14 DAY TRIAL // As expected, Indian OEM Micromax has just taken the wrap off its first Windows Phone smartphones, the Canvas Win W121 and Canvas Win W092.
Both smartphones will ship with Windows Phone 8.1 operating system out of the box, beginning July. Customers will be able to purchase the Canvas Win W121 for Rs 9,500 ($160 / €115), while the Canvas Win W092 will go on sale for just Rs 6,500 ($105 / €80).
Micromax is the first Microsoft partner that announces new Windows Phone 8.1 handsets and the first Indian OEM to launch Windows Phone smartphones.
The Indian company has decided to come out with two smartphones that target different segments of the market. The most advanced of the two will be aimed at the mid-range market and will compete directly with Microsoft’s Lumia 630, which is now available in India for Rs 11,500 ($190 / €140) outright.
The second Windows Phone handset is an entry-level smartphone that will probably be competing with Nokia Lumia 530 when it gets released by Microsoft.
The most important thing is that both smartphones offer dual-SIM capability and they come with more than decent specs for the price that one has to pay.
Speaking of which, Micromax Canvas Win W121 sports a large 5-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen display that supports HD (720p) resolution.
In addition, the smartphone is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor, which is complemented by 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal memory. These are better specs than the Lumia 630.
Anyway, the Canvas Win W121 also comes packed with microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 32GB) and 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash, autofocus and full HD (1080p) video recording.
Last but not least, the smartphone sports a secondary 2-megapixel front-facing camera as well and features a leather finish back panel.
It comes with the same 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor, but only 512MB of RAM and 8GB of internal memory.
The budget-friendly smartphone includes microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 32GB) and dual cameras (5-megapixel rear-facing photo snapper and secondary VGA camera).
Although Micromax has confirmed that both smartphones will be launched in India next month, no exact release dates for the Windows Phone handsets have been announced yet, so stay tuned for more on this one.
Update 1: The second smartphone in the picture (the Canvas Win W092) is shown with Android buttons instead of Windows Phone controls. It seems to be a mistake from Micromax's part and a big one sadly.