Micromax has been playing in the smartphones and tablets market for quite a while now. But with the 2-in-1 category having kicked off a couple of years ago, and not many players in the entry level segment, there is a huge gap which needs filling. For Micromax, known for its budget handsets, and being among the top smartphone sellers in India, it was a logical move to explore this niche segment. There have been products in the segment in the past such as Asus Transformer Book, Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga series and so on, but they have been on the higher side of the price spectrum. Will Micromax Canvas Laptab change that? We shall find out.
Build and Design: 7/10
Micromax Canvas Laptab comes in two parts, the tablet and the detachable keyboard which can be joined via the magnetic hinge. Let us look at each part separately. The first thing that will strike you when you hold the Laptab, is the weight. For an 10.1-inch convertible, the Laptab is heavy at 1.1 kg. If you have placed the Laptab on a table, the weight is well distributed thanks to the angle of the hinge, but place it on your lap and if you aren’t careful, there are chances that the Laptab will topple over since the tablet portion is heavier.
The magnetic hinge is quite good and holds the tablet in place. It requires a good amount of force to pull it apart. But if you are using the Laptab while travelling on Indian roads, a sudden jerk due to the ever-present potholes may tend to detach the tablet from the magnetic hinge. Also, when you shut down your Laptab and are closing it, the magnetic hinge holds it in place, and there is a provision to slip it in on the front edge of the keyboard. Getting that shutting of the Laptab correctly will take some practice. There is a visible gap when the Laptab is in the shut state, probably to prevent the display from resting on the keypad.
Tablet portion comes with a 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 pixel display. But there is a lot of bezel around the tablet and if one thinks about it, with a thinner bezel you could’ve easily got an 11.6-inch display. The Windows logo is prominently placed at the base of the display and a 2MP front camera. On the rear side of the tablet you have thick plastic cover which has rubber additions around the sides and the top edge.
On the top you have a 3G SIM card slot, a microSD card slot, a microUSB port for charging and an audio jack. When you are using it as a tablet the placement of audio jack is not an issue, but in the laptop mode your headset or earphone wire will come between you and the display unless you route it from behind. There should’ve been an audio jack on the sides of the keypad ideally as well. The sides have grilled section for the speaker and there is the volume rocker and power / standby button on the side. While the buttons have a good design, they require a hard press which is annoying.
Micromax Canvas Laptab review: Budget 2-in-1 at Rs 14,999, but think hard before buying Tech2 Mobile
