Samsung Galaxy Grand vs Micromax A116 Canvas HD

Anything Can Happen and it happened now. So here we are comparing models. While the last two years saw Samsung’s ascendancy to the top of Smartphone world and becoming undisputed king of mobile world in terms of sales, desi-bred Micromax slowly inched to rival Samsung in India with its low-cost Android smartphones. The Indian mobile-sphere was abuzz last two days with back to back announcement of two phablets sporting 5 inch screens. While Micromax stole the initial thunder, almost sending a shock-and-awe moment by announcing its first quad core processor powered Smartphone running on JellyBean Android OS and specs that could rival any other premium devices at a tempting sub-15K price, Samsung announced the next day its ‘Grand’ galaxy with the best of the premium galaxy features but priced a little over 20K.  Let’s see how the two models fare against each other spec-wise and feature-wise when pitted against each other.

Display – It’s not just about the 5, Sammy!

The talking point or rather say the comparing point between both the phones begins with the 5-inch screen. Galaxy Grand and Micromax Canvas HD both screams a big Hi-5! But there is more to the display than the expansive screen and we are talking about the screen resolution here. Though Galaxy Grand is generously inspired by the smartphone of the last year by every accounts and the hugely popular Galaxy S3 and in fact has outgrown it at least on size, Samsung has chosen to pack it with only a 800 x 480 screen resolution and also refuse the super Amoled display. Rather, Galaxy Grand has to settle with a WVGA TFT LCD screen. Not so grand appearance at least on this round. Though Samsung claims its mDNIe technology would deliver a clear and vivid imagery. On the other hand, Micromax sizzles with a IPS resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. A HD resolution and colour depth of 16.7 million means we got a clear winner here for this round. Winner:  A big round of applause to Micromax.

Look and feel – Who got the better style?

A smartphone has to be not just smart but also look good on your hands. After all, the phones has become an extension of your personality. Though the good old saying would like to believe beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, when it comes to mobiles there are few tell-tale signs to declare who got the better form factor. Both the phones have curved edges and looks neat but Galaxy Grand inspired by Galaxy S3’s form factor edges out Canvas HD due to its slim body and overall sleekness and appeal. Winner: Good looks round goes to – Galaxy Grand

Processor – Who got the extra power?

We can’t talk about performance till we get hands-on the devices and review them, so let’s talk on the processors based on pure specs. Galaxy Grand is powered by 1.2 GHz dual-core processor. With Samsung, I would tend to believe the processor should be pretty decent enough for multi-tasking and other tasks without lag. Micromax on other hand released its first quad core processor smartphone with its Canvas HD. It sports a MediaTek MT6589 1.2 GHz quad-core Cortex-A7 processor. Both the phones has a 2100 mAh battery. Winner: Purely based on specs, Micromax wins this round. Though we can only ascertain if Galaxy Grand can muster enough fire to compare with only after reviewing both the devices.

OS and Custom UI toppings

Both the phones run on the Android’s current flavour of the season – Jelly Bean. Samsung tops the Android OS with its proprietary custom made TouchWiz UI, in all its Galaxy series. TouchWiz UI has been skimmed, improved and refined through every versions and is very intuitive and easy to use. TouchWiz adds charm to the Galaxy series and Galaxy Grand is no exception. Micromax Canvas HD is knocked down outright when it comes to customization of UI. It packs stock Android Jelly Bean, with a bit of customization. The UI might not boast the easiness and intuitiveness of TouchWiz and gets bit sluggish at times. Winner: Galaxy Grand‘s TouchWiz UI makes for a grand usability

Premium Features – The extra edge

How do you spot a brilliance amidst a crowd? The one who flaunts the extra edge, extra smartness, extra capabilities to differ himself from others. Galaxy Grand retains the smartness that we have recently seen in the premium Galaxy devices like S3 and Note 2 like Smart stay, Direct call, Smart Alerts, Pop up play, S-voice, All share etc. More importantly, Galaxy Grand allows for multiple windows and multi-tasking wherein you can run two apps at the same time

More about the Premium features of Galaxy Grand read HERE

Micromax  Canvas HD looses out on the extra ‘smartness’.

Winner: Galaxy Grand winds hand down

Storage: Show me the extra space dude!

You never know when you want that extra storage. Samsung never shies away from bequeathing you with extra storage options. Though Galaxy Grand comes with only 8 GB internal storage, it packs in an expandable memory option upto 64 GB with microSD card. Micromax Canvas HD fits in only 4 GB internal storage which can be expandable up to 32 GB. Winner: Galaxy Grand it is for your extra luggage.

Camera – Say Cheese!

Smartphones has become the de facto pocket cameras on the move. So a good camera features and functionality becomes an important factor in comparing phones. Galaxy Grand’s shooter is made up of a 8-megapixel primary rear facing one with LED flash and a secondary front facing 2-megapixel one. It also boasts of zero shutter lag, backside illumination sensor and quick start up. Additionally it also features Geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilization and smart features like buddy share, face tag etc Micromax Canvas HD also comes with an 8 MP rear camera with LED flash but on the front just fits in a VGA camera. Winner: Galaxy Grand gets the extra brownies

Dual SIM – The additional advantage

Both the phones has dual SIM but does one of the phone holds the extra ace? Yes. Galaxy Grand has a smart auto forward feature. It enables an incoming call to a busy SIM to be auto-forwarded to other phone, thus keeping both SIMs active at once. Micromax Canvas HD is only single SIM active. Winner: Galaxy Grand for keeping us extra active.

Price – how much it burns our pocket?

Price is a crucial factor especially in markets like India. Few thousands can influence the buyer’s decision. Galaxy Grand is priced at Rs. 21,500. Micromax Canvas HD is temptingly priced at Rs. 14,999. So the figure says it all. The difference of 6.5K can be a decisive influential factor for many. Winner: Micromax Canvas HD can bring smiles to the budget-conscious!

On the concluding notes…

If what you look for is extra ‘smartness’, additional features, intuitive UI and better and easy social networking and sharing experience plus a sleek and slimmer phone, Galaxy Grand would appeal to you. If you are fine with the almost stock Jelly Bean OS combined with some powerful tech specs, Canvas HD could be your choice. Finally, it also boils down to the price and affordability. The price difference between the two phones would prove to be the ultimate deciding factor.]]>