A practical plastic case, original ideas in design, separate slots for 2 SIM-cards and a memory card, 3.5 mm jack, FM-radio. But at the same time, the cheapest processor and screen on the market. Mix but do not shake.
# 1. Ultra budget positioning
Since I am developing mobile applications, I have to deal with various devices. These can be flagships, mid-range devices, and completely budgetary ones, because developers need to know how the application will behave on various devices. Some time ago, I used Highscreen Spark 2 as the weakest device. But upon careful analysis, it turned out that the smartphone is not so weak – the processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 can easily 'digest' even fairly heavy applications, and the only the real bottleneck is memory capacity. Therefore, it was decided to look for the cheapest and weakest device on the market in order to find the 'bottom'. And then he was discovered – MicromaxQ301. The key arguments for it were the price (1,990 for shares in federal networks at that time) and the SpreadtrumSC7731C processor.
# 2. Compactness
Comparison of dimensions with Galaxy S7
The smartphone cannot boast of minimal bezels, but since the screen diagonal is only 3.9 ″, the device turns out to be rather tiny: 64.5×124.8×10.3 mm. Thanks to its small width, it fits perfectly in the hand and does not feel overly thick.
No. 3. Design
Rear view – comparison with GalaxyS7
The back cover is made of plastic, but painted 'like metal'. The smartphone has an original camera design, so it cannot be confused with dozens of similar devices from other manufacturers. Well, the logo on the lid is also recognizable. Despite the fact that the speaker is located on the back cover, it can be heard when the device lies on the table with the screen facing up – the manufacturer has provided small legs in the area of the speaker, which do not allow it to fit snugly against a smooth surface. The power button and the volume rocker are on the same side (someone thinks this is important).
No. 4. Connectors and slots
The smartphone is indeed equipped with two separate SIM slots and a slot for memory cards – a solution that is not always used these days.
No. 5. Savings on screen
Micromax Q301 – left
Micromax Q301 – left
Micromax Q301 – left
Taking for comparison a device purchased for 3,990 (Highscreen Spark 2) and a device for 1,990 (MicromaxQ301), you realize that you have saved not only on the processor, but also on the screen. The absence of an oleophobic coating and, as a result, a constantly splattered screen is not a surprise. On the contrary, this is exactly what you expect from an ultra-budget device. But the matrix itself … I have not remembered such wild color distortions for a long time. The slightest deviation of the screen to the left or to the right gives either a fading of the picture, or an inversion of colors. In addition, the relatively low dpi seems to hint at the possibility of examining individual points on the screen, but in fact there is nothing of the kind. The picture just fades. And if you are spoiled with high-quality IPS or AMOLED matrices, then the MicromaxQ301 screen can naturally start to hurt your eyes after a couple of hours of using the gadget.
No. 6. Rated chamber
There is a camera. More precisely, there are even two cameras. On the main one, you can take a picture of the advertisement in large print, and it will be possible to read it. On the front camera, you can take such a picture so that it is clear that it is you. But nothing more. There is no need to talk about at least some artistic merits of the pictures: strong noise, poor white balance, lack of autofocus – all this makes you immediately forget about quality.
