This is a comparison of two low end smartphones with plenty of quality features Karbonn A21 vs Micromax A110. Micromax A110 Canvas 2 is one of the highly anticipated low end phablets in Indian market. It’s refurbished MMX A100 Canvas. Wide 5 inch IPS LCD display, 8 MP camera, high speed 3G connectivity, 2000 mAh marathon battery, Android 4.0 ICS out of the box, dual core processor are some of the key features of this handset.
It’s up against Karbonn A21 that also runs Android 4.0 ICS, dual core processor. It sports 5 MP camera, 1800 mAh battery, 3G speed. The contest is very close. Let’s start with a comparison table-
Karbonn A21 vs Micromax A110
Karbonn A21 vs Micromax A110 at a Glance
| Karbonn A21 | Micromax A110 | winner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Android 4.0.4 ICS | Android 4.0.4 ICS | Tied |
| Performance | 1.2 GHz Dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 chipset, 512 MB RAM | Dual core MediaTek MT6577 chipset, 512 MB RAM | A110 |
| Display | 4.5 inch Capacitive, 480×800 pixels resolution | 5 inch IPS LCD, 480×854 pixels resolution | Tied |
| Storage | 4 GB, micro SD card support 32 GB | 4 GB, micro SD card support 32 GB | Tied |
| Camera | 5 MP rear, LED flash, auto focus, front camera VGA | 8 MP rear, LED flash, auto focus, VGA front camera | A110 |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, micro USB 2.0 | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, micro USB 2.0 | Tied |
| Speed | GPRS/EDGE Class, 3G speed 7.2 Mbps HSDPA | GPRS/EDGE Class, 3G speed 7.2 Mbps HSDPA | Tied |
| Battery | 1800 mAh | 2000 mAh | A110 |
| SIM Card | Dual | Dual | Tied |
Karbonn A21 vs Micromax A110 Detailed Comparison
Let’s take a close look at the detailed comparison to find out which of these two smartphones is the best. From naked eye you can see Canvas 2 has larger display. Also the camera quality is better. Let’s start with performance-
1. Performance
Karbonn A21 is powered by Scorpion Qualcomm MSM8225 Snapdragon S4 Play 1.2 GHz chipset processor and 512 MB RAM. On the other, MMX A110 is fueled by 1 GHz MediaTek MT6577 chipset and 512 MB RAM. There is negligible difference in processor performance. Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 uses dual Cortex A5 cores and Aderno 203 GPU whereas MediaTek MT6577 couples two Cortex A9 cores and PowerVR SGX531T GPU. Both these smartphones are built on Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. Therefore, performance wise Cortex A9 is better than Cortex A5. Also Aderno 203 is not as good as PowerVR SGX531T.
Winner: Micromax A110
2. Display
Micromax A110 equips 5 inch IPS LCD display with FWVGA resolution, 480×854 pixels. Bigger display deserves higher resolution. Unfortunately, it’s the one Micromax considers best suitable for the device. Well, 196 ppi display of MMX Canvas 2 may look bit shaky, sunlight visibility is poor like other low end phablets. On the other hand, Karbonn A21 sports 4.5 inch IPS LCD display with 540×960 pixels qHD resolution. Karbonn A21 has higher ppi in display resulting in better quality of display and viewing angles. But display size of A21 is considerably smaller with slightly better quality. Bigger display is preferred by customers. Therefore, Micromax A110 wins this round just because of it’s bigger size. Display quality is definitely better in Karbonn A21.
Winner: Micromax A110
3. Memory
On board 4 GB storage (less than 4 GB free) and micro SD card slot expandable up to 32 GB are there to store plenty of music files, video clips and images in phone memory.
Winner: Tied
4. Camera
Both these handsets sport dual camera. Primary camera of Micromax A110 is a 8 MP one which is one of the biggest strengths of the handset. Camera comes with enhancements like LED flash, auto focus, 4x zoom, night mode etc. Picture quality is better. Video recording is HD 720p quality which is decent. On the other hand, Karbonn A21 sports 5 MP rear camera with LED flash, auto focus. Video recording is 480p. Front camera is VGA in MMX A110 whereas Karbonn A21 sports 1.3 MP front camera. Secondary camera doesn’t make too much of difference. Just because of 8 MP rear camera MMX A110 wins this round.
Winner: Micromax A110
5. Battery
Karbonn A21 comes with 1800 mAh marathon battery delivering around 5 hrs of talk time. On the other hand, Micromax A110 belts slightly bigger 2000 mAh battery with around 5 hrs of talk time. Bigger display of A110 consume more battery power resulting in less hrs of backup. On the other hand, Karbonn A21 has slightly smaller 4.5 inch display that ensures more hours of backup.
