Micromax has launched two Windows Phone 8.1-based smartphones – 'Canvas Win W121' and 'Canvas Win W092' in India. The smartphones are priced at Rs. 9,500 and Rs. 6,500 respectively, and will be available from July.
First up is the Micromax Canvas Win W121. The smartphone features a 5-inch IPS HD display. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 1.2GHz quad-core processor along with 1GB of RAM. The W121 has an 8MP rear camera with flash and a 2 megapixel front camera with 8 GB memory expandable to 32 GB. It also has dual-SIM capability.
Canvas Win W121
The Canvas Win W092 features a 4-inch device with a IPS WVGA display. It sports a 5MP rear camera with LED flash and 0.3MP front-facing camera. The smartphone comes with an 8GB of built-in storage, with up to 32GB expandable memory.
Just like the Canvas Win W121, the Canvas Win W092 is also powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM. It also has Dual-SIM capability as well. The W092 is powered by a 1500 mAh battery.
Canvas Win W092
“Expanding our partner ecosystem and making it easier to bring Windows Phones to new markets at, more price points remains a top priority. Several of our new partners such as BLU, InFocus, Prestigio and Yezz unveiled Windows Phones 8.1 devices at Computex a few weeks ago. These new devices are a result of the announcement we made back in February at Mobile World Congress with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and $0 Windows for devices smaller than 9-inches in size which has enabled partners to more quickly and efficiently bring Windows Phones in to their mobile devices portfolio,” says Microsoft on its official Windows Blog.
Of late, smartphone companies including Indian brands are looking for alternatives to Google's Android OS. While Samsung is already working on Tizen, Indian brands such as Xolo and Micromax are exploring the Windows platform. Recently, Xolo launched its first Windows 8.1 -based tablet – Xolo Win.
At the MWC 2014 event held earlier this year, Microsoft updated its device partners list for Windows Phone 8, adding device makers such as Foxconn, Gionee, JSR, Longcheer, Xolo (Lava) and Karbonn along with previous manufacturers Samsung, HTC, Huawei and ZTE.
Moreover, local brands Intex and Spice in coordination with Mozilla are going to soon launch low-cost Firefox-based smartphones in India. That said, Micromax is one of the largest smartphone brands in India. Launch of budget Windows Phone devices from Micromax will certainly help boost adoption of Windows Phone platform in India.
Do you think Windows Phone-based smartphones will close in on Android smartphones in near future? Let us know your views in the comments section below: