Just as the premium smartphone market is booming, the ultra-affordable segment is also gaining quite a spike. Following some recent launches from companies like Lenovo, Swipe, Xiaomi, and others, Micromax has joined the race with its latest affordable smartphone, Canvas Fire 5, in India.
Lenovo Vibe K5 is one of the most popular choices for under Rs. 7,000 smartphones in the market, but the all-new Canvas Fire 5 could be the new disrupter. Priced at Rs. 6,199, the Canvas Fire 5 succeeds last year's Canvas Fire 4 with massive upgrades. Lenovo, on the other hand, concluded its first flash sale for its Rs. 6,999-smartphone on Wednesday with positive response from its buyers. The next sale is set to take place on June 29 on Amazon India.
Considering the identical price of both smartphones, here's a comparison to help mobile shoppers in India to choose the right device based on their preferences.
Display
Lenovo Vibe K5 sports a compact 5-inch display with 1280x720 pixel resolution, encased within a metal frame body for added protection and a premium feel. As for Micromax Canvas Fire 5, the screen size is more standard at 5.5 inches, but uses the same resolution as the Vibe K5. Due to the larger screen size of the Canvas Fire 5, the pixels will be scattered as compared to the Vibe K5. But the difference won't be massive.
Camera
Lenovo seems to have an edge over Micromax on this one. The Vibe K5 features a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash, while the Canvas Fire 5 has an 8MP snapper with full HD video recording support and LED flash. On the front, both devices have the same 5-megapixel snapper good enough for decent selfies.
Processor, RAM and storage
Lenovo Vibe K5 is powered by an octa-core 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 415 chipset and 2GB RAM. Micromax Canvas Fire 5 uses a toned-down 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek processor combined with 1GB RAM for processing. In terms of storage, both devices sport 16GB onboard storage with microSD card support.
Battery
Lenovo Vibe K5 sports a 2,750mAh battery, which is likely to push through the day. Micromax Canvas Fire 5 is powered by a 2,500mAh battery, which the company claims offers up to 8.5 hours of talk time. We haven't reviewed any of these two handsets to comment on the real-world battery life.
Software and add-ons
Both smartphones are powered by the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow software and support dual SIM cards. While the Vibe K5 supports 4G bands, the Canvas Fire 5 is limited to 3G, which may be a major turn off for some users. The Vibe K5 also has Dolby Atmos integrated twin speakers for enhanced audio and TheatherMax support for virtual reality content.