Winner: Karbonn A21
6. Network & Connectivity
Both these handsets are 3G supported devices. You can achieve up to 7.2 Mbps speed which is pretty impressive. Fast download is ensured along with smooth streaming of media from internet. You need 3G data packs activated in your SIM card to get access of high speed HSDPA network. In GSM network Class 12 GPRS/EDGE connectivity can reach up to 237 Kbps speed. For local area connectivity Bluetooth, Wi-Fi with hotspot, micro USB are there. Transfer to-and-from the handset with ease.
Winner: Tied
7. Dual SIM
Nothing to separate as both these handsets are dual standby. One SIM is active at a time, other SIM goes to offline mode automatically.
Winner: Tied
8. Price
Karbonn A21 comes at around Rs. 10,500/- whereas Micromax A110 is priced Rs. 10,500/-. Once again both these handsets are too close to be separated.
Winner: Tied
Final Conclusion
You can both these handsets are pretty close to each other. In case you are looking for bigger display in your smartphone Micromax Canvas 2 is your option. I also ensures better performance. You can play games like Asphalt 6, 7, Nova 3 etc in Micromax A110 comfortably. Rear facing 8 MP camera quality is also better in MMX A110. On other hand, if you are looking for quality over quantity Karbonn A21 is your choice. It has better display, light weight compact design. Therefore, winner of Karbonn A21 vs Micromax A110 comparison is Micromax A110. You may be interested in reviewing the comparison of Micromax A110 vs Spice Mi-500
About Manidip
I want to weight of karbonn A21.
@Vikas Karbonn A21 weights around 130 gm
Hello, Mr. Manidip , I would like to correct the information about Dual sim functionality in MX A110…. As I’m using it.. It has dual active stand by, means both sims stay active all the time.. while using one, other shows waiting… Thank you..
Yes you are right. When one sim is in use other sim is not dead. You get a message if your call waiting function is on. It’s still dual standby. You can use data network in one sim at a time. That’s the advantage of dual sim standby. Virtually, there is not active dual sim phone where you can access data network in two sim cards at the same time. These terms are very confusing.
What would you comment on the camera quality of MX A110 over A21?
@Avik, day-light shooting is quite impressive. Despite of dual LED flash low-light shooting is pathetic. In dark if you try turn on the LED flash you can see it’s quite blunt. Same thing in case of video recording.
Hi Manidip, I have heard both companies dont give good services after sale……….. i mean in case if there is any issue with phone after purchase they dont have enough servicing centers like nokia, samsung or any leading brands.
Want to but Karnon A21, please suggest.
I can say too much on Karbonn but Micromax have plenty of service centers across the country. Please make sure there is a service center in your local city. Technical difficulties may arise at any time. It’s always good to know the service center location first. Regarding, Karbonn A21 is a compact handset at a tight budget. You have picked a nice one. User satisfaction level is high. Do not worry!
How is the hardware quality about these two handsets because I use handset for minimum 2 years,so according to you which handset should i purchase among these two as i am confused????
I have not seen people complaining about the built in quality. Off course, these handsets are durable. Manufacturing faults may be there which can be in any brand product. That’s not a big issue. In my opinion electronics goods require a bit of luck. You can check out hardware before hand but once you complete the purchase there is no way you can return it.
hi! i am little bit confused among a110 & a21.i will be using phone for internet and camera but better resolution is needed for better display and showing pics clicked by camera.pls show me the way.and tell me which one will last longer after charging?
Micromax A110 has better camera, bigger dislay. Karbonn A21 has better display quality and higher resolution. Class 12 GPRS/EDGE or up to 7.2 Mbps HSDPA speed do not make any difference in these handsets. You have to customize your requirements or choice of handsets. The features you are looking at will not be available in any of these two handsets.
plz tel me mmx a110 will give more good images than samsung ace in night time and mmx a110 will hav play HD vedieos..
@Chethan Micromax A110 has better camera as compared to Samsung Galaxy Ace. There are two LED flash for low-light shooting. But the flash are not of very high quality. Therefore, I’ll not say it’s better than Ace in low-light condition. However, in day-light it’s definitely better and auto focus is there. HD video does not play smoothly. Sound gets off frequently although video is streamed smoothly. According to the hardware it should run 720p HD video but I do not understand why this happens.
Thank u manidip and i hav another doubt i.e., Is mmx a110 hav smoother touch like samsung galaxy phones and it(mmx) hav any hanging problem when gaming,install apps,watching vedieos etc..
finally Is it hav a anti-virus guard like samsung galaxy phones.
