Comparison: Micromax Canvas Win W121 v/s Xolo Win Q900s

Windows 8.1 is going desi!!

Yes. You read it right!

Prelude:

When was the last time you though that Windows Phone OS was the OS of your choice? Well, it is now time to go all praises for the OS. Now, Microsoft has brought-in a real competitor to Google’s Android & Apple’s iOS, the Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1 OS! And, it is a tough, mighty chap!!

Earlier, when WP OS was in its v.7 & v.7.5, Samsung & HTC along with Nokia, were the only global WP OEM’s for Microsoft. Later, Samsung & HTC continued to be loyal to Google, and paid no heed to MS. Nokia kept on producing a series of Lumia Windows Phones, but was the sole company to do so. After, MS acquired Nokia; it did something that no one ever thought of! It made some hardware partnerships. India’s homegrown OEM’s Micromax, Xolo, Lava, Karbonn, etc. were the ones to be pleased to do so! 

Micromax Canvas Win W121:

Micromax was crowned to be “World’s First OEM” after Microsoft-owned Nokia Inc. to produce a Windows 8.1 Phone. It came up with two WP 8.1 phones – Micromax Canvas Win W092 & W121. The W121 was a higher specifications phone than the W092. The phone was decently priced according to its decent specifications (read it as “above Nokia Lumia 630”.) The phone had a 1.2 GHz Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 chipset with Adreno 302 GPU. It was pre-viewed on 16^th June, 2014.

Xolo Win Q900s:

On 28^th June, 2014, the premium brand of Lava Mobiles – XOLO, came up with its first Windows OS powered smartphone. The phone is named – Xolo Win Q900s. It is touted to be the “Lightest Smartphone in the World” at just 100gms. Despite its weight, and a meager thickness (read thinness) of just 7.2mm, the phone boasts almost the same specifications as that with the Micromax Canvas Win W121. But, the Xolo phone has a few differences with Micromax’s offering.

Feature Comparison:

1) Screen: The W121 has a 5” HD screen at 293ppi resolution, while Q900s has a 4.7” HD screen at 312ppi resolution. That means, though MMX W121 has a slightly larger screen, Xolo Q900s has a slightly crispier screen. But, Xolo offers Dragontrail Glass on the top of its OGS display. Xolo is a clear winner here.

2) Battery: MMX W121 has a 2000mAh battery as compared to the 1800mAh battery of the Xolo Q900s. Both last for almost the same time due to their screen sizes. No clear winner here, but, the Micromax’s offering is a bit better.

3) Chipset: Both phones have 1.2 GHz Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdrogon 200 processor. This chipset is a battery saving equipment, but is not as powerful as the one provided with Nokia Lumia 630. 

4) GPU: Both phones have the same Adreno 302 GPU running at 400 MHz.

5) Operating System: Both phones come with Windows Phone OS ver.8.1, the latest one. 

6) RAM: Both phones offer 1GB of RAM. 

7) Internal Memory: Both phones have 8GB of Internal Memory (5GB user accessible).

8) Camera: Both phones have 8MP Primary camera & 2MP front camera. But Xolo offers PureCel^TM sensor which helps in bright & clear pictures in both high & low light environment.

Model	Xolo Win Q900s	Micromax Canvas Win W121
Software
Operating System	Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1 OS	Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1 OS
Preloaded Apps	Yes	Yes
Hardware
Processor	1.2 GHz Quad-core ARM Cortex A7	1.2 GHz Quad-core ARM Cortex A7
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 200	Qualcomm Snapdragon 200
GPU	Adreno 302	Adreno 302
RAM	1GB	1GB
Sensors	Ambient Light Sensor Proximity Sensor Accelerometer Magnetometer	Ambient Light Sensor Proximity Sensor Accelerometer
Screen Size	4.7 inches	5.0 inches
Display Resolution	1280 X 720 pixels ~ 312 ppi	1280 X 720 pixels ~ 293.7 ppi
Display Technology	HD IPS Capacitive Touch Screen Display with One Glass Solution Dragontrail Glass overlay	HD IPS Capacitive Touch Screen Display
Camera
Rear Camera	8MP	8MP
Front Camera	2MP	2MP
Camera Feature	LED Flash Autofocus PureCelTM sensor Digital Zoom Geo-tagging Touch Focus Video tagging Panorama 1080p @ 30fps video recording	LED Flash Autofocus Digital Zoom Geo-tagging Touch Focus Video tagging Panorama 1080p @ 30fps video recording
Storage
Inbuilt Capacity	8GB	8GB
User Available	About 5GB	About 5GB
Expandable Capacity	Upto 32GB via MicroSD card	Upto 32GB via MicroSD card
Mobile Network
Support	2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz	2G: GSM 900/1800 MHz
	3G: WCDMA 2100 MHz	3G: WCDMA 2100 MHz
	GPRS/EDGE (Class 12)	GPRS/EDGE (Class 12)
SIM Card Type	Dual SIM (GSM + WCDMA) Dual Stand-by	Dual SIM (GSM + WCDMA) Dual Stand-by
Internet Speed	Up to 42 Mbps download Up to 5.76 Mbps upload	Up to 42 Mbps download Up to 5.76 Mbps upload
Connectivity
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Hot spot	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Hot spot
Bluetooth	Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP Profile	Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP Profile
USB	Micro-USB v2.0	Micro-USB v2.0
Audio Jack	Yes; 3.5mm	Yes; 3.5mm
GPS	Yes; A-GPS	Yes; A-GPS
Audio & Video
FM Radio	Yes	Yes
Audio Playback Format	MP3, AMR-NB, AAC LC	MP3, AMR, AAC, WMA
Video Playback Format	3GP, MP4, WMV, MPEG4, H.263, H.264	3GP,MP4, WMV
Power
Battery	1800mAh Li-ion battery	2000mAh Li-ion battery

Price:

Micromax Canvas Win W121 - About INR. 9500/- (declared during launch)

Xolo Win Q900s  - About INR. 11,999/- (declared on its e-launch on Snapdeal.com) But, if pre-ordered on Snapdeal before the official launch, the phone is available at INR.9,999/- (plus discounts!!)

Verdict:

Though both the phones have almost the same specifications on paper, Xolo’s offering is almost INR.2000/- heftier than Micromax’s. But, this is due to the extra-spice of OGS display with scratch-resistant Dragontrail glass overlay, PureCel^TM technology with the camera; and a slim, trim, feather-weight designed body. Both the brands have their pros and cons, so, it all boils down to the consumer’s choice and judgment.

Windows 8.1 – The Time is On!

For a long time in the past, we have been telling people; “Don’t go with a Windows Phone right now. Though the OS looks promising, it’s not in any race with iOS & Android.” Nokia strived hard and breathed its last but stayed loyal to Microsoft and then, finally, died on the lap of Microsoft Inc.

Apple: iOS – iPhone

A phone with Apples own operating system iOS (at launch: iPhone OS) combined with Apple-designed hardware. It was marvelous. It’s proved what a phone with super-compatibility of hardware-software could do.

Google: Android – Nexus/ Moto X

Google (in association with HTC, Samsung and LG) created the Nexus – A phone which made the tech-world gaze at what the Vanilla-version of Android looks like.

Google then bombed when it came to the news that it acquired Motorola. And boy, what did they do to the Moto?? They came up with the Moto X. This super-device was way shy of being the flagship of Android. But, it showed the maximum way Android could magically perform when combined with compatible hardware.

Alan Kay once said, “People who are really serious about software, should make their own hardware”.

Steve Jobs with his Apple Inc. followed the same great lines (and displayed the same line during the launch of iPhone in 2007). Google did the same. They bought-out a hardware partner, Motorola (Later, sold it to Lenovo – Bad decision). Microsoft will now do the same, as they bought-out their longest serving soldier Nokia.

We all know that Microsoft is the BEST when it comes to desktop computing. You may also like to know that Microsoft is also a great thinker and revolutionist when it comes to hardware design (read Microsoft Surface Pro 3). The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 beats Apple iPad Air in almost all departments when it comes to hardware and design.

The OS: Windows Phone OS v.8.0 was a great leap for the OS as it came in real competition with iOS and Android. Now, with the launch of version 8.1, the Windows Phone OS goes a step closer to becoming a Fab-OS (ahem, it is still a bit-behind becoming the Complete one).

Voice Assistance: It also introduces a personal assistant “Cortana” into the phone world. Considering its first foray into Voice recognition and voice assistance, the Cortana is far ahead of Siri & Google Now (personal views). Both the iOS & Android provide voice assistance which answers when asked. The Cortana acts just like a living personal assistant. No, it doesn’t ask for a monthly salary and increment. Rather, it learns from your previous searches and responds like-wise. It can also tell you jokes & that too, not repetitive. Hahaha….!!

Battery: Google’s OS has been renowned for being a juice-thirsty monster. It requires being plugged-in every night without fail. Windows OS (both phone and desktop versions) are known for draining less power and it also manages the power like magic.

Reach: The web of Android-powered phones is vast-spread. Almost all mobile hardware manufacturers make Android phones. Thanks to the latest development at Microsoft, Nokia being its General of the Windows Army, the likes of Samsung, HTC, LG, Huawei, ZTE, Lenovo, Lava, Xolo, Karbonn, Micromax, etc. are the new-recruit soldiers in its army. (Samsung, HTC, Huawei & LG used to manufacture Windows phones in the past too, but at a tortoise pace) The likes of Indian manufacturers coming into the list, we may receive cheaper Windows phones.

App Store: Someone with an iOS or an Android device would boast about the millions of apps (and counting) that are available on their respective App Stores. Well, mathematically, Windows App Store lags a lot behind the two, but, literally, how many apps do we use from the stores off the millions? And how much percentile amongst those millions are real sensible apps? 30%? 40%? Well, not a bit over 40% apps I would say. Windows App store has almost 90% of sensible, non-repetitive, original apps. And, that is what is fascinating about it.

Updates: The problem with Android updates is that, the manufacturer decides whether you receive an update or not. With Windows, it all is in the hands of the Godzilla of Software – Microsoft, and you receive all latest OS updates till your phone finds a coffin, finally. That will be a big cheer.

Note: The latest entrants to the list of Windows phones in India are Micromax Canvas Win W092 (4-inch, Quad Core, Win 8.1, 5MP+0.3MP, 1500mAh, INR. 6500/-) & Micromax Canvas Win W121 (5-inch, Quad Core, Win 8.1, 8MP+2MP, 2000mAh, INR. 9500/-) The Windows budget series has gone cheaper. Hope, the quality is also good.

Verdict: Officially, we declare, “Wake up Guys! It’s just the time to go, grab your Windows device!!”