Lumia 532 vs Canvas A1 : Which is a Better Phone ? #Knockout
We along with Microsoft are starting with a series of comparison where we will be comparing Lumia 532 with competing Android Devices which are available at approximately the same price point. In todays post we are taking a look at Canvas A1 which is not selling at a best buy price of Rs 6,000.
Before I get into details, Lets take a look at quick comparison between devices from specification perspective. This will give you an idea on how much they differ when it comes to hardware. At the end it will boil down to user experience and how they perform for longer duration. I have used the Canvas A1 for a week, and Lumia 532 for the same duration., before reviewing it.
| Specs | Microsoft Lumia 532 | Micromax Canvas A1 |
| OS | Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim | Android kitkat 4.4.4 |
| SIM | Dual SIM | Dual SIM |
| Display | 4 inch IPS LCD, Clear Black | 4.5 inch IPS LCD |
| FWVGA | FWVGA (480X854) | |
| Bluetooth | v4.0 | v4.0 |
| Camera | 5MP Fixed FocusRear0.3 MP Fixed Focus Front Camera | 5MP AF Rear(2560X1920)2MP Front Fixed Focus (1600X1200) |
| Video Recording (Rear Camera) | FWVGA (848 X480) | HD Recording |
| Processor | 1.2Ghz Quad Core Snapdragon 200Adreno 302 GPU | 1.3GHz Quad core Mediatek MT6582Mali |
| Storage | 8GB; 4GB available after first setup | 4 GB; 1.9 GB available after first setup |
| microSD card | Yes, upto 128GB | Yes, upto 128GB |
| RAM | 1GB | 1GB |
| Battery | 1560 mAh | 1700 mAh |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| Sensors | Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Proximity sensorAGPS with GLONASS | G-sensor/Proximity/ Light SensorGPS with A-GPS |
| Colors | Orange, White, Black, Cyan | White and Black |
| Price | 6500 Best Buy | 6000 Best Buy |
Video Review:
Canvas A1 Internal Storage is a Deal Breaker: (Lumia 532 WINS)
A phone which gives you only 1.9 GB to start with, and its camera won’t work unless you slide in an SD card. This is the worst thing I have seen in a phone till now. Canvas A1 comes with only 4 Gb internal storage, which means you instantly need an SD card to store your apps, take picture, and always have to be worried that your primary stage as at least 1 GB space free for system updates and update heavy apps.
Lumia 532 is at clear advantage here on all points. First it comes with 8 GB internal storage of which you get 4GB storage free. All installations and application usage is possible on that. Now even if you decide to keep more stuff, take up all the space in your internal storage, Windows Phone can update apps and install system updates using it.
Battery Life & Performance ( Lumia 532 WINS)
Even though Canvas A1 comes with 1700 mAh battery, it fails to last for more than 8 to 10 hours tops, that on regular usage. When it comes to performance, if you are ok using stock apps and browsing, it will work out but if you go heavy on the phone, you will soon start seeing lags, specially when it comes to gaming. Still wondering why the phone lags with a quad core processor? Say hello to Mediatek processor power which is know for its heating issues.
Lumia Phones never suffer from this issue, thanks to the optimised OS which can run even on lesser ram. The phone doesnt heat up anytime when playing game or using GPS. However it does get warm sometimes. Gaming is a bliss on this Lumia device. Not because its HD gaming, you don’t have a HD screen here, but because there is no heating issue, but of course game play is on low resolution.
Design, Build & Grip: (Lumia 532 WINS)
Lumia 532 delivers a solid design, build and grip compared to Canvas A1. The dual shot casing, the compactness speaks for itself. Canvas A1 design is little odd, specially the rear. The rear camera looks like to be pasted forcefully and the matt finish gets really dirty, specially if you are using a white one. When it comes to grip, I found Canvas A1 to be better than 532, mostly because its thin, and the matt finish adds to the advantage here.
Display Size vs Screen Experience: (Draw)
Canvas A1 is a bigger phone compared to Lumia 532. The screen size is 4.5 inch for A1, while 532 is just 4 inch screen. Both are IPS LCD panel and have same screen resolution but 532 has marginally better PPI. While A1 wins being a bigger phone, the screen experience of Lumia 532 is much better. I have said this before, 532 has a buttery smooth touch screen while on A1, you could feel the resistance. Also the colour reproduction on 532 is better.
Here is a hard fact about the screen size / phone size comparison. Screen or display of Canvas A1 is 70% of the body, while in Lumia 532 it is 66% which is not much of difference honestly.
Camera ( Canvas A1 Wins Big Time)
There is no doubt on who wins here. Canvas A1 comes with 5 MP camera with flash, but can record HD videos compared to Lumia 532 which has 5 MP camera, without flash and records video at 480P. As a matter of fact, Lumia 532 doesnt have Autofocus, and is more like a fixed focus camera while A1, does a brilliant job with Auto focus. The day light photos are pretty impressive, while during low light, flash is there to help.
Which is a better phone to buy?
At the end, it boils down to user experience. Lumia 532 delivers when it comes to Internal Storage, Performance, Battery, Build and Design. These are very important aspects when using phone on day to day basis. You might brag for a bigger phone, but effective screen to body ratio is more or less the same. Remember, it matters that your phone is value for money and delivers a great user experience.