You are most welcome here! Yes, touch is very good. It has better hardware as compared to Galaxy Ace. It will run more apps. You can play many high-graphics games like MC3,NFC,Asphalt,GTA etc. Same thing I can say for apps. More space is there for app installation in MMX A110. Visible there is no lag even if you run several applications at a time. You can install any good antivirus from App Market and it will work. Other than brand there is nothing special in Galaxy Ace and Ace Duos.
Thank you vry much Manidip and i hav decided to go wit mmx a110.
Thank you very much Manidip
and I have decided to go with MMx a110 only.
@Chethan good choice. Let us know your user experience once you get your hands onto MMX A110.
Sir i recently bought karbon a9+ on 26 december 2012,but i returned it to the dealer from whom i purchased on 4 jan 2013. Because battery backup was worst only for half an hour. Its multitouch was worst. When i used to zoom with 2 fingers it never worked properly. It doesn’t supported 720p res videos. So if i purchase karbon a21 i would get the same problem bcoz of same specification of a9+ and a21 rather than screen size and camera. Plz help me sir i have to buy a phone on monday.
Heres my contact no also 9696991636 & 98071093366
@Divyansh singh, I heard people complaining about Karbonn A9+. But A21 seems a good choice. It’s compact and better than A9+. You may go for it. Otherwise, change brand and search for other products in this price segment.
ok sir does krbn a21 will support 720p res videos or full hd
ok sir does krbn a21 will support 720p res videos or full hd
It supports 720p video. But no full HD support.
mandeep plss tell me which one is better A110 or xolo x900
in terms of build quality , camera , touch , screen quality , design , hardware , features etc
plss reply asap i m very confused in both phones
Xolo is Indian brand. Therefore, you must not spend the extra amount Xolo X900 claims. I would suggest A110 instead of Xolo X900. A110 is compact, screen is good, dual core processor is there. ICS is out of the box. It may not get JellyBean in future. Overall, it’s good.
what about gaming experiance in both..??
x900 has 1.6 ghz and 400 mhz graphics..
a110 has 1ghz..
which one i choose..?
i see many complaint regarding micromax battery backup..
price different is not matter..
x900 also have 1gb ram.
kindly provide me perfomance of both phone.
which one is better.?
can you suggest me any other best smart phone under 15000 rs.??
reply me as fast as possible.
In less than 15k I would suggest Sony Xperia Sola and Huawei Ascend G600.
Xolo X900 is definitely better than Canvas 2.
Xolo X900 is better for gaming. But if you are spending that much why do not you take a look at Galaxy S Advance. Xolo users are satisfied but I guess Galaxy S Advance is worth watching: http://www.mobilephonenews.org/samsung-galaxy-s-advance-price-in-india/
i was confused between xolo x900 and micromax a110..
but,now galaxy s advance vs xolo x900..
galaxy s advance has price tag of 18.5 k.
and lava has 15 k.
which one is better?
why should i expend 3.5 k more for galaxy s advance?
what about performance of galaxy s advance?
you can see tradus.com is giving more 10% discount on smart phone…
so,xolo x900 price get down to 13500 rs and s advance be around 17000…………
x900 is for 13500…
is it not great deal..??
should i buy it for 13.5 k..??
Xolo X900 comes with Intel Atom processor with hyper-threading and 400 MHz GPU. Performance wise it’s good. Users are satisfied with the overall performance of the handset. It’s also the first smartphone from Intel. Therefore, no question on the quality of hardware. On the other side, Galaxy S Advance is Galaxy S2 Mini. It has dual core Cortex A9 processor, ARM Mali 400-MP GPU and 768 MB RAM and planned upgrade to JellyBean. Camera quality is pretty similar although Xolo X900 has more mega pixel value in camera. Other than huge customer base there is nothing much there in Galaxy S Advance. I was not aware of the price reduction of X900. It was around 18k for a long time. That’s why I suggested you to take a look at S Advance which is available at around the same price. Go for Xolo X900.
Sir,plz sugt. one phone.that best disply @ & batrie backup.can ve play the hd video.plz sugt me only one phon In mx 110 or karbon21.last time i purches the glaxy y but its disply or batri back very poor.so plz give reply.thanx
Sir,plz sugt. one phone.that best disply @ & batrie backup.can ve play the hd video.plz sugt me only one phon In mx 110 or karbon21.last time i purches the glaxy y but its disply or batri back very poor.so plz give reply.
HD video is not played smoothly in MMX A110. Karbonn A21 is good. You can chose any of the duos. But A110 has bigger display and quality of the display is good. But if you consider quality of display it’s definitely better in Karbonn A21.
Sir,thanx.but larg disply creat some problm.bec some time it tuff u handle it.and its when drop its will be costly.bigest disply empty battri fast.which phon operat beter in video play or internet.
You are absolutely right at your point. Bigger display always dangerous. If you drop Samsung Galaxy S3 or Note 2 they will be damaged too although Corning Gorilla Glass is there. In Micromax A110 there is no Gorilla Glass. I do not understand AGC Sodaline coating as it’s nowhere close to Gorilla Glass. Additionally, pouch or case of Micromax A110 is not adequate in market. You may have to use screen guard, pouch or Samsung Galaxy Note in this one. Otherwise, you have to shop screen guard, pouch/case online. Micromax sound have delivered all basic accessories. Battery life is bad especially if you turn on WCDMA always along with data, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth. Use connectivity features only when you need. Along with bigger display these connectivity options drain battery life too early.
Sir,in features Which is best.& what mobile u think bather in both.if u buy one mob. which u selct.plz tell me.or thanx for advice.
Go for Micromax A110. It’s better than Karbonn A21.
Ok,thanx sir.but its larg disply creat problm.bec is show bad for big size in hand.so plz sugg unthor mobile in this range with compack size.thanx again.
You may Lenovo P700i that is available in Infibeam at Rs. 11,900. You can check out specs here: http://www.mobilephonenews.org/lenovo-p700i-price-in-india/
WHICH PHONE SHOULD I BUY CANVAS 2 OR KARBON A21
Micromax A10 would be better choice.
hii……if we consider regarding quality of sound …both handest & external …. which one is better ????? sony xperia j or micromax A110 ………
No doubt, Sony Xperia J. Actually, you should compare Xperia J with HTC Desire V or Huawei Ascend G600. Micromax A110 is fairly cheap and not a dedicated music phone. Have you checked out Huawei Ascend G600: http://www.mobilephonenews.org/huawei-ascend-g600-price-in-india/
Xperia J has xLOUD Audio Filtering. HTC Desire V has Beats Audio Speakers and Huawei Ascend G600 has Dual DTS SRS Speaker. I guess you are looking for the best music phone in around 15-16k. Is it so?
tnxxx….. yahh …I hope around 15-16k…. im seeking such a best sound (handest &external) as well better resolution …. my friend bought sony xperia j … but I could feel that sound both (handest &external) not better than nokia or samsung …. bcs nw I use samsung galaxy y…. galaxy y is good sound than U……so in this regard wt about sony xperia j ??????
What I have understood from your message you do not like the sound quality of Xperia J. You must consider some other handsets. In your price segment you will get Samsung Galaxy S Duos.
hiii.. tnxx for ur previous information about micromax A110 …
I heard that micromax A110 is multitouch up to 5 fingers & sony xperia j is up to 2 fingers ….. may I know what is that means and differences between 5 & 2 ….. it is for gaming function ??????
as well ….. sony experia j has Adreno 200 GPU….. and what about the micromax A110 ????? what is the advantage of if the GPU rate is higher ………
Yes, Xperia J supports up to 2 finger multi-touch. More is better. Sony Mobile BRAVIA Powered display and quality sound are the advantages of the handset. It’s not a good choice for gaming. It uses Qualcomm MSM7227A Snapdragon S1 with Aderno 200 GPU.It’s outdated. Also RAM is just 512 MB. It would have been better with at least 1 GB RAM. Better GPU simply means better gaming experience. RAM is important but GPU is even more important while gaming. You would love to see the everything properly in a game. Here Aderno is not a good choice.
I heard that micromax A110 one brand is v1 & another v2 rom …… how i can identify that micromax A110 has v2 rom ?????
wen it will available in d mkt i have searched all d shops but dey r saying dat (dey r not getting from company ) so plss tell me for how much time i have 2 wait for dis mobile (canvas2)
The craze of Canvas 2 is still high. It’s still the best smartphone model in less than 10k. Have you checked out online stores? I can’t assure you any time frame as there is no news on it’s arrival in market once again. Micromax is working on quad core smartphones. http://www.mobilephonenews.org/micromax-canvas-3-expected-specs/
sir for how much time i have to wait for d new micromax quadcore smartphone
No definite time frame. Micromax has not mentioned any definite time frame.
hiii….. nice day to you …
I heard that micromax mobile will come to the market with 1Gb ram …..& with other modifications…..is it true …. if it true …. when it will come …… ??????
which is the best mobile. Microax A110,Karbbon A21, I ball Andi 4.5 please suggest.
Micromax A110 followed by iBall Andi 4.5H and then Karbonn A21. The only reason of giving MMX A110 is larger community base and slight better benchmark score. More help, custom ROM available for this phone. Also the availability of service centers is better in case of MMX A110. Best part of iBall Andi 4.5H is 1 GB RAM. Quite surprisingly it scores 23.5 fps benchmark score. It has better hardware as compared to other two. But I already have justified the reason. Nothing else!
Sir I hve studied that Xolo A700 and mmx à110 has sme gpu nd cpu. so is there any difference for these two phone performance. what will you say abt xolo à700
There is virtually no difference in specs. Large display of A110 is slight advantage and disadvantage as well. You may opt for Xolo X700.
Ok sir can you give the review of xolo a700 vs mmx a110. on the basis of gaming, performance, user intrest, camera etc so I can get better knowledge of it
Hello sir
i m fix to purchse karbonn a21 micromax canvas2 xolo a700 xolo a800 n micromax pixel
MMX Pixel is the costlier one in the list for it’s AMOLED display. You can go with any of these handsets. Xolo A800 has best camera among the four. Canvas 2 has good gaming compatibility. Canvas 2 and Xolo A800 has qHD display.
Hi,
I got the phone A21 last week. the phone looks great and performance is satisfactory, it doesnt play 720 videos though (have installed MX player and HD video player).
When i make a call, the other person is not able to hear my voice clearly. They say that my voice is breaking. Almost all of them have complaine about this. I notice that the signal bar is in blue color when the phone is idle. But when i make a call the blue turns white, not sure if this is a normal phenomenon.
I use vodafone network and it working fine on other basic phones. This is very irritating as i believe that the basic purpose of the phone is to make calls. Please let me know if am missing on something. Am new to Android.
Sorry to hear that. It looks like there is some bug in the transreceiver. Go get it checked from your nearest service center. Is there any replacement warranty like 30 day return like what Flipkart or some other online retailers offer? Check out the bill first. It looks like a hardware issue.
Am not sure about the replacement warranty, need to check. I got this from sangeeta mobiles on 20th Jan. I will check with them. If i have a replacement option, which model shall i select, i can stretch my budget by another 5k.
dear mandip.
i have owned Micromax A110‚ i have. problem that some times my phone went to “meeting” profile automaticaly.how active automaticly the meeting? pls provide a solution for me
It shouldn’t be. I guess it’s some sort of bug.
sir plss how can i know that my canvas 2 phone is working on v1 rom or v2 rom . service center can upgrade my phone to v2 rom or i have to do my self plss reply sir ]and
thanks in advance
see your internal storage if it’s 1.5 GB for app’s it V2 rom and if it’s something arounf 503 MB it’s V1 rom you can give it to service center to get it updated also you better not do it yourself as you can brick your device it can become dead so get it done from service center
Absolutely, unless you are aware of everything don’t do it. It sounds pretty easy but if you somehow brick it company will never take the liability.
sir you are 1000% correct so unless you are experienced enough never try it at home
i just purchased Karbonn A21 it does not have message (SMS) facility though its manual says it have. it also does not support external speakers(3.5mm jack). sound quality is also an issue. can u comment on this please…
Hi Shirjeet,
I have purchased A21 a month back and the phone is working fine. There is SMS facility. If you see at the bottom of the screen there a green icon for SMS. If you want to send SMS to multiple contacts then in the TO field type the name of the persons it will display the list from which you can select.
The stock headphones provided in box is working fine, am not sure about the 3.5mm jack.
The issues I am facing is:
“Some times the camera and flash light app wont start up. I have to restart the phone, not sure if this is a bug”.
Can I upgrade karbon a21 to jealybean
Hi Sir,
I have to Purchase New Smartphoe can u suggest me Best Smartphone under 15K
I have selected
MMX 110
MMX 116
Karbon a21
Galaxy S Advance ( Heard that it has lag , and other issues & Battery drains faster )
can you pls suggest me
I guess you should consider Xolo Q800 as well. Last one should be Samsung Galaxy S Duos, not Galaxy S Advance.
Hi thnks a Ton for ur Quick Reply
Is Intel better than any Micromax Phones (A 110 and A116)
moreover Intel & S Duos are in same price range ,
Moreover it is said S Duos has better Sound Quality
what u suggest
And I didnot Understood ur Point Last One should be S Duos
Its Also Said A116 which will be coming in few days is better than Q800 what u suggest and also Q800 is out of stock in most of stores
Sir,can you please tell me the video quality of Karbonn a21 and Karbonn S1 dimensons