Why the Canvas 4 should've been the Canvas Turbo

Micromax launched the Canvas Turbo for Rs 19,990 yesterday. It has even roped in Hugh Jackman as the brand ambassador for their Canvas range of smartphones, but it looks like, no one seems to care. The highlights of the smartphone are its 5-inch 1080p display, 1.5GHz Mediatek quad-core processor and 16GB onboard storage- a feature set that would have worked wonders if the Canvas Turbo was launched back in April. Yes, features that were highly anticipated in the Canvas 4.

Back then, Micromax was at its peak. It was even touted to be the desi Samsung-killer for offering superior features at affordable prices. The Canvas 4 had an extremely high profile launch and we don’t think any other desi phone maker has managed to create so much buzz before a phone launch. But after so much hype, we got the Canvas 4 with its mediocre feature set.

What went missing in the Canvas 4...

After the uber-success of its previous Canvas series phones, a lot of expectations were riding on Micromax. However, the Canvas 4 was a clear disappointment. First, the Canvas 4 had nothing new to offer and came with specs almost similar to the previous Canvas HD. Secondly, with almost no hook, the company priced the device at Rs 17,999. It was around the same time that 1080p displays were the buzz words, and a highly anticipated feature in the Canvas 4. However, Micromax went ahead with a 720p display instead. People in general weren't expecting the phone to have such lacklustre specs and there was news that some who had pre-booked it considered cancelling their order once the specs were revealed.

While several other phone makers were improving on specs and build-quality, Micromax was busy throwing in fillers like the Canvas Fun and Doodle handsets in the market. Meanwhile, other local companies like Gionee, Karbonn, Intex and iBerry have managed to offer full HD smartphones. The Canvas Turbo is Micromax’s first 1080p Full HD smartphone, which means the company is definitely late to the full HD party.   Today, the Canvas Turbo doesn’t bring anything exceptional with a 1080p display at Rs 19,990.