Budget Quad-core smartphones are in huge demand specially Micromax Canvas HD which was sold out just after launch and now out of stock. But now there are more options after Xolo, Karbonn launching their quad-core smartphones and Chinese manufacturer UMI Mobiles launching their X2 in India which is very impressive in terms of Specifications.
If you are planning to get a value for money product in under Rs 15,000 segment and confused with the options then look our comparison below.
Specifications Comparison
Showdown :
Processor , RAM and Memory -
All the four smartphones come with MediaTek MT6589 Chipset which has 1.2GHz quad-core processor and PowerVR SGX544 GPU. The quad-core processors are more power efficiency oriented rather than performance, but offer similar or better performance than dual-core processors in this price segment. The GPU is also quite capable and runs full HD videos and most games with ease.
All the phones have 1GB of RAM which is good enough for multi-tasking, but the UMI X2 has 2GB of RAM which should provide more juice for demanding applications and games that make use if its display's Full HD resolution.
Display
The UMI X2 comes with 5 inch full HD display which is simply great for the price range. It will be amazingly sharp due to the high pixel density.
The Canvas HD also has 5 inch IPS display with 720p resolution, it is also reported to have vivid colors and great viewing angles.
The Q800 and S1 Titanium have 4.5 inch IPS displays with qHD resolution . The resolution is not that great but is not bad either.
Camera
Its quite hard to say which camera is good judging by the Megapixels.
The Canvas HD sports 8MP camera with Autofocus and LED flash. The camera is just ok, its pictures have more noise and are quite grainy. Taking the pictures in low-light further worsens the quality.
The Xolo Q800 is just announced and there are no camera samples so we cannot comment on the quality yet. However, It has 8MP camera has BSI sensor which is expected to have better quality than Canvas HD.
The Karbonn S1 Titanium has only 5MP rear camera with Autofocus and LED flash . Again there are no samples yet so we cannot comment on the quality.
Finally the UMI X2 has massive 13MP BSI camera sensor. UMI Mobiles Facebook page shared few pictures clicked with the camera which shows us that the camera is very capable and fares well even in low-light conditions. The macro images are also very sharp with good color levels.
It also offers full HD 1080p video recording while all the other phones have only up to 720p video.
Operating System and UI
All phones have Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS.
Micromax , Karbonn and Xolo seem to have custom UI , while the UI on the UMI X2 is vanilla Jelly Bean.
Micromax has confirmed that the Canvas HD will be updated to Android 4.2 Jelly Bean this month . UMI has also said that the X2 will receive Android 4.2 Jelly Bean update in April.
We cannot comment on the audio quality of the other two since they are not out in market yet.
Watching HD Movies on big displays can be boring if the sound quality is not good. Music playback quality also matters for many customers. This is where most budget phones fail to impress.
The Micromax Canvas HD is reported to have mediocre audio quality through the headphone jack. The stock earphones supplied with the phone are also of very low quality.
The Xolo Q800 comes with Yamaha 168PA DAC which is claimed to provide great audio experience.
Connectivity
All the four handsets have nearly same connectivity options.
Design And Built Quality
The Canvas HD has decent built quality and looks good too. On the other hand , the UMI seems to have slightly lower built quality, but it is more sleek with just 8.9mm thickness.
The Xolo Q800 also has nice design and it is pretty sleek with 9.6mm thickness. It is smaller because of the smaller display so should fit better in smaller hands. The S1 Titanium also looks decent and has similar size and thickness as the Xolo Q800.
Price And Conclusion-
The Canvas HD and UMI X2 are priced at Rs 14,000 in India . The Xolo Q800 is priced at Rs 12,499 and Karbonn S1 Titanium is priced at Rs 10,990.
Considering the specifications UMI X2 seems to be the best buy at Rs 14k. But the brand is relatively unpopular and the after sales support is yet to be proven. They are claiming to provide 3 months replacement warranty along with 1 year warranty which is certainly good.
If someone wants to go with relatively more known brand and proven support then the Micromax Canvas HD would the better pick compared to UMI X2.
