Budget smartphones is the new aspirational segment where handset makers are actively offering great packages. Not all budget smartphones offer same set of features for each handset maker has to give a trade-off on the specifications in order to make the handset appropriately priced. This week, we reported the launch of two budget level devices focussing on one important factor of a smartphone – battery.
Gionee introduced the new M2 for Rs 10,999 just a day after Micromax announced the new Canvas Power for Rs 9,900. Both smartphones run Google Android based mobile operating systems but offer different set of features. Let us take a quick look at the similarities between both handsets and weigh how different they are from each other.
Similarities
Design and Display
When it comes to design, the Gionee M2 looks glossy and bears mono-block, candy-bar design. In comparison, the Canvas Power carries the Canvas lineage with the rounded corner and typical candy-bar form factor. The Gionee M2 measures 10.5 mm thick but there is no word on Canvas Power’s dimensions.
The Canvas Power and M2 sport 5-inch touchscreen display with 854×480 pixel resolution. The quality of display might be almost the same and the difference would be barely noticeable.
Processor and OS
Under the chassis, both smartphones pack a quad-core mobile Processor clocked at 1.3 GHz. Micromax has packed a MediaTek MTK6582M mobile Chipset inside Canvas Power while Gionee remains tight-lipped about the mobile chipset inside M2. Co-incidentally, both models run the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean update.
Storage
Both smartphones offer 4 GB internal storage out of which only about 1.15 GB would be available to the user and rest would be reserved for the operating system and apps.
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Differences
Memory
For selecting any decent Android device, one must check the amount of RAM packed as an unwritten thumb rule. Gionee has packed 1 GB RAM in the M2 and made it strong enough to run heavy games and applications. On the other hand, the Canvas Power packs mere 512 MB RAM which is just enough to run the basic apps and casual games.
Camera
Next in the line is the camera for imaging. Gionee M2 features a 8 Megapixel camera with LED Flash. This camera bundles along several features such as Face Detection, Panorama, Touch Focus and a Burst Mode that allow capturing 99 images in one click. The camera is also capable of recording HD videos. In its front rests a 2 megapixel camera capable enough for a video call in decent quality.
Meanwhile, the Micromax Canvas Power offers a 5 megapixel camera at the back with an LED Flash. This camera too can record HD videos. In the front, Canvas Power has a VGA quality camera. Theoretically the M2 has an advantage of better camera for imaging but the real verdict can be passed only after checking the resultant images from both the cameras.
Battery
Micromax launched the Canvas Power with a 4000 mAh battery. Officially, the Canvas Power promises continuous talk time of 5.5 hours and standby time of 450 hours. Gionee seems to have gone a step ahead by promising a talk time of 31.5 hours over 2G network and 24 hours over 3G network. The Gionee M2 offers standby time of 555 hours.
It is obvious that Micromax has listed expected talk time while using the smartphone in Dual-SIM configuration. But there is no clarity on battery life of Gionee M2 in dual-SIM configuration mode.
Final Thoughts
Though the handsets have few common features, the Gionee M2 is a step ahead of the Micromax Canvas Power in certain areas. The Gionee M2 is priced a grand higher at Rs 10,999 compared to the Micromax Canvas Power that costs Rs 9,900. According to us, the upgrade certainly seems worth every penny as the former offers more RAM, better camera and slightly more battery life. However, the real-world performance can be compared only after a thorough review.