My dad recently bought the much popular Micromax Andro A60 — advertised as the budget Android phone — and I took the liberty of reviewing it for you guys. The smartphone built a lot of hype around it prior to its release when it was announced a couple of months ago or so and is thought to be the first Android phone most Indians would buy. So far we are not sure whether the phone would indeed be a success, but we’ll get a better idea after the review. Anyway, lets head straight to what y’all are here for — the review and verdicts on the Micromax Andro A60 smartphone — where we’ll be discussing the pros, cons, price, specs, and a lot more.
Interface
The design is quite sleek and the overall weight is very light. It has a decent 2.8 inch touch screen display with the Android navigational buttons. The calling and other navigational buttons have been placed just below the display. The volume buttons have been placed on the left side and very friendly to use. The headphone jack is present at the top of the phone and the charging slot at the button.
As for the display interface, the display screen is rather small compared to the other Android phones. The device has Android 2.1 – Eclair installed, which makes the overall interface easy and uncomplicated to use. The touchscreen keyboard is kind of cramped, which will more than likely result in a lot of typos. However, after playing with the phone for quite a while, I was able to type error-free. I’ve heard of certain keyboard-dedicated Android apps that may be the solution to this.
I would like to conclude that the overall interface is uncomplicated except the keyboard, which may be a pain and will require a good deal of patience till you’re accustomed to it.
Hardware
The hardware specifications are what you’d normally expect for a budget smartphone, but I’ve to say, for the price they offer, the hardware specs are very satisfactory. The phone, as mentioned, comes with a 2.8 inch touh-screen display – with a 320×240 resolution, has a decent 600 MHz processor, a 3.2 megapixel camera (with Autofocus), and 1280 mAh Li-ion battery.
Additionally, the phone has HSUPA (7.2 Mbps) and HSDPA (5.75 Mbps), WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth and FM radio. The phone comes with a free 2 GB microSD card (or at least I was given one; check description or consult the vendor about it prior to the purchase) has a 150 MB internal memory with a microSD slot that supports upto 32 GB of memory.
The phone measures at 106.8 mm x 59.2 mm x 14.0 mm and weighs merely a hundred grams — which fits in well and feels great to hold in your palm — making it a lightweight and user-friendly device. The hardware specs, while not offering anything special, are satisfying considering the price and its predecessors in the similar range.
Camera and Sound Capabilities
This, honestly, is the most disappointing part, at least to me. While Micromax Andro A60 does posses a 3.2 megapixel camera, the overall quality is unimpressive and rather unpleasant to look at. That being said, it will get the job done, but don’t expect it to capture high quality images and videos. As for the sound, it is no boombox, but does have average sound quality. Also comes with an earphone, which is pretty normal and has decent sound quality.
I captured an indoor image using the phone which shall speak for itself. If you think capturing a video would be a better help, please do not hesitate to ask.
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Software
This is probably the most important factor and asset of the phone. This is what makes Micromax Andro A60 sort of unique and is the number one selling point. The software aspect of the phone is heavily advertised and it is precisely what built all the hype around it and I’ve to say, it definitely does live up to its promises, up to a reasonable extent.
Micromax Andro, as the title says, comes with Android 2.1 Eclair — Google’s open-source mobile OS — which effortlessly dominates its predecessors in the software department. The OS, after its launch, has been ascending in its popularity and has not looked back ever since. While the OS version is not the latest available, it is equally amazing and only misses on a handful of features, which are non-significant to most.
The phone comes with only a handful of pre-installed applications, so to really benefit, you can head over at Android Market to download literally hundreds of compatible applications. The apps are widely categorized — Games, Entertainment, Utilities, etc. — both free and paid and can be installed with just a couple of clicks right from your mobile.
Beside the everlasting apps, the other aspects are equally amazing — it is very easy to optimize the settings, tweak the interface with live wallpapers, etc., and a lot more left that will keep you exploring. IMHO, this is the greatest selling factor and it is what made me opt for the device.
Price
This is also another reason why I (or my dad) went ahead and bought the phone. Micromax Andro A60 will set you back about a mere 7,000 INR (~155 US$) — which is very reasonable for all the thing it offers and is definitely worth every penny you spend on it. Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe this is the cheapest Android smartphone available in India.
Conclusion
If you’re someone who is looking to give Android a try, or someone who is buying another phone in a similar range, Micromax Andro A60 may just be for you. If you’re someone who doesn’t mind spending a few more thousand bucks, perhaps its wiser to purchase an Android phone in the 12-15k range that’ll prove to be more stable in the long run.
All in all, Micromax A60 Andro does live up to its expectations and should prove to be a success in the Indian market. It’ll supposedly spread the Android fever all over and will give a tough competition to the phones in similar range.
Where to buy?
You may want to try the local stores but I highly recommend buying it online. You can try out various online retail outlets like eBay that’ll ship you the phone to your doorstep at market price.
We hope this review was useful to you. If you have any questions about the phone, please do let me know.
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