The Xolo Q800 is also a good buy considering the lower price are ready availability. If bigger screen size is not required then it is good choice.
If you are planning to get a value for money product in under Rs 15,000 segment and confused with the options then look our comparison below.
Specifications Comparison
Showdown :
Processor , RAM and Memory -
All the four smartphones come with MediaTek MT6589 Chipset which has 1.2GHz quad-core processor and PowerVR SGX544 GPU. The quad-core processors are more power efficiency oriented rather than performance, but offer similar or better performance than dual-core processors in this price segment. The GPU is also quite capable and runs full HD videos and most games with ease.
All the phones have 1GB of RAM which is good enough for multi-tasking, but the UMI X2 has 2GB of RAM which should provide more juice for demanding applications and games that make use if its display's Full HD resolution.
Display
The UMI X2 comes with 5 inch full HD display which is simply great for the price range. It will be amazingly sharp due to the high pixel density.
The Canvas HD also has 5 inch IPS display with 720p resolution, it is also reported to have vivid colors and great viewing angles.
The Q800 and S1 Titanium have 4.5 inch IPS displays with qHD resolution . The resolution is not that great but is not bad either.
Camera
Its quite hard to say which camera is good judging by the Megapixels.
The Canvas HD sports 8MP camera with Autofocus and LED flash. The camera is just ok, its pictures have more noise and are quite grainy. Taking the pictures in low-light further worsens the quality.
The Xolo Q800 is just announced and there are no camera samples so we cannot comment on the quality yet. However, It has 8MP camera has BSI sensor which is expected to have better quality than Canvas HD.
The Karbonn S1 Titanium has only 5MP rear camera with Autofocus and LED flash . Again there are no samples yet so we cannot comment on the quality.
Finally the UMI X2 has massive 13MP BSI camera sensor. UMI Mobiles Facebook page shared few pictures clicked with the camera which shows us that the camera is very capable and fares well even in low-light conditions. The macro images are also very sharp with good color levels.
It also offers full HD 1080p video recording while all the other phones have only up to 720p video.
Operating System and UI
All phones have Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS.
Micromax , Karbonn and Xolo seem to have custom UI , while the UI on the UMI X2 is vanilla Jelly Bean.
Micromax has confirmed that the Canvas HD will be updated to Android 4.2 Jelly Bean this month . UMI has also said that the X2 will receive Android 4.2 Jelly Bean update in April.
We cannot comment on the audio quality of the other two since they are not out in market yet.
Watching HD Movies on big displays can be boring if the sound quality is not good. Music playback quality also matters for many customers. This is where most budget phones fail to impress.
The Micromax Canvas HD is reported to have mediocre audio quality through the headphone jack. The stock earphones supplied with the phone are also of very low quality.
The Xolo Q800 comes with Yamaha 168PA DAC which is claimed to provide great audio experience.
Connectivity
All the four handsets have nearly same connectivity options.
Design And Built Quality
The Canvas HD has decent built quality and looks good too. On the other hand , the UMI seems to have slightly lower built quality, but it is more sleek with just 8.9mm thickness.
The Xolo Q800 also has nice design and it is pretty sleek with 9.6mm thickness. It is smaller because of the smaller display so should fit better in smaller hands. The S1 Titanium also looks decent and has similar size and thickness as the Xolo Q800.
Price And Conclusion-
The Canvas HD and UMI X2 are priced at Rs 14,000 in India . The Xolo Q800 is priced at Rs 12,499 and Karbonn S1 Titanium is priced at Rs 10,990.
Considering the specifications UMI X2 seems to be the best buy at Rs 14k. But the brand is relatively unpopular and the after sales support is yet to be proven. They are claiming to provide 3 months replacement warranty along with 1 year warranty which is certainly good.
If someone wants to go with relatively more known brand and proven support then the Micromax Canvas HD would the better pick compared to UMI X2.
The Xolo Q800 is also a good buy considering the lower price are ready availability. If bigger screen size is not required then it is good choice.
