The Micromax Canvas Nitro stands out as a loaded option coming at an affordable price. Facing the likes of the Moto G 2nd-gen and the ASUS Zenfone 5 as competition, here's a closer look at its capabilities and performance

1. Micromax Canvas Nitro
Review in pictures

2. Low on oomph, high on practicality
• Looks rather plain Jane
• The only design highlight is
the rear panel which is
fashioned out of plastic but is
clad in a matte, leathery
finish
• Available in Mystic Blue and
Pristine White
• The faux-leather finish aids in
grip and keeps smudges at
bay
• The rear shell can be pried
open to reveal the removable
battery, a pair of micro-SIM
slots and a microSD card slot

3. Screen goddess
• The Nitro’s window to the world is its 5-inch display that offers a
resolution of 1,280 x 720 pixels (~294ppi)
• Fairly capable and displays crisp, vibrant colours
• Touch responsiveness and viewing angles are good, though sunlight
legibility isn’t one of its strongest points

4. Sweet KitKat with hazelnut
• Runs a near-stock build of Android
KitKat
• The ‘pause on look away’ feature
pauses video playback if you remove
your gaze from the screen
• A handy camera widget that lets you
shoot stills, videos and selfies
• Tons of bloatware, including Getit,
Clean Master, FoneClay, Hike, and
Kingsoft Office. A whole suit of
Micromax’s own apps is also
included, including M! Doodle and
miUnlock
• SwiftKey keyboard preloaded
• Bunch of trial games hog precious
storage space

5. A slew of software tweaks on offer
• The Smart Alert feature displays
notification icons on the lock
screen, letting you jump straight
to the corresponding apps
• Colour-coded band changes hue
depending upon the most recent
notification
• QuickLook is Micromax’s answer
to HTC’s BlinkFeed, using a
dedicated homescreen to display
feeds from news and social
netwrks
• You can even map a predefined
set of actions to two-finger
gestures such as pinch in, pinch
out, and two-finger swipes in
four directions

6. A feature-loaded camera
• The Nitro’s 13-meg primary
shooter rocks a Largan lens,
f/2.4 aperture and a Sony
IMX135 CMOS sensor
• Stock camera app offers
modes like beauty shot, smile
shot, auto scene detection,
panorama, burst and HDR
• You also get control over
various other settings such as
ISO, exposure etc
• You can also shoot by voice or
making the ‘V’ gesture using
your fingers

7. Shoots well, but misses the bull’s eye
• Churns out reasonably
good shots as long as the
lighting is good, though the
colours look slightly dull
• Close-ups looks good, but
HDR isn’t really its strong
point
• Its low light imaging
prowess is no great shakes
either, since images turn
out riddled with noise

8. Runs at nitro-boosted speeds
• A 1.7GHz octa-core MediaTek processor, paired with 2GB of RAM tackles
heavy apps and games smoothly
• There’s 8GB of storage, giving you about 5GB to use. You can add up to
32GB more via the microSD card slot
• The lack of USB OTG support is a bummer
• Standard connectivity options, including dual-SIM capabilities, 3G (only on
the first SIM slot), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, A-GPS, Wi-Fi hotspot and cast screen

9. Juicy battery lasts long
• The device is fuelled by a
2,500mAh battery
• Lasts a full day
comfortably with
moderate usage
• Lasted over nine hours
in our standard video
playback test
• Drains faster when
connected to 3G data
• CPU power saving mode
available to conserve
battery life

10. At a glance
• 5-inch, 1,280 x 720 pixel IPS
display (294ppi)
• 1.7GHz octa-core MediaTek
processor
• 2GB RAM
• 13-megapixel primary camera,
5MP front
• 8GB storage (expandable by
another 32GB)
• Dual-SIM, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
4.0, A-GPS, Wi-Fi Hotspot, USB
2.0
• Android KitKat 4.4.2
• 2,500mAh battery
• FM Radio

11. -
• Utilitarian looks
• Average camera
• No USB OTG
Pros and cons
+
• Smooth
performance
• Good battery life
• Useful software
tweaks

12. Pricing and verdict
Rs 12,990
“The Micromax Canvas
Nitro is a capable daily
driver. It does fail to excite,
and may not be able to
entice shutterbugs with its
camera prowess… but it
manages to do well for
itself in most other areas.
Worth considering, but not
before you take a look at
others in its range such as
the new Moto G and the
ASUS Zenfone 5”