processor
• 1GB RAM
• 16GB internal storage, expandable up to 32GB
• 13-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front camera
• Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean
• 2,000mAH battery

Is Micromax Canvas 4 an answer to Samsung Galaxy S4?

Samsung Galaxy S4 has a 5-Inch Full HD Super AMOLED display and it also has 16GB internal storage, but a 2GB RAM compared to Canvas4's 1GB RAM. It makes the Samsung's flashship phone faster than Micromax Canvas 4 and capable of running more applications at the same time. The S4 runs on Android v4.2.2.

As far as features and specifications are concerned, Micromax Canvas 4 though touted as a competitor to the S4 isn't exactly that. Without any doubt, Galaxy S4 is way ahead of the Canvas 4.

The main factor in this comparison is the pricetag of the respective handsets and value for the money debate. Canvas 4 is available for Rs.18,000 wherein the S4 comes for about Rs.39,500.

Considering the price factor, Micromax Canvas 4 offers great features and people refraining from Galaxy S4 for its expensiveness may look towards Canvas 4.

In a price-sensitive emerging market like India, Canvas 4 is likely to figure somewhere in the race.

Canvas 4 vs. Xolo Play T1000

Model	Xolo Play T1000 (Single-SIM)	Micromax Canvas 4
Display	4.7-inch IPS OGS HD (720x1280p) screen with pixel density of 312 ppi (pixels per inch)	5.0-inch IPS display with HD 1280x720p resolution
OS	Android v4.1.1 Jelly Bean OS	Android v4.2.1 Jelly Bean OS
Processor	NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor with clock speed of 1.5GHz	MediaTek Cortex A7 quad-core processor with 1.2GHzCPU speed
RAM	1GB	1GB
Storage	4GB, expandable up to 32GB via microSD card	16GB, expandable up to 32GB via microSD card
Camera	Main:8.0-megapixel camera with BSI sensor, LED flash, capable of recording 1080p full HD video Front:2.0-megapixel camera	Main: 13.0-megapixel camera with 5 -element lenses, auto-focus, LED flash support, capable of taking vertical panorama shot Front: 5.0-megapixel camera
Battery	2000 mAh, Talk Time: 11.2 hours(2G), 9 hours(3G); Standby Time: 227 hours(2G), 413 hours(3G);	2,000 mAh
Price	₹15,999/-	₹17,999/-

As far as  we see micromax is doing a great job so you can go with the canvas 4